Its one thing to drop a call to your family or friends, it is completely different to drop an important business call. The impact of dropped calls could vary from mild annoyance to losing a business deal worth thousands of pounds. If you are selling a phone system, or some communication technology and you suffer from dropped calls, it brings into question your technology and the reputation of your business.
A connected call, especially in sales, can generate significant revenue for your business. It builds relationships and lays the foundation for future growth. Dropped calls do completely the opposite, and can ruin a new relationship, can annoy both parties to the extent that they do not want to receive the call back and can stop the possibility of upselling, or reselling to existing customers. Dropping calls cost businesses a lot of money and reputational credibility, so it is worth while looking at ways to minimize or even avoid dropped calls.
There are several reasons why you have dropped calls, and there are ways of managing your dropped calls to have minimal impact to the relationship and business. Reducing your dropped calls will improve your business, your customer service, and your reputation, and you will enjoy better call quality across every type of phone call.
What are dropped calls?
Have you ever been talking to someone, thinking that they are still on the line, but the call ended a few seconds ago? That is an embarrassing type of dropped calls. Have you ever answered the phone and it takes a while to hear the person on the other end of the phone? Clearly there was a connection at first, but then as dropped calls go, this is less embarrassing and annoying, since the conversation had not started yet!
The worst type of dropped calls must be the one where you are talking, maybe in the middle of a sales pitch and in your flow, you feel good that you are getting your points across and feel like the call is going well, only to suddenly realise that no-one is saying “yes”, or even the “Uh-hu” types of noises that promote confidence. You look at your phone and it has happened again. Dropped calls ruin the sales call!
Why do dropped calls happen?
Dropped calls occur when your phone loses connection. This could be due to losing the cellular connection, the landlinecellular connection, or due to something as simple as a loose cable. Dropped calls are common, and everyone has experienced them at some point, so people are generally sympathetic and understand that dropped calls are not your fault.
If you have a faulty SIM card, you will experience more dropped calls than most, and your friends, family, or people you call regularly will understand, and could even buy you a new phone, or a new contract SIM. This is less appreciated in business, especially if the call was a cold call and you are taking up time and energy from the receiver!
If you live in an area of low or weak connection, you will be used to dropped calls, and you will probably know which part of your house, or where the local hill is that provides the best connection for your calls.
If your carrier does not work well where you live, you will be used to dropped calls, and you will have thought about switching carriers more than most people, probably during every phone call whilst you cross your fingers and prey that this call is not one of the many dropped calls that you experience.
What happens?
When a call starts, the 2 end points of the call are connected, through the call set up procedure. This means that signals are sent down a line, through the exchange boxes to the other end where ethe receiver hears a ring and connects the call. The call routing through the various lines, exchange control centers and mobile switching centres all works smoothly when the call is a success and gets connected.
There are several steps between initiating a call, receiving a call, and speaking on a call, all of which must be successful for the call to be connected and you to hear the other person and have a meaningful conversation. If any of these steps fail, the call is not connected, or becomes one of the many annoying dropped calls of the day.
Dropped calls can happen at the start of the call, or midway through the call, basically anytime until one person says “Goodbye” and physically ends the conversation.
Being at the mercy of technology means that any time you are on the phone you risk dropped calls. Changing that technology reduces the risk of dropped calls since some technology is better than others, and having a backup, or another way of communication reduces the risk of dropped calls.
These days you are not reliant on landline calls, which can drop, and you have the option for VoIP calls through the internet, which are popular for dropped calls, you have a 3rd option of mobile calls which are less likely to become dropped calls. Where you are reliant on multiple steps from one end of the call to another, and where cables are involved, or long distances, you run the risk of suffering dropped calls.
VoIP technology means that calls are connected through the internet, which whilst it is reliable, it also suffers from over-used bandwidth, cable deterioration and dropped calls. Mobile technology relies on radio waves from tower to tower, and whilst towers can be affected by weather or maintenance dropped calls are less likely through your mobile phone. Having a mobile phone solution for your business reduces dropped calls and increases efficiency and profitability.
Cloud based dropped calls
Dropped calls on the landline are often hard to fix, since you must get in contact with the service provider, and you need your phone to do so. You are at the mercy of the technician coming to your street and fixing the cables, or the connection box, which could take days!
