Short answer: Customers often ignore unknown or virtual numbers because they assume it is spam: Hiya found that 46% of unidentified calls go unanswered. To raise your answer rate, call from a mobile number the customer recognises, contact leads quickly, track missed calls and measure results in a system such as dooCall.
Every sales manager has heard it: "I called, they didn't pick up." Whether that is true or an excuse is usually impossible to check. But the problem itself is real: people answer unknown calls less and less. Here are the main reasons, with a practical fix for each.
How often do people ignore unknown numbers?
Answer rate is the share of dialled calls that a live person actually answers. In sales it is the bottleneck at the very top of the funnel.
International data:
- Hiya's 2024 report says 46% of unidentified calls go unanswered and 92% of consumers believe such calls are fraudulent (Hiya).
- In the same report, 77% say they are more likely to answer if they know who is calling.
- A Pew survey found 80% of US adults generally don't answer calls from unknown numbers (Pew Research, 2020).
We found no public study for Uzbekistan, but spam and phone fraud are growing here too, so similar behaviour is to be expected.
Seven main reasons and fixes
1. The number is unknown or virtual
Many people read landline and virtual numbers as advertising. Fix: reps call from a work mobile number and, on first contact, ask the customer to save it with their name. dooCall records calls from an ordinary SIM phone, so you keep control.
2. Leads are called too late
In an HBR study, only 37% of 2,241 companies responded to a lead within an hour, and those that did were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it (HBR, 2011). Fix: set a "call new leads within an hour" rule in the CRM and check first-call times in the call history.
3. Bad timing
Calls at the start of the working day or at lunch may go unanswered more often. Fix: export the call list from dooCall, compare which hours get more answers and find the best time for your customers.
4. Giving up after one attempt
A customer who missed the first call was probably just busy. Fix: a follow-up schedule of 2–3 attempts backed by an SMS or Telegram message.
5. The customer calls back and reaches someone else
If nobody recognises the customer when they call back, trust drops. Fix: with a SIM number, the customer calls their own rep back and the conversation continues.
6. The rep never actually called
It happens. Fix: dooCall records every call, so a manager can check "I called" against the recording and its duration.
7. The number is flagged as spam
A number used for hundreds of cold calls a day can end up on spam lists after complaints. Fix: clean your database, prioritise warm leads and measure cold-call volume.
How do you measure answer rate?
The dooCall dashboard shows outbound, answered and missed calls and talk time for each operator. Once a week, review:
- each rep's share of answered calls;
- the share of very short calls (usually "picked up but didn't talk");
- missed inbound calls and whether they were returned;
- time from a new lead to the first call.
What changes with dooCall?
- "They didn't pick up" becomes data: the number and timing of attempts are visible.
- Calling from a familiar mobile number improves the chance of an answer.
- Missed inbound calls are not forgotten.
- AI analysis spots mistakes at the start of calls and gives reps advice. Deep Vision configures it for your script; it costs 549 UZS per minute.
Frequently asked questions
How many attempts before giving up?
There is no universal rule. Many teams stop after 2–3 calls and one written message, then mark the lead as cold.
Does each rep need their own number?
Yes, in the SIM model. The number should belong to the company so customers stay when an employee leaves.
Can I see this data in Odoo?
Yes, dooCall integrates with Odoo, Bitrix24 and amoCRM.
Sources
Related: SIM card or VoIP, missed calls, sales funnel.
Start measuring your reps' calls. Send a request or call +998 77 093 00 07.