Phone Number Masking Know Meaning, Benefits, Use Cases & Why To Use

In this complex digital ecosystem, where every system and device remains connected, information security & privacy are pressing needs. Whether we use online shopping sites or binge-watch TV series, we share phone numbers and email IDs. A lot of companies do not bother about customers' phone number privacy. But if brands continue the same in call centers, customers will not contact them for queries.

This article will provide a comprehensive idea of masking phone numbers, call masking, and how cloud-based telephony services benefit from phone number masking. We will also discuss which company can provide the best number masking solution for your call centers.

Phone Number Masking

Call masking or phone number masking is a security and privacy solution that various cloud-based telephony and other call center-based brands use to protect customers' phone numbers. Masking phone numbers preserve privacy in the conversation & safeguards personal information or customer identities against misuse.

It anonymizes both participants' contact numbers and details by connecting via a dummy number. This temporary number aid in strong & secure business communication without leaking the customer or agent's phone number.

What Are Masked Phone Numbers?

Masked phone numbers are majorly used for anonymizing communication between parties while securing their phone numbers. It is not safe to directly share the contact numbers of any parties with others. Instead of sharing direct phone numbers between parties, the users get connected over a call using a proxy number.

Safeguarding the actual phone numbers with third-party phone numbers protects the identity of both customers and businesses. Masked phone numbers act like a bridge between the two parties protecting their information.

How Does Phone Number Masking Work?

Knowlarity with their experiences is efficient enough to put all the infrastructure in place for your business to start supporting number masking. With a large pool of phone numbers available, we assign a number that routes back & forth communication with multiple parties.

Let’s understand the working of number masking with an example of a cab booking service provider.

Step 1 - A customer books a cab using the mobile/web application of the company.

Step 2 - The driver gets assigned to the customer from the cab providers.

Step 3 - By clicking on the click to call button, available in the application, either the customer or the driver can make a call to the other party through the application.

Step 4 - Now, from the business server, the call gets transferred to the number masking provider’s server.

Step 5 - The original phone number of the customer/driver is now gets replaced with an automatically generated number, also called a proxy number.

Step 6 - The calls get connected between the two parties & the receiver party starts getting a call on their mobile from the masked phone number.

Step 7 - The driver & the customer can now connect smoothly without sacrificing their personal information.

Step 8 - Once the call gets disconnected, the number is removed from use.

Step 9 - These are recycled & reassigned later on.

Benefits of Masking Phone Numbers

1. It provides better privacy to customer numbers and prevents them from being misused.

2. Phone number masking helps in better campaigning. Customers feel safe with their numbers and contact the brands if they know that the brand uses number masking solutions in their cloud-based telephony or call center systems.

3. Call masking solutions also allow the brand to track incoming calls and messages from specific customers while keeping the phone number anonymous.

4. Customers often decline suspicious incoming calls with unusual prefixes. But call masking solution providers like Knowlarity - allow brands to make a local caller ID. Thus businesses can make their number familiar to prospects or potential customers.

5. Call masking often shows that the brand cares for the customers' privacy and security. Brands & firms that leverage number masking solutions get more customers over those without number masking.

Use Cases of Number Masking Solutions

Numerous business sectors need number-masking solutions to prevent customer numbers from getting misused.

• E-commerce: Delivery services and the delivery person often need to contact the customer to whom they will deliver the order. If they have the customer's numbers directly, there is a chance of misusing them. In this case, call masking solutions can help prevent customers' numbers from getting disclosed.
• Ridesharing: We all book cabs and share rides. Passengers often require calling the cab driver to locate the exact pickup point. But passengers hesitate to call them because it reveals the personal phone numbers and other passenger details to the driver. That is another spot where masking phone numbers can solve the challenge.
• Healthcare Call Centers: Numerous patients do not feel like calling the consultations or doctors associated with any healthcare business. It is because they might get bombarded with tons of calls and SMSs.That is where call masking solutions can save the day. Call masking solutions in cloud-based telephones often use temporary phone numbers. These numbers get obsolete or invalid after some time.

Why Should Companies Use Number-Masking Solutions?

We all know modern businesses are customer-centric. If a company works without a telephone answering service, it will be challenging to solve customer queries. But customers don't approach companies that reveal customers phone numbers and personal details.

That is where phone number masking services become helpful. It anonymizes customers' and agents' private numbers and other contact details. Hence, no one can misuse the other party's number. Companies can easily upsurge the brand's reputation and earn a sense of trust from customers.

Conclusion

If your brand needs a top-notch & high-value communication service for customers, look for a cloud-based telephony that offers phone number masking. Knowlarity is one of the top phone number masking services.

It assures the safety of the customer's phone number from getting leaked. It also features call monitoring, auto-dialer, click-to-call, call tracking, real-time insights, etc.