Recently one of our customers asked, "Why is Caller Name not displaying correctly to my customers and what can I do about it?"
When you receive a call in the USA, you can see the phone number and name of the person calling you, thanks to the Caller ID and Caller Name features. These features wo
rk by using a system called Automatic Number Identification (ANI) and Automatic Name Identification
(ANI).
When someone calls you, their phone company sends your phone company their phone number and name, along with other details about the call. Your phone company then displays this information on your phone or Caller ID device, so you know who is calling you.
However, the transmission of the caller's name is not always reliable because it is not mandatory, and it depends on the service provider's configuration and the caller's consent. That means the terminating carrier, which is the phone company that provides service to the person receiving the call, is responsible for displaying the Caller Name also known as CNAM on their customer's phone.
So, if you notice that you're not seeing the Caller Name when someone calls you, it could be because the terminating carrier is not providing this information, or the caller hasn't given permission to display their name.
All is not lost, however. Cisco just shared with Virtual Guardians a way to impact multiple carriers at the same time. You can register for a free service that verifies your phone numbers to them. Click the button below to get started.