Call screening helps businesses filter unwanted calls and prioritize known clients, allowing teams to control daily phone call volumes and increase employee productivity. While capabilities vary per voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) provider, call screening typically includes caller identification (ID), do not disturb (DND), and call blocking functionalities. Learn what call screening is and how it improves business communications.
How Call Screening Works
Automated call screening analyzes your incoming calls by looking at the ID profile of the caller and, based on information, accepts or rejects the call or routes it to an agent, department, or voicemail. Actions taken by the VoIP phone system are based on preconfigured rules related to schedules, blocklists, or the recipient’s status. For example, callers flagged as possible scams or spam are either sent straight to voicemail or callers are asked to state their name.
Business phone systems with call screening tools cross-reference caller ID data with calling name (CNAM) databases. For unknown callers, the screening tool requests callers to speak their name and plays the recorded name to you. Choose to pick up the call or send it to voicemail.
Call screening works on all devices, such as desk phones, computers, and mobile phones. The technology also operates alongside call management features, such as call filtering, automatic call distributors (ACD), and auto-attendants. These tools work together to route incoming calls based on call screening and handling preferences.
Now that we understand what is call screening, here are a few other ways to screen and filter incoming calls:
- Activate your DND settings to block all incoming calls or only accept calls to your direct line or from callers on your allowlist.
- Forward calls to devices or agents based on the caller ID or contact’s country or ZIP code.
- Send unknown callers or those on a blocklist automatically to voicemail.
- Listen to or read incoming voicemails and decide whether to answer the call.
- Follow up with an automated text message or voice response to declined calls.
- Play a prerecorded message to blocked callers before ending the call.
Benefits of Call Screening
According to Truecaller, Americans wasted an estimated 227 million hours answering spam calls in 2023 alone. On average, each user gets 5.7 spam calls monthly, translating to about 2 billion spam and unwanted calls Americans receive every month. With this in mind, the benefits of screening calls to your line or company-wide phone system include the following:
Solopreneurs, employees, and supervisors can set parameters to protect their time after business hours. Screening tools combined with call handling routing or forwarding rules let you control if or when you answer calls without harming the caller experience.
When you know who’s calling, you can better manage the customer experience and prepare for the conversation. Some software service providers allow agents to pull up information about callers from different data sources, enabling you to identify high-priority callers. Call screening tools can move very important persons (VIPs) to the front of the line or free up your agent’s time so they answer lines quicker.
Front desk, customer service, and sales phone lines have long call queues, leading to callers hanging up. Use call screening methods to prioritize VIPs or repeat callers while reducing the number of calls on hold.
Reduce calls from known spammers and minimize the number of unnecessary calls and interruptions your agents have to deal with. Reduce time-wasting activities by determining how spam calls are treated, like sending to voicemail or playing a busy tone.
Call Screening Features
When screening phone calls, your system automatically vets incoming callers before you answer them using complementary VoIP business features and tools, such as caller ID or an interactive voice response (IVR) system. The process protects both your time and privacy and saves you and your team from dealing with nuisance callers and telemarketers. If you’re asking yourself what is call screening and what features to look for, here are some of the key tools you should consider:
Call announcement helps you decide whether or not to take a call, especially when you’re on the move. Configure it to verbally say the names of callers from your contact list and play a recording of unknown callers stating their names. After the verbal notification, accept or reject the call. Declined calls go to voicemail; some phone systems let you return callers to the main auto-attendant menu.
Personalize different extensions by using call screening tools based on a schedule. (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper allows users to customize call forwarding. Choose whether calls will be announced when you pick up, calls will connect to you as soon as you pick up, or callers will be asked for their names, and then announced to you. It’s best to allow enough time to play announcements, so keep recorded messages concise, ideally between 25 and 40 seconds.
Call screening services may support auto-replies, which respond to a screened call. For example, Grasshopper’s instant reply feature sends a text message to new callers or phone numbers if you miss the call or choose not to answer it. You create different messages for each line, and recipients respond to your texts when convenient. Dialpad also has an instant reply feature that sends a text message to missed calls after working hours or when you’re on DND.
