No one expects robocalls, spam calls, and telemarketer calls. Over the past few years, many companies that have relied on spam calls have been able to call more people than ever before, much to the dismay of many. Sometimes spam callers rely on trickery to try and get you to answer the phone. By calling from a local phone number, they’re trying to trick you into thinking you’re getting a call from someone in your area. That’s why automatic call screening is popular.
With call screening, you can basically decide if a call is worth answering. Call screening has become a crucial aspect of VoIP telephony for both businesses and small enterprises. It allows for quick identification of important customers, filters unwanted spam calls, and enhances overall productivity. However, many may not understand what is call screening, how it works, or the benefits it offers. This article will provide a detailed explanation of these three questions.
What is Call Screening?
Call screening is a feature that identifies and verifies the caller’s identity before answering a call and allows agents or individuals to prioritize or filter incoming calls based on specific criteria, such as the caller’s identity, the reason for the call, or the importance of the customer. Call screening involves identifying incoming calls and using that information to help the receiver determine how to respond. It can help agents manage their time and focus on the most important calls, as well as block unwanted calls from telemarketers or other sources. This process includes caller identification, which provides the caller’s name, phone number, and location. Caller ID also lets you know when a potential spam caller is online.
Call screening allows an agent to determine whether to answer, reject, forward to another representative or department, or have the call go to voicemail. In situations where the call originates from a shared residence or another business phone line, the agent may not be able to immediately identify the specific caller. However, they can use additional information such as the caller’s name or the company they are calling from to identify them. In order to prioritize calls from outside businesses or internal departments over low-priority callers in the same location, the use of Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems may be necessary.
With Advanced Call Screening, callers are connected to an automated virtual operator who prompts them to state their name and, if necessary, the purpose of their call. This allows the agent to identify the caller and determine the appropriate action to take.
Call routing allows agents to redirect calls to other agents who are better equipped to handle the caller’s needs or have more availability. This ensures that the caller is connected with the most appropriate agent and allows the team to maintain their productivity without being distracted by less pressing calls.
How does Call Screening Work?
As VoIP technology has grown in popularity and the number of providers and carriers has increased, call screening services have had to evolve. In the past, phone numbers were exclusively linked to physical landlines, but now, phone systems can use various techniques to identify and manipulate the numbers shown on Caller ID screens. Common techniques include caller ID, blacklist/Whitelist, call blocking/labeling, voice recognition, two-factor authentication and AI-based screening. During these techniques, caller ID is the most common to use.
The CNAM (Caller ID Name) database stores the names and phone numbers of account holders. When a call is made, the caller’s phone number is sent to the callee’s phone service provider along with the call. The callee’s phone service provider checks the caller’s phone number against its CNAM database. If a match is found, the CNAM database returns the caller’s name associated with the phone number to the callee’s phone. The callee’s phone then displays the caller’s name along with their phone number on the caller ID.
Benefits of Call Screening
With call screening, agents can prioritize calls that are important and avoid wasting time on calls that are not relevant. This allows them to block or ignore harassing or unwanted calls, such as from telemarketers or survey companies. This can also can help protect you from fraudulent or malicious calls, such as those from scammers or hackers. Additionally, they can redirect external calls to voicemail so they have time to prepare for the call and gather any necessary information. This can improve productivity and help agents focus on the most important calls. Other benefits of call screening include the ability to manage time and prioritize calls more effectively.
- Reduce unwanted or spam calls
- Reduce call center abandonment rates
- Fewer missed calls
- Help in maintaining privacy
- Improve internal communication
- Customer Self-Service Capability
- Improve security
- Enhance productivity
Call screening can be an effective tool for businesses and individuals to improve their communication and customer service. By prioritizing calls, agents can focus on the most important and urgent issues first, ensuring that customers receive timely and efficient support. Overall, call screening can help improve productivity and provide a better customer experience.