Spam calls 101: what businesses need to know (and why texting wins)
Spam calls have reached record highs in the US, with nearly 3 billion spam calls per month, on average an every American would be receiving 9 spam calls per day.
For customers, it’s exhausting. For businesses, it’s frustrating.
The more we are bombarded with scams and spam, the less likely we are to answer our phones at all, and unfortunately this means calls will be missed even when legitimate businesses are calling.
That means fewer conversations, slower service, and missed sales.
Regulations like STIR/SHAKEN are helping with this, however the damage is done: customer trust in phone calls has been declining over the years.
Shoppers are turning away from unknown numbers. This shift is exactly why texting has become the smarter, more reliable way for businesses to contact their customers.
Texts are not only trusted, but they’re also more convenient. Instead of dodging calls, customers can read and respond when it works for them.
More importantly, they can take a minute (whenever they can) to check who it is from, thus they are more likely to respond.
The rise of spam calls
Spam calls aren’t just an occasional annoyance anymore, they’ve become a full-blown epidemic in the US.
How did things get so bad? Well the explosion of spam calls comes from two main issues:
Low cost of robocalling: Scammers can send out thousands of calls for pennies. Even if only a tiny fraction of people pick up, it pays off.
Caller ID spoofing: Fraudsters can disguise their numbers, making it appear as if the call is local or even from a legitimate business (this is what STIR/SHAKEN tries to solve).
This combination has flooded consumers’ phones with unwanted interruptions, and made them skeptical of any unfamiliar number.
Consumer behavior is shifting
Customers are adapting in the only way they can: by not answering.
Unfortunately (and understandably), most consumers ignore calls from unknown numbers. This is even more prevalent among younger people.
This matters for retailers and service providers. If your shop tries to confirm an appointment, give a status update, or follow up on any service via phone call, there’s a good chance that call won’t be answered.
Eventually what happens is that these missed calls add up to lost time and revenue, inefficiencies, and frustrated staff and customers.
Businesses that solely rely on voice calls will find it more difficult over time to connect with their customers. Not adapting to different communication streams such as texting means that eventually this won’t just be a communication gap, but something that affects your bottom line.
What is being done about it?
The US government and telecom providers know spam calls are a problem and they’ve been working to stop them.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) introduced new regulations, and carriers have adopted technical solutions to cut down on fraudulent calls.
The STIR/SHAKEN framework
At the center of these efforts is a technology called STIR/SHAKEN. While the name sounds like something from a James Bond movie, it’s actually an acronym:
STIR: Secure Telephone Identity Revisited
SHAKEN: Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs
Put simply, it’s a caller ID authentication system. For example, in the past it was possible for a fraudulent call to come through but for your phone’s caller ID to show that it is coming from a “legitimate business”. Now, that call is being authenticated before it rings on your phone.
The goal: make it harder for scammers to impersonate legitimate businesses.
How effective is it?
Since the rollout, there’s been a decline in some forms of spoofed robocalls, especially those pretending to be local numbers.
But spam hasn’t disappeared. Scammers always look for workarounds, and many are shifting tactics to continue reaching consumers.
The FCC reported that billions of unwanted calls are still being placed each month, despite STIR/SHAKEN’s protections. While authentication helps, it’s not a perfect solution.
Why trust in calls is still broken
Even when a call is legitimate, customers often don’t know if they can trust it.
Imagine a bike shop trying to confirm a repair is ready, or a jewelry store reaching out to let a customer know their order is complete.
If the call goes unanswered, the customer experience suffers.
STIR/SHAKEN checklist
It fights spoofing, not spam itself. STIR/SHAKEN makes it harder for fraudsters to fake caller ID, but it doesn’t stop all unwanted calls.
It’s already live. Major U.S. carriers have implemented it since 2021, so most calls are now being verified behind the scenes.
It helps, but trust is still low. Even with protections in place, many consumers won’t pick up calls from numbers they don’t recognize.
But it doesn’t solve the bigger problem for businesses.
Why texting wins for businesses
Texting is trusted, convenient, and drives action.
Unlike phone calls and email, SMS hasn’t been saturated with scams to the same degree.
People are far more likely to trust a text from a local business than an unexpected call.
Customers can reply back when it works for them. No waiting on hold, no interrupting their day.
That flexibility makes texting the preferred way for many consumers to communicate with businesses.
A Twilio study found that 89% of consumers want to use messaging to talk to businesses. Calls feel disruptive, texts feel natural.
On top of that, texts aren’t just read, they’re acted on. Research shows that SMS response rates can be as high as 45%, compared to 6% for email. For businesses, that means more completed sales, confirmed appointments, and fewer no-shows.
Ikeono takes texting to the next level by integrating it in tools retailers already use and workflows they already have.
A website and live chat are essential tools for retailers, but when you integrate texting and have a webchat to text ecosystem, conversations that start on webchat continue via SMS.
This means that staff can answer when it’s convenient, without monitoring a live chat window, and customers don’t need to stay glued to the laptop waiting for a reply. In addition, you unlock a new communication channel you can use in the future.
Take text-to-pay as another example, by integrating texting in your payment methods, you can take payment while virtually booking a service appointment or during that conversation via webchat.
Texting wins because it’s trusted, convenient, and action-oriented. For businesses, that means fewer missed connections and more meaningful conversations.
Pro tips for businesses adapting to the shift
Switching customer conversations from phone calls to text isn’t just about using a new channel, it’s about using it well.
Here are a few ways businesses can make texting a trusted and effective part of their communication strategy:
#1 Lean into conversational texting
Conversational texting is what Ikeono is all about.
Customers don’t want bulk blasts, they want helpful, human replies.
Treat each message as part of a conversation. If someone asks about a product, answer their question and follow up with a payment link, not a generic promotion.
#2 Educate customers to expect texts from you
Transparency builds trust.
When customers are in your store, let them know exactly what to expect, this way, texts feel like a service, not spam. Something along the lines of “you’ll get a text confirmation” when booking a service is enough to set the right expectations.
#3 Spot buying signals, not objections
When customers ask about returns, financing, or product comparisons, they’re already picturing owning the item.
Instead of treating these questions as hurdles, view them as green lights to close the sale.
We have an entire blog post dedicated to how to spot buying signals and building message templates that will help you turn them into sales: How to Turn Common Webchat Inquiries into Sales with Text-to-Pay.
#4 Use timing to your advantage
A well-timed text can make all the difference.
Ikeono helps you with this in two ways, one by automating the timing at which you ask for reviews, and by perfectly timing follow ups via our Campaigns feature.
Research shows timely follow-ups can increase sales opportunities by up to 20%.
Fewer calls, more conversations
Spam calls have changed how customers interact with businesses.
With 70 billion robocalls hitting Americans in 2023, trust in phone calls has been eroded. Regulations like STIR/SHAKEN help reduce spoofing, but the reality is clear: most customers simply don’t pick up unknown numbers anymore.
That doesn’t mean businesses are out of options, it means they need to meet customers where trust still exists. And right now, that’s texting.
Texts give customers the flexibility to respond when it works for them, and they give businesses a direct, reliable way to answer questions, send updates, and close sales.
The message is simple: spam calls are out, trusted texts are in. If your team is still relying on phone calls, it’s time to rethink your strategy.