Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1

What is branded calling and why do businesses use it?

Accepted Answer

Branded calling (or branded communications) technology displays your business name, department, or call reason on outbound calls to build trust and increase engagement.

Question 2

What is a branded call and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

A branded call displays your business name, logo, and/or call reason on the recipient's phone screen. This builds trust and recognition.

Question 3

Does branded calling work on all major U.S. carriers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. First Orion delivers branded calls across all major U.S. carriers including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.

Question 4

How many mobile devices can receive branded calls?

Accepted Answer

First Orion reaches nearly 400 million phones in the U.S., covering both iPhones and Android devices. INFORM Branded Calling works across all major U.S. carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T) and reaches subscribers in both the U.S. and Canada.

Question 5

How many devices does First Orion cover?

Accepted Answer

There are nearly 400 million phones in the U.S., including both iPhones and Androids.

Question 6

What businesses are eligible to use INFORM?

Accepted Answer

Any business making outbound calls can use INFORM across U.S., Canada, UK, and Germany.

Question 7

Can I display my company logo on branded calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. INFORM with Logo enables businesses to display their logo with their branded text display. This enhanced branding solution requires API or SIP integration with your calling platform. Contact First Orion sales to discuss logo branding options for your specific setup.

Question 8

How does INFORM compare to traditional CNAM?

Accepted Answer

Traditional CNAM caller ID is outdated, inconsistent across carriers, and often invisible to recipients. INFORM lets you control exactly how your business appears.

Question 9

What's the difference between INFORM Branded Calling and caller ID?

Accepted Answer

Traditional caller ID (CNAM) is outdated and inconsistent. It relies on a patchwork of databases. INFORM provides consistent branding across networks.

Question 10

How does INFORM Branded Calling compare to traditional Caller ID (CNAM)?

Accepted Answer

INFORM provides consistent branding across networks, whereas traditional CNAM relies on outdated patchwork databases.

Question 11

What makes branded calling better than standard caller ID?

Accepted Answer

Branded communications provides complete control of business name, identity, and reason for call versus optional caller ID service.

Question 12

What is the difference between INFORM and ENGAGE?

Accepted Answer

INFORM is carrier-based and works on all U.S. carriers without an app. ENGAGE integrates with your mobile app for worldwide reach.

Question 13

Is Branded Calling easy to activate?

Accepted Answer

Yes. With INFORM Branded Calling, there's no complicated integration or special software needed.

Question 14

Does First Orion offer call analytics and reporting?

Accepted Answer

Yes. First Orion provides comprehensive call analytics for INFORM clients.

Question 15

Which carrier networks does First Orion support?

Accepted Answer

First Orion supports all major U.S. carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, Boost Mobile, and AT&T, plus Canadian networks.

Question 16

What networks does First Orion serve?

Accepted Answer

All the major carriers: T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and more.

Question 17

Which industries benefit from branded communications?

Accepted Answer

Branded communications serves businesses of all sizes across industries: call and contact centers, major retailers, financial institutions, automotive companies, healthcare providers.

Question 18

What is included in an INFORM pricing plan?

Accepted Answer

An INFORM Pricing Plan is a subscription package that provides access to First Orion's Branded Calling service. Plans include branded caller ID display, carrier network delivery, and analytics.

Question 19

What is the $25 one-time business certification fee?

Accepted Answer

The one-time $25 fee covers Business Certification - First Orion's verification process ensuring legitimate businesses use the platform ethically.

Question 20

Does First Orion require annual contracts?

Accepted Answer

Standard plans are month-to-month with no long-term commitment required. Annual contracts are available through sales.

Question 21

What payment methods does First Orion accept?

Accepted Answer

First Orion accepts ACH bank transfers and credit/debit cards for subscription payments.

Question 22

Can international businesses purchase prepaid plans?

Accepted Answer

For companies located outside the United States, prepaid plans require consultation with First Orion's international team. Contact them to discuss available options, pricing, and service availability in your region.

Question 23

What pricing exists for high-volume callers (50,000+ calls/month)?

Accepted Answer

Submit a contact form for custom enterprise pricing with volume discounts.

Question 24

What is SENTRY?

Accepted Answer

SENTRY prevents scammers from spoofing your business numbers by authenticating every outbound call with a unique time-limited key.

Question 25

How does SENTRY block fraudulent calls?

Accepted Answer

SENTRY integrates via API/SIP, generating unique authentication keys for legitimate calls that carriers verify before delivery.

Question 26

Can SENTRY and INFORM work together?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SENTRY blocks spoofed calls while INFORM brands your legitimate calls with business details.

Question 27

What does AFFIRM Reputation Monitoring do?

Accepted Answer

AFFIRM provides visibility into how your outbound business calls are labeled across mobile networks, helping identify when calls are tagged as spam or scam.

Question 28

How does AFFIRM detect spam/scam labeling?

Accepted Answer

AFFIRM uses validation calls to observe how business calls are displayed on mobile devices and surfaces those insights in the Customer Portal.

Question 29

How are AFFIRM's validation calls made?

Accepted Answer

Businesses can either conduct validation calls themselves to control frequency, or allow First Orion to automate validation calls on their behalf. Both options provide the same monitoring insights.

Question 30

What devices support RCS and ENRICH?

Accepted Answer

ENRICH reaches all Android and iOS devices (version 18.1 and above) across all major US carriers.

Question 31

How is ENRICH different from SMS/MMS?

