# Home services: are your callbacks showing as spam?

**If customers who requested a quote aren't picking up your callback, your number may be showing a spam warning on their phone, or being blocked outright.** These are people who *asked* you to call, but they haven't saved your number, so they see whatever the carrier shows. Check what their screen displays, then fix the cause and request a review.

[Check your number free](/#check) *(AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile)*

## Why home service numbers get flagged

- **Lots of short calls.** Dispatch, confirmations and "on my way" calls are brief by nature. Short average call duration is one of the patterns the FCC gave as an example of reasonable call analytics.
- **Automated reminders.** Hiya notes that calls like appointment reminders naturally get lower engagement, because nobody needs a long conversation. That's normal. But prerecorded messages used to *prospect* tend to get reported, according to First Orion, and calls using an artificial or prerecorded voice generally need the recipient's prior consent under the TCPA.
- **Follow-up calls to people who've gone quiet.** Repeatedly calling someone who didn't answer or didn't book is one of the patterns Hiya links to poor reputation.
- **Several numbers in play.** Office lines, techs' cells and software numbers each build their own reputation. One flagged number can hurt the whole operation without anyone noticing.

## Why it matters more for you

- **Blocked calls never ring.** On AT&T, calls marked "Fraud Risk" are blocked automatically. Your customer simply never hears from you.
- **It can hurt calls coming in, too.** When a T-Mobile customer calls a number on T-Mobile's Scam Likely list, they hear a warning that the number is likely a scam. That can cost you customers returning your call.

## What to do

1. **List every number that calls customers:** office, techs, dispatch software and reminder systems.
2. **Check each one.** [Run a check](/#check) on all three carriers: AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
3. **Set your caller name.** Ask your phone provider to show your business name. It's separate from spam labels, but it helps people recognize the callback they asked for.
4. **Register your numbers for free:** [Free Caller Registry](https://freecallerregistry.com), plus [Hiya Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration).
5. **Fix the cause and request a review if flagged:** [AT&T](/guides/remove-spam-label-att) · [Verizon](/guides/remove-spam-label-verizon) · [T-Mobile](/guides/remove-scam-likely-tmobile)
6. **Re-check every few days** until it clears.

**Tip:** tell customers which number you'll call from when they book or request a quote, for example on your confirmation page or text. Saved and expected calls are far more likely to get answered.

## FAQ

### Why aren't customers answering when they asked for a quote?
They likely haven't saved your number, so they see whatever their carrier displays. If your number is labeled "Spam Risk" or "Scam Likely," many won't answer. On AT&T, calls marked "Fraud Risk" are blocked and never ring.

### Do appointment reminder calls cause spam labels?
Short, low-engagement calls like reminders are normal, and Hiya notes they naturally have lower engagement. Problems usually come from prerecorded prospecting calls, repeated calls to people who didn't respond, or calls people didn't agree to.

### Can a flagged number affect customers calling me?
Yes. T-Mobile customers who call a number on T-Mobile's Scam Likely list hear a warning that the number is likely a scam.

## Sources

- [AT&T ActiveArmor terms of service](https://www.att.com/activearmormseula)
- [T-Mobile: Scam Shield](https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/scam-shield)
- [Hiya Connect: Caller reputation and spam label help](https://connect-support.hiya.com/hc/en-us/articles/54311390207891-Caller-reputation-and-spam-label-help)
- [First Orion: Business Number Registration](https://firstorion.com/?p=35844)
- [TransNexus: FCC ruling on AI-generated voice calls](https://transnexus.com/blog/2024/ai-voice-calls-and-tcpa/)
- [ACA International: Summary of FCC 2019 declaratory ruling](https://policymakers.acainternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/concerns-regarding-fcc-call-blocking-and-labeling-efforts-declaratory-ruling-and-fnprm-may-2019.pdf)
- [TNS: FreeCallerRegistry.com launch](https://tnsi.com/?p=2046)