How-to · Updated October 11, 2026
Tag wrong-number and spam calls automatically in call tracking
Updated October 11, 2026
30 minutes, then a week of calls
Turn on recording and transcription, then add a Keyword Spotting rule that tags calls containing phrases such as "wrong number". Those rules run once the transcript exists; a trigger set to run when the call arrives has nothing to read. Tag instead of excluding, and keep tagged calls out of what sends conversions to Google Ads.
Before you start
- Admin access to your call tracking account. The steps use CallTrackingMetrics, where Keyword Spotting needs one of its plans that include it, such as Marketing Pro or Connect.
- A short list of phrases taken from a few real junk calls: what wrong-number callers and automated callers actually say.
- A budget for transcription, which is charged per minute.
Turn on recording and transcription
Turn on recording first, then transcription, because a keyword rule reads the transcript and a transcript needs a recording.
- Open Numbers, then Call Settings, and click Edit next to the configuration your tracking numbers use.
- Under Call Recordings, turn on Record inbound calls. CallTrackingMetrics says transcriptions work only when call recording is on, and says to avoid Record from Ringing when transcribing. Recording has legal rules of its own; see the related how-to on announcing it.
- Under Transcription, select the country and click Save Changes. Turning on transcription also turns on keyword spotting, which is included in the transcription cost. CallTrackingMetrics says keyword spotting may not work with languages other than English.
Write a rule that tags junk calls
A Keyword Spotting rule tags any call whose transcript contains your phrases, and it runs on its own when the transcript is created.
- Open Flows, then Automation, then Keyword Spotting, and click New Keyword Spotting Rules.
- Click + Add Keyword, enter a phrase such as "wrong number", and choose who must say it (Anyone, Caller or Agent). Add the other phrases from your list the same way.
- Click Add Action, choose Tag Call with a tag such as "wrong number", and click Save Changes. Avoid Exclude Call: CallTrackingMetrics says excluding "Removes the specific call from your logs and reports", so a rule that misfires on a real customer hides both the call and the mistake.
- Under the activity types, choose Calls. Under Call Settings, move the configurations your tracking numbers use to the right-hand list, then click Save Changes. A configuration without transcription shows a warning.
- If you also use a trigger under Flows, Triggers whose action reads the transcript, such as Run Keyword Spotting or an AskAI action, set its Trigger drop-down to Transcription is ready, not Activity is received. CallTrackingMetrics says a transcription must already be available, and none exists when a call arrives.
Keep tagged calls out of Google Ads
Find what sends your calls to Google Ads as conversions and make it skip tagged calls, which works only where it runs after the tag exists.
- Open Settings, then Integrations, then Google Ads Direct Connect, and check whether each account mapping sends conversions through the global Lead or Sales rules or through an account conversion tracking trigger. CallTrackingMetrics recommends using one or the other, not both.
- If a trigger sends them, open it under Flows, Triggers, add a Tag rule to its conditions so that calls carrying your junk tag do not match, and click Save Changes.
- Set that trigger's timing so it runs after the tag can exist. CallTrackingMetrics says waiting for a transcript can add 1 to 2 minutes after a call, so a trigger at End event immediately after hangup can send a call before it is tagged. Choosing 1 hour after end event is a judgment, not the vendor's rule.
- If the global Lead rules send them, CallTrackingMetrics says those rules run once the call is completed, at the same time as trigger end actions, usually before a transcript exists. Its help pages do not show a tag condition working there, so either select an account conversion tracking trigger for that mapping and set it up as above, or retract junk calls after they are sent.
- For junk calls Google Ads already counted, you may be able to withdraw them with a retraction adjustment in Google Ads, within 54 days and only where you can match the conversion by order ID or click ID. Nothing in CallTrackingMetrics' description of excluding says it withdraws a conversion already sent.
Check it worked
After a few days of calls, open the call log. A target icon in the Contact column marks a call where a keyword was spotted, and the tag shows on the call. Reports, Activity Reports with the Spotted Keywords dimension counts them.
If a week with a known junk call passes and no call carries the tag, open that call's transcript and compare its words to your phrases. A tag that never appears on any call means the rule is not running.
CallTrackingMetrics records inbound calls only when they are answered, by a person or an automated system, so a junk call that rang out unanswered gets no transcript and no tag.
Why call length cannot sort junk calls
A short-call filter catches hang-ups, but a wrong-number caller can talk past any threshold while a real customer can book in less. Keep length as a coarse filter and let the transcript decide what is junk.
Stopping spam before it rings
Under Call Settings, Spam Detection lets you choose what happens when a caller is identified as spam, such as routing them to a voice menu that needs a keypress to continue. That filters automated callers before anyone answers; keyword tags catch the rest after the call.
CallTrackingMetrics also offers an AskAI trigger preset, AskAI: Call Outcome, that tags calls with an outcome label from an AI reading of the transcript. AskAI presets add usage-based charges.