Call Screening: Protect Your Time and Serve Customers Better
Stop robocalls and spam, boost efficiency, and serve customers faster with call screening from AccessDirect. Decide who gets your attention and who doesn’t.
What Is Call Screening?
According to a recent survey, businesses in America receive five or more spam calls every day. What’s worse, each one costs the business an average of $9.46 per call. That’s more than minimum wage in some states!
As a small business owner, your time is precious. But managing scams, unwanted sales pitches, or political ads wastes time — and all those interruptions add up. Think about how much time (and real wages) you spend answering each useless call.
The solution: call screening.
Call screening checks the intent of incoming calls automatically, so you don’t have to. It’s like a virtual bouncer for your business line. But call screening goes beyond just checking for robocalls. It puts control back in your hands by helping you understand more about the call before you answer.
Here are a few features AccessDirect provides for call screening:
- IVR (Interactive Voice Response) Gatekeeping: Most spam calls are recordings that start playing as soon as someone answers. An IVR system intercepts these calls, prompting the caller to press a key to connect. If no key is pressed (as with most robocalls), the call automatically ends — saving you time.
- Block Phone Numbers: Tired of spam calls from the same number? Simply block it! Our system allows you to block numbers through a convenient web interface or mobile app, so those callers never reach you again.
- Call Screening Notifications: Unsure whether to take a call? This feature sends you a quick notification with the option to accept or decline any call. If you decline, the caller is sent to voicemail, and their message is emailed to you as a sound file with a computer-generated transcript. Advanced features enable you to answer calls with a message or URL.
- Auto Attendant and Directory - Set up a phone menu and/or dial-by-name directory that lets callers guide themselves to the right extension or department. When the call reaches the chosen extension, the system can notify the recipient of the caller’s selection, providing context for the call (e.g., "You have a new call for 'Accounting.' Press any key to accept this call").
- Advanced Call Routing and Forwarding: Automatically route calls to the right person or department based on customized settings. You can even change your settings on a regular basis by time, day, or season.
In today’s world, where everyone (good and bad) is vying for your attention, call screening is a must-have. With AccessDirect, our virtual phone system filters out spam, prevents unwanted calls from taking up your time, and lets you choose when to answer.
It’s your personal call assistant, saving you time and protecting your focus.
Benefits of Call Screening
Screen Out Robocalls and Spam
- Reduce Risk and Enhance Security: Spam calls aren’t just annoying — they can cost your business in lost time and even security breaches. Call screening stops these calls before they ever reach you, reducing the risk of scams or phishing attempts that untrained staff might not detect. With AccessDirect’s blocking feature, repeat offenders can be banned from your line completely. That way, you only spend time on real, valuable calls.
- Protect Your Time and Focus: Dealing with spam calls day in and day out is exhausting and distracting. Call screening helps keep your day on track by ensuring your line is reserved for actual customers (not time-wasters).
Enhance Customer Service
- Save Money: Use IVR technology to let callers self-select the department or person they need, so you don’t have to pay someone to answer and screen every call. Free up resources by letting the system work for you.
- Improve Service Quality: Allowing callers to choose their transfer option lets them reach the right person faster. For solopreneurs juggling multiple roles, knowing the purpose of a call (like “new call for accounting”) lets you answer professionally instead of with a casual “Hello.” This makes customers feel valued, provides faster service, and builds loyalty.
- Prioritize Calls: Not every call is urgent. Call screening enables you to prioritize requests based on intent, so you can decide which calls to answer, ignore, or transfer.
Why Customers Choose AccessDirect for Virtual Phone Service
How Call Screening Works With Call Routing
Call screening doesn’t work alone — it’s just one part of a larger call routing workflow that keeps your business running smoothly. A call routing system is like a personal assistant that knows exactly where each call needs to go based on schedules and team availability.
With call routing, calls can be directed to the right person or location, whether it’s during business hours, after hours, or on someone’s break. This way, you don’t miss important calls, and customers don’t have to wait.