When you are on the cloud, or using the internet for calls through a VoIP service or a cloud phone solution, you are less likely to suffer dropped calls and more likely to be able to fix them yourself if dropped calls occur. When you are making calls through WiFi calling, or internet LAN Cable connection, the main trouble shooting processes involve your router and your internet connection. Dropped calls can be reduced by following the IT Crowd’s central concept; “Have you turned it off and on again?”.
When using the internet for your calls the main reasons for dropped calls are blackspots, weak signal, old hardware, slow internet speeds, too many people using the internet for games or movie streaming, or other avoidable situations.
Here are some of the most common ways to troubleshoot dropped calls
In your area you know the times of day, or days of the week where there are weak signals, and you are more likely to suffer dropped calls. You know who your provider is and you should have their network outages page on your dashboard as a saved page to check. Most ISP’s have a network outage warning page and familiarizing yourself with that page and web address can be your first point of contact when you are experiencing dropped calls.
If your ISP has an app, download it, and set up notifications when the signal drops. You should be able to get alerts and notifications to your mobile phone when you are likely to have dropped calls. Your internet provider should provide warnings, which in turn can reduce the risk of dropped calls.
When you are using Google Chrome, Bing, Microsoft Teams, and other VoIP communication systems, you could see warnings of Weak Signal on your screen. These warn you that dropped calls are about to occur and you should discuss alternative means of communication or wrap up your call quickly. When chatting online, through video conferencing, a frozen screen is another form of dropped calls.
These messages might be warnings for “Network Issues”. This is the main reason for dropped calls. This could mean that you need to restart your app, restart your router, and do a speed test on your computer. You can often fix this reason for dropped calls by simply restarting your hardware.
These messages might be warnings for call connection errors. This is harder to resolve because the error could have occurred on both ends of the call, so dropped calls here are harder to fix. You must check your internet speed and connection, and possibly text the other person to check their too, or simply try again later. These connectivity issues are a concern when you are experiencing dropped calls.
Moving to a different room, restarting your internet, or waiting for the blackspot to come back into reception are elements of fixing these dropped calls. Switching to mobile calls, or landline calls often means that the communication can continue, and you become less reliant on VoIP calls, since there are common reasons for dropped calls through VoIP.
Checking your internet speed and knowing what your internet speed should be, are ways of reducing dropped calls. When you are buying 50MBpS, but you are only receiving 10MBpS, you know there is a problem, and that problem will result in dropped calls. Putting in place regular monitoring for your internet speed and getting alerts when it drops below a certain level means that you are managing your dropped calls and reducing the likelihood of them happening.
Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) often has outages reports on a webpage, so visit that before making important calls to see if there are known outages in your area. When there are outages affecting people in your area, you can expect dropped calls. These outages pages just require the details of who your ISP is and what your location is and with that, the information that affects your dropped calls is freely available.
Have you turned if off and on again?
This might be a cliché or a catch phrase for people working in technical support, but the process holds true for reducing dropped calls. You should turn it off, go and make a coffee, or wait at least 20 seconds, and then turn it back on again. If you know that you are taking a break and you are experiencing dropped calls, before your break, turn everything off and then back on again when you return to work. This is also the case at the end of the day when you are logging off. Turn everything off so you can reconnect in the morning. Turning off and on again reduces dropped calls.
Routers and servers can drop for lots of reasons, from overheating to overuse, to not having a break in a few days. You could be on old hardware, downloaded too much, or too many people in your area are using the internet. You could be experiencing bugs in your systems that lead to dropped calls, or your IP Address could be overworked. Whatever the reason the backlog or the over usage can cause problems for dropped calls, so turning off and on again at least 20 seconds later gives your system a break and allows data packets to catch up.
If dropped calls are a common issue, look at your hardware and see if it needs an upgrade. If you are running on old software or old hardware, you might need to invest in something better. If your router is next to a heat source, it needs moving. If your home or office is dirty and dusty, you must clean your systems to reduce dropped calls. Moving routers, checking wires, restarting servers and monitoring your hardware are great ways to reduce dropped calls.
Wired connections have fewer dropped calls than WiFi connections. Mobile connections have fewer dropped calls than Cloud or internet and landlines have fewer dropped calls still. But then the costs and the use of phone services increases, and this could be an expensive way of reducing dropped calls.
