2 New Ways to Find Phone Numbers With Datablist (Verified & AI)

Cold calling is still king. It remains one of the most effective outbound channels, and that's not changing anytime soon.

But finding the right phone numbers is getting harder, not easier.

This guide shows you 2 methods to find phone numbers with Datablist. One gives you verified mobile phone numbers, the other uses AI to pull business phone numbers from websites.

📌 Summary For Those In a Rush

This article shows how to find phone numbers using two different methods in Datablist.

Problem: Finding direct mobile phone numbers for cold calling is difficult because most tools return outdated data or generic company landlines.

Solution: Using Datablist's Waterfall Phone Number Finder for verified mobile numbers, or the AI Agent for extracting business phone numbers from websites.

Our Recommendation: Use the Waterfall Phone Finder. Every number it returns is a 100% verified mobile phone number^[1], which means you reach your contact directly.

Why Use Datablist: 3 simple reasons

1. Verified mobile phone numbers (not landlines)
2. Straightforward, no code, no APIs, no technical setup
3. Affordable pricing starting at $25/month with flexible credit top-ups

What This Guide Covers

• A comparison of both methods and when to use which
• What you need before searching for phone numbers
• Step-by-step walkthrough for the Waterfall Phone Number Finder
• Step-by-step walkthrough for the AI Agent method
• Key takeaways and next steps

Finding Phone Numbers: What You Need To Know First

There are two ways to find phone numbers with Datablist, and which one you pick depends on what kind of number you need and how much you want to spend.

How the Waterfall Phone Finder Works

The Waterfall Phone Finder is a purpose-built enrichment that searches through multiple data vendors in sequence until it finds the right phone number for your contact.

↳ You provide a LinkedIn profile URL

↳↳ Datablist queries vendor #1, then #2, then #3, etc.

↳↳↳ It stops as soon as it finds a 100% valid mobile number

Every number it returns is a valid mobile phone number. This means you reach the person directly, no gatekeepers involved.

💡 What Is Datablist?

Datablist is a platform for automating lead generation workflows that allows sales, marketing, and recruiting folks to find, clean, and enrich data using over 60 different tools from AI Agents to Email Finders, data cleaning tools, and more.

If you need to find, clean, or enrich data for your lead lists, Datablist keeps everything in one platform, so you don't have to juggle 5 different subscriptions.

How the AI Research Agent Method Works

The AI Research Agent takes a different approach. Instead of checking data vendors, it visits the company's website, looking for any phone numbers listed on the page.

This is typically the company's main business line, not a personal mobile number. But at 10-20 credits per phone number, it's a budget-friendly way to find business phone numbers in bulk.

Here's a quick comparison of both methods:

Use the Waterfall Phone Finder if You Want Verified Mobile Numbers

This is our recommended method. The Waterfall Phone Number Finder checks multiple data vendors to find mobile phone numbers that are 100% verified.

What does that mean for you? You call the decision maker directly. No receptionist, no "let me transfer you," no dead ends. If cold calling is a core part of your workflow, this is the way to go.

Use the AI Agent if You're on a Tight Budget

The AI Agent costs 10-20x less per contact, but the trade-off is clear: you'll mostly get company landlines, not personal mobile numbers.

That said, if you target small businesses where the owner often picks up the main line, this method can still deliver solid results. It's also a great option when you have more time than budget and want to cast a wide net.

What You Need to Find the Phone Numbers of Your Leads

To use Datablist's Waterfall Phone Number Finder, you need a LinkedIn profile URL for each contact. That's the only required input.

Don't have LinkedIn URLs? No problem. If you have the first name, last name, and company name or domain, Datablist can help you find the LinkedIn URLs first before running the phone enrichment using our LinkedIn Profile Finder

For the AI Agent method, you need a website URL where the phone number might be listed (company website, directory listing, etc.).

How To Find Phone Numbers With Datablist: The Step-by-Step

Both methods follow a simple 6-step framework, so once you learn one, the other will feel familiar.

📘 Before We Start

This guide covers two methods to find phone numbers. We recommend starting with the Waterfall Phone Finder since it returns only verified mobile phone numbers.

The AI Agent method is covered afterwards as a budget-friendly alternative.

Using Datablist's Waterfall Phone Number Finder

This method returns only 100% verified mobile phone numbers and costs 500 credits per phone number returned, and you don’t pay anything if we don’t find a phone number.

