That seems strange to me. I mean: I think it is perfectly OK to have a policy that requires real people to make real phone calls for some things -- especially

That seems strange to me. I mean: I think it is perfectly OK to have a policy that requires real people to make real phone calls for some things -- especially things that might not fit into automated systems. But I think it's very bizarre that these real people would not also leave a voicemail message stating the purpose of the call. (There's tons of reasons for people to not answer the phone that extend beyond screening unknown numbers. Like: I might be happy to answer the phone for a strange number but I'm crawling around under my car and my hands are covered in greasy road funk. Or I'm with a client. Or I'm at work and my boss is an overbearing prick. Or...)