If you are constantly using your WiFi connection, make sure that you always have your LAN Cable to hand just in case WiFi is running slow. Dropped calls are a sign that you are experiencing bad internet connections, so they are both a warning and the result of bad internet. Being reliant on the internet is a cause for concern, just as putting all your eggs into one basket can cause them to crack and break. Dropped calls are a symptom and a result of poorly maintained internet connections.
conXhub on the Cellular Network reduces dropped calls.
If you are using the cellular network for your business calls you are less likely to suffer from dropped calls, however they still exist. The fixes for dropped calls are much the same, checking hardware, getting better quality materials and resources, and checking your connection, but dropped calls are less frequent through the cellular network so it is a good idea to use mobile technology if you are troubled by dropped calls.
Make sure that you are on 5G or 4G LTE because the better the service, the fewer dropped calls you will experience.
Checking your carrier and their connectivity in your area is a key factor to reducing dropped calls. Living in cities there are some carriers that are better than others. Working at heights there are different carriers that work well. Working with the best network for your location will reduce your dropped calls and improve call quality.
Working with conXhub you have the best supplier, but we are still reliant on your mobile data coverage in your area which might be spotty in certain locations. If you make the switch to the cellular network and you are still experiencing dropped calls, there are some fixes that we can offer here to help:
Are there any obstacles blocking your signal?
These could be hills, trees, buildings, or other natural landscape problems, like living in valleys, or in rural areas away from cell towers. You need to know where your nearest cell tower is and if you have line of sight to it. If you do not, there could be times when you have weaker signals. If you lose signal driving through a tunnel, or on a train, or on the underground, that is exactly what we are talking about, you must always have line of sight to your nearest cell tower.
Radio signals can bounce off buildings and go in different directions, they can also be absorbed by certain materials and reflective surfaces, so it is worth testing thoroughly before implementing this solution. If you have bad signals then your dropped calls are going to be more frequent, and the call quality is going to be worse.
There are fewer blackspots with Cellular networks than there are with the Internet, especially if you travel to overseas countries without the infrastructure that you are used to. If you are experiencing dropped calls on the cellular network, move around to find the best signal, it might not even be a big move. Getting away from blockages and ensuring line of sight connection to the cell tower will improve connections.
Where there are immovable objects, you could look at signal boosters fitted to your roof to amplify the signal and make it stronger. These can help boost weak signals, but obviously can not help if there is a mountain in the way! If there is a signal, it can be improved.
How far from a call tower are you?
You need to be within 45 miles of a cell tower, after that range the signal gets too weak to make clear phone calls and you will experience dropped calls. For come networks the distance can be less than that, but we have taken an average here.
There are apps like OpenSignal that measure your average daily connection to your local cell towers and tell you the times of day when it is good and bad. This can also help you to locate your nearest tower and to make sure that your boosters are pointing in the right direction. You should not rely on the bars on your mobile phone, these do not give accurate readings. Measuring in decibels per milliwatt is a more accurate reading and if that is good, you will not have dropped calls.
How populated is your area?
Living in a high-density area such as a capital city, will reduce the strength of your signal. The signal has a finite strength so the more people using it, the more diluted that signal becomes and the higher the chance of dropped calls.
Living in areas where there are lots of people using the same cell tower means that there are more people streaming Netflix, playing games, and using their phone for high-bandwidth services, so you are more likely to have dropped calls. Where there is network congestion, your call quality will suffer.
If you are in a crowded location, a city centre, football stadium or where there are lots of people and fewer towers, you will notice the quality of the call reduces, and it is best to schedule the call rather than force it through at the time.
The benefit of using your cell phone is that there is a switch to toggle between WiFi calling and cellular calling, so when you are experiencing dropped calls, you could try to switch over to WiFi calling first, before losing hope. In crowded areas there is often free WiFi that supports your local calls.
Using conXhub you are reliant on Mobile Data, and in some areas that might be weak, so having the option on your phone to switch between WiFi calling, Cellular data calling, and cellular network calling reduces the risk of dropped calls and improves your work.
Check your settings.
If your settings on your phone are limited, or fixed to your normal usage, it might not be suitable for some calls. Having caller ID on helps to improve connection, and ensuring the correct date and time settings is key. If you work different hours, or across multiple time zones, you must ensure that your Sleep settings are not interfering with calls, and your do not disturb times are accurate for your area.
