TNS Survey: 75% of Americans Will Never Answer Calls from Unknown Numbers

As robocalls erode trust in voice calling, TNS’ survey finds that branded calls can boost business call answer rates and customer engagement

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Three-quarters of Americans never answer calls to their wireless phone if they do not recognize the number, according to a Transaction Network Services (TNS) survey released today. This lack of consumer trust in voice calling is driving strong demand for branded calling: 78% of survey respondents are more willing to answer the phone if the caller ID displays the logo and name of a brand they recognize.

TNS’ survey of US wireless phone subscribers, conducted by global market research firm Kantar, examined the impact of robocalls on consumers’ willingness to answer the phone, and ultimately, how this lack of trust is affecting the bottom line for brands across ‘high-touch’ industries such as healthcare, financial services, hospitality, education, retail and government.

“Whether it is a doctor’s office confirming patient appointments, a bank alerting a customer to fraudulent activity, or a hotel offering room upgrade opportunities, low call answer rates are wreaking havoc on the customer experience and businesses’ bottom lines,” said Bill Versen, President, Communications Market at TNS. “While progress is being made to reduce the nearly 79 billion robocalls Americans received last year, our survey shows that enterprises must get more proactive to restore trust in voice calling, and that starts with branded calling.”

Healthcare, Financial Services Brands See Largest Trust Gains from Branded Calls
Consumers’ trust and willingness to answer branded calls are highest for healthcare providers (doctor’s offices, pharmacists, health insurance, etc.) and banks.

• 79% of consumers would answer a branded call from their healthcare provider if the brand logo/name was displayed on the incoming call screen; 65% are more willing to share personal information if the incoming call is branded with logo/name.
• 76% of consumers would answer a branded call from their bank if the brand logo/name was displayed on the incoming call screen; 57% are more willing to share personal information if the incoming call is branded with logo/name.
• 60% of consumers would answer a branded call from a hospitality/travel provider if the brand logo/name was displayed on the incoming call screen; 55% are more willing to share personal information if the incoming call is branded with logo/name.

Consumers Trust Brands’ Incoming Calls More During Normal Business Hours
For brands seeking to improve call answer rates and bolster the efficiency of calling campaigns, consumers are more likely to engage during traditional business hours.

• 64% of consumers are more likely to answer a branded call (brand logo and/or name) that arrives during normal business hours than calls that arrive outside of business hours.
• 57% of consumers trust calls from brands that come in during normal business hours (9am-5pm) more than calls that arrive outside of business hours.
• 54% of consumers trust branded calls that come in during the Mon-Fri work week more than those that arrive during the weekend.

“TNS Enterprise Branded Calling helps restore trust in voice calling by vetting enterprises’ calling practices and registering their telephone numbers to ensure only trusted businesses are able to provide more call information on an incoming screen,” Versen added. “The additional information provides better customer interaction, engagement, and outcomes for the legitimate enterprises. Earlier this year, TNS eclipsed one billion branded calls delivered across US wireless carriers, a significant milestone reflecting TNS’ unmatched success in supporting carriers’ robocall mitigation efforts.”

Global market research firm Kantar, on behalf of TNS, surveyed more than 1,000 US adults aged 18-64 between May 12-16, 2022. If you are interested in learning more, download a copy of the TNS survey eBook here.

About Transaction Network Services
TNS is one of the industry’s leading global providers of infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and private cloud solutions, and a trusted partner to thousands of financial organizations, telecommunication providers and retailers around the world. Since 1990, TNS has grown to provide services to customers in over 60 countries across the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, please visit tnsi.com.