New Feature: Blacklist, Because Not Every Call Deserves a Response

Let’s be honest.

When we built our AI phone agent, the goal was simple:
Help you automate calls, without compromising on the quality of the interaction.

Today, that promise gets even stronger.

We’re introducing a feature many of you have been asking for: The ability to blacklist specific phone numbers.

Why? Because while AI can handle 1,000 calls a day with no fatigue, that doesn’t mean you should let just anyone call.

Not all inbound calls are good calls.

Maybe it’s a number that keeps harassing your business.

Maybe it’s someone you’ve already served, but who keeps calling back in ways that add no value.
Or a former client who insists on bypassing support channels.

Or maybe… it’s a number you simply don’t want in your ecosystem.

Your AI call agent works 24/7. But that doesn’t mean it should answer 24/7 for everyone.

With our new Blacklist, you now decide exactly who gets access to your conversational infrastructure, and who doesn’t.

What exactly does the blacklist do?

Once a number is blacklisted, your AI call agent will:

• Immediately block all inbound calls from that number
  
• Prevent any form of interaction, no voice, no fallback, no log
  
• Stay silent, the caller will receive no response from the system
  
• Keep your reports and call metrics clean and focused
  

It’s not a filter. It’s a hard stop.

A clear, unambiguous way to say: this number is not welcome here.

Why this matters, even with AI handling the calls

When you deploy an AI call agent, you’re scaling voice communication. Which means, you’re also exposed to a higher volume of irrelevant calls, abusive contacts, or inbound distractions.

At small volumes, these are minor annoyances. But at scale, they affect your operations.

Here’s how:

• Your team wastes time reviewing unhelpful call logs
  
• Your CRM gets cluttered with noise
  
• Your analytics get distorted
  
• Your support agents (or escalation paths) may get triggered unnecessarily
  
• And in some cases, certain numbers can even attempt to game the system
  

That’s why control is critical, even in a fully automated setup.

How to use it (in under 10 seconds)

1. Go to Settings > Advanced > Blacklist
   
2. Enter the phone number you want to block (in international format — e.g., +1 408 XXX XXXX)
   
3. Click Add
   

You’ll then see that number listed in your table, and from that point forward, all communication with it is blocked.

Need to unblock it later? No problem. You can remove any number at any time with a single click.

Another smart way to use it

You can also use the blacklist to block entire regions or departments — not just individual phone numbers.

How? By adding the beginning of a phone number series, such as a country or area code.

For example:

• Block all calls starting with +33 1 to prevent calls from Paris landlines
  
• Block +44 20 to exclude London-based numbers
  
• Or even use +1 800 to block toll-free spam attempts in the US
  

This gives you even more granular control over who can reach your AI phone agent, based on geography, use case, or call patterns.

Because sometimes, it’s not about a person. It’s about protecting your AI from entire sources of noise.

When to use the blacklist (real-world use cases)

Here are a few examples of how businesses already plan to use it:

• Hospitality: Block former guests who misuse the AI concierge service to spam or prank call
  
• eCommerce: Prevent repetitive inquiries from problematic buyers or ex-clients
  
• Real Estate: Filter out leads who constantly call but never convert
  
• Call Centers: Shield your AI agents from known abusers or test numbers shared online
  
• Insurance: Block individuals previously flagged for fraudulent behavior
  

No more gray areas. No more wasted agent cycles.

Smart automation = control + flexibility

We believe automation should be intelligent, but also intentional.

This update reflects that. With Blacklist, you’re not just automating your voice experience. You’re protecting it, fine-tuning it, and making sure your AI phone agent is working for the right people, at the right time. Because saying yes to everyone is not smart.

Saying yes to the right people? That’s where the real value is.

Ready to use it? It’s already live on your account. Go to Settings > Advanced > Blacklist and give it a try.

As always, we build based on your feedback. So if there’s another control you’d love to see next, tell us. Your ideas shape what comes next.

Noam Chemama, Product Manager