CaptionCall Mobile

Features

• Guided onboarding that gets a new user from download to first captioned call with minimal setup

• One-step call forwarding configuration

• Visual voicemail transcribed and captioned for playback

• Accessibility controls tailored to hearing-loss users' needs

• Built-in app health monitoring, flagging issues like a missing microphone permission before they cause a failed call

• Call blocking and blocked numbers list

• Real-time in-app support, no need to leave the app to reach help

Challenges

• Voicemail reliability issues were driving churn and dragging down app store ratings

• User base skews older, many with limited technical fluency, creating friction with setup steps like call forwarding that assume a baseline of technical comfort

• Users frequently didn't realize captioning had silently failed due to a missing microphone permission, with no clear signal pointing them to the fix

• No call-blocking capability, leaving users exposed to spam calls with no way to filter them out

• Fixable issues were routinely surfacing as bad app store reviews instead of support requests, since users defaulted to public complaints over reaching out for help

Key Decisions

• Routed CCM sales through the existing CaptionCall landline sales infrastructure instead of standing up a new channel, getting to market faster on proven distribution

• Concentrated ASO and paid marketing spend on Android specifically, based on data showing Android users were disproportionately more likely to convert and use the product, rather than splitting budget evenly across platforms

• Simplified call-forwarding setup into a guided, minimal-step flow rather than assuming baseline technical fluency, given the user base skews older and less tech-savvy

• Added in-app call blocking rather than pushing users to carrier- or OS-level workarounds, since spam calls had no in-app filtering option

• Built real-time in-app support directly into the product rather than relying on users to seek out external help, since fixable issues were defaulting to app store complaints instead of support requests

• Originated and designed an App Info Center, a persistent status indicator (green/yellow/red) surfacing app and account health in real time, catching failures like missing mic/notification permissions or DND-blocked calls proactively instead of after a failed call

Impact

• Revenue up 330%, $700K → $3M monthly

• Monthly active users up 230%, 15K → 50K

• App rating up from 4.1 to 4.6 for Android and from 4.5 to 4.8 for iOS

• 98%+ of active users remediated to TRS-URD compliance ahead of FCC's hard deadline