Our Enterprise beta is live! Apply here.
Learn More
With the explosion of technology, there are now many ways to receive unexpected phone calls. You can get phone calls from companies trying to market for products or services, you can get telemarketer calls, and you can even get callers that seem nefarious looking to find out more about your business!
In fact, in some cases, these marketers will do things like take down your social media accounts so you have no way to contact them directly, or they will send their message with a pre-recorded voice so you cannot write back or ask questions.
All of this is very frustrating because it creates a lot of distractions that could be spent on other things. It also cost the company money as you may choose to ignore their messages and hang up without responding or writing anything.
There are several easy ways to avoid getting bombarded by calls. This article will go into detail on some strategies for doing just that.
Recent developments in technology have made it easier than ever to put your foot down when it comes to unwanted calls. You can now simply do not answer the call! This is called “vacation mode” for your device, and has become quite popular recently.
By setting this feature, your smartphone will refuse any incoming calls unless they are within the past number of days or until the device is back online. This effectively prevents pranksters from reaching you by calling during these times!
This also works if someone tries to reach you at work so that they cannot get through easily either. By using vacation modes, you send a strong message to anyone trying to contact you!
There are several ways to achieve this. Some people choose to use an app such as Call Protect which creates even more protections.
After you make or receive a call, you should immediately put the phone in silent mode so that you do not have to listen to ringing or a stranger’s voice. If you get a call during work hours, you can also skip the pleasantry of “Hello!” and just let your secretary tell the person that you are busy.
If you get a call at home, you can use a headset with hands-free features so that you do not need to keep holding the device up while speaking. This will help you avoid any kind of conversation unless it is totally necessary like for an appointment.
By having this policy, you will save yourself time from having to respond to calls, as well as prevent wasting money on unnecessary calls. It is best to establish such rules early on to ensure that you do not break them.
Recent developments for blocking calls include third-party apps that you can use to block caller ID numbers or even specific callers! There are several good quality apps like this, so do some research and find one that works for you.
You can also go into your phone settings and disable caller ID completely so they cannot see who you’re speaking to. This will make it much more difficult to place a call as the caller won’t know if there is an actual person on the other end or not!
Another way to avoid getting roped in by sales is to never pick up the phone unless you are prepared to buy something.
As seen in our article about how to stop getting distracted by incoming messages, letting other people know that you don’t want to be disturbed is one of the best ways to prevent phone calls from coming into your device.
But what if someone really needed your help or you wanted to talk to someone? Or what if it was an important call that could change their life forever?
Well, you're not totally out of luck! There are several easy ways to block certain kinds of calls unless they are truly necessary. And even more powerful than just avoiding making those calls, some services actually pay for the calls to keep working for you. Here's everything you need to know about blocking marketing calls.
Block Auto-Dialer Apps
You may have heard of auto dialing apps before - ones that will automatically search through numbers (often free) to place a call.
That can include apps designed to find new customers, verify bank accounts, or test the waters on job opportunities. It usually doesn't cost anything to look up a few numbers, so there is no good reason to allow these apps to connect you.
Some simple steps to block auto dialers:
1. Find the app on your smartphone
2. Press the button to disconnect under "Connection"
3. Click the link to download either the Android or iOS version of the app
4.
Many people feel overwhelmed by the amount of phone calls they receive throughout the day. It can be difficult to keep up with all of the times that you have scheduled appointments, meetings or conversations.
And while some may call you out for not responding to their messages, it is very common to get bombarded with business calls during non-work hours.
If this happens to you, tell your caller that you are currently too busy to chat and schedule a time when you will be able to speak later. You should also make sure to block his number so that he cannot reach you unless he has permission!
This will help you maintain your personal life as well as work life balance. And don’t forget, you do not need to respond to every message immediately – sometimes waiting until the next working day is the best solution.
Many telemarketing firms use what is called cold-calling as an income source. This means that the company will send sales representatives to your door to talk to you about their products or services.
While this can be effective, it also requires a lot of time from you. If you are already very busy, then these phone calls could easily get dropped until more urgent matters drop off the list.
If you feel overwhelmed by all of the calls coming in, tell the caller that you don’t have time for calls at this moment. Ask if they would like to schedule a meeting instead so that you can discuss things further.
This way you won’t waste any of their time and they will understand that you aren’t available at present.
Sometimes after answering many questions about your business, company, or product; sales people will become too chatty. They may even try to draw you in by talking about themselves or how great their team is. This can be annoying for two main reasons. First, it is very distracting form what they were asked to do- close! Second, it is time consuming for you as there are just so much conversations that need to happen before you make the sale.
Start having hard times letting these things go. If you are ever confronted with this, tell them to get to the point and if they want your attention, then they should make some calls or send you an email instead of calling you directly on the phone. Or, ask them to save their stories for the next meeting where you can listen to them more intently.
If they still insist on speaking on the phone, put up a strong ‘no’ voice. Let them know that you are not only busy but also trying to connect with them otherwise. You can add that unless they are bringing you something new, you don’t feel like talking right now and that you would rather keep focused on other projects.
Calling potential employers or clients is never okay, but it becomes especially bad if you have to call many people to make changes to their career or business.
If you receive a call from someone that seems suspicious or you just do not feel comfortable talking to, immediately block their number and report it as spam. This will prevent this person from contacting you!
It is also important to remain calm and level headed during these calls. Do not get in an argument with anyone – instead, hang up and try again at a later time.
Your personal information may be exposed due to poor security on the phone caller’s end or because they may have received help finding your contact info before making the call.
This could hurt your confidence and lead to more negative experiences than necessary.
