Talkative has a number of features to help block and prevent nuisance callers from entering the queue. This can be effective for chat-based interactions where callers behave inappropriately toward agents. However, there has been a notable uptick in cases of callers exposing themselves on video calls with agents. Often, these callers use VPNs to get around firewall blocks and continue to harass agents. There are additional measures you can take to help protect your agents, which we will detail below.
Talkative includes a number of features designed to block and prevent nuisance callers from entering a queue. These measures are effective for chat-based interactions where callers behave inappropriately toward agents.
However, some organisations have seen an increase in cases where callers behave inappropriately during video calls, including exposing themselves to agents. In many cases these callers attempt to bypass traditional blocking measures by using VPNs or frequently changing IP addresses, allowing them to continue attempting to enter queues.
To better protect agents in these scenarios, there are additional preventative measures that can be implemented. These measures focus on verifying callers before they reach an agent and giving agents greater control over when video is enabled.
The following sections outline recommended approaches that can help reduce the risk of inappropriate video call behaviour.
Adding verification and block-list checks with Talkaflow
One effective way to reduce the risk of nuisance callers reaching agents is to introduce a verification step before a caller enters the queue.
Using Talkaflow, Talkative’s workflow and chatbot platform, it is possible to perform automated checks and verification steps before allowing a caller to proceed to an agent. Talkaflow can make web requests to external systems, allowing you to integrate with existing security and verification tools.
Common approaches include:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) to verify that the caller is a legitimate user.
- VPN or proxy detection services to identify callers attempting to hide their location.
- Internal block lists containing known problematic phone numbers, email addresses, or other identifiers.
These checks can be used to determine whether a caller should be allowed to proceed into the queue, challenged with additional verification, or blocked entirely.
Talkative’s Professional Services team can help design and implement these integrations, creating a gatekeeper workflow that screens callers before they are connected to an agent.
Giving agents control over when video is enabled
Another effective safeguard is to prevent callers from automatically enabling their camera when a video call begins.
In this configuration, the caller initially joins the interaction with audio only. The agent can hear and speak to the caller, allowing them to assess the situation before video is enabled.
If the agent is comfortable proceeding, they can manually enable the caller’s camera. Importantly, the agent retains full control throughout the interaction and can disable the caller’s camera again at any time if the behaviour becomes inappropriate.
This approach allows agents to establish context and confidence before enabling video, reducing the risk of unexpected or inappropriate visual behaviour.
The following section provides the technical steps required to configure this behaviour.
Load your Chat Widget Editor and navigate to the advanced settings section:
and then select the video tab:
In the Video Controls and Auto-start settings, you can disable the camera being enabled and the auto-start video option. This will mean when a customer joins the call, their camera will not be activated and the button to activate the camera will not be presented.
In the top right hand corner of the agents console, buttons will be shown to enable the agent to control the customers video capabilities.