Your Mobile phone will tell you if there are pending updates or things to fix, so pay attention to them and don’t just remove your notifications, I know they can get in the way of Candy Crush, but they are important for receiving calls and reducing dropped calls.
How old is your SIM?
If you have an old SIM or a faulty SIM, your ability to make good quality calls will decrease and you will experience dropped calls. SIM cards can become old or faulty, they can be damaged and suffer from wear and tear, especially if you take them out and put them back in from time to time. Fixing your SIM card is a very simple process.
Take it out, have a look and see if there are scratches, folds, faults or damage to the surface, try it in a different phone to see if that makes an improved difference, and test it across other types of calling. If there is any damage to the surface, it is very clear when you simply take a look, and then calling your service provider and ordering a new one, with the same number and features will just take a couple of days to have it delivered. You can even go to the store and have a replacement formatted immediately for you to continue to avoid dropped calls.
It is also common for the device to overheat or to be on for too long, if you can turn your mobile device off and on again, do so. If you cannot, then use it continually until the battery wears out and instead of recharging it immediately, wait a while for it to reboot. All devices need to take a break from time to time, and if you are making hundreds of calls a day on your device, it might simply be tired.
How busy is your phone?
Some people never close tabs on their phone, so when you look at how many Safari tabs are open, it could be so high that it is draining battery and energy from your phone. If you have too many apps open, too many web pages and too much going on in your phone, your battery will drain quickly, and your phone will be less efficient, this can also lead to dropped calls.
You can go to your settings and change the settings for each app. If you are using tracking apps, game apps, messaging apps that all stay on and suck data and battery from your phone, your phone is simply overloaded and needs to be changed. You can close apps, stop using the web on your phone, delete apps that you are not using and change the settings in apps to make sure that you are optimizing the phone for calls and messages only. Afterall, a phone is meant for calling, not games and videos.
Once you have optimized your settings, try to make more calls, and see if it makes any difference. You must also check for updates to your software, and make sure that you are using the latest versions.
If you are running an old version of software, your phone will get confused about the apps that need a newer version, and apps that can handle the older version. Your phone will not be performing at the optimum level since you have not upgraded to the recommended levels.
Some phones can not be upgraded beyond a certain level since the original hardware can not be compatible to the new release, and unfortunately, it might just be time to say goodbye to your old friend and buy a new one.
On the cellular network you should have better quality calls than through VoIP and cloud-based solutions, so if you have dropped calls, there must be a reason for it and sometimes that it simply negligence on your part and not looking after your own device in the best way possible. Just like a car needs an oil change, your phone needs updates.
Other obvious checks
Some phones are dual SIM, make sure that you are connected to the correct SIM card and using the correct Carrier for calls.
If you have not paid your bill, you can not make some calls and send and receive text messages.
If your phone is in airplane mode, or sleep mode, or do not disturb mode, that will affect your call quality and the ability to receive calls.
If your battery is old, or constantly being charged for long periods, you could have a damaged battery, and having a bad power source means that you are more likely to have dropped calls.
If your fashionable case is affecting the quality of your phone, remove it. You might not look as cool, but your phone will work better!
If you have bad calls in the bathroom, move to the kitchen, or move outside. Moving around in your home or office space means that you can find the location that suits your phone connection better and you will have fewer dropped calls.
If you live in an old house and there are walls and doors between you and your router, or between you and the phone receiver, that are often thicker in older houses, so you have obstructions to navigate.
Try to use a Signal Booster and see if that can speed up your phone connection and reduce your dropped calls.
If all else fails, buy a new phone, and move to a new location, or switch to VoIP and make sure that your phone solution is connected to a stable and consistent internet source, your customers also need to be on the internet for VoIP calls, but you can download and use a cloud centre software solution, so you are making calls to landlines and mobile phones over the internet.
conXhub for excellent connections
Using the ultimate communication solution, conXhub reduces your dropped calls and downtime. We maximize connectivity and constantly monitor the connections of our customers to make sure that you always have crystal clear communications for personal use and business calls. With calls through the App from numbers anywhere in the world, you can remain connected to work or personal interests wherever you are.
The app is free to download, and the basic package starts at just £4 a month, with local UK and USA numbers for only £2 a month extra. For an additional £6 a month on top of your usual phone bill you are making free calls to anyone in the world through your mobile phone and staying connected to ensure you do not experience dropped calls.
