Want Some Sanity Back? A True Story.
2 Tips. Less than 10 minutes to implement BOTH. You'll Thank Me!
Read this through and at the bottom is the ruling update from the FCC on 06/06/19 that you'll most likely want to investigate further (maybe).
Because of what I do and how I do it, three weeks ago my personal cell phone used to receive approximately 50 to 75 robocalls a day. On average, in my REAL email account (the main one) I would receive 100-200 solicitation emails a day from companies that I have transacted business with in the past. That's only what makes it through all the filters I already had in place. Prior to a few weeks ago...
Tip #1) Approximately three weeks ago, I had heard about an app call RoboKiller.
Robocalls: Why do I get so many calls? It's because I have so many web assets pointed to various phone numbers from all over US all being forwarded to my cell phone - this is by design and has been for years.
I believe having a real 'in person' conversation is the "highest intent action" a potential prospect can take as a next step while researching a topic from the internet. If they want to contact me for more info, I want to answer the phone when it rings, in person.
What has been getting super annoying is the amount of SPAM & "robo" calls that come from "spoofed" numbers has been exponentially increasing over the past 24 months.
I read about RoboKiller app and I went ahead and tried the 7 day free trial and it seemed to work. I then paid for the yearly subscription (30 bucks) and have been using it for three weeks now and I can say, I now have my sanity back from phone calls.
I was worried I would be missing some client calls or potential lead calls BUT so far I have not been told (by anyone) that I've missed any calls from anyone trying to actually get a hold of me.
I'm actually back down to 1 or 2 robo calls a day that actually make it through their filtering system. For those calls, I report it in the app (takes 1-2 seconds) and not one of them (so far) has come back through. Prior to this, I had some robo call numbers that would repeat call back to back, 15+ times a day within a few hours.
Tip #2) Email Sanity - I have several email accounts and email filters with all of the normal "hacks" you hear about for achieving "inbox zero." On any given day that system filters out hundreds of emails for me already. BUT it was getting bad again. I still had to go in and manually archive hundreds of emails every morning - 7 days a week.
Then I heard a tip that I had not tried yet and it's so simple (turns out to be Brilliant!).
Set up a filter that automatically filters any email with the word "unsubscribe" in it to bypass your "inbox." If you do not know how to create a filter, search for "how to set up a filter" inside of your email service provider. I use gmail (G Suite) and it's super easy (takes only seconds). I have made a video (link below) showing you how to do this in less than 21 seconds.
I set that up and so far what an amazing tip/insight. There are a few emails that do not use the word "unsubscribe" and they get through, once. I flag them with a filter. The nice part is that now all my important emails that my main email account is set up for, is back to what it is supposed to be.
Since setting up this filter, I have been going in and monitoring the "filtered" archived emails once a day to ensure I have not missed any important ones. So far, over a few thousand "filtered emails" have been processed since I've put this simple filter in place and have yet to find one that should not have been filtered.
So Simple, So Brilliant. So Easy To Do.
#1 Robo Killer App - install it on your phone. (Google RoboKiller) Cost: 29.99 a year
#2 Set up and email filter for: contains the word " unsubscribe" Cost: Free
(link to a video of how to do this in gmail: https://cl.ly/5a68b052f7e9)
It is my hope these tips help you to regain some sanity too.
Wes
Robocall blocking UPDATE: Your Carrier MAY have the ability to implement robocall blocking for you. As of 06-06-19 the FCC finally approved robocall blocking at the carrier level.
One aspect of the ruling that’s unclear is what, if anything, it will cost customers to have robocall blocking automatically enabled for their accounts. Pai has previously commented, “We certainly encourage companies to offer this for free,” but that has all the force of a gentle breeze.
All four major carriers offer a paid version of its call blocking features, which could very well become a staple on your monthly bill if you don’t opt out.
- Verizon offers Call Filter, an app-based call blocker that offers basic functions for free, but charges $2.99 per line (per mo) for advanced features like identification of unknown numbers.
- AT&T gives customers free fraud blocking and suspected spam warning, and charges $3.99 per month for enhanced caller ID and reverse number lookup.
- Sprint’s Premium Caller ID service automatically screens robocallers for $2.99 per month.
- T-Mobile’s Scam ID and Scam Block services are free, but Name ID that identifies phone numbers and sends selected categories of calls directly to voicemail costs $4 per month.
As These Rules Change: I'm going to be keeping a watchful eye on my phone bill over the next few months for any changes in default service offerings and billing increases.