Phone validation for provider direct dials
Ben Argeband, Founder & CEO of Heartbeat.ai — Do-this-next workflow + scripts after no-answer/wrong-person.
What’s on this page:
Who this is for
This is for recruiters building physician call lists who need higher answer rates without wasting rep time or increasing wrong-person risk. If your team is losing confidence in the list, this is the workflow to get back to dialable numbers.
Definition: phone validation is checking whether a number can connect now and is usable for legitimate recruiting outreach, then using outcomes to route, suppress, and refresh.
Scope note: this page stays focused on phone validation for provider direct dials—connectability, stop rules, routing, and refresh.
Quick Answer
- Core Answer
- Validate provider direct dials by checking connectability, enforcing stop rules for wrong-person outcomes, routing follow-ups, and refreshing on a cadence so lists stay dialable.
- Key Insight
- Validation alone isn’t enough; pairing it with suppression and refresh is what reduces wasted dials and wrong-person calls.
- Best For
- Recruiters building physician call lists needing higher answer rates.
Compliance & Safety
This method is for legitimate recruiting outreach only. Always respect candidate privacy, opt-out requests, and local data laws. Heartbeat does not provide medical advice or legal counsel.
What you’ll do next:
- Standardize what “validated” means and what reps must log on every attempt.
- Apply stop rules (wrong person, hard-fail, opt-out) and suppress across systems.
- Run a weekly connectability audit so you can improve the list instead of guessing.
Framework: The “Stop Wasting Dials” System: Validate → Rank → Route → Refresh
Phone data decays. Numbers get reassigned, office lines get mistaken for direct dials, and yesterday’s “good” record becomes tomorrow’s wrong person. The fix is a system you can run every week, not a one-time cleanup.
- Validate: confirm the number can connect now (reachability), then classify the outcome.
- Rank: prioritize the best first attempts so reps spend time on conversations, not retries.
- Route: decide the next action (retry window, email follow-up, office workflow, or suppression).
- Refresh: re-check on a cadence because number reassignment happens and “good” decays.
Decision guide (fast): Validate before a campaign, Rank before the first dial, Route immediately after each attempt, Refresh after any wrong-person or hard-fail signal (and on a recurring cadence for active requisitions).
Inputs & outputs (for lookup-style execution)
| What you need (inputs) | What you produce (outputs) | What it drives (decision) |
|---|---|---|
| Number + last refreshed date + opt-out status | Connectability outcome + suppression flag | Dial now vs suppress vs refresh |
| Call attempt outcomes (logged consistently) | Routing tag (direct vs office) + next action | Retry window vs email follow-up vs office workflow |
| Weekly audit sample (same cohort size each run) | Connect Rate / Answer Rate / wrong-person rate | Where to fix: list quality, timing, routing, or suppression |
Diagnostic Table:
Use this as your “what do I do next?” table. It’s built for physician recruiting workflows: direct dials, office lines, and the wrong-person risk that comes with number reassignment.
| Signal you see | What it usually means | Next action | Stop rule / suppression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human answers; identity confirmed | Direct dial is usable now | Proceed with outreach sequence; log as verified | None |
| Human answers; wrong person | Number reassignment or misattribution | Apologize; confirm opt-out; switch to alternate channel/number | Immediate suppression for that number; mark “wrong person” |
| Rings; no answer; voicemail | Could be correct but low availability | Retry in a different window; add email touch referencing attempt | Suppress only after repeated no-answer attempts + no corroboration |
| Hard-fail (intercept/disconnected) | Not connectable now | Stop dialing; schedule refresh; try alternate contact | Stop after first hard-fail; suppress until refreshed |
| Office answers (gatekeeper) | Not a direct dial; still useful for routing | Move to office workflow; ask best time/channel; request preference | Keep separate from direct-dial KPIs |
| Opt-out requested | Consent/opt-out requirement | Confirm; stop outreach; update records | Global suppression across systems |
Reminder: Validation is “can this connect now,” not formatting.
Step-by-step method
Step 1: Set your definition of “validated” (so the team stops arguing)
For provider direct dials, define “validated” as: the number can connect now and is appropriate for legitimate recruiting outreach. It is not a promise the physician will answer, and it is not permanent.
