Understand the Call Blocking Problem and Fix It

What Else Is Hurting Your Connect Rate?

An entire ecosystem of analytics, carriers, apps, fraud, and AI is working against you

Analytics Companies

Hiya, TNS, and FirstOrion analyze call data to detect fraud, flag numbers, and assign risk scores that determine if a call is labeled as spam or blocked. Though often blamed for low answer rates, many calls never reach them.

Intermediary Carriers

These middlemen connect calls between networks but can modify caller ID, apply filters, or even drop calls before they reach the recipient. Some calls never go through, and worse—some falsely appear answered, raising fraud concerns.

Wireless Carriers

Major mobile carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile use internal fraud detection to protect subscribers from spam and scams. Understanding if—and why—your calls get flagged is key.

Device Manufacturers

Phone makers like Apple and Samsung include built-in call filtering that can silence calls, label them as unknown, or send them straight to voicemail—without the user ever seeing them. Another hurdle between you and your prospect.

Spam-Blocking Apps

Apps like Robokiller and Truecaller let users report numbers and block “suspicious” calls. Once flagged, getting off their blacklist is no easy task.

Honeypot Services

These services use real, unregistered numbers—ones that should never get legitimate calls—to catch spammers. But if your business dials one by mistake, you could be flagged, leading to false positives, lower answer rates, and potential blocking.

Caller Name Providers

CNAM providers manage the display name for phone numbers using the Line Information Database (LIDB), but inconsistent updates, carrier caching, and third-party apps can cause delays or mismatches—making legitimate calls look suspicious.

STIR/SHAKEN

A call authentication system designed to stop spoofed calls by verifying caller identity, but inconsistencies in attestation levels— which indicate how confidently a carrier can verify a caller’s identity—along with carrier filtering and call routing, can still cause legitimate business calls to be flagged, downgraded, or blocked.

AI Voice Assistants

Designed to screen calls for users, but they can misjudge legitimate business calls as spam or low-priority, keeping them from ever reaching the recipient.

Number Rotation Traps

Some businesses rotate numbers to avoid spam flags, but many entities track these patterns and consider them deceptive. Frequent number changes can lead to calls being flagged or blocked—even if they are legitimate. Worse, these organizations share data, making it even more challenging to avoid detection.

Dialer Platforms

Cloud-based dialers and CRMs help businesses connect faster, but their internal spam controls, compliance rules, and call pacing limits can restrict outbound calls. Auto and multi-line dialers face even greater risks, as high call volumes and rapid dialing can trigger filters—leading to throttled, delayed, or blocked calls without notice.

Blocklists

There’s no single national blocklist, but carriers, analytics firms, and regulators maintain private, overlapping databases of flagged numbers. These industry and government databases can be nearly impossible to get off once listed—and you may never even know you're on them.

What You Need to Know to Move Forward

A complex challenge demands a comprehensive solution

The Problem

Spam labeling, call blocking and other threats are causing answer rates to drop—leading to lost revenue and operational inefficiencies. False answers and other traps are turning legitimate calls into lost opportunities, and today's solutions aren't addressing them.

The Solution

ARMOR®’s comprehensive solution ensures enterprise calls are authenticated, trusted, and answered more often. Powered by an expert team that continuously monitors, tests, and optimizes across all US carriers and regions—ARMOR® keeps you ahead of evolving threats.

200%

“ARMOR® has literally doubled our answer rates”

-Christian Scott, TEC

Turn This Black Box into a Crystal Ball

From detection to protection to optimization, ARMOR delivers what others ignore. Plus, it works with your current setup. No need to switch dialers, carriers, or overhaul your existing infrastructure.

Ready to see ARMOR® in action?

Protect your numbers with ARMOR® and get more calls answered. Schedule a call with us today.

Expert Demo

Frequently Asked Questions

What is False Answer Supervision (FAS)?

False Answer Supervision (FAS) is a deceptive practice—sometimes fraudulent—where a call appears to go through, but never actually reaches the intended recipient. The caller may hear dead air or even a fake voicemail prompt, leading agents to believe the lead was bad or unreachable—when in reality, the call was never even delivered.

FAS is often caused by intermediary carriers that simulate a connection in order to trigger billing. This wastes dialing time, skews reporting, and can result in good leads being discarded based on false signals. Detecting and addressing FAS is key to maintaining accurate call performance and protecting your outbound strategy.

What causes my business calls to be flagged or blocked?

Business calls can be flagged or blocked due to a complex ecosystem involving:

Analytics companies
Intermediary carriers
Wireless providers
Device manufacturers
Spam-blocking apps
… and more.

Factors such as inconsistent call volumes, regular blocking, short call duration, and parallel dialing can all contribute to the risk of flags. ARMOR® addresses these issues by combining technology with human expertise to adjust strategy, detect and mitigate threats—ensuring that your calls reach their intended recipients as intended.

What dialing practices do you recommend?

Responsible dialing is key to protecting your number reputation and improving live answer rates. Carriers are quick to flag behavior that looks like nuisance calling—things like short-duration calls, quick hangups, high block rates, and complaints. That’s why ARMOR® recommends dialing strategies built around quality, control, and long-term performance.

Here’s what we suggest you do to align your dialing practices with what carriers want:

Use single-line dialing. It reduces abandoned and short-duration calls, ensures calls don’t start with an awkward pause, and lowers the risk of spam flags.
Stop recycling numbers. It's a red flag for carriers and completely undermines the long-term trust you're trying to build.
Call quality, targeted leads. Reaching the right audience minimizes complaints and short calls—two signals that directly affect your reputation.
Register your numbers. Proactive registration and use of consistent, verified CNAMs promotes recognition and trust.
Watch your data. Monitor answer rates by number, carrier, region, call timing and more to spot issues and seize opportunities to optimize strategy.

The ARMOR® service gives you the tools and oversight to reinforce these practices—so your calls perform better and your reputation stays strong.