Features / Robocall screening
Stop robocalls before they ring anyone
Robocalls interrupt the whole team when a line rings everyone at once. Turn on Onyx Phone's robocall screen and callers hear "Press 1 to confirm you're a real person" first. People press 1. Robocalls don't, and they go to voicemail without ringing a single phone.
How the screen works
Automated dialers rarely press keys, so they end up in voicemail, where you can ignore them. A real customer who missed the prompt can still leave a message.
- The caller hears a short message, like "Press 1 to confirm you're a real person. Press 2, or stay on the line, to leave a voicemail."
- Pressing 1 rings the line as usual. Pressing 2 goes straight to voicemail.
- A caller who presses nothing hears it once more, then goes to voicemail.
Your voice, standard words
The screen reads in whichever of twelve voices your line uses. The words stay the same on every line, since the screen only listens for 1 and 2. It plays first on every call, before your greeting.
It works with everything else
The screen runs before your phone menu. Missed-call text-back skips callers who never got past it, so spam numbers don't get a text. Outside business hours the screen is skipped and callers go to your after-hours message.
For a number that keeps getting through, add it to Blocked numbers and it never rings the line again.
Getting started
- Create a login and pick a plan. Checkout saves a card for the 7-day free trial, and nothing is charged until it ends.
- Confirm your business and its 911 address, and get a local number on the spot. Bringing your own number? You answer on a temporary one while it moves over, for free.
- Choose where calls ring, write what callers hear, invite your team, and register for texting. Then answer in the browser, the iPhone and Android apps, or a desk phone. How it works has the details.
Included on every plan
Starter is $17, Business is $29, Scale is $42 per user a month, or less billed yearly. The plan includes a business number for each user and unlimited calling and texting in the US and Canada. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and moving your current number over is free.
Questions
Will real customers be put off by pressing 1?
Most aren't; it's a single key, and the message can say why. Anyone who doesn't press can still leave a voicemail.
Is robocall screening on every plan?
Yes. An admin turns it on per line.
Can I block a specific number?
Yes. Blocked numbers never ring the line.
Related
Caller ID name and verified calls
Show your business name on the phones you call, and sign your calls as verified so they're less likely to be flagged as Spam Likely. Every plan.
Missed-call text-back
When nobody can answer, Onyx Phone texts the caller from your business number a couple of minutes later, so the job doesn't go to the next number they try.
Phone menu (IVR)
Press 1 for sales, 2 for service: a phone menu sends each caller to the right person, ring group, or voicemail. On every plan, Starter included.