What is call screening?

Screening asks the caller to identify themselves and state their purpose before the call goes through — a step most robocallers and autodialers can't complete. Combined with carrier spam labeling and known-number blocklists, that filters out most junk. Genuine callers pass through in seconds, while your staff stops being interrupted by dead-air and pitch calls.

Not if it's done as a greeting rather than an interrogation. A warm 'thanks for calling — how can I help?' is normal reception behavior, and callers happily answer it. What annoys people is a long gauntlet of questions before reaching anyone useful. Keep the screen short, useful, and immediately followed by real help, and customers won't experience it as screening.

Blocking rejects calls outright based on the number — a blocklist, an anonymous-caller rule, or a carrier spam flag — so the call never rings through. Screening lets the call through but evaluates it first, learning who's calling and why before deciding to connect, route, or dismiss it. Blocking is a wall; screening is a doorkeeper.