Build Your ExperienceCall masking to keep phone numbers private.

In a time when businesses and customers reach each other from anywhere, secure communication is critical.

Now, more than ever, the platform-to-consumer delivery industry has become an indispensable part of daily living. As we face varying levels of self-isolation across the globe, online shopping, food delivery and ridesharing services have helped us cope and retain a sense of normalcy.

In 2020 alone, the platform-to-consumer delivery industry has seen a 35% surge in revenue, with retail spending moving almost exclusively to online platforms.

Let’s take a look at the ridesharing industry. When drivers and riders need to communicate, keeping their personal information private is not only a regulatory requirement in many regions, it is also important to reduce lost revenue.

A major way of ensuring accountability and building trust with your end-user is to allow them to communicate directly with your drivers. Considering the growing focus on consumer privacy, there is an absolute need to facilitate the most secure call experience that protects their private information such as their phone numbers.

Call masking API technology protects your customer's identity by automatically assigning virtual numbers to keep personal phone numbers private. Enabling secure, anonymous communication between drivers and customers with no added steps needed.

Essentially, Call Masking is a service which provides communication between two users without revealing their personal phone numbers, thus ensuring identity privacy and protection.

Let’s say a ridesharing driver is caught in a traffic jam and wants to call a passenger to let her know that he’s running late.

1. Once a call is initiated by the driver, it connects to one of the virtual numbers owned by the company.
2. Next, the Call Masking API calls the company’s server with the driver’s personal details. The server returns the passenger’s details.
3. The Call Masking API then dials the passenger’s number and connects her with the driver. The customer will receive a call from the same virtual number.
4. By this time, both participants’ actual phone numbers are hidden.
5. After the call ends, this virtual number can be reassigned to other participants on the platform, and the cycle repeats.

Enhanced user privacy:

Enable users to communicate freely without revealing private information or phone numbers.

Native fraud protection:

Prevent users from engaging in private communication outside your platform, reducing the possibility of lost revenue and ensuring customers do not need to share personal numbers.

Powerful insights:

Monitor call volume and communications between rider and driver, with session-based reporting built into the API.

Regulatory compliance:

Comply with data privacy regulatory requirements such as the GDPR to protect the personally identifiable information of your users.

Here are just some use cases that show how Call Masking is used across different industries.

Call masking for platform-to-consumer delivery and food delivery services:

During the delivery process, drivers may need to call the customer to inform them of an unexpected delay or to locate the drop-off address. With call masking technology, neither party is able to access the other party’s personal information.

Call masking for transportation and ride-sharing:

When drivers and riders need to communicate, keeping their personal information private is not only a regulatory requirement in most regions, it is also critical to reducing the risk of lost revenue, of possible private trips. With Call Masking, personal data is automatically hidden.

Call masking for e-commerce and online marketplace:

E-commerce and online marketplace platforms may provide users the ability to negotiate or discuss deals offline over phone calls. Call masking allows the seamless integration of voice calls into their experience while protecting both parties’ private information.

1. Number of calls: Consider how many calls your platform handles in a typical week
2. Number or company name: Consider if you want to mask the number with your company name
3. Tailored voice prompts: Consider if you want to play a text-to-speech message while waiting for the second call to be answered [Check out 8x8 Voice Text-To-Speech Message API]
4. Implementation: Round up your key stakeholders and find out the timeline to implement this feature

Join other leading businesses leveraging on 8x8 Voice Call Masking solutions to deliver reliable and advanced levels of communication your customers now demand.

• In a time when businesses and customers reach each other from anywhere, secure communication is critical.
• Call masking technology protects your customer's identity during phone calls by automatically assigning virtual numbers to keep personal phone numbers private.
• Call masking helps you to build trust with your customers, while also enabling compliance with international privacy regulations and preventing revenue leakage by containing all communications on your platform.

Helpful Resources

Case Study: Ridesharing: Protect Customer Data with Call Masking

Solution Brief: Building your digital experience with APIs

Documentation: Call Masking

Video: Call Masking for Ridesharing

Turn your texts into a voice call, improving the odds that passwords, notifications, alerts, and other sensitive data will be received. In the next chapter of our eBook, Build Your Experience, we will take a look at how our Voice Messaging API lets you send your message as voice calls to improve delivery rates.