Are skip trace results getting worse, or are we just using them wrong?

[Chris Arnold]

I’ve been seeing more conversations lately around skip tracing quality, and I’m curious how others are thinking about it.

A lot of people seem frustrated because they’ll run a list, get multiple phone numbers back, and still waste a ton of time trying to figure out which numbers are actually worth calling.

So I’m wondering if the issue is always the skip trace provider itself… or if part of the problem is what happens after the data comes back.

For example:

• Are the numbers actually tied to the right owner?
• Is the owner match clean or messy?
• Is it an individual owner or an LLC/trust?
• Are the top numbers mobile/wireless?
• Is there any confidence ranking, or just a data dump?

I’m starting to think the raw skip trace is only half the equation.

The other half is having a process to clean, score, and prioritize the results before a caller starts working the list.

Curious what others are seeing:

Are your biggest skip trace issues coming from bad data, bad prioritization, or both?