Configure caller ID

Decide which number customers see when you call them, and why the wrong one shows up more often than you would think.

Decide which number customers see when you call them, and why the wrong one shows up more often than you would think.

Why it matters

The number you present is the number people call back on. Present a direct line and callbacks bypass reception; present the main number and they reach whoever is available. Neither is wrong, but choosing by accident usually is.

Choosing per call

If your company has several outbound numbers, users can select the caller ID in the dialpad before dialling. The choice applies everywhere, including a desk phone, which is why a customer sometimes sees an unexpected number.

That is the first thing to check when someone reports the wrong number showing.

Your administrator can also set up a switch among your function keys that toggles between two outbound numbers. Double-click it to change which number you present, then place the call as normal.

A switch is worth asking for when people swap between numbers many times a day, because it is one click instead of a trip into the dialpad.

Setting the default

What is presented when nobody chooses is fixed in the configuration. Getting this right for each team matters more than any per-call choice, because most people never change it.

Sales usually wants a direct line; support usually wants the number people should call back. Tell us what each team should present and we will set it.

Withholding your number

Possible, and usually a bad idea for business calls. Many people do not answer withheld numbers, and those who do trust the call less.

Presenting a number that is not yours

Possible, and only under all three of these conditions at once:

• The holder has authorised you to use it, and that authorisation is lawful.
• The number actually answers. Someone calling it back has to reach a real line.
• It is not used for fraud or unverified telemarketing.

The obvious case is a group that presents one central number for several entities, or an agency calling on behalf of a client that owns the number.

Expect it to be less reliable than presenting your own. Some networks block mobile numbers as caller ID regardless of authorisation, and where a call is blocked for this reason there is nothing to fix at our end.

In the Netherlands you may present a number that fits the destination numbering plan, with one exception: 090x and 18xy cannot be used as caller ID.

Making your calls look trustworthy

If your outbound calls go unanswered, presenting a consistent, verifiable number that matches your public listings helps. On CLASSOUND, branded calling can show your company name as well as your number.

See also

• Block spoofed inbound calls
• What CLASSOUND is and when you need it
• Make and receive calls in x-bees