Accepted Answer

ENRICH uses RCS, delivering interactive experiences with rich media versus SMS's 160-character limitation.

Question 32

Can I use ENRICH for two-way conversations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, ENRICH provisions two-way conversational A2P messaging through RCS.

Question 33

What reporting is available with ENRICH?

Accepted Answer

ENRICH provides metrics including message quantity, delivery rates, opens, and response rates.

Question 34

What is business number registration?

Accepted Answer

Business number registration ensures your phone numbers are accurately recorded and recognized by telecom networks as legitimate. When paired with good calling practices, it can mitigate spam tagging, maintain caller trust, and ensure your calls reach customers instead of being blocked or ignored.

Question 35

Why should I register my business number?

Accepted Answer

Registering with First Orion enables you to influence how your calls are labeled by carriers. The information you provide during the registration process helps carriers to determine a proper label for your outbound calls.

Question 36

What is the process to register my business number?

Accepted Answer

Register through First Orion's Customer Portal. The process verifies your business and ensures proper number labeling.

Question 37

How quickly is business number registration confirmed?

Accepted Answer

Most businesses receive registration confirmation within minutes.

Question 38

Is there a cost to register my business numbers?

Accepted Answer

No. Business number registration is completely free.

Question 39

Is there an API for registering business numbers in bulk?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Business Number Registration API enables businesses and BPOs to automate high-volume number registrations.

Question 40

What is business phone number trustworthiness?

Accepted Answer

Business number trustworthiness is your phone number's reputation score across telecom networks.

Question 41

How do carriers determine the label for my number?

Accepted Answer

At Business Number Registration, you provide identifying information to help the mobile analytic engines determine a proper label for your outbound calls.

Question 42

What happens if my business number has poor reputation?

Accepted Answer

Results include decreased answer rates, damaged trust, missed revenue, and potential blocking.

Question 43

How do I fix an incorrect label on my business number?

Accepted Answer

Complete Business Number Registration in First Orion's Customer Portal.

Question 44

How do I prevent my business number from being flagged as spam?

Accepted Answer

Register your number, follow best practices, and use AFFIRM monitoring proactively.

Question 45

What steps maintain my business number's trustworthiness?

Accepted Answer

Complete registration, follow calling best practices, and use AFFIRM monitoring tools.

Question 46

What tools help maintain business number reputation?

Accepted Answer

First Orion offers INFORM for Branded Calling (ensuring your calls display correctly) and AFFIRM for reputation monitoring (tracking how carriers view your numbers). Together, these tools help maintain trustworthiness by controlling call appearance and alerting you to reputation issues.

Question 47

What occurs after submitting business number registration?

Accepted Answer

First Orion reviews and confirms registration across carrier networks.

Question 48

What are best practices for business caller ID presentation?

Accepted Answer

Display your business name consistently, use recognizable numbers, provide clear call reasons, and ensure accurate representation.

Question 49

How can businesses improve customer answer rates?

Accepted Answer

Branded calling solves the problem of unanswered calls. When customers see an unknown number, they often ignore it.

Question 50

What strategies improve answer rates?

Accepted Answer

Register business numbers to mitigate spam flags, use branded calling to display business information, call during business hours, maintain consistent caller ID, and monitor reputation.

Question 51

How do businesses stay compliant with outbound calling regulations?

Accepted Answer

Adhere to TCPA regulations, maintain consent records, scrub Do Not Call lists, use truthful caller ID, and implement STIR/SHAKEN.

Question 52

What's the difference between scam and spam calls?

Accepted Answer

Scam calls are fraudulent; spam involves legitimate businesses using poor practices.

Question 53

What are the benefits of using ENGAGE for branded calling?

Accepted Answer

ENGAGE solves the unknown caller problem for businesses branding outside of the US by enabling branding on iOS and Android devices internationally through your mobile app's SDK, increasing answer rates.

Question 54

Which businesses can use ENGAGE?

Accepted Answer

ENGAGE works for any business branding outside of the US with a customer-facing mobile app.

Question 55

What advantages does ENGAGE offer over traditional Caller ID?

Accepted Answer

ENGAGE provides complete control through your app versus traditional Caller ID's inconsistent databases and optional paid service.

Question 56

How do INFORM and ENGAGE differ from traditional Caller ID?

Accepted Answer

Traditional Caller ID uses inconsistent databases and requires payment; INFORM and ENGAGE ensure consistent, controlled presentation.

Question 57

What types of businesses can use branded calling?

Accepted Answer

Any business making outbound calls can use branded calling.

Question 58

Can First Orion integrate with my existing platform?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Integration documentation is available at developers.firstorion.com.

Question 59

What roles do First Orion partners play?

Accepted Answer

Responsibilities vary: Referral and Advertising Partners focus on lead generation; BPO and Technology Partners work more directly with customers.

Question 60

How do I determine which partner program is right?

Accepted Answer

Submit an inquiry form; First Orion recommends the best-fit program.

Question 61

What resources do First Orion partners access?

Accepted Answer

Partner Portal provides content guides, creative assets, performance tracking, and onboarding resources.

Question 62

What does 'Content' mean in First Orion's platform?

Accepted Answer

Content refers to the branding elements you configure for your calls - specifically your Display Names and Images.

Question 63

How can call centers improve the customer hold experience?

Accepted Answer

Implement callback queues instead of hold music.

Question 64

How can businesses balance automation with personal service?

Accepted Answer

Automate routine tasks while preserving agents for complex conversations using intelligent routing.

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