Top Baseball Prospect Misses Anonymous Call from Baltimore Orioles

On draft night, the Baltimore Orioles call to their top pick went unanswered. Branded calling could have made a huge difference.

Imagine getting the call of a lifetime – and missing it because the number was unknown. For one MLB hopeful, that nightmare came true.

Colton Cowser was waiting for the call on MLB draft night – and as the 5th overall selection, it came early. The Orioles selected the lefty outfielder from Sam Houston State and made the call, which he had to answer to make the pick official. Cowser’s agent had told him not to answer any calls from numbers he didn’t know in case of a scam or prank call. Since Cowser didn’t have the number saved, the Orioles’ Mike Elias got his voicemail instead.

Thankfully, this story ends favorably, as Cowser called the Orioles back and secured his spot on the roster. But the entire situation could have been avoided if the Orioles had been able to clearly identify themselves.

Anonymous Calls Get Ignored

First Orion survey data shows, year after year, that unknown phone numbers make brands and businesses appear anonymous. 87% of people admit to rarely or never answering calls from unknown numbers. This eroding public trust in phone calls is primarily due to the constant barrage of scam calls the average American receives daily. While scam blocking solutions and government mandates help ease the call fraud problem, many business callers still have trouble re-establishing that trust – and that connection – with consumers.

Knock It Out of the Park With Branded Calling

The story goes a little differently when a business chooses to implement a Branded Calling solution when making the call. Imagine this: The Orioles give Cowser a call using First Orion’s Branded Calling solutions, and their name (Orioles calling!) is displayed along with a logo and reason for the call (it’s draft time, baby). Colton picks up the call, gets drafted, and this story never hits Barstool Sports. Boom! It’s a winning play.

As a business, the benefits are the same. Using First Orion to brand an outbound call with your company name and intent helps drive more meaningful connections with your customers, build a more trusting relationship, and improve the customer experience with your brand. 

For Colton Cowser, missing the call could have meant missing out on his career defining opportunity. (Thankfully it didn’t). When consumers miss your calls, they miss out on real-life events; branding phone calls can help with the FOMO. It’s important that businesses think about every customer’s experience with their phone calls. If you’re spending dollars to brand emails, advertisements, and more, why isn’t the phone call included in your branding strategy? 

How Branded Calling Can Work for Your Business

Got a business that needs help connecting with your customers (or are you a team who wants to stand out on Draft Day, hint, hint)? First Orion is here to help. Let’s explore what Branded Calling can do for you.

First Orion is a leader in network enterprise solutions, call identification, and call management software, focusing on data-driven call transparency across the calling experience.