by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Forget the doors and windows; the easiest way into most homes is through the telephone. Now two U.K. inventors have created a device that automatically screens out telemarketers, prank callers and phone scammers. TrueCall blocks telemarketers’ numbers while letting trusted peeps through (BBC.co.uk 10.22.08).
- If it doesn’t recognize the dialer’s number, TrueCall sends callers to a purgatory where they must identify themselves and wait for approval from the person they’re trying to call.
- TrueCall combines that solution with the ability to connect to a database of known telemarketers, scammers and other unwelcome commercial callers. That’s ultimate customizable control over who gets through and who doesn’t.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Voicemail and caller ID have helped stem the tide of unwelcome telemarketing, prank phone calls and random wrong numbers — but not even hearing the phone ring sounds even better.
- While consumers do value spontaneous human interaction, they aren’t looking for it from their telephones.
