Caller ID: Why doesn't my business name show up to those whom I call?

Caller ID: Why doesn't my business name show up to those whom I call?

The service that we have come to know as "caller ID" is made up of two component services – the caller's ten-digit telephone number (CID) and the associated name (CNAM). 

For any telephone call placed in the United States, the originating carrier is responsible for sending the caller's ten-digit telephone number (CID) to the recipient. The recipient's carrier is responsible for matching (if possible) a name record (CNAM) to the received telephone number from the global Line Information Database (LIDB). To put it briefly, CID is just the phone number, and CNAM is a global database with a name attached to that number.

Here is a real-world scenario to consider.
Casey's Bicycle Shop uses UpLync Communications as its telephone services provider. Casey often calls Zak's Bike Parts in San Francisco to order parts for his business. Zak's uses Comcast as its telephone services provider. When Casey dials Zak's, UpLync sends Casey's ten-digit telephone number to Comcast along with the call. Comcast tries to find a matching name to associate with Casey's telephone number (Casey's CNAM) before sending the call down the line to Zak's telephone. If the system works as it's supposed to, Zak's telephone displays Casey's ten-digit number and his business name when the call rings in. 

For the scenario above to work correctly, several things have to happen.
  1. Casey's service provider, UpLync, must properly send Casey's ten-digit telephone number on all outbound calls.
  2. Casey's service provider must also have submitted Casey's business name to the global LIDB from which most national landline carriers perform CNAM lookups.
  3. Zak's service provider, Comcast, must have updated their internal CNAM records since UpLync submitted the new LIDB information.
  4. Zak's service provider must properly match the incoming ten-digit telephone number before sending the information along with the call to Zak's telephone.
Here are some common problems that prevent caller ID from working as desired:
  1. The originating service provider advertises the incorrect telephone number on outbound calls.
  2. The originating service provider hasn't submitted an updated CNAM record to the LIDB. 
  3. The receiving service provider hasn't recently updated their CNAM records from the LIDB.
  4. The receiving service provider is failing to properly associate a name record with the incoming ten-digit telephone number.
If you want to verify your CNAM, visit https://calleridtest.com/.

Many mobile carriers don't use CNAM, so a cellphone will use its personal contacts as its only database. If your business number isn't in the cellphone's contacts, it won't find a name to associate with your incoming calls. In that situation, the phone carrier (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) manages labeling each individually from their internal databases 


    • Related Articles

    • Why is my business number being labeled as spam?

      You’ve called a few customers who usually pick up on the first or second ring, but now, they’re sending you to voicemail. What’s changed? Did you do something to jeopardize the business relationship? Probably not!  Your phone number’s caller ID may ...

    • Why do I have call-quality issues?

      People who use internet-based phone systems can experience call-quality issues for various reasons. Troubleshooting them can be challenging (but not impossible!). Your phone system's sound quality relies on your internet bandwidth (upload and ...

    • Advanced Call Handling - Transferring and Parking Calls

      FollowMe This feature allows another phone to ring simultaneously with your desk phone. Most people set this up with their cell phone number. You can toggle the FollowMe feature on and off using this button. When the button is green, FollowMe is off. ...

    • Can my cell number be my business number?

      Many people begin their businesses using their personal cellphone number as their business phone. When they're ready to expand and add employees (or when too many customers are contacting them after business hours), they have to decide whether to get ...

    • How do I access my phone call logs, recordings, and voicemails on the web?

      Note: Due to UpLync firewalls, access to the sites referenced below are restricted to those in which physical UpLync telephones are installed and operational. Go to [SERVERNAME].ast.uplync.net/recordings (you can get the name of your server from ...