Call screening

What is call screening?

Call screening helps businesses to filter calls and prioritise known customers. It typically encompasses features such as caller ID, do-not-disturb (DND), and call-blocking functionalities.

Caller ID displays the phone number and area code of an incoming voice call, so you can decide to reject the call, answer it, or divert it to voicemail. It works across all devices, such as desk phones, computers, and mobile phones, and alongside call management features like auto attendant and call filtering.

In a call routing system setup, you can dictate specific incoming call screening rules to manage anonymous calls, spam calls, or unknown calls. Call screening is an effective tool for handling calls from known customers, blocking out spam, and keeping call waiting times low.

How does call screening work with Dialpad?

Call screening works by identifying inbound callers and responding according to preset rules. These can be related to the recipient's status, schedule, or block lists.

With VoIP now the norm for businesses, tech advancements have changed the way call screening works. Whereas calls from a landline are registered to a specific telephone line, if SIP or PRI connections are in place, the phone system has control over the telephone number that displays on the caller ID screen.

CNAM (“calling name”) databases store carrier names and account holders’ phone numbers. Whenever an incoming or outgoing call is made, the name and number of the caller are checked against the caller’s CNAM service and the recipient carrier’s CNAM database.

Dialpad uses spam scores calculated with the help of reliable third-party sources to filter out potential unwanted inbound calls. Spam scores of 100 are blocked from ringing the Dialpad platform.

With Dialpad, you can also set custom spam call blocking rules to choose how to handle anonymous callers, callers with high spam scores, and callers that are not in your contacts list:

You can choose to send calls directly to voicemail and get a voicemail transcript notification, which helps identify unknown callers and filter out spam. Another option is to send calls directly to your spam folder with no notification (this is typically used for those with the highest spam score).

The most detailed option Dialpad offers is to have the caller’s name play when you pick up. Dialpad’s IVR addresses the incoming caller and requests that they state this. You can then decide whether to accept the call or decline it.

Dialpad: More than just call screening software

How to set up call screening with Dialpad

Dialpad uses an automatic spam blocking system and user-level settings to provide more granular control over how incoming calls to your Dialpad number are handled.

To set up custom call screening with Dialpad, navigate to Your Settings > Call Handling & Voicemail > Call Blocking & Spam Prevention. From there, you can select whether or not to reject calls from those with a high spam score, anonymous callers, and callers not in your contacts list.

Opting to prevent any of these calls will prompt options for call handling. Your selections will take immediate effect in the Dialpad app. To see your blocked calls, just go to the app and head to Contacts > Blocked.

Here, you'll see a list of blocked contacts and numbers. You have the option to unblock any of these in a banner at the top of the conversation thread. You can also listen to voicemails in this section.

The benefits of call screening with Dialpad

Improves the security of external and internal communication

Using call screening means your business isn’t subjected to spam and nuisance calls. More than this, you can avoid potential phishing calls, which boosts your company’s security.

Saves operational costs and increases time efficiency

A call screening app or screening features of software like Dialpad save your business significant operational costs in the shape of time savings for your team who won’t have to deal with spam calls. As a result, call screening helps you retain valuable staff members by reducing their call volumes and stress levels.

Enhances customer service interactions

When your business implements call screening features, known customers can get through more easily, which elevates their experience with you. In addition, your agents have more time to resolve genuine customer queries. Short waiting times are a surefire way to keep people happy.

Dialpad: Better than the average call screen apps

It’s a bold claim to make, isn’t it? So, why is Dialpad’s call screening better than the average call screen apps? Well, there are a few reasons!

Dialpad’s call management system includes various features that help to effectively manage your business’s calls.

Firstly, the call waiting feature helps you prioritise calls, notifying you of an incoming call via the caller ID display if you’re already on the phone. This enables you to make an informed decision as to whether you want to take the new incoming call, send it to voicemail, or transfer it to a colleague.

Dialpad’s call park feature moves your incoming calls into a “call park", where they'll wait on hold. When agents become available, they can pick them up.

Another option is to have an IVR system or virtual receptionist help with triaging calls. An automated answering service automatically routes these calls depending on customer needs, such as support, refunds, or additional information.

Dialpad’s virtual receptionist feature also allows you to record or upload a personalised greeting based on common calling reasons to get callers to their destination faster.

Not only this, but you can customise your call prioritisation queue so emergency calls are answered first. You can select the language your auto-receptionist speaks, too, with language options including English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, and more.

With Dialpad, you get in-built IVR analytics as well, detailing how often callers use each menu option, so you can optimise this for even more efficient call handling.

In combination, these different call management features help your business to efficiently manage phone lines, ensure no important calls go unanswered, and reduce call wait times to deliver excellent service.