## Keeping unwanted calls under control
RingDesk gives you several tools for nuisance calls without turning away genuine customers.
Block a specific number or area code
If a number keeps calling - a prankster, a persistent cold-caller, or a household number the kids use - block it:
- Block a number - see "Blocking unwanted callers".
- Block or bypass a whole area code - see "Call exceptions".
Blocked callers hear a short unavailable message and the call ends.
Is there automatic spam blocking?
Not currently. RingDesk does not silently drop calls it thinks are spam or robocalls - that would risk turning away a real customer whose number we don't recognise. Instead the agent answers politely and you block the specific nuisances that get through.
Sales and cold callers
The agent is helpful but not a pushover. If a caller is clearly selling to you rather than asking about your business, it stays polite, doesn't book anything, and takes a brief message so you decide whether to follow up. You can make this explicit in the desk's Setup -> Persona, for example: "Do not transfer sales or marketing calls - take a short message instead."
Stopping sales calls reaching your team
Transfers only happen when the agent judges a caller genuinely needs a person, or when a caller hits an escalation trigger you set. To keep sales calls away from your team, add the persona instruction above and keep your escalation triggers specific to real customer needs (for example "complaint", "speak to a nurse") rather than generic phrases.
Abusive callers
If a caller becomes abusive or is clearly not engaging in good faith, the agent stays calm, does not escalate, and politely ends the call. Nothing is transferred to your team.
### Related articles
- Blocking unwanted callers - Call exceptions: bypass or block specific numbers and area codes - VIP callers: priority treatment for important contacts - Callback requests - Transferring calls to the right person (departments)