Step 2: Collect the minimum inputs before you dial
If you want a list that performs, you need a few fields beyond “name + number.” These are the minimum inputs that make validation actionable:
- Phone number (the dial target)
- Last refreshed date (or “unknown”)
- Prior outcomes (if any): connected-human / voicemail / no-answer / hard-fail / wrong person / gatekeeper
- Opt-out status (yes/no/unknown)
- Routing tag: direct dial vs office line vs unknown
Step 3: Validate, then prioritize the first attempt
Don’t treat every number equally. Validate for reachability, then prioritize the first dial so reps start with the best shot. In Heartbeat.ai, teams do this using ranked mobile numbers by answer probability to reduce wasted first attempts.
The trade-off is… you will suppress more numbers earlier. That can feel like you’re shrinking your list, but you’re increasing the portion that’s actually dialable and reducing wrong-person exposure.
Step 4: Enforce stop rules (this is where most teams fail)
Number reassignment happens. Your process needs non-negotiable stop rules so reps don’t keep calling bad numbers.
- Wrong person confirmed → apologize, confirm opt-out, suppress immediately, and do not retry that number.
- Hard-fail → stop dialing that number and schedule a refresh before any future attempt.
- Opt-out requested → global suppression across tools (phone + email where applicable).
Step 5: Route outcomes into a sequence (call-only is a time sink)
After each attempt, route the record based on what happened:
- No-answer/voicemail: retry in a different window + send a short email referencing the attempt.
- Gatekeeper/office: switch to office workflow; ask best time/channel; request preference.
- Hard-fail: suppress and refresh later; do not keep dialing.
Call-window rule (no guesswork): if you get no-answer twice, change something before the next attempt (time window, caller identity, or channel). Otherwise you’re just repeating the same failure mode.
Step 6: Refresh on a cadence (because decay is guaranteed)
Buying static lists is risky because of decay. The modern standard is Access + Refresh + Verification + Suppression. If you don’t refresh, your connectability will drift down and wrong-person risk will drift up.
Operational cadence: review refresh status weekly for active requisitions, refresh before each campaign, and refresh immediately after any wrong-person or hard-fail outcome.
Weighted Checklist:
Use this checklist to decide whether a provider record is ready for the “dial now” queue. Score each item 0–2, multiply by weight, and total it.
| Readiness item | 0 | 1 | 2 | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reachability signal from phone validation | Hard-fail / unknown | Rings/no-answer only | Recent human connect | ×3 |
| Stop rules enforced (wrong person, hard-fail, opt-out) | No enforcement | Inconsistent | Documented + enforced suppression | ×3 |
| Routing readiness (call + email sequence exists) | Call-only | Ad hoc follow-up | Defined sequence + logging fields | ×2 |
| Freshness known | Unknown | Known but old | Known and recent | ×2 |
| Compliance hygiene (consent/opt-out tracked) | Not tracked | Tracked in one place | Global suppression across tools | ×3 |
How to use it: low score means fix inputs (validation, routing, refresh, suppression) before you scale dials.
Common pitfalls
- Calling “validated” numbers forever. Validation expires. If you don’t refresh, you’re dialing decay.
- No global suppression. If opt-outs and wrong-person outcomes aren’t suppressed across systems, reps will re-contact by accident.
- Suppression only in one tool. If you suppress in the CRM but not the dialer (or vice versa), the same bad number will keep resurfacing.
- Mixing office lines into direct-dial reporting. Your metrics become meaningless and you can’t diagnose what’s broken.
- Not logging outcomes. Without consistent outcomes, you can’t tell whether the issue is list quality, timing, or execution.
- Retrying no-answer without changing anything. If you don’t change the window or add a channel, you’re just burning time.
How to improve results
Define the metrics (so the team reports the same math)
- Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (report as connects per 100 dials).
- Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (report as human answers per 100 connected calls).
- Mobile accuracy = records where the first-listed mobile number reaches the intended provider / records dialed (report as a percentage and include your reporting window).
Uniqueness hook worksheet: MEASUREMENT_FORMULA (connectability audit)
Measure this by… running a weekly connectability audit on the first 100 dials from each list cohort (new, refreshed, and older). Use the same logging fields every time so you can compare cohorts.
| What to compute | Formula | Report as | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect Rate | connected calls / total dials | Connects per 100 dials | Shows list connectability + dialing efficiency |
| Answer Rate | human answers / connected calls | Human answers per 100 connected calls | Separates “connected to voicemail/gatekeeper” from real conversations |
| Wrong-person rate | wrong-person confirmations / connected calls | Wrong-person per 100 connected calls | Tracks reassignment/misattribution risk and suppression quality |
| Suppression effectiveness | suppressed numbers / total numbers attempted | Suppressed per 100 attempted | Shows whether stop rules are actually being applied |
Fix the funnel in the right order
- If Connect Rate is low: increase validation coverage, refresh more often, and suppress hard-fails faster.
