Contact Verification
Contact verification is confirming that a contact channel (email/phone) is accurate, active, and correctly associated with a specific person.
Allocator relevance: Improves outreach deliverability and reduces reputational risk from mis-targeting decision-makers or using stale contact data.
Expanded Definition
Verified contacts reduce waste and increase the probability that messages reach the intended person. Verification should be treated as separate from role validation: a verified email may still belong to the wrong individual or a non-decision-maker. High-quality verification also distinguishes business vs personal channels when relevant.
In allocator workflows, contact verification is most valuable when paired with last-verified timestamps and source confidence so teams know what is confirmed versus inferred.
How It Works in Practice
Systems validate contact associations using corroborated sources and signal checks, then store verification status and recency. When changes are detected (role moves, domain changes), contacts may be re-verified and flagged for review.
Decision Authority and Governance
Data governance should define acceptable verification standards, how confidence is scored, and when records must be re-verified. Without governance, teams risk treating “reachable” contacts as “correct” contacts.
Common Misconceptions
- A deliverable email equals a correct decision-maker.
- Verification is a one-time event.
- More contacts per person always improves outreach.
Key Takeaways
- Verify channel accuracy separately from role authority.
- Recency (“last verified”) matters as much as correctness.
- Pair verification with source confidence to avoid false certainty.