Phone Services
Processing Specifications

Consumer Phone Verify and Append

All input records supplied to Anchor for verifying phone numbers must include names, addresses and phone numbers. These records are then processed and an edit check performed to verify and flag those phone numbers that match. All input records supplied to Anchor for appending phone numbers must include names and addresses.

Area Code Update and Correction, Direct Marketing Association – Telephone Preference Service (DMA-TPS), Time Zone Application and Dupe Phone flags are included in this service.

Consumer Phone Verify

• Compares names, addresses and phone numbers to our database and for all matches, we append phone number verified flags.
• All numbers supplied must be numeric and have no blanks.
• All numbers supplied must have ten (10) digits.
• First digit of Area Code must NOT be “0”.
• Any numbers supplied must not have the same numeric or consecutive numbers.
• All records are flagged if phone numbers are Invalid after an edit check.
• All records are flagged if any phone numbers on Anchor database are different than phone numbers on input file - New or different phone numbers are not provided.
• If phone number fields are blank on input records and are subsequently matched, the records are flagged as ones that could have phone numbers appended.
• All phone numbers are outputted in one place. The original phone numbers are moved to the output area if they’re verified, or if nothing is done to a record.

Consumer Phone Append

• Input records may or may not have telephone numbers.
• We match on names and addresses and append phone numbers if client input is blank or different. (Clients will have the option to choose to have phone numbers appended in the future).
• You may select “Individual” or “Household” level matching.
• If you select “Household” level, Anchor attempts to match at an “Individual” level first, then at a “Household” level.
• You may select either “Exact Match” or “Close Match” for your matching criteria.

• Matches on Area Code, Exchange and Zipcode.
• We supply a new area code and date of split, when a client area code is different from our area code database.
• Nothing is added if a file doesn’t match.

• Matches on Zipcode and Exchange.
  • If an Area Code is not valid against a Zipcode, we determine if the Area Code/Exchange combination is Active - by matching it against an Active Area Code Exchange file:
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Active, we flag the record as an Area Code/Zip Mismatch – possibly a cell phone.
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Inactive and pairing the Exchange with a Valid Area Code against the input Zip produces an Active Area Code/Exchange combination, we will append the Active Area Code for the input Zip.
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Inactive and we cannot pair the Exchange with an Active Area Code for the input Zip, we flag the record as an Area Code/Exchange Mismatch – probably a bad phone #.

• All matches are first made against names and addresses, then names, addresses and phone numbers second.
• On unmatched names, addresses and phone number records, the matched phone number only will be flagged.
• All matched records are flagged, coded and dated.

Consumer Phone Verify

All input records supplied to Anchor must have names and addresses and phone numbers. These records are then processed and an edit check performed to verify and flag matching phone numbers. Area Code Update and Correction, Direct Marketing Association – Telephone Preference Service (DMA-TPS), Time Zone Application and Dupe phone flags are included with this service.

• We match on name, address and telephone number.
• All numbers must be numeric and have no blanks.
• All numbers must have ten (10) digits.
• First digit of Area Code must be “1” NOT “0”
• Numbers must not have the same numeric or consecutive numbers.
• All records are flagged if phone numbers are Invalid after an edit check.
• All records are flagged if phone number on Anchor database is different than phone number on input file, new or different phone numbers are not provided.
• If phone number field is blank on input records and are then matched, the record is flagged as one that could have a phone number appended.

• Matches on Area Code, Exchange and Zipcode.
  • We supply a new area code and date of split, when a client area code is different from our area code database.
• Nothing is added if a file doesn’t match.

• Matches on Zipcode and Exchange.
  • If an Area Code is not valid against a Zipcode, we determine if the Area Code/Exchange combination is Active - by matching it against an Active Area Code Exchange file:
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Active, we flag the record as an Area Code/Zip Mismatch – possibly a cell phone.
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Inactive and pairing the Exchange with a Valid Area Code against the input Zip produces an Active Area Code/Exchange combination, we will append the Active Area Code for the input Zip.
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Inactive and we cannot pair the Exchange with an Active Area Code for the input Zip, we flag the record as an Area Code/Exchange Mismatch – probably a bad phone #.

• All matches are first made against names and addresses, then names, addresses and phone numbers second.
• On unmatched names, addresses and phone number records, the matched phone number only will be flagged.
• All matched records are flagged, coded and dated.

Consumer Phone Append

All input records supplied to Anchor must have names and addresses. These records are then processed and all phone numbers that are appended are flagged. Direct Marketing Association – Telephone Preference Service (DMA-TPS), Time Zone Application and Dupe Phone Number flags are included in this service.

• We match on names and addresses.
• Input records may or may not have telephone numbers.
• You may select “Individual” or “Household” level matching.
  • If you select “Household” level, we attempt to match at an “Individual” level first, then “Household” level.
• You may select the following matching criteria, “Exact Match” or “Close Match”
• All matches are on names and addresses.
• Phone numbers are appended to matched records.

• All matches are first made against names and addresses, then names, addresses and phone numbers second.
• On unmatched names, addresses and phone number records, the matched phone number only will be flagged.
• All matched records are flagged, coded and dated.

Reverse Phone Append

All input records supplied to Anchor must have phone numbers before we can perform an edit check. All records are matched against phone numbers and we append names and addresses. Direct Marketing Association – Telephone Preference Service (DMA-TPS) and Time Zone Application flags are included in this service.

• All phone numbers must be numeric and have no blanks.
• All phone numbers must be ten (10) digits.
• First digit of Area Code must NOT be “0”
• Phone numbers cannot all be the same numeric, or consecutive numbers.
• Records are flagged if phone numbers are invalid according to our edit check.

Area Code Update

Area Code Update involves the Area Code ‘Splits’ that are implemented by local phone companies to relieve phone number shortages. We are able to determine whether an Area Code on a record has changed at a Zipcode level. This is the finest level at which Area Code information is currently available. However, even at this level of matching, there is still a small margin of error that may occur. The borders where Area Codes have changed rarely coincide with Zipcode borders, or any other borders. Errors may occur where more than one Area Code exists within the same Zipcode. In these isolated cases, any Area Codes supplied will reflect the most prevalent Area Code in that particular Zipcode.

All input records supplied to Anchor must have Zipcodes and phone numbers, before we can perform an edit check.

• All phone numbers must be numeric and have no blanks.
• All phone numbers must be ten (10) digits long.
• The first digit of Area Codes must NOT be “0”.
• Phone numbers cannot be all the same numeric, or consecutive phone numbers.
  • Records are flagged if phone numbers are invalid.

• Matches on Area Code, Exchange and Zipcode.
  • We supply a new area code and date of split, when a client area code is different from our area code database.
• Nothing is added if a file doesn’t match.

• Matches on Zipcode and Exchange.
  • If an Area Code is not valid against a Zipcode, we determine if the Area Code/Exchange combination is Active - by matching it against an Active Area Code Exchange file:
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Active, we flag the record as an Area Code/Zip Mismatch – possibly a cell phone.
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Inactive and pairing the Exchange with a Valid Area Code against the input Zip produces an Active Area Code/Exchange combination, we will append the Active Area Code for the input Zip.
    • If the Area Code/Exchange combination is Inactive and we cannot pair the Exchange with an Active Area Code for the input Zip, we flag the record as an Area Code/Exchange Mismatch – probably a bad phone #.

Direct Marketing Association-Telephone Preference Service (DMA/TPS)

All input records supplied to Anchor must have phone numbers, and can have names and addresses.

• All matches are against name and address first, if supplied.
• On unmatched records, or records that only have phone numbers, records are matched against phone number only.
• Matched records are flagged, coded and dated.