SourCherry Help Centre
Home › Phone System › LC Phone System

How to Reduce Inbound Spam Calls

Spam calls can overwhelm your team, inflate call volume, and waste time. This guide walks through practical steps you can take to reduce inbound spam calls using built in tools and call routing strategies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Inbound Spam Call Reduction in SourCherry?


Inbound spam call reduction is a layered configuration that identifies likely spam before agents engage, quarantines repeat offenders automatically, and adds a light IVR “front door” to deter bots. Combining detection (Number Intelligence), agent input (Custom Dispositions), and automation (DND + IVR) delivers strong protection without blocking real customers.

Key Benefits of Inbound Spam Call Reduction


Understanding the outcomes helps you deploy the right balance of protection and accessibility. These benefits focus on reducing interruptions, preserving lead flow, and keeping rollback options simple.







Number Intelligence (Spam Detection, Caller ID & Validation)


Number Intelligence adds network-level signals (e.g., Spam Likely) to your call logs and phone experience. Turning it on provides early detection so you can flag/route suspicious calls before agents engage.




Custom Dispositions for Voice Calls (Create “Spam call”)


Custom Dispositions standardize agent feedback. Adding a Spam call disposition lets agents consistently label unwanted calls, which your workflow can use to auto-quarantine future attempts.




Workflow — Contact DND (Quarantine Marked Spam)


Workflows operationalize your policy. When an agent marks Spam call, a workflow can enable DND for that contact—silencing future inbound rings from the same number while preserving your ability to reach out if needed.


Recommended safe preset (clarity on terms):




Recipe:

  1. Trigger: Call Details.

  2. Filter: Disposition = Spam call (and optionally Direction = Inbound).

  3. Action: Enable/Disable DND → Direction = Inbound → Channels = Voice → Save & Publish.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) — Light Front-Door Filter (Optional)


A minimal IVR (“Press 1/2”) deters robocalls and routes people quickly. Keep it short to avoid friction for urgent-use businesses.


Minimal 2-option IVR template:



Build path:

VIP/Safe List & Auto-Clear DND (Rollback Patterns)


False positives happen. These two patterns preserve accessibility for key callers and automatically restore access after review or elapsed time.


Mobile Visibility (Spam Labels on App)


Seeing “Spam Likely” on mobile reassures agents that filters are working when away from desktop.


How To Set Up Inbound Spam Call Reduction (Step-by-Step)


Correct order reduces risk and speeds verification. Complete each step and test before moving on.



Step 1 — Enable Number Intelligence


  1. Go to Settings → Phone System → Additional Settings → Number Intelligence.

  2. Check Gather Intelligence on Unknown Phone Numbers.

  3. Save.


Agency onboarding tip: In Agency View, you can set defaults so new sub-accounts start with Number Intelligence enabled by default. See Understanding Default Phone Preferences for New Sub-Accounts.




Step 2 — Create the “Spam call” disposition


  1. Go to Settings → Phone System → Voice → Custom Dispositions.

  2. Click + Add Disposition.

  3. In Add Disposition, set Disposition Name → Save.






Step 3 — Auto-enable Inbound DND (Calls) for spam-labeled contacts


  1. Create a Workflow.

  2. Trigger: Call Details.

  3. Add Filters: Direction = Inbound AND Disposition

  4. Action: Enable/Disable DND (Contact) → Enable Inbound → Calls only.

  5. Optional branches: VIP tag skip; Remove DND path if corrected.

  6. Publish.


For more information, you can refer to these help articles
1. Call Details Workflow Trigger
2. Enable/Disable DND Workflow Action







Step 4 — Using IVR Workflow


This article provides some of the important steps only. For more details, refer to the below help article :
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Guide - Triggers & Actions











Create a new Workflow or update your existing number flow.





Trigger: Start IVR tied to your public inbound number.




IVR Gather Input on Call: expect “1”; timeout ~3–5 seconds; 1 retry.

Say or Play Message example: “Thanks for calling [Business]. To connect, press 1.”




Step 5 — Validate call flow & timeouts


  1. Open Phone Numbers → [Select Number] → Incoming Calls Settings.

  2. Confirm the IVR/workflow association and set ring timeout (e.g., ~20 seconds).

  3. Place 3–5 test calls (unknown number; marked-spam number; VIP number) and verify outcomes.



Step 6 — Monitor & tune



Note: if your own numbers are being labeled “spam likely”: that’s a separate, outbound reputation issue. see related articles for remediation via caller reputation best practices and free caller registry steps.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: Will Number Intelligence automatically block calls?

No. It provides “Spam Likely” signals. Blocking behavior comes from your workflows (e.g., DND) and/or IVR design.


Q: Should I set DND to “All channels”?

Start with Inbound + Voice. Expanding to all channels risks suppressing legitimate SMS/email. Increase scope only if spam persists.


Q: How do I avoid blocking VIPs or important vendors?

Use a VIP/SafeList tag and add an If/Else condition to skip DND and bypass IVR for those contacts.


Q: What if an agent marks a real customer as “Spam call”?

Remove DND on the contact record (or let your auto-clear workflow lift DND after X days). You can also log a note and add the VIP tag.


Q: Can I send spam-labeled calls straight to voicemail?

Yes. Route via IVR timeout/invalid or add a workflow branch that sends Inbound, Voice to voicemail when disposition = Spam call.


Q: Does this impact outbound dialing?

DND settings configured for Inbound do not block your outbound calls to that contact. Choose Direction and Channels intentionally.


Q: Can I filter SMS spam, too?

You can apply DND to additional Channels (e.g., SMS). Evaluate impact first; consider separate logic for SMS vs Voice.


Q: Is IVR required?

No. IVR is optional. Many businesses rely on Number Intelligence + Disposition → DND only, especially in urgent-response use cases.