Phone Carrier Verification configurations

What these configurations cover

Phone Carrier Verification checks a phone number and a legal name against global telecommunications carrier databases, so it answers whether telco operators corroborate what an end user told you. Its configurations are the set of Verification checks the template requires.

Phone Carrier Verification offers required or un-required Verification checks.

Where to find it in the Dashboard

Documentation > Verification Checks lists every check available. Find the section for Database checks.
Inquiries > Templates is where the change is made. Select a template that uses Phone Carrier Verification, use the left panel of the Flow Editor to head to Verifications, select the Phone Carrier Verification template, then open Checks.

What the settings control

Each check is either required or not required. A required check must pass for the Inquiry as a whole to be marked completed, so the set you require is the strictness of the template. See What is a Required Verification Check? for what that status means in practice.

How much the carrier record has to corroborate depends on what you collect. A phone number is the only required input; first name, last name, birthdate, and address are also accepted, and each one you pass gives the checks another attribute to line up against the carrier data.

There is no one set of checks that suits every organization. The choice turns on whether you would rather avoid passing someone who should have failed, or avoid failing someone who should have passed, and on which checks are more fraud oriented than conversion oriented. Some checks also report a failure reason, which is the fastest way to see which configuration is worth adjusting.

When to reach for it

Reach for these settings when a phone number alone is not telling you enough, or when the checks you require are failing people whose numbers are legitimate. Expect to iterate: start from the defaults, change one check, and watch what it does to your pass rates.

For the full walkthrough, see Configuring Phone Carrier Verification checks. To read what the checks report once they have run, see Understanding Phone Carrier Verification results.

Plans Explained