Caller ID: How to Take Control of Your Message

How many times have you received a call from a number you don’t recognize and immediately declined the call or turned the phone over, pretending you didn’t see it? Guilty as charged? Yeah, us too. 

Most people don’t answer the phone if they do not recognize the number (87 percent, specifically). So, if you don’t answer unknown numbers, why would your customers?

Businesses listen up! If your customer doesn’t have you saved in their contacts on their device, it’s nearly impossible for them to know who you are when you call. Therefore, they likely won’t be picking up. 

Many businesses subscribe to Caller ID services, but there are some limitations to understanding Caller ID. Moreover, companies don’t get complete control over what is displayed.  

What is Caller ID? Here’s the 411

Caller ID provides a digital display of the name and number of an incoming call. Offered through mobile carriers, Caller ID leverages online databases and caller identification technology to identify callers before anyone picks up the phone. But the name on the Caller ID is not something a business can completely control.

Phone carriers use CNAMs (Calling NAMe)s which are third-party services, to identify and display the name of inbound calls. (PLEASE NOTE: There is not a universal standard regarding the collection or accuracy of the information in these databases).

And since there are several CNAMs available to mobile carriers, inconsistencies can and do occur with how names appear on phones. The displayed information can vary depending on who received the phone call and their mobile carrier. Most of the time, a Caller ID is only customized when a user saves the contact information on their phone – or – if the business uses a branded calling solution.  

Brand Your Call for Complete Control

What if your business had complete control over how you are displayed when a customer receives your phone call? And don’t just think about only showing your company name. Think about the possibilities of providing even more context behind the call. (E.g., Good Bank Loan Application, InsureIt Customer Care, Fast Auto Service Department, and more.)

Part of First Orion’s Branded Calling solution, INFORM, provides businesses with branded Caller ID and complete control over how their business displays on customer phones. With up to 32 characters of opportunity, INFORM allows companies to provide more context and information behind the call to engage further for more meaningful connections.

The more context you provide on the device display, the more confidence consumers have in the phone call. By removing the fear of the unknown, clients are more likely to trust who’s calling them. There are additional perks, too, like branding the call lowers the chances of experiencing scams or spoofed numbers.

Reap the Rewards of Branding Your Call

Let’s not forget about the rewards of branding calls. Not only do customers know, with confidence, who is calling and feel assured they can answer the phone, but businesses are seeing massive upticks in their engagements with customers. Sure, you want a customer to answer the phone, but what you really want is for that customer to engage with you. Highly engaged customers buy more, promote more, and demonstrate more loyalty. Across industries, our customers have dramatically increased their engagements and meaningful connections with their customers.

Uplift in Answered Calls Across Multiple Industries (Statistics provided by First Orion)

Let First Orion help your business gain control over your Caller ID and optimize it to meet your unique business needs. It’s time to increase your brand reputation, enhance your call strategy, and engage in the customer experience.  Get started with INFORM today.