Alternatively, RingCentral gives you 60 seconds to reply to an inbound caller using text-to-speech. Create a custom voice message or use a template. After the recording plays, callers hear a list of possible actions, including replying with a yes, no, or “Urgent, please call immediately.”
Create predefined replies for missed calls (Source: Dialpad)
Use Dialpad’s automated texts for triggered messages, allowing you to respond to texts even when out of the office or anytime you’re unavailable. Craft a personalized message with up to 320 characters for sending customer reminders and notifications. Automated texts sent to customers’ phones update clients and provide essential purchase information, reducing the number of customer service inquiries you receive.
If you’re waiting for an important call, voicemail screening helps you use your time effectively. RingCentral users click “Screen Voicemail” when a call comes in. This feature lets you listen to the message in real time. You then decide to pick up the call or stop listening. If you stop listening, the caller finishes their voicemail, and you can listen to it later.
Screen live calls by listening to your voicemail. (Source: RingCentral)
Call screening in RingCentral for Desktop displays caller information if available. Click the Screen Voicemail button to listen to the voicemail message in real time and decide if you want to pick up or skip the call.
If your business continually receives unwanted calls from a specific phone number, you can block them using a call blocker app. This feature is available on most business phone systems, including Google Voice, Grasshopper, and RingCentral. Google Voice provides a “number not in service” message.
RingCentral offers advanced customization for handling blocked numbers. Once you put a number on the blocked numbers list, RingCentral blocks all incoming faxes, calls, and text messages. You then opt to send an error message, a greeting, or say nothing at all.
Block individual numbers from your online dashboard or mobile app. (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper lets you block phone numbers and easily manage all blocked phone numbers through its software settings page. Users can also choose which callers will be asked for their names and then announced to you. Block not just calls—you can also stop receiving faxes, voicemails, and messages from certain numbers.
Business phone systems offer virtual receptionists, interactive voice response (IVR), and ACD technologies. These tools use call screening configurations for known contacts, area codes, or geographical locations to automatically forward calls to the right person, voicemail box, or menu.
For instance, RingCentral lets you forward international callers to a remote agent in their region. You can also set specific rules for people on your contact list, such as sending them to their favorite agent. Another option is to use schedule-based routing for calls from certain ZIP codes while allowing specific customers, family, or friends.
Phone answering services and receptionists screen calls, but these solutions may cost more than enabling call screening and routing features on a VoIP phone system.
Screen calls by creating custom rules for callers and schedules. (Source: RingCentral)
RingCentral’s MVP plans include advanced call forwarding tools that route inbound calls to all your devices anytime, anywhere. Customize your call forwarding features and decide if it will ring team members sequentially or simultaneously or be sent to voicemail. This feature allows small businesses or growing teams to be available 24/7.
DND helps with number screening and lets you set the rules for who can reach you and at what time. You can set DND to apply to all calls while in a meeting or only accept calls from certain people. For instance, you don’t even need to hear the line ring with DND unless it’s a VIP or a call you’ve been waiting for.
Toggle DND from the RingCentral app to silence incoming calls to your cell phone. (Source: RingCentral)
Activate RingCentral’s DND and the setting silences incoming notifications, while incoming calls will automatically be routed to voicemail. Set up your DND via the RingCentral app for desktop, web, or mobile or by using the Admin Portal.
Best Practices When Using Call Screening
Many consumers and small businesses use call blocker apps and call screening tools. Consequently, it can be challenging to get a customer on the line. In addition, it’s vital to ensure your software isn’t preventing potential sales leads from connecting to your staff.
Use these tips to improve your call screening and outreach techniques:
Check with your phone service provider to see if it supports CNAM registration. This feature puts your business name, or in some cases, the department extension (such as customer service or billing), on the caller ID. Customers can see who is calling and are more likely to pick up verified versus unknown numbers.
Likewise, a local phone number increases your odds of getting past consumer call screening apps. Consider buying a virtual number with a familiar area code. Business systems like RingCentral offer local and international numbers, so you can use certain ones for targeted campaigns.
