How to Block Unwanted Calls & Give Your VIPs All-Access
- May 23, 2019
- Author: Keith Young
A major advantage of a cloud-based phone system is the ability to block nuisance calls with ease. Part of that feature also allows you to customize your system by prioritizing specific callers so they always get an answer.
With our User Portal, you get complete control. Here’s how to use these convenient features.
How to Block Unwanted Calls
Despite the Do-Not-Call legislation, many of us still get calls from telemarketers, scammers, wrong numbers and individuals we just do NOT want to talk to. If you’re used to a traditional phone system, you might think there’s no solution other than grin-and-bear-it. At some point, you just start to dread picking up the phone. Or you can pay the phone company an additional fee for a call blocking service.
With our User Portal, it’s as easy as clicking on “Answering Rules” and then clicking on the “Allow/Block Call” button. Enter a phone number in the Blocked Numbers field and click the “+” button to add it to the list. Clicking the “x” beside a phone number removes it from the list, so it’s just as easy to take callers out of the penalty box.
You can also select the “Block Anonymous or Unknown” checkbox to block all calls from anyone who is intentionally hiding their Caller ID.
With the ability to see your Call History right in the portal, it’s simple to discover which nuisance callers are repeat offenders. Just add them to the list to keep time-wasting calls to a minimum.
How to Allow Calls From Your VIPs
When you see “Allow Calls” you might assume this feature functions opposite to “Block Calls” but there’s a bit more to it. Allow Calls works in combination with two other features to make them friendlier to individuals you really want to hear from.
Do Not Disturb
This feature can be enabled in your Answering Rules in the User Portal. Do Not Disturb keeps calls from ringing through to your phone. Calls will instead be handled by the “When Unanswered” instructions in the Call Forwarding section of the rule (Read more about Answering Rules here) which many users will set to forward to Voicemail.
Call Screening
Also available through Answering Rules, Call Screening requires callers to speak their name. The system then forwards along their call, and plays their name back for you so you can decide whether you want to accept the call.
There are no settings or preferences for Do Not Disturb or Call Screening – these features are either on or off. But by adding phone numbers to the “Allow” field, you can allow individual callers to bypass both features, ensuring their calls always come through directly.
As with blocking calls, it’s simply a matter of clicking on the Answering Rules icon in the portal to take you to the right page, and then clicking on the “Allow/Block” button.
Type the phone number of an important contact in the Allowed Numbers field, and click the “+” button to add it to the list.
With Allow Calls, you can turn on Do Not Disturb and still receive calls from your Very Important People, whether it be the boss, co-workers, your doctor or the spouse and kids. And those same callers won’t be required to give their name even when Call Screening is enabled.
So, go ahead and turn on Do Not Disturb or Call Screening if you need to get some work done. You can rest easy knowing the important people who need to contact you still can, thanks to Allow Calls.
For more details about these welcome features, contact us today.
