Caller ID Names, also known as CNAM, is a bit of a complex topic. This is mainly because of the massive amount of new capabilities available in a modern phone network that has been built up over the past decade. Understanding how it works and what features are available are important to every business.
At its most basic, the caller ID name that appears some one that you are calling is what we refer to as Caller ID Name. Here are the basics of an account’s primary caller ID Name:
- Caller ID Name can be set at the phone number level. This is set with a number “carrier” – a carrier is a large wholesale phone company that manages traffic in the Public Service Telephone Network. Industry standard sets the Caller ID Name, or CNAM, at only 15 characters.
- The phone company of the person you are calling can elect to display your CNAM or not display it. Also, some phone companies have a limitation that prevents them from displaying it. As a result, some of the people you call will be using phone companies that may NOT display CNAM. So be prepared for some people to not know who you are when you call. Many cell phone companies do not display CNAM on inbound calls
- RingRx lets you add outbound customized CNAM to your service. However, whether this displays depends entirely on the phone company of the person you are calling. Just be prepared for your CNAM to appear one way or not at all.
RingRx has CNAM variables in a number of features in the service, both inbound and outbound, to help you configure your service and the identities you appear as when making outbound calls, and to help you and your staff to interpret types of inbound calls.
The best practice is to set CNAM of 15 characters or less at the carrier level (we do this on your behalf at your request) and also to set any CNAM within our service parameters. There are several places to set CNAM – at the company level, user level, phone number level, etc. In general, a single CNAM at the company level is usually sufficient for most companies.
All CNAM settings are done at your request. We make no assumptions about the name that should appear when you are calling out. If you would like to set or change your CNAM, please submit a support request to support@ringrx.com