What is call blocking?
Call blocking is when a phone company, an app or a phone's own settings stop an incoming call from reaching the person it was meant for.
How it works
The FCC describes call blocking as a tool phone companies use to stop illegal and unwanted calls. Some companies block calls tied to suspicious calling patterns on their own. Customers can also turn on blocking services, install apps or change phone settings. Depending on the provider, a blocked call may go straight to voicemail, ring once, or leave no notice at all.
Under FCC rules, providers may block calls that appear to come from invalid numbers, from numbers not allocated to any provider, or from allocated numbers that are unused. They may also block calls from a number whose subscriber has asked for that, because the number is used for inbound calls only. Receiving providers may also block calls based on reasonable analytics designed to identify unwanted calls, but consumers must be able to opt out of that kind of blocking.
Why it matters for sales teams
A blocked call is a call the prospect never gets to answer. The FCC notes that false-positive blocking may happen when a legitimate caller uses a pattern similar to those of unwanted or illegal robocalls. FCC rules require phone companies that block calls on the receiving end to give callers a single point of contact for reporting blocking errors.
Call blocking vs call labeling
Call labeling lets the call ring with a warning attached. Blocking stops it before it reaches the person.
This is a general definition, not legal advice.