Choosing a phone system with customer relationship management (CRM) integrations is essential, allowing you to screen unwanted calls while ensuring known contacts always get through. Additionally, CRM integrations give agents caller details before and during the phone call, enabling them to personalize their approach. This is useful if you screen calls and use the call announce feature.
Call screening software isn’t perfect because it will always screen callers until you add that person or number to your contact list. If your customers frequently change phone numbers or prospects call your organization, there’s always the possibility of missing important calls and messages.
Review screened call logs and voicemails frequently. This way, you can catch any issues and adjust your call screening rules to prevent the problem from happening again.
Top VoIP Providers With Call Screening
Many Android and iOS cell phones have call screening tools that work with personal calls or ones forwarded from your VoIP account. However, you may want to screen calls from office phones and computers. The best business phone systems provide call screening features and a business phone number with unlimited calling.
A better understanding of what is call screening puts you in a better position to select the right service provider. VoIP services make the screening process seamless by greeting callers while providing caller information to the recipient. It offers various configuration methods, including company-wide or individual user settings. Click the tabs below to learn more about our recommended solutions.
Use RingCentral to find out who’s calling and decide how to respond using its call screening tools for desktop applications, office phones, and mobile devices. On your desk phone, choose to announce the internal extension or department calling or ask unknown callers to say their names. RingCentral has DND tools and call blocking features for screening calls and blocking specific phone numbers, callers without caller ID, or entire area codes.
Choose whether to accept, decline, send to voicemail, or block specific numbers. (Source: RingCentral)
Screen voicemails by listening to them in real time and use the platform’s unique text-to-speech feature to relay a custom or preset message to the caller on the line without needing to pick it up. Learn about more features in our RingCentral review.
If you have a remote team and want to share phone lines without paying per-user fees, Grasshopper is an excellent solution. It’s a virtual phone system with basic call screening, blocking, and forwarding features. Its instant response feature lets you automatically respond to new or unknown callers with a prewritten text message. The recipient can reply to your message, giving you key information for more effective callbacks.
Grasshopper’s plan comparison chart (Source: Grasshopper)
Grasshopper pricing begins at $17 for one user, one phone number, and one extension. Unlike other VoIP services, all Grasshopper subscriptions have the same features, and higher-tier plans provide more lines and extensions. According to our Grasshopper review, users appreciate its ease of use and affordability.
Google Voice offers a free version for personal use and solopreneurs wanting a business phone number. It turns your cell phone into a work device, allowing you to screen calls and create custom call forwarding rules. The call screening feature asks unknown callers to say their names, and you choose to accept the call or send it to voicemail.
Forward calls to specific contacts to your connected phone number or to voicemail. (Source: Google Voice)
Use custom call forwarding to select one or more contacts or lists to apply specific rules. For instance, you can apply rules to starred contacts, anonymous callers, or family members. If you are a Google Workspace user needing one or more business lines, the Google Voice add-on feature starts at $10 per person, monthly. Check out our Google Voice review to see if it will suit your company’s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Android and iPhone devices have some built-in call screening and blocking features. You will see the caller ID of incoming calls, allowing you to block numbers from your voicemail, recent, or favorites call log. You can also silence unknown callers by sending them to voicemail.
Alternatively, use a mobile softphone app from your VoIP provider to screen business calls. However, call screening apps have more capabilities, like instant ID of priority clients.
Yes. Many business phone systems let you customize your preferences according to a schedule, dialed number, or extension. Use the DND function to prevent all callers, including co-workers, from ringing your line. This works well if you’re in a meeting or on vacation. Callers can still leave a voicemail, and be sure to check notifications to review missed calls.
Some VoIP and cellular services let you screen calls from international numbers. For instance, you set up call announce by location, requiring callers from outside your area to state their name. You also block a group of numbers using the country code and send these calls to voicemail.
Bottom Line
In answering the question, “What is call screening?” we learned that the technology reduces spam or scam calls and frees up your agents and lines from unwanted calls. It enables your team to focus on client communications and is suitable for a wide range of use cases, including remote work. Choose a call management service with complementary calling features, and personalize your call screening and handling rules to suit your communication system.
