What STIR/SHAKEN Does
STIR/SHAKEN (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited / Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) authenticates caller ID information. Calls from verified sources display attestation levels; spoofed calls are flagged.
Legitimate cold callers benefit when their calls are verified. Flagged calls answer at lower rates. The technology creates a cryptographic signature that travels with the call, allowing receiving carriers to verify the calling number wasn't spoofed. For real estate investors running outbound campaigns, this verification layer separates your legitimate calls from the flood of scam calls that have trained consumers to ignore unknown numbers.
Attestation Levels
Full attestation (A) means the carrier has verified both the caller identity and their right to use the number. Partial attestation (B) means identity verified but number authorization is not. Gateway attestation (C) means the call entered the network from an unverified source.
Full attestation produces the best answer rates. Work with your carrier to achieve A-level attestation. The difference between A and C attestation can mean a 15-25% swing in answer rates - significant when you're paying per dial. Many carriers now display visual indicators on incoming calls showing attestation status, making verified calls more likely to be answered.
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Calls without attestation or with low attestation may be flagged as potential spam by carriers and handsets. Flagged calls answer at dramatically lower rates.
Proper STIR/SHAKEN compliance protects your answer rates and legitimacy. Beyond answer rates, spam-flagged calls damage your number reputation over time, potentially leading to complete blocking. Real estate wholesalers who ignore attestation requirements often find their numbers burned within weeks, forcing constant number rotation that disrupts follow-up sequences and wastes money on new number provisioning.
Implementation
STIR/SHAKEN implementation is handled by your carrier and dialer provider. Verify that your calling infrastructure supports attestation. Some older systems may not.
Ask your providers about their STIR/SHAKEN implementation and your attestation level. Request documentation showing your attestation certificates are current. Some VoIP providers advertise STIR/SHAKEN support but actually deliver B or C attestation - verify your actual attestation level by calling a test number and checking the received call data. If your current provider can't deliver A attestation, switching carriers is worth the hassle.
VA Horizon Compliance
Our calling infrastructure supports STIR/SHAKEN attestation. We work with compliant carriers to ensure calls are properly verified.
Compliance protects both answer rates and your brand reputation. Our carrier relationships include regular attestation audits to ensure A-level status. We monitor call flagging rates across campaigns and proactively address any reputation issues before they affect your answer rates. You shouldn't have to become a telecom compliance expert - that's our job.
Sources
The external data in this article draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.