Phone Format Valid Property

Track which contact phone numbers have valid formatting with automatic format status tracking

Overview

Clean Dial's Phone Format Valid property automatically tracks whether each contact's phone number is properly formatted. This boolean (true/false) property gives you instant visibility into which contacts have parseable, correctly structured phone numbers versus those with formatting issues like missing digits, invalid characters, or nonsense entries.
This is different from phone validation (which checks if a number is reachable). Phone Format Valid answers a simpler question: "Is this actually a phone number?"
Phone Format Valid Custom Property

How It Works

When contacts pass through either a Clean Dial Format Phone Number or Validate Phone Number workflow action, the system automatically:
    Attempts to parse the phone number using Clean Dial's parsing engine
    Determines if the number has a valid structure (correct length, valid country code, no weird characters)
    Sets the Phone Format Valid property to either true or false on the contact record
This happens seamlessly in the background - no additional setup required in your workflows.

What Makes a Format "Valid"?

A phone number format is considered valid when it:
  • Can be successfully parsed as a phone number
  • Has the correct number of digits for its country
  • Contains only valid phone number characters
  • Matches a recognizable phone number pattern
A phone number format is considered invalid when it:
  • Contains letters or special characters (e.g., "abc123", "CALL-NOW")
  • Has too few or too many digits
  • Doesn't match any country's phone format
  • Is clearly not a phone number (e.g., "N/A", "unknown", "12345")

Setting Up the Custom Property

To view format status on your contact records:
    Navigate to CRM > Contacts
    Select any contact record
    Go to Key Information section
    Click Actions > Customize Properties
    Search for "Phone Format Valid" under the Clean Dial section
    Add the property to display on contact records

Benefits

Data Quality Management
  • Instantly identify contacts with garbage phone data
  • Filter out unparseable numbers before they waste time
  • Track phone data quality across lead sources and imports
Workflow Efficiency
  • Skip formatting/validation for numbers that can't be parsed
  • Create data hygiene workflows to flag or fix bad entries
  • Route only contacts with real phone numbers to sales teams
Import & Migration Cleanup
  • Quickly assess the quality of imported contact lists
  • Identify data entry mistakes before they cause problems
  • Segment contacts by phone data quality for targeted cleanup

Use Cases

Imported List Cleanup - After importing trade show leads or purchased lists, filter by Phone Format Valid = false to see exactly which contacts have unusable phone data that needs attention.
Data Entry Error Detection - Create workflows that notify your team when new contacts have Phone Format Valid = false, catching typos and mistakes immediately.
Lead Source Quality Analysis - Compare phone format validity rates across different marketing channels to identify which sources deliver clean vs. messy data.
Pre-Validation Filtering - Use Phone Format Valid as a gate before running paid validation. Why pay to validate "CALL ME LATER" or "555-FAKE"?
Database Health Reporting - Build dashboards showing what percentage of your contacts have properly formatted phone numbers, tracking data quality over time.

Technical Details

  • Property Type: Boolean (true/false)
  • Property Name: phone_format_valid
  • Scope: Contact records only
  • Automatic Updates: Yes, updates when contacts flow through Format or Validate actions
  • Default Value: No default (blank until first format/validation event)

Phone Format Valid vs Phone Validated

Property
What It Checks
Example: +14155552671
Example: "call-me"
Phone Format Valid
Is this a parseable phone number structure?
true
false
Phone Validated
Is this number actually reachable/callable?
true or false (depends on carrier check)
N/A (can't validate unparseable input)
Use Phone Format Valid to filter out garbage data. Use Phone Validated to filter out disconnected or invalid numbers that look real but don't work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When does this property get updated?
A: The property updates whenever a contact flows through either the Format Phone Number or Validate Phone Number workflow actions.
Q: Can a number be "format valid" but still fail validation?
A: Yes. A number like +14155552671 has valid formatting (it's structured correctly), but the validation check might find it's disconnected or not in service. Format valid = "looks like a phone number." Validated = "this number actually works."
Q: What happens to contacts processed before this feature existed?
A: The property only applies to contacts processed after feature activation. Existing contacts will have a blank value until they flow through a Clean Dial action.
Q: Can I use this property in HubSpot workflows?
A: Yes, you can filter and trigger workflows based on the Phone Format Valid property value.
Q: Does this cost extra?
A: No, Phone Format Valid is set automatically as part of both the Format Phone Number (free, unlimited) and Validate Phone Number actions at no additional charge.