Who Is Calling?

Many companies have converted their phone systems to Voice Over IP (VOIP) systems such as OOMA.

Many outside reps and tech people work using their cell phones.

What is their Caller ID showing?

Recently I called a company listed in 4specs to verify their address and phone number. When I called the local number I had in the database, I received a strange Caller ID response. I deleted that number. When I called the toll-free number, I received the same strange Caller ID and the number was correct. In another case the local number I called did not have a caller id set up. Easy to do in most cases.

They were unaware of their Caller ID reponse.

Caller ID does not always work as expected and may not always be accurate.

You can visit https://calleridtest.com to find what your response is. You will have to set up a free account to access this data. They have not spammed me.

In their case I suggested they contact their phone provider and update the response.

Cell phones are more complicated. In general the only cell phone providers that will send an appropriate outgoing Caller ID response are the 3 major companies - ATT, T-Mobile and Verizon on their post-paid accounts.

My experience with ATT pre-paid (a lower paid version) was thei they did not support outgoing Caller ID. I currently use T-Mobile post-paid and have easily modified the caller id info.

The MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) cell phone providers are typically less expensive as they purchase bandwidth from one of the big 3 and provide less services. Google Fi does not allow a custom outgoing Caller ID - providing a response such as "North Las Vegas" when I used Google Fi. This is the same for other providers such as Visible, Mint, and others that you hear advertised on the radio and TV as a way to save you money.

My Caller ID on my cell phone is "Colin,Gilboy" and I have considered changing it to "4specs,Colin" The character limit is typically 15 characters,

I can see setting up an outside rep's Caller ID as "Sika George" or something similar. This will help when they are calling potential customers.

There are a few cautions on the MVNO accounts beyond missing Caller ID.

The data available may be restricted at usage peaks. I have never seen this, but I am not a big data user, especially at peak evening hours. I think phone service will generally not see this restriction.
Roaming may be limited - I have one spot I have visited that is remote outside Las Vegas. There is another company providing cell service that was set up to support Bonnie Springs Ranch (a local tourist place that has since closed) and wants to charge if your provider does not permit roaming. This may be important in remote areas.

This is a heads up, so will you think out how to best be able to contact your customers and people you are working with.

Contact me if you have any questions or suggestions.

Colin

--------------------------------------

Colin Gilboy
Publisher - 4specs
Contact us