Posted & in Blog, Customer Service, Virtual Receptionist.

Picture this: you’re at your desk, diligently working on an important project, when suddenly your phone starts to ring. Is it a potential client with a game-changing deal, your best friend with exciting weekend plans, or just another robocall about your car’s extended warranty? Around 84% of businesses get robocalls every day, and each instance costs them an estimated $9.46 in lost time. Call screening is one way to put an end to these unwanted calls. It’s your trusty gatekeeper that ensures you’re not caught off guard by mysterious or pesky callers. A reliable call screening service puts you in control, allowing you to distinguish between genuine customers and relentless spammers.

What Is Call Screening?

In its most basic form, call screening is the process of vetting phone calls before you answer them. For example, caller ID is a simplistic form of call screening. This lets you see a caller’s name and number before you pick up. Taking call screening to the next level often involves harnessing the power of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. IVRs interact with callers, collect information, and route calls to the appropriate recipients. These high-tech gatekeepers are like having your own virtual receptionist who not only identifies callers but also engages in a bit of pre-conversation. 

Why Do You Need Call Screening?

While in our personal lives, call screening may make us feel guilty for avoiding certain calls, in the business world, it’s a strategic and essential practice. Your time is valuable and constant interruptions make it difficult to focus on your strategic priorities. Here are just a few of the ways call screening can benefit your business:
  1. Reduced Unwanted Calls: The most obvious advantage is the ability to filter out unwanted and nuisance calls. By screening incoming calls, you can avoid answering robocalls, telemarketers, and spam calls, leading to a more peaceful phone experience.
  2. Time Savings: Call screening allows you to prioritize your time and attention. You can focus on important calls from clients, colleagues, or family members while postponing or blocking interruptions from less critical sources.
  3. Improved Security: Call screening helps protect against fraudulent and phishing calls. By verifying the identity of callers before engaging in conversation, you reduce the risk of falling victim to scams or providing sensitive information to malicious parties.
  4. Personalized Call Handling: Call screening provides the flexibility to tailor your response to specific callers. You can send calls to voicemail, redirect them to a different contact, or answer with a warm greeting based on who’s calling.
  5. Efficient Call Routing: For businesses, call screening can be integrated with call routing systems. This ensures that high-priority callers are quickly directed to the appropriate department or representative, enhancing customer service and response times.

How Does Call Screening Works with Answering Services?

In the context of answering services, call screening is a process used to filter and categorize incoming phone calls before they are routed to your office. A great advantage of our call screening service is that all your callers will be greeted by a live person and not your voicemail. The call screen starts with our agents gathering information about the caller and the nature of the call to determine the appropriate course of action. This will make your customers and potential clients feel important whilst also making you a very professional service provider. Here’s how call screening typically works:
  • Caller Identification: When a call comes in, the answering service collects basic information about the caller, such as their name, phone number, and any relevant account or reference numbers.
  • Purpose of the Call: Our professional live operators ask the caller to briefly explain the reason for their call. This information helps in routing the call to the right department or individual.
  • Priority and Urgency: Based on the caller’s responses, the call is assigned a priority level. Urgent or critical calls may be prioritized for immediate attention, while routine inquiries or messages are handled accordingly.
  • Message Recording: If the call is not immediately connected to the recipient, our answering service records a detailed message summarizing the caller’s information and reason for calling.
  • Call Routing: Depending on the screening results, the call may be forwarded to the appropriate person or department within the organization, transferred to voicemail, or handled by a live operator who can provide additional assistance or information.
  • Customized Instructions: Organizations can provide specific call screening guidelines to the answering service to ensure that calls are handled in accordance with their unique requirements and protocols. If you provide us with a list of allowed numbers, our call screening service operators will only transfer calls from those numbers to you. All other callers will be asked to leave a message which will be sent to you in the electronic delivery method of your choice: SMS, E-mail, Voicemail, Fax. You can decide when you want to receive your call list and messages; instantaneously, every hour, or at the end of the day.

Save Time, Prioritize the Right Calls, and Streamline Your Day with Responsive Answering Service

Responsive Answering is a privately owned nationwide professional telephone answering company. We provide a trusted communications solution, bringing the latest technology, reliability and affordability to our clients. When you hire Responsive Answering Service for your call screening needs, you gain a strategic partner for all your phone communication processes. You receive comprehensive call logs and reports, allowing you to track call activity, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Our services are scalable to accommodate fluctuations in call volume, whether it’s during peak business hours or for special events and promotions. With our support, you can maximize your productivity by ensuring that important calls are promptly addressed, while less critical ones are managed efficiently. Best of all, our experienced operators handle your calls with professionalism and courtesy, ensuring that your callers receive top-notch service. Contact us today to learn more or request a quote.