Caller ID

What is caller ID?

Caller ID is a professional phone feature that identifies the person who is calling. This extremely important feature enables people to avoid spam calls and to be more confident in answering when they hear a ring.

There are two types of caller ID settings. One is for inbound and the other for outbound calls. The two are sometimes confused, so let’s explore their differences below.

Inbound

Inbound caller ID is a standard identification feature that displays the caller’s number on the recipient’s device. However, some phone systems, including MightyCall, give a useful twist to the standard incoming caller ID feature: Whenever the phone rings, it can display whether the call is made to your professional number or your personal number. If the person is dialing your company number, you’ll see that information displayed. This is an incredibly useful when you route both types of calls to your cell and need to quickly understand if it’s a personal or business issue, and respond accordingly.

Outbound

Outbound caller ID is a special service, also called CNAM (Caller Name Delivery), that displays your business name, not just number, whenever you dial someone. For example, you’re making a call from number 1-800-345-6745. Instead of displaying that bunch of digits to potential customers as your ID, you can display your name, e.g., “Tyler’s Florist” , which will promote your company and make communication with customers more memorable.

What does the caller ID feature look like?

The Caller ID in MightyCall is easy to spot. Start in the web panel and head to the “Numbers and Web Widgets” section, which can be found by clicking on an icon in the bottom left. The icon is two phones, the larger of which has the pound sign (#) on its screen.

For incoming calls, the caller identification (ID) number settings can be found and tweaked in the top-left corner of the MightyCall web panel.

The outbound calls version of the feature cannot be set up in MightyCall. It needs to be registered with an external company. Find out more on that below.

How to set up caller ID in MightyCall

Inbound calling

This feature is easy to set up in your MightyCall profile:

1. Head to the MightyCall web panel.
2. Click the “Numbers and web widgets” tab
3. Click the gear, located next to the name of the feature. A pop up will appear.
4. Click the slider with the phrase “I want incoming calls to show my business phone number instead of the caller’s number so I know it’s a business call”, to enable or disable the feature. When the feature is activated, the slider should be green.
5. Click anywhere off the pop up to close.

Outbound calling

This feature cannot be set up in MightyCall since your number must be registered in a special national database outside of our direct control. Normally, this procedure costs $10, but MightyCall can help you get it for free. Please note that this feature is only available for local numbers.

To apply with your local number, you need to:

1. Fill out the following form.
2. Wait for feedback on whether your number is eligible for this feature (this is decided by an external provider and unfortunately MightyCall has no control over this). We’ll let you know as soon as we hear back from the provider.
3. If your number is eligible, you’ll be able to start using the feature in about 7 days.

How does caller ID work?

The standard feature works in a very simple and clear-cut way: When an incoming call is received, the provider automatically checks with a database and sends the information to the contacted person. The phone number stored on the caller’s SIM card or assigned to them by the provider is then displayed on the receiver’s screen.

In the case of outbound calling, the same process works vice-versa. However, a business can have control over the number that’s displayed by activating caller ID service for outbound calls. In this way, it can display the company name instead of the digits on their business calls. This is done through a special registry of company names and numbers.

Why use caller ID number?

This is an extremely useful feature, and there are many reasons entrepreneurs across America choose to use it.

Organize your life

When running a business, especially when just starting out, you’ll probably be receiving a plethora of calls. This means that sometimes you might not be able to figure out whether you’re receiving a check-in from grandma or if a major investor is calling. When the latter calls, this feature allows you to make it so your company number appears on your phone. This data can indicate for you that it’s not a personal call.

Control who you speak with

Perhaps you know that an important phone call is incoming. With the litany of spam or personal ones you may receive, this feature allows you to metaphorically cut through the noise and only pick up when it’s truly pressing.

Make it easier on your employees or co-workers

Your employees or co-workers might not know whether an incoming number is personal or not. Caller ID software can change that and can avoid wasted employee time.

Dodge Spam

Spam calls can be extremely irritating and, when they come in enough, can genuinely take up time. Making it so your caller ID number appears on your business phone allows you to know when it’s truly a call worth your time.

Use case

Let’s say you want to differentiate between your business and personal calls when they are routed to your personal cell phone extension. When you activate Caller ID, whenever the call comes in you will see your MightyCall phone number which will help to understand that it is a business inquiry. Work-life balance is easier with this feature.

How to change your caller ID?

Sometimes you need to change caller ID. This can arise with business numbers or with personal ones.

For example, a business may relocate and their local number would be no longer applicable. Or you may want to add a toll-free number for your company and have it displayed on out-of-state calls. In a personal setting, you may need to have one number for personal use and another for a side hustle like freelancing.

In all of the above cases, the safest way to change the number that recepients see is to add another one to your account and switch to that number when placing certain calls. Below, we’ll talk about doing that on regular and VoIP lines. As to modifying your existing ID without changing numbers or owning several, that practice is illegal.

Traditional landline numbers

On landlines, the number you’re given is registered with Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines and tied to the physical wires. You can’t change the number, and even if you own several numbers, you can’t switch from one to another on the same analog phone. Unless you get a whole new subscription with a different phone at a different location, you’re pretty much tied to your original choice.

However, you may change the name associated with your number. To alter this information with a landline number, contact your provider. Each may have their own process (for example, who you have to talk to or how long the process takes), but generally you have to ask them to change your information. It’s often not an intuitive process, so there’s usually not some online form you can just fill out.

VoIP numbers

To do this on a VoIP phone number (or to create a custom caller ID), the process may vary depending on your VoIP provider. For MightyCall, simply contact our support staff and request a change of number or caller ID name (provided you have already registered). Once the request has been made, an update to the system may take up to 24 hours. You may also add another number (or even several) to your account (like a toll-free or vanity option), and switch from one to another at will.

As you can see, unlike landlines VoIP systems allow you to change both the phone number and the name. This is a key detail which can greatly help expand your company’s recognition by allowing those you are communicating with to quickly identify you (or for you to quickly notice important inbound calls).

Helpful terms to know about caller ID

Visual voicemail

This is a nifty feature which automatically sends you a transcript of any incoming voicemails. This makes it far more accessible, as you can both more easily save voicemails for your records (instead of having a sea of audio files) and can access brand-new voicemails discreetly if you’re in a location where you cannot produce sound from your phone.

VoIP

VoIP stands for “voice over internet protocol”. In short, this is a type of phone system in which phone calls are made over the internet instead of being made over standard telephone wires. This enables access to the internet and all the good that brings with it, including greater accessibility and more features.

Local numbers

These sort of phone numbers are the “standard” type that you’re used to: they start with a standard area code and then are followed by a seemingly randomized string of digits (which in truth point to more geographic specificity). These can help you appear to be operating in a part of the country you are not physically in, and can help expand your company’s opportunities.

Call flow

This is the path that an incoming call will take. With MightyCall’s system, you can set up every single aspect of this path: where they start, where they are redirected to, different times that different flows are activated, the audio that they listen to, how long they are placed on hold – the possibilities for a truly unique flow are legion.

Ready to start using caller identification (ID) number?

As you know, caller ID information is everywhere by now. But when looking for a professional system with this feature, make sure it provides you with more than just a standard ID option. You’re looking for its most modern and entrepreneur-minded version. And MightyCall has two options – inbound and outbound – that together go a long way to help your company!

Moreover, if you’re looking for the complete package, it helps to have a system like MightyCall, which combines number identification with lots of other key features such as the auto attendant, Business Contact Book, call forwarding, and office hours, along with strong security and a caring support staff.