Not every "hello" on an outbound call is a person. Business numbers play "this call may be recorded", some phones answer with a call-screening assistant that asks who's calling, and Indian networks play announcements for switched-off or unreachable numbers. In a real B2B deployment, the agent was delivering its opening pitch to recordings and screening assistants until we added three rules to its instructions. Here they are.
Test your agent against announcements: Start free on Edesy — Rs 50 free credit, no demo needed.
What the agent runs into
| What it hears | Where | What goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| "This call may be recorded for quality purposes" | Business lines | Agent replies or starts pitching |
| "Who is calling and what is it about?" | Phones with screening assistants | Agent delivers the full script to software |
| "The number you are calling is switched off" | Indian mobile networks | Agent talks to the announcement |
| Hold music or IVR menu | Company switchboards | Agent waits or talks over it |
| Voicemail greeting | Answering machines | Handled by voicemail detection |
Rule 1: ignore recording notices
If you hear an automated message like "this call may be recorded", do not respond. Wait until a person speaks, then begin.
Rule 2: answer screening assistants briefly
If an assistant asks who is calling or why, answer in one sentence, "This is {{company}} calling about {{reason}}", and wait for the person. Do not deliver the full script to the assistant.
Rule 3: end on network announcements
If you hear a network announcement that the number is switched off, not reachable, or does not exist, end the call without speaking.
These calls then show as not reached, and your retry rules try again later at a different time.
Voicemail is a separate layer
Answering machines are handled by voicemail detection, which can hang up, leave a short message or schedule a callback. See voicemail detection for AI calling campaigns. Screening and recording notices happen on live lines, so they need the prompt rules above as well.
Company switchboards and IVRs
When you call a company's main number, an IVR may answer. If your list has switchboard numbers, either clean it to direct numbers or add:
If you reach a menu, say "operator" or press 0 once. If no person answers within 20 seconds, end the call politely.
Better still, capture the direct number when you reach someone. See BANT qualification with AI voice calls, where the agent asks for the right contact.
How to find the problem in your logs
- Transcripts where the agent speaks right after "call may be recorded".
- Calls where the first "person" line is a question like "who is calling?"
- Connected calls with the agent talking for several seconds to no reply.
Review a sample of business-number calls in the first days of any B2B campaign.
Put it together
Automated voices. Ignore recording notices and wait for a person. If a screening assistant asks who is calling, answer in one sentence and wait. If you hear a network announcement that the number is unavailable, end the call without speaking. If an IVR answers, say "operator" once; end politely if no person answers within 20 seconds.
More production lessons: how to fix dead air on AI calls and why your AI voice agent hangs up too early.
Try it
Create a free account, add the block above, and call a business number that plays a recording notice. Need help reviewing your call logs? Talk to us.