Overview

Truecaller, the global communications platform, in partnership with Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) and research partner Kantar, released The State of Business Calling 2026 report. The study examines voice calls as a customer‑engagement channel in India, highlighting a paradox where 76% of consumers prefer business calls yet 79% actively avoid answering calls from unknown numbers.

Survey Methodology and Scope

The research surveyed over 500 B2B businesses and 1,000 consumers across 17 Indian cities. It captures preferences, behavioural trends, and the metrics businesses use to evaluate voice‑based interactions.

Consumer Preferences

  • Voice remains the most trusted channel for business communication, outranking email, SMS and chat combined.
  • 56% of consumers cite clarity, reassurance, urgency or high‑stakes interactions as reasons to choose voice.
  • 49% would be more willing to engage if they could schedule a callback at a convenient time, followed by a desire for clearer visibility into caller identity and purpose.
  • Despite the trust advantage, spam, lack of context, inconsistent caller identity and poorly timed outreach drive a default reluctance to answer unknown calls.

Business Priorities and Metrics

  • 64% of businesses prioritize caller identity verification, and they favour verification symbols and call‑purpose previews.
  • 41% state that trust and brand perception drive their decision to use voice, yet the metrics tracked focus on operational efficiency: response rate (72%), time to resolution (57%) and cost per interaction (53%).
  • Metrics that capture relationship value—higher CSAT (42%), stronger customer retention (36%) and emotional reassurance—are largely absent from scorecards.

Industry Implications

  • Voice continues to be critical in sectors where urgency, trust, or high‑value decisions matter, notably BFSI and IT services for verification and compliance, and e‑commerce and logistics for transactional and support communication.
  • The report introduces three proprietary benchmarks—Voice Adoption Index, Feature Engagement Index, and Feature Interest Index—to help enterprises assess current performance and investment priorities.

Quotes from Leadership

  • Priyam Bose, Global Head, Truecaller for Business GTM, said: “India does not have a calling problem. It has a trust and attention problem. Consumers today expect to know who is calling, why they are calling, and whether it is worth their time. At Truecaller, we are focused on enabling verified identity and contextual communication to help businesses rebuild trust and improve engagement.”
  • Vishal Rally, Chief Revenue Officer, Tata Teleservices, added: “Voice remains an important channel for enterprise communication, particularly when immediacy and human connection matter most. As customer expectations evolve, businesses need secure, intelligent, and context‑aware communication experiences. At TTBS, we are enabling enterprises with integrated voice and digital communication solutions that strengthen customer trust and engagement.”

Company Profiles

  • Truecaller serves 500 million active users worldwide, has amassed over one billion downloads, and identified 68 billion spam and fraud calls in 2025. It is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since October 2021.
  • Tata Tele Business Services is the enterprise arm of Tata Teleservices Limited (NSE: TTML, BSE: 532371). It offers connectivity, collaboration, cloud & SaaS, security and marketing solutions across more than 60 Indian cities, backed by a robust wireline network and a large enterprise‑focused team.

Access to Full Report

The complete report can be accessed via the link provided in the press release.