Here’s how a typical call routing sequence might look with call screening as part of flow:
- Caller Dials In: The caller dials your business number and is greeted by the call screening system.
- IVR Spam Test: The caller goes through the spam test — your IVR message that asks them to press a key to connect. If they pass, they move to the next step. If they fail, they’re disconnected.
- Call Routing / Call Tagging: Now, your call routing settings take effect. Depending on your setup, the caller may enter a call queue, hear a specific greeting, or access a directory to reach the right department.
- TIP: Call tagging offers an added layer of customization. You can assign tags to certain contact groups or numbers, then automatically route these callers to specific extensions or departments. You can even set a unique greeting for tagged callers.
- Keypress to Connect: Once the caller reaches their desired extension, you’ll have the option to answer the call based on the caller's provided information. The IVR system announces the caller’s selection (e.g., "New Call for Sales"), allowing you to press a key to connect or reroute the call to voicemail as needed.
Three Great Phone Service Plans – All With Call Screening Included
At AccessDirect, we offer three flexible plans, priced so you can choose exactly what you need — no more, no less.
DIRECT EXECUTIVE
Perfect for solopreneurs or individual businesses. This plan includes one mailbox that can transfer calls to any of your phones, plus voicemail-to-email and transcription services. Take your calls from anywhere — at home, on the road, whenever you need.
$19.95 / per month
DIRECT RECEPTIONIST
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES WITH 2-25 EMPLOYEES
Starting at $27.95 / per month
DIRECT ENTERPRISE
FOR COMPANIES WITH 25-100+ EMPLOYEES
Ideal for larger companies. This plan offers our Automated Answering Service, scaled up to meet the needs of bigger businesses. We’ll help you build a custom phone system that fits your business, no matter how many locations or employees you have.
Starting at $99.95 /per month
Choosing Call Screening Phone Service
Option 1: Basic Smartphone Call Screening Features
Many smartphones today offer basic call screening options, like number blocking and caller ID. However, these are very basic — they don’t help with filtering out robocalls or boost efficiency all that much.
For a business with high call volume, this option may not fully meet your needs.
Option 2: Switch to an AI-Powered Phone
Some phones now come with built-in AI-powered call screening. But while these can be helpful, they bring their own set of issues.
For instance, AI call filters aren’t perfect; they can mistakenly block calls you actually want to receive (known as “false positives”). It’s like when an important email lands in your spam folder.
There are also privacy issues. Since AI needs access to certain data (like your contacts or call history), this might not work for your business or the customers that call you. Always read the terms of service to ensure it aligns with your business’s privacy standards.
Most of all, smartphones aren’t scalable. They’re meant for individual users, not small teams. So, if you ever plan to grow your business, you’ll quickly outgrow an AI-powered phone.
Option 3: Use a Virtual Phone System Built for Business Needs
Virtual phone systems like AccessDirect are built to scale for individual entrepreneurs, small businesses, or even larger teams. Our phone system is designed specifically for handling business calls and offers a larger range of call screening and routing options. Plus, our free trial lets you test features like call screening, routing, and voicemail-to-email before committing.
Choosing a virtual phone system gives you the complete package:
- Business-focused features
- Flexible pricing
- The option to customize your setup without unnecessary complexity
Start Screening Calls Today With AccessDirect
Your time is valuable, and taking control of it should be easy. Call screening is the future of customer service, whether virtual or with a live agent. With AccessDirect, it’s as flexible as you need it to be.
The perfect phone system is one that actually works for you. So, if your current setup feels rigid, confusing, or doesn’t have the customization you need, it’s time to make a change.
AccessDirect makes it easy. Our customer support team will help you tailor every detail, from greeting scripts to call routing to schedule adjustments and more. You focus on what you do best; we’ll handle the tech.
Ready to make your phone system work for you? Ask us about call screening today or try AccessDirect free for 7 days.