Do you need to fix your company’s caller ID? Perhaps your business caller ID show up differently depending on whom you’re calling. You’re not alone. In this post, I am going to walk you through how caller ID for businesses works and what steps your phone service provider can do to fix it.
Caller ID for businesses is a system that displays the name and phone number associated with your business when you make outbound calls. It helps clients recognize your business immediately and can improve the chances of your calls being answered.
Caller ID works by transmitting your phone number through your phone provider, which is then matched to your business name using the CNAM (Caller Name Delivery) database.
What is the CNAM Database?
The CNAM database is a national database maintained by various third-party providers and telephone carriers, and your business must be correctly registered in these databases to ensure your name appears accurately. However, it’s important to note that there is no single, universal CNAM database—all carriers maintain their own lookup records, which can lead to inconsistencies in how your business name appears across different networks.
When you place a call, your business phone number is transmitted to the recipient’s network, which then checks a CNAM database to retrieve the name linked to that number. This name is displayed on the recipient’s device alongside your phone number, allowing for instant recognition.
CNAM enables carriers to register their client’s phone numbers and desired caller ID which is typically up to 15 characters. However, CNAM functionality can vary by carrier. Even if your current provider registers you correctly, it’s up to all the other providers to tag your number correctly within their own systems to ensure when your business calls their customers, your name will show up correctly. Some carriers may have delays in updating their databases, leading to discrepancies in what the recipient sees.
For example, if your old carrier did not update their listings with CNAM in a timely manner, it’s possible that if your business calls someone using your old carrier, they see your old Caller ID. Perhaps you are a new business and got a new telephone number, if the customer you are calling is using a carrier that did not update their system with the new tags, it’s possible the customer will see a Caller ID that does not match your business.
To Help Ensure Caller ID Works Correctly
To ensure your customers see your business name correctly, it’s essential to configure your Caller ID with your provider as part of onboarding, that your provider registers your details with the national CNAM database, and periodically tests your Caller ID display on both landlines and mobile phones. When we onboard new RemiPBX customers, we ensure that the CNAM database is updated as part of the onboarding process.
This can be extremely frustrating as a business owner when you and your carrier have done everything possible to ensure the caller ID is correct, and in some instances you find it is not showing properly for your customers. This is an industry-wide issue which will see continued improvements over time. One latest development includes Apple’s announcement last fall that they are offering enhanced caller ID for businesses on the iPhone’s inbound calling screen. Businesses can register with Apple to help ensure brand identity across Apple devices. This is one example of branded caller ID offerings that will continue to expand in the coming years.
In the meantime, work directly with your carrier to help optimize your brand across carriers. Be sure to report any inconsistencies you or your customers see. Caller ID will continue to improve and help thwart spam calling. That’s something everyone can be excited about.
