“Roughly 80% of unidentified calls go unanswered. The voice channel won’t recover until people trust who’s calling.” — Alex Algard, Founder & CEO, Hiya

Alex Algard joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to unpack why consumers are ignoring voice calls and how Hiya—in partnership with mobile operators and handset makers—aims to modernize caller identity, block abuse, and reconnect businesses with customers.

The problem
Hiya’s annual research shows unidentified calls are largely ignored (≈80% unanswered). With nuisance and fraud rampant, voicemail is turning into the new spam folder, undermining contact centers and legitimate outbound teams.

Who Hiya is
Seattle-based Hiya powers call protection and identity services with a global footprint of 500M+ users, working with AT&T (US), Samsung (global), Rogers/Bell (Canada), BT (UK), Vodafone, Telefónica, Telenor, and others.

Two flagship services

• Hiya Protect: Network-integrated analytics (privacy-respecting metadata only) assess ~30B calls/month to label or block spam/fraud in real time—often before the phone rings.
• Hiya Connect: Elevates legitimate outbound calling with branded caller ID (business name, logo, call reason), materially raising answer rates for B2C outreach (banks, airlines, healthcare, pharmacies, field services).

New: Caller Reputation (transparency for enterprises)
For the first time, businesses can see and track their caller reputation and get prescriptive guidance to improve it (e.g., call patterns, answer durations, hygiene). This addresses the “black box” confusion when calls are mislabeled across carriers/analytics vendors. It’s designed for enterprises, MSPs, channels, and SMBs—with direct engagement via Hiya or through operator partners.

AI has been in Hiya’s DNA
Hiya has applied ML since 2016 and now leverages advanced AI to improve detection and identity, helping operators keep networks clean while avoiding false positives on wanted calls.

Hiya AI Phone (assistant/screener)
A carrier-offerable AI agent that answers, screens, and routes inbound calls in real time—ideal for consumers and SMBs (e.g., trades & field services that can’t staff a live receptionist yet rely on timely calls).

Why it matters for readers

• Contact centers & outbound teams: Recover answer rates, reduce voicemail waste, and maintain brand trust.
• Enterprises/MSPs/Channels/Regional telcos: Offer branded calling, protect subscribers, and monitor/improve caller reputation across portfolios.
• SMBs: Use AI screening to capture opportunities without missing critical calls.

Learn more about Hiya Protect, Hiya Connect, Caller Reputation, and Hiya AI Phone at hiya.com.