The Impact of STIR/SHAKEN Implementation on Answer Rates
The impact of STIR/SHAKEN on outbound call answer rates has been substantial. Since major telecom carriers implemented STIR/SHAKEN, carriers, dialer companies, and high-volume outbound callers have all felt the effects.
Larger carriers face a TDM-to-SIP problem
STIR/SHAKEN is designed to operate natively in SIP, not legacy TDM. Anyone can insert an attestation into a call, but a TDM connection strips that attestation before the call reaches the called party — and setting up new direct SIP routes to the carriers that matter can take a year or more. Using a carrier that isn't fully STIR/SHAKEN capable will decrease your answer rate regardless of how the call started out.
Some dialer companies still have gaps
Not every dialer company was ready for STIR/SHAKEN. Many promptly implemented compliant telecom solutions so calls placed through the dialer receive an A attestation, but others still have gaps in delivering their calls over proper SHAKEN routes. Calls that aren't digitally signed with an A attestation see higher rates of spam labeling and blocking, which directly drags down answer rate — and even a carrier that is signing calls doesn't help much without a direct route to each major carrier (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile). Calls delivered with a full A attestation show a checkmark on all three.
The back story
STIR/SHAKEN is the telecom industry's answer to unwanted and junk phone calls — robocalls remain the number one complaint to both the FTC and FCC. An A attestation means the carrier knows the customer and confirms they're an authorized Caller ID user; a B attestation means the carrier knows the customer but can't validate the Caller ID; a C attestation means the carrier doesn't know the customer at all, and it's effectively a death sentence for answer rate.
Quality Voice & Data was one of the first telecom providers to receive STIR/SHAKEN authorization, with a suite of products built around one goal: a high outbound call answer rate for outbound call centers.
