First Orion

05/29/2026

Josh Whitehurst, Head of Product at First Orion, recently joined The Fast Mode podcast to unpack the future of trusted communications. In this episode, Josh breaks down:

- Beyond STIR/SHAKEN: Why current frameworks leave gaps and how network-level digital identity bridges them.
- The Power of Branding: How combining advanced analytics and branded caller ID restores consumer confidence.
- Calling Behavior: Why timing, cadence, and consent are just as critical to trust as the technology itself.

Thank you to Tara Neal and The Fast Mode for having us on the show.

Listen to the full discussion below.

Josh Whitehurst, First Orion discusses how analytics, authentication and branded identity work together to create trust in voice communications

05/27/2026

When your customers don't recognize your number, they don't answer. That was the reality for Arkansas Federal Credit Union. Their team was making outbound calls to help members stay current on payments, but those calls were being declined before the conversation even started.

After implementing First Orion's INFORM® Branded Calling, AFCU saw a 21% decrease in declined calls.

Read their full success story: https://hubs.li/Q04j4vtb0

05/26/2026

Is your business still sending plain SMS texts that customers mistake for spam?

75% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they receive a branded message, yet most businesses are leaving that trust and revenue on the table.

Customers want two things from every business interaction: trust and convenience. Plain, unverified texts can't deliver either. With ENRICH™ Branded Messaging, every message you send is:

- Verified with your logo and business name
- Rich with images, carousels, and action buttons
- Interactive — right inside the native text app, no download needed
- Simpler for customers with one-tap confirmations instead of clunky OTPs

Comment below if you'd like to see it in action. 👇

Learn how ENRICH™ can transform your customer conversations → https://hubs.li/Q04hSHnh0

05/25/2026

Today, we honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 🇺🇸

Wishing everyone a safe and meaningful Memorial Day from all of us at First Orion.

05/22/2026

In the high-risk property insurance sector, timely communication is mission critical. Adjusters and agents must reach policyholders quickly to assess damage and process urgent claims, yet most outbound calls go unanswered when numbers are not recognized.

In the case of one high-risk insurer, their calls were ignored. Despite a dedicated outbound team handling claims follow-ups and post-disaster inspections, most calls appeared on recipients' screens as unknown numbers. Policyholders already on high alert for scams routinely declined calls, extending claims cycles and driving up operational costs from repeat attempts.

Branded calling fixed this costly issue. Learn how: https://hubs.li/Q04hcsBn0

05/21/2026

81% of organizations have been targeted by AI-powered fraud. Yet only 26% have a tested plan to defend against it. That gap is where deepfakes and voice clones thrive.

Most fraud protection tools label a call as spam after the damage is done. First Orion's SENTRY® Call Blocking stops unauthenticated calls at the network level before they ever reach your customers.

Is your call security strategy keeping pace with the threat?

Learn how SENTRY works: https://hubs.li/Q04h0VZN0

05/20/2026

Is your business showing up as spam or unknown to your customers?

If your phone numbers are not registered with carriers, that is exactly what can happen, even when you are a completely legitimate business.

The fix is free and takes less than 5 minutes.

First Orion's free business number registration verifies your business with major US carriers so your calls are labeled accurately. No more missed connections because customers did not recognize the number.

Register your business numbers for free here: https://hubs.li/Q04hkTHm0

Get a more in-depth guide to registration in the comment below.

05/19/2026

For the last few years, the telecom industry has focused on a framework called STIR/SHAKEN. It was a necessary response to the explosion of scam calls that made it nearly impossible to trust your own phone.

While this created a vital foundation, it was never meant to be the final word in security. Despite these new rules, the threat has only grown. Global losses to robocall fraud peaked at over $80 billion in 2025 alone. When the stakes are that high, a “verified” number is a target for scammers looking for a way in.

Learn about the problem with STIR/SHAKEN and how call authentication is the better option: https://hubs.li/Q04g-J0t0

05/18/2026

Every day, people get flooded with messages from unknown numbers. No name. No logo. No context. So they ignore them.

But there is a smarter way to reach customers, and it is already built into their phones.

RCS messaging (the upgrade to SMS) gets 7x higher engagement than traditional text. Why? Because customers can actually see WHO is messaging them, with your brand name, logo, and verified identity right in their native texting app. No app download needed.

First Orion's ENRICH™ Branded Messaging makes this possible for businesses of all sizes:

- Verified sender identity so customers know it is really you
- Rich visuals, carousels, and action buttons, not just plain text
- One-tap confirmations that replace clunky OTP codes
- Works on Android and iOS 18.2+

See what branded messaging looks like from your customers' perspective: https://hubs.li/Q04g-Qr00

05/18/2026

Are you at America's Credit Unions Finance Council Conference today? Make sure to swing by booth #121 to grab a coconut and First Orion swag, meet our team, and check out our branded calling, call security, and reputation monitoring solutions. Thank you, Dave Covell, CIO with Water and Power Community Credit Union, for joining us at the booth and on stage to talk about voice impersonation.