Phone screens while helpful are not the most efficient way of determining if there is a match.  If the phone screen goes well it usually leads to a face-to-face interview.  My question is why not start with the face-to-face interview?  The simple answer is time and cost.  If a candidate is another city there is the travel expense and it can be difficult to schedule the face-to-face.  I agree that initial screenings
are important, but the approach could be improved.