How To Stop Automated Calls and Get Back To Business
Robocalls, spam calls, spoofing – these are problems that both individuals and businesses are increasingly having to deal with daily. Answering spam calls is frustrating and time-consuming, tying up your phone line when your customers are trying to reach you. While there’s no fool-proof way to prevent these types of calls from dialing your number, there are ways to circumvent them or help you avoid answering them. Here are a few ways to avoid robocalls at your business.
- Add Your Number to the Do Not Call RegistryThe national Do Not Call Registry is still a powerful tool in preventing unwanted calls from reaching you, but it does have significant drawbacks. The Do Not Call Registry is only designed to prevent sales calls from reaching you – political groups, charities, survey companies, and other non-sales callers are not required to abide by it. Additionally, the list operates under the assumption of good faith by those companies that are supposed to adhere to it. The company whose number is asked not to call those on the Do Not Call Registry has 31 days to comply with a do not call request, and those companies who do not follow this guideline often face few consequences.
- Block Individual NumbersOne way to prevent callers from being able to dial your number is by blocking their number entirely. This is a useful method to block a number that calls repeatedly. One major issue with this method is that to block a number you must know what the number is, which is an ineffective defense against modern spoofing techniques which cycle through local numbers at a high rate. It also cannot be deployed against callers who are either blocking their number or sending their call through as a private number.
- Purchase A Blocking Service From Your CarrierThe 4 major US cell phone companies all provide services designed to help you avoid the hassle of answering spam calls – however, they come with a price tag, usually between $2.99 and $5.99 a month, and are not fool-proof. Using internally compiled lists much like the Do Not Call Registry, your carrier will attempt to block numbers that they have been previously identified as fraudulent. But they will often let these calls ring through to you with a warning instead of preventing them from calling you at all, which is not a great solution when you’d rather not be bothered to begin with. Using their blocking services can also have the unintended consequence of blocking legitimate calls from customers who may have had their number erroneously added to their list, or who prefer to mark their numbers as private when making phone calls.
- Use An Auto AttendantAn auto attendant has the benefits of both giving you the option to block individual numbers and put up a gateway to prevent these calls from ringing your phone. A virtual auto attendant is typically designed to answer a call with a recorded greeting listing options for callers to choose from. The call isn’t patched through to someone unless an option is selected. Since a robocall is simply a recorded message itself, it lacks the ability to select an option, which cuts off its ability to be answered by an actual person. The virtual auto attendant is designed to disconnect the call if there is no option selected, therefore keeping the robocall from ever actually interacting with a live person.At AccessDirect, we can set up a virtual auto attendant that can help you avoid robocalls. Your callers, whether it’s a robocall or an actual customer, will be greeted by a professionally recorded greeting naming your company and listing options to choose from. If it’s a robocall, the call will be disconnected after a brief period because auto-dialers are unable to make a selection from the list provided. If it’s a customer, they’ll select the department or person they wish to speak to, and we’ll patch the call through to your cell phone or land line. Our customers have seen a marked improvement in their ability to weed out annoying spam calls and only take the business calls they are expecting.If you’re trying to figure out how to stop automated calls, we’ve got solutions that can help. Contact us today to find out how we can help your business avoid robocalls and ensure the calls you receive are the ones you want to.
