When it comes to Caller ID, there are some ways in which Phone Carriers are able to help their customers show their company name on outbound phone calls. There are also some limitations to this that this article will explain.
Caller ID information comes in 2 parts. The Caller ID Number, and the Caller ID Name.
Please keep in mind that this article is NOT referring to 911-emergency number Caller ID. Those are completely different and only come in to play when dialing 911 from your SpectrumVoIP Phones.
911 Numbers can only be updated by SpectrumVoIP Technical Support members.
SpectrumVoIP customers can dial 933 from any of their SpectrumVoIP phones to confirm their current 911 number and address information. We suggest doing this from each device, including softphones, as each device is able to have different 911 Numbers if needed.
If anything needs to be updated, please contact SpectrumVoIP Technical Support Immediately to get the correct information for your device. 469-429-2500 or email support@spectrumvoip.com
Caller ID Number
The Caller ID Number is the number that is used to identify the caller of the phone call. This number can also generally be used as a call back number to reach the same party that called out using it, though this is not always the case.
The Caller ID Number is generally easy for phone providers to control. It is usually a setting that can be toggled or selected through a customer management portal. SpectrumVoIP is able to change the caller ID Number for individual phones or for the entire account. Please contact Technical Support if an outbound phone number needs to be updated on your account.
Most all phone carriers will validate legitimate calls by making sure that the Caller ID number is a valid number. This is a typical check to block blatant spam calls from number such as "000000" or "111111".
In the Stratus Web Portal, the caller id number can be configured by users with an Office Manger or similar user scope. Navigate to the Users section of the portal. Select the User who's caller id number you would like to update. Under the Caller ID Information section in the user's profile, you can modify the Caller ID.
Caller ID Name
The Caller ID Name (sometimes referred to as CNAME or CNAM) is the name that is associated with a Caller ID Number. This is the Name that appears on your phone when an inbound phone call reaches your phone device.
This harder for phone carriers to control for multiple reasons. The primary reason is that the Caller ID Name has to be applied by the inbound carrier (the side receiving the phone call). This means that even if everything has been set up by the phone carrier of the phone that places the call, the receiving carrier will still need to be the one to allow for the Caller ID Name to appear on the receiving phone.
There is a national database called the CNAM Database. The CNAM Database is a national database used by many national carriers, including SpectrumVoIP. The database hosts a list of phone numbers and their associated Caller ID Names. Companies, such as SpectrumVoIP, will use the database to help gather caller ID Name information for their inbound calls.
Because the CNAM Database is a 3rd party organization, requests have to be made to update the information in the data by phone carriers. These requests can be made by emailing in to support@spectrumvoip.com requesting specific numbers to have their CNAM Database entry updated.
CNAM names are limited to 15 characters including letters, spaces, and punctuation.
Not all phone providers use a database such as the CNAM Database. Most cell phone carriers, for example, will not include the use of a caller id name database in their service plan. The most a cellular carrier might do is to provide information on the Rate Center (geographical information such as the city or region) of the number that is calling.
Summary
In summary, Caller ID is a best-effort service. A request can be made by emailing SpectrumVoIP support (support@spectrumvoip.com) with the number(s) you want to have updated, along with what you would like them to be updated to. CNAM names are limited to 15 characters including letters, spaces, and punctuation.
If a different name is appearing than intended and you have already confirmed that the name has been updated in the CNAM Database by SpectrumVoIP's support team, then the receiving carrier will need to be reached out to in order for them to update the information that they use for their customers. This is not something SpectrumVoIP is able to assist in as it is an update to another phone carrier.