Filter Out Spam Calls To Rid Your Business Of This Time-Wasting Menace

We all know how annoying and time-wasting unwanted sales calls and robocalls can be, and in the business world, where time is so valuable, these calls are a particularly damaging nuisance.

Most call answering services offer packages with a number of options, allowing you to choose the features that are most beneficial for your business. One of the major features your service provider should offer when answering calls for your business is the ability to filter out spam calls.

By actively filtering unwanted calls and stopping most spam calls from reaching your receptionist, you save valuable time and trust that your incoming calls are all relevant.

The way in which unwanted calls are filtered may differ from service provider to service provider.

How are spam calls filtered?

Thetha Connect, for example, can screen out scammers and unexpected sales calls by following their tried and tested anti-spam methodology.

Firstly, they filter out spam calls by blocking incoming numbers that are known to be serial offenders. When a call is attempted by such a number, it is immediately blocked, while other calls that get through and prove to be spam or unwanted sales calls, are added to the blocked list to eliminate future spam.

The calls that get through are screened, as the trained receptionists ask detailed questions, using their experience and training to provide a barrier for spam calls while stopping those attempting to sell unsolicited products or services in their tracks.

Finally, the receptionists follow additional, custom procedures and carry out specific call answering instructions given to them by the client. This provides an extra layer of filtering for calls that may not be applicable to the business in question.

Technologies aimed at tackling spam calls

Spam calls have long been a problem for both businesses and individuals, with technology at the centre of efforts to try and solve this issue.

An increasing number of software programs, physical devices and mobile apps have emerged to try and tackle unwanted calls from spammers.

From software developed by multiple firms for use on mobile phones to hardware provided by businesses like TrueCall that target landline spam, companies have worked to build tech-enabled solutions dedicated to reducing or eliminating phone calls from known spammers.

From a mobile perspective, applications such as Truecaller and CallApp aim to identify and block spam calls while noting the caller ID of private numbers. Other similar call-blocking apps available for both Android and Apple smartphones include Showcaller, Whoscall and CallerSmart.

Policy efforts to stop spam calls

In addition to the technologies assisting with this problem, legislation, industry bodies and associations have been established to combat spam calls.

The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) provides consumers with the right to opt out of direct marketing. When telemarketing companies or other unsolicited advertisers contact a person, the individual being called needs to ask the caller to stop calling or request to be removed from their database. The caller and their company are required to no longer call that person for direct marketing purposes.

Individuals can also opt out of direct marketing through the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA) through either a Do Not Contact (DNC) service or the National Opt Out Register.

Marketing agents affiliated with DMASA are not allowed to contact such users without permission. Unfortunately, this does not stop spam calls or scammers from companies which are not members of the DMASA, but it can help to reduce calls from DMASA-affiliated firms.

A recent legislative development in South Africa that relates to this subject is POPIA, or the Protection of Personal Information Act.

The act, with which all companies needed to comply by 1 July 2021, aims to protect consumers from direct marketing. The POPIA provisions make it clear that unsolicited electronic communication as a form of direct marketing is prohibited unless consent has been obtained from the consumer. This includes communication with consumers via automatic calling machines or robocalls.

However, according to law firm Andersen Global, cold calling (an unsolicited phone call in an attempt to sell goods or services) is considered a personal form of communication which is not prohibited by the provisions of POPIA.

Outsource your call answering requirements to Thetha Connect to ensure that spam calls are filtered out professionally and only relevant calls reach your business.