What if small business owners could find a tool that adds 40-60% more time to their day? That’s the amount of time efficiency and workflow consultant Edward Brown says is wasted in the workplace because of unwanted and unproductive interruptions.
It’s not just the interruption itself — answering a call, responding to a text or fielding a question from an employee — but also the recovery time. One study found it takes 23 minutes or more to refocus after an interruption. That means answering a non-critical, five-minute call from a salesperson could end up costing you 28 minutes of productivity.
But how do you know which calls to take and which to ignore? Thankfully, SMB owners have more options than ever for handling incoming calls with modern call screening technology. Here are three characteristics to look for in a call screening service provider, and how they can help you build more productivity into your day.
Real-time Intelligence
Small business owners know that good service is key to winning and keeping customers, and that requires answering customer calls even at inconvenient times. What you need to know immediately is whether a call is coming from a legitimate customer or simply a salesperson, spam or other nuisance call.
Modern call screening services use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to deliver real-time intelligence about who is calling and why. Rather than just blocking calls, the technology should show you enough information to determine whether it’s a call you need to answer. For instance, KONTXT AI, the technology used with Cloudli Call Screener, uses voice fingerprinting — a combination of audio spectrum analysis, speech patterns and natural language processing — to determine the likely intent of the caller. Users see this information, as well as the name provided by the caller, on their smartphone screen so they can make the judgment of whether it’s a call they need to answer now or send to voicemail.
Productivity booster: Quick and accurate judgment on which calls to take.
Screening Options
Modern call-screening products let you determine categories for which calls to screen. For instance, you might want to screen all inbound calls or only those from callers outside your address book. That’s different from simple blocked-number lists and voice captcha, which spam callers can circumvent more easily, and may end up blocking calls you want to receive.
Productivity booster: Automated filtering based on company-specific requirements.
Versatility around Devices
With all potential combinations of mobile devices, carriers and operating systems, it’s important to use a call screening product that is agnostic to those factors. This way, if you make changes to those technologies, your call screening will carry over without a hitch.
Productivity booster: Functionality that conforms to any device and platform you use.
Playing Defense and Offense
Think of a modern call screening service as a complete team, that includes both offensive and defensive lines. It builds more productivity into your workday by defending you from time-wasting, non-essential calls — as well as the time it takes to get back on track after the interruption. On the flip side, call screening gets the proverbial ball down the field, helping you know when a customer is on the line so you can provide the best possible customer service when it matters — and save time and money in the process.
More than 60% of calls to SMBs go unanswered, according to 411 Locals, and 80% of those callers won’t bother leaving a voicemail. That means missing a call could cause you to miss out on important business or cost you time later trying to track down the caller.
Why not look into a solution like Call Screener, available through the Cloudli TalkNText app, which uses advanced AI to help you build a productive and profitable business? Sign up for your free trial and experience a more productive workday — starting today.
