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4 Ways Plumbers Can Filter Out Spam Callers

Spam calls can be a real problem for plumbers and other contractors. On your personal number, you can always silence unknown callers. But on the business line, every number that isn’t already in your contacts list is an opportunity, a potential new customer. Unless it’s spam. It is easy to get tired of picking up spam calls while you’re working, ending conversations with customers to take a call that turns out to be spam, or just picking up the phone in your off hours for no reason. You’re wasting your time, frustrating yourself, and there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer. You can’t let calls like this go to voicemail because if it is a customer, they may call another plumber.4 ways plumbers can filter out spam callers

What do you do? You screen spam callers as best as you can. There are solutions out there that can significantly reduce spam callers or can at least make the spam callers someone else’s problem. Here are a few you should try.

1. Apps

There are several apps on the market which attempt to identify and block spam calls.

  • Robo Shield: This app maintains a list of potential spam numbers, so they not only block the call as it is coming in, but also allow you to look up any missed calls you get on the list, so you know if it might be spam.
  • Hiya: This is a very popular app for spam blocking, but it has lately had mixed reviews.
  • YouMail Voicemail & Spam Blocker:This is a high-quality blocker that is particularly good for business owners, as it offers afterhours greeting messages, and creates emails for your voicemail, so you can see what kind of calls you’ve missed.

It is important to reconsider which app you’re using on a regular basis, as sometimes they stop working as well as they did when you first installed them.

2. Basic IVR

IVR is Interactive Voice Response. Essentially, instead of picking up the phone yourself, you buy an automated system which picks up the phone for you. Imagine when you call a major company and you get a robot that lists your options to be directed forward, like “press one for customer support.” It’s that kind of system, but for your business. Spam callers typically give up when they hear these systems. However, it can also frustrate customers, so you should make this decision with care.

3. Phone Answering Service

When you’re not picking up the phone yourself, the person who is can filter out all of the spam calls. If you don’t have the money to hire a receptionist, or just doing so to filter out spam calls isn’t a smart move for your business, you have other options. Use a phone answering service. You can get highly trained receptionists to handle all of your incoming calls at a significantly reduced cost over hiring someone for the job yourself. They can identify and dismiss all spam callers but also benefit your business in other ways, like scheduling your work, helping calm angry customers, and more.

4. AT&T Call Protect

If you happen to be an AT&T customer, then you have a dedicated solution straight from the company. Call Protect is their dedicated app that helps block suspected spam calls on both Android and iOS. You can use the free version, but paying for the enhanced version with a better Caller ID can help you better identify potential callers and is fairly cheap too.

You might also be interested in 4 Ways Plumbers Can Spend Less Time on the Phone.

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