Step 1: Sign Up & Upload Your Data

First, Sign up for Datablist.com

Then, Upload a list with the LinkedIn profile URLs of your leads

Step 2: Navigate to the Enrichment

1. Click on Enrich in the top menu of the app
2. Go to the People panel
3. Select the Waterfall Phone Finder

Step 3: Set Up the Enrichment

You'll see the following settings:

• Cache Settings - Results are cached to avoid paying multiple times for the same search. Configure the cache limit here. Default to 30 days.
• Custom Waterfall - Check this box to customize the Waterfall sequence and use your own API Keys.

The setup is straightforward. No technical configuration needed, just select the right options from the dropdowns and checkboxes.

Once you’re done here, scroll down to configure your inputs.

Step 4: Configure Your Inputs

1. Map the LinkedIn profile URLs in your collection as the Input Property
2. Click on Continue to outputs configuration

Step 5: Select Outputs

The Waterfall Phone Finder gives you the following data points:

• Phone Number Found - The verified mobile phone number
• Phone Status - Verification status of the number

Click on the ⊕ Icons to add them to your collection, then click on Instant Run

New columns will be added to the end of your collection. You’ll see them when scrolling right

Step 6: Run the Enrichment

Finally, configure your run settings by clicking on the chevron on the right side of the button. This will allow you to choose between the following options:

• Run on first 10 items: Good for checking results before committing
• Run on first 100 items: Useful if you want to validate larger samples
• Run on first {X} items: Lets you choose how many items you want to process
• Run on all view items: Process your entire list (or view if you’ve enabled filters)

Once you have chosen your preferred option, click Run on X items

After a few minutes, you'll see verified mobile phone numbers populated in your collection. Every number returned is a real, verified mobile number, which means you can start dialling with confidence.

The next method will help you find business phone numbers on any company’s website.

Using the AI Agent to Find Phone Numbers on Websites

This method uses Datablist's AI Research Agent to extract phone numbers directly from websites. It costs between 10 and 20 credits per contact and works best for finding business phone numbers listed publicly on company sites.

📘 Important Difference

The AI Agent extracts whatever phone numbers are publicly listed on a website. These will mostly be company landlines, not verified personal mobile numbers. If you're targeting small businesses, you may have better luck finding direct lines.

Step 1: Sign Up & Upload Your Data

If you haven't already, Sign up for Datablist.com

Then, Upload a list that includes the website URLs of the companies you want to find phone numbers for

Step 2: Navigate to the AI Agent

1. Click on Enrich in the top menu

2. Go to AI and select AI Agent

Step 3: Select the Landline Extractor Template

Click on the Template Drop-Down and select "Business Number Extractor"

💡 No Prompting Required

You don't have to write a single prompt. The Landline Extractor template is ready to use out of the box. Just select it, put your variable in, and Datablist handles the rest. If you ever want to customize what the AI looks for, you can edit the template in plain English.

Step 4: Map Your Input Property

Scroll down and insert the website URL as your Input Property. You can do this by typing / and selecting the column that contains your website URLs.

Once the variable appears in purple, click on Continue to outputs configuration

Step 5: Select Outputs

Datablist will create the output properties automatically.

The only thing you have to do is click on the ⊕ Icons to add them to your collection.

Once you've done that, click on Instant Run

Step 6: Run the AI Agent

Finally, configure your run settings by clicking on the chevron on the right side of the button. This will allow you to choose between the following options:

• Run on first 10 items: Good for checking results before committing
• Run on first 100 items: Useful if you want to validate larger samples
• Run on first {X} items: Lets you choose how many items you want to process
• Run on all view items: Process your entire list (or view if you’ve enabled filters)

Once you have chosen your preferred option, click Run on X items

The AI Agent will visit each website, scan for phone numbers, and scrape what it finds.

Results vary depending on whether the company lists their number publicly, but for those that do, this is the fastest way to find business numbers for cheap.

As you can see, finding phone numbers with Datablist is simple with both methods.

The only real question is which one fits your situation better, and the comparison table above should make that decision easy.

Your Key Takeaways

Finding phone numbers for your leads doesn't have to be complicated. Here's what to remember:

1. The Waterfall Phone Finder is the recommended method if you want to find mobile phone numbers that connect you directly to decision makers
2. The AI Agent is a solid budget alternative when you need to find business phone numbers from websites and want to keep costs low

What Else Datablist Can Do For You:

If you're building a lead list from scratch or enriching one you already have, finding phone numbers is just one step. Datablist can help you at every stage of that process.