- If Connect Rate is fine but Answer Rate is low: adjust call windows and routing (call + email) so you’re not stuck in voicemail loops.
- If wrong-person rate is high: tighten stop rules and enforce global suppression immediately.
Time math you can run with your own numbers
Use your audit to estimate conversations per 100 dials: (Connect Rate per 100 dials) × (Answer Rate per 100 connected calls) ÷ 100. That’s the number that drives submissions, not “records in the spreadsheet.”
Outreach Templates:
Short scripts that protect your brand, reduce wrong-person friction, and make opt-out handling easy for reps.
Template 1: First call opener (direct dial)
Script: “Hi Dr. [Last Name]—this is [Name]. I’m reaching out about a [specialty] role. Is now a bad time? If so, what’s the best way to reach you—call or email?”
If wrong person: “I’m sorry about that—I’ll remove this number. Would you like me to mark it as do-not-contact?”
Template 2: Voicemail (after no-answer)
Script: “Dr. [Last Name], this is [Name]. I’m calling about a [role] opportunity. I’ll send a short email as well—if you prefer no outreach, reply ‘opt out’ and I’ll stop.”
Template 3: Office workflow (gatekeeper)
Script: “Hi—quick question. I’m trying to reach Dr. [Last Name] about a recruiting opportunity. What’s the best time and channel to reach them, and is there a preferred contact method?”
Template 4: Email follow-up after attempt
Subject: Quick follow-up — Dr. [Last Name]
Body: “Dr. [Last Name], I tried to reach you by phone today. If you’re open to a quick conversation about [role], what’s the best number/time? If you’d prefer no outreach, reply ‘opt out’ and I’ll update my records.”
Legal and ethical use
Recruiting outreach only works long-term if you treat consent and opt-out as first-class workflow steps, not afterthoughts.
- Consent and opt-out: If someone asks you to stop, stop—and suppress across systems so they don’t get re-contacted.
- Respect privacy: Use contact data only for legitimate recruiting outreach and minimize retention to what you need operationally.
- Know the rules that apply: In the U.S., the TCPA is a common reference point for phone outreach compliance context (not legal advice).
FCC guidance on unwanted calls and handling
Evidence and trust notes
This page focuses on operational recruiting outcomes: connectability, stop rules, suppression, and refresh. For how Heartbeat.ai approaches sourcing, verification, suppression, and methodology, see: Heartbeat.ai trust methodology.
External references used for compliance context:
Related internal guides: provider data refresh cadence and number reassignment for recruiters. Product context: how our data is sourced and maintained.
FAQs
What is phone validation for provider direct dials?
It’s checking whether a provider’s number can connect now and then using the outcome to route follow-ups, suppress wrong-person/hard-fail numbers, and refresh so your list stays dialable.
What should my team log on every call attempt?
At minimum: timestamp (with time zone), outcome (connected-human/voicemail/no-answer/hard-fail/wrong person/gatekeeper), identity confirmed (yes/no/unknown), opt-out requested (yes/no), and next action (retry/email/suppress/refresh).
What do I do when someone says I have the wrong person?
Apologize, confirm opt-out, and suppress the number immediately. Then switch to an alternate number or email if you have one. Don’t retry that number.
How do I know if validation is improving performance?
Track Connect Rate (connected calls per 100 dials) and Answer Rate (human answers per 100 connected calls) for new vs refreshed vs older lists. Also track wrong-person confirmations per 100 connected calls.
Where can I build a validated call list in Heartbeat.ai?
You can start free search & preview data, then use validation signals, routing, and suppression to build a list your team will actually dial.
Next steps
- Implement the minimum logging fields in your CRM today so you can run the weekly audit.
- Write your stop rules into your SOP and enforce global suppression for opt-out and wrong-person outcomes.
- Set the cadence: weekly refresh review for active requisitions, refresh before campaigns, and immediate refresh after hard-fail or wrong-person signals.
If you want to put this into production quickly, start free search & preview data. Then review provider data refresh cadence to set your refresh rhythm and number reassignment to tighten your stop rules.
About the Author
Ben Argeband is the Founder and CEO of Swordfish.ai and Heartbeat.ai. With deep expertise in data and SaaS, he has built two successful platforms trusted by over 50,000 sales and recruitment professionals. Ben’s mission is to help teams find direct contact information for hard-to-reach professionals and decision-makers, providing the shortest route to their next win. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.
