In today's digital economy, authentication is one of the most important tools that every company must have. When creating a profile can be done in as fast as 5 minutes, it is imperative that companies are sure that they're dealing with a real person on the other end.
There are several ways of authentication available. The most popular, and the easiest to bypass, is email authentication. This kind of authentication usually stops bots from mass creating accounts on websites. The next is digital authenticators. These usually authenticate by the use of a 3rd-party app installed on a smartphone. However, this only guarantees that the person who holds the account is in control of a smartphone. While it does hinder possible fraudsters from making multiple dummy accounts, it doesn't stop them outright.
The most secure yet still client-friendly type of authentication is phone authentication. Phone numbers usually require people to give out personal information. Using a phone number for fraudulent means it allows criminals to be tracked down based on the information they give when signing up for a phone number.
We've listed down our top 5 companies that businesses should consider if they're thinking of getting phone authentication for their services.
1) Xverify
On top of our list is Xverify. Founded in 2011 and based in Chicago, Illinois, this authentication company offers a comprehensive verification system. They offer phone, postal address, and email address verification.
Their phone verification system is amongst the most accurate in the industry. This is done by partnering up with major telecom companies to make sure that numbers used by potential clients are all legitimate. Their tool also allows them to determine whether a US or Canadian phone number is disconnected or not, allowing companies to remove unreachable or unavailable phone numbers from their database. Additionally, Xverify's service identifies if the phone number is either mobile or from a landline. From there, it can also determine if the phone number belongs to a certain city or state, allowing for more tailored responses for a company's client.
The best part is that this is all in real-time, allowing companies to work around the clock without waiting for results to come back. The company also claims that they do not use an auto-dialer to check these numbers. Doing so would be non-compliance with TCPA guidelines.
The phone authenticator has an easy-to-use JavaScript code that small business owners can plug into their existing sign-up web forms. The code will automatically warn users if they entered an invalid phone number, lessening bogus numbers from entering your database. Companies can also use Xverify's well-documented API that gives back results in milliseconds. And if a company has millions of phone numbers they need to check, Xverify can accept a database file and bulk process the numbers for them, saving the company precious time and money.
Their email authenticator technology, names SENDSHIELD, uses a multi-level process to guarantee that email marketers have databases with only authentic email addresses, allowing for increased engagement rates. Its 7-step process has multiple ways of filtering out junk email addresses. It checks multiple factors such as email syntax, blacklists, email servers, domain validation, and spam lists. Companies can also create their customized blacklists to further filter out the types of email addresses they want.
Like their phone verification tool, their email verification also has multiple ways of integration with a company's system. The JavaScript method, in which a JavaScript provided by Xverify is inserted into the webform, is also available for email verification. Their API tools are also available for those who want more control over what to display to end users if the email they input is invalid.
There's also a batch upload tool that uses their secure FTP system. Companies can send a .CSV file that contains email addresses they need to verify and Xverify will batch process the database on their end. Afterward, Xverify will send the results back to the company, informing them of which are valid and which are not.
For companies working on the cloud, their batch processing is also available for them. Xverify's batch processing tool works with popular online storage sites like Google Drive, DropBox, and One Drive. The company also works with email service providers to get their bulk email processing tool integrated into the email platform. Instead of having to export the email database into a separate file, companies can just import directly from their email service provider to Xverify's bulk processing tool. This saves companies precious time and assures that there is no discrepancy between the email addresses they have online and an offline database that might be several days, or even weeks, old.
Click here to Register for a FREE Phone Verification List Assessment with Xverify Today!
2) Lexis Nexis
One of the most respected companies when it comes to Risk Management, LexisNexis is a pioneer in authentication and verification. Founded in 1970, the New York City-based company has numerous services for many different fields. They can be found working with Law Enforcement, Insurance, Healthcare, Government, Financial Services, Collection Agencies, Corporations, and Non-profits. The company works with over 170+ countries and have several clients in the Fortune 500.
Their verification service covers many different fields, including biometrics and out-of-band data. Their database is massive, covering over 95% of the US adult population. With their specialization in digital identity intelligence, they can track down trends in digital fraud and be able to create solutions before these avenues of attack become more popular.
Their database covers over 34 billion public and proprietary records, which are easily accessible by companies by the use of a streamlined XML interface. LexisNexis also provides this data in real-time, making sure that companies are receiving up-to-date information. This is done through the use of secure connections and servers, making sure that the client's data are always privately secured and cannot be tampered with or tapped into.
3) Melissa
Founded in 1985, this multinational company has offices in Germany, India, Canada, The United States, Australia, and Singapore. The company has four sub-brands under them, each specializing in a different field in data management.
Melissa Developer caters to developers with access to ready-to-use APIs that allow developer teams to integrate them into their projects. Melissa Direct is for digital marketers who need a wide array of tools, such as SaaS, desktop mailing software, targeted mailing lists, and leads. Melissa Informatics works with companies in the life sciences, medical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical fields by using data and machine learning to create meaningful data that these companies can use for breakthrough research.
Their last brand, simply known as Melissa, targets individual users and small companies with easy-to-use verification tools available right at their website. On the lookups section of their website, there are over 20 different search and verification services available to anyone. From IP location to phone and email checking to property info, Melissa provides easy-to-use services that don't require an external website or knowledge in programming. Users can create an account on Melissa's website and they'll be given 1000 credits to use on Melissa's various tools. These credits refresh every month, so are able to freely use these services to a limited degree.
4) Telesign
Founded in 2005 and based in Los Angeles, Telesign is most known for providing two-factor authentication services to its clients. Their verification service is used by multiple companies around the world, in diverse and different fields. Call centers, eCommerce, Ridesharing Apps, Travel & Tourism, Dating Apps, Marketplaces, and Gaming Services are just some of the fields a person can find Telesign's services at work.
Telesign's signature service is its two-factor authentication service. Their service can be found in a lot of high-profile websites and applications such as Evernote and Salesforce. They also offer custom SMS and voice communications for companies who want to increase customer engagement and enable end-user self-service. These automated custom solutions lower expenses in the long run.
The company also offers ready-to-integrate solutions for companies building their applications. Telesign's offerings allow developers to easily integrate SMS, Voice, RCS, and Verification systems into their applications, bypassing the need to create these systems from the ground up and allowing for faster completion of the application.
5) Seon
Founded in 2017, this startup is making waves for its modern-looking interface. This verification company, as young as it may be, already has notable customers including car rental service Avis. Their intelligence tool is an easy-to-use verification tool that integrates right into a user's browser. With an input of a single email, IP Address, phone number, or location, companies can receive data and determine whether a potential user is using fraudulent data or not.
They also provide a robust API that developers can tap into, as well as allowing for manual queries. Their enterprise solution goes even deeper, looking at parameters such as device fingerprints and other transactional data.