Build your prospect list from scratch

• Scrape Job offers from 19 job boards simultaneously
• Scrape companies from LinkedIn without risking a ban
• Scrape leads from Sales Navigator without losing your account

Enrich and clean the data your have

• Find a company’s website from a company name
• Find emails addresses from a LinkedIn profile
• Extract the details from LinkedIn profiles
• Clean and enrich your CRM data

And this all within one platform.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Finding Phone Numbers

How Much Does It Cost to Find Phone Numbers With Datablist?

It depends on which method you use:

• Waterfall Phone Finder: ~500 credits per contact
• AI Agent: ~10-20 credits per execution

With Datablist's Growth Plan ($50/month), you get 20,000 free credits monthly^[4]. That's enough to find 40 verified mobile numbers with the Waterfall method, or 1,000+ business phone numbers with the AI Research Agent.

Do I Only Pay for Phone Numbers That Are Successfully Found?

With the Waterfall Phone Finder, you only pay for successful results^[2] If no phone number is found for a contact, you won't be charged credits for that search. With the AI Agent, though, credits are consumed based on execution, not success.

What's the Difference Between the Waterfall Phone Finder and the AI Agent for Finding Phone Numbers?

The Waterfall Phone Finder searches across multiple data vendors to find verified mobile phone numbers using LinkedIn profile URLs. It's more accurate but costs more credits (~500 per contact).

The AI Agent visits websites and extracts whatever phone numbers are publicly listed. These are typically company landlines, not personal mobile numbers. It's cheaper (~10-20 credits) but less precise for direct outreach.

Do I Have To Code to Use Datablist's AI Research Agent?

No, you don't have to write a single line of code. Datablist is a 100% no-code platform designed to help you build lead lists fast. This applies to the AI Agent and every other tool in the platform.

Do I Have To Prompt to Use Datablist's AI Research Agent?

No. Datablist provides ready-to-use prompt templates for its AI Agents, including the Landline Extractor template used in this guide. You just place your data into pre-defined fields and run it.

Can I Find Phone Numbers if I Don't Have LinkedIn URLs?

Yes. If you have first names, last names, and a company name or domain, you can use Datablist's LinkedIn Profile Finder to get the LinkedIn URLs first. Then run the Waterfall Phone Finder on those URLs.

Alternatively, if you have website URLs, you can skip LinkedIn entirely and use the AI Agent to extract business phone numbers directly from company websites.

How Many Phone Numbers Can I Find With Datablist Per Month?

That depends on your plan and which method you use:

• Starter Plan ($25/month): 5,000 free credits = ~10 Waterfall searches or ~250-500 AI Agent lookups
• Growth Plan ($50/month): 20,000 free credits = ~40 Waterfall searches or ~1,000-2,000 AI Agent lookups

Need more? You can buy top-up credit packages starting at $20 for 20,000 credits^[3]. Bigger packages come with discounts up to 35%, and purchased credits never expire.

What's the Best Method to Find Phone Numbers for Cold Calling Campaigns?

The Waterfall Phone Finder, without question. Cold calling works best when you reach the right person on the first try. Since the Waterfall method returns only verified mobile phone numbers, you bypass receptionists and gatekeepers entirely.

The AI Agent can supplement your efforts by finding business phone numbers for companies where the Waterfall didn't return results, but your primary method for cold calling should always be the Waterfall.

Can I Find Phone Numbers Without Using LinkedIn?

Yes. The AI Agent method doesn't require LinkedIn at all. It extracts phone numbers directly from company websites and public directories. All you need is a website URL.

This makes it a great option if your lead list has company websites but no LinkedIn profile URLs.

Citations

• [1] Datablist's Waterfall Phone Finder enrichment page. It searches through multiple data vendors in sequence and only returns numbers that pass verification, so every result is a confirmed mobile number.

• [2] Datablist's credit documentation. Credits are only deducted when the Waterfall actually finds a phone number, which means failed searches cost you nothing.

• [3] Datablist's credit system explained. You can buy additional credits on top of your plan, starting at $20 for 20,000 credits, with bigger packages discounted up to 35%.

• [4] Datablist's pricing page. The Growth Plan runs $50/month and includes 20,000 credits out of the box, which you can stretch across both the Waterfall and AI Agent methods.