Master E.164 formatting, international phone standards, and validation strategies to maintain pristine global phone databases. Learn how enterprises achieve 99.6% data accuracy and 96% SMS delivery rates through proper normalization.
Your CRM database contains thousands of phone numbers in dozens of formats: (415) 555-1234, +1-415-555-1234, 415.555.1234, 4155551234. Without normalization, each variation becomes a separate record—creating duplicates, failed deliveries, and wasted marketing spend.
Phone number normalization converts all formats to a single standard (E.164) for storage, validation, and processing. This simple step enables accurate deduplication, global SMS delivery, and reliable CRM analytics. Companies implementing proper normalization report 30% reduction in duplicate contacts and 96% SMS delivery rates.
Phone number normalization is the process of converting phone numbers from various input formats into a single, standardized format for storage and processing. The global standard is E.164 format (e.g., +14155551234), which includes country code and removes all formatting characters.
Normalization involves parsing the input, detecting country code, removing formatting characters (spaces, dashes, parentheses), validating against numbering plans, and converting to the target format. This ensures that +1 (415) 555-1234, 415-555-1234, and +14155551234 all become +14155551234 in your database.
E.164 is the international standard for phone number formatting defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The format ensures global interoperability and is required for SMS delivery, voice calls, and telecommunications services.
+[CC][NDC][SN]• + - Plus symbol (required)
• CC - Country Code (1-3 digits): +1 (US), +44 (UK), +81 (Japan)
• NDC - National Destination Code (area code)
• SN - Subscriber Number (local number)
Phone number normalization is foundational to data quality. Without it, you're flying blind—unable to deduplicate contacts, deliver SMS globally, or trust your analytics. The E.164 standard provides a simple, universal format that works across 232 countries.
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