It can seem like there are lots of solutions out there that can provide a "branded call display" on the mobile phone. But are there? Let's dig into the world of Branded Caller ID and provide clarity on who, and what, can be displayed on mobile phones. And most importantly, who really controls what your customers are seeing.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Branded Caller ID?

94% of unidentified calls go unanswered. How often have you seen an incoming call from a random number and let it go to voicemail for fear of it being spam--or worse, someone trying to scam you?

Branded Caller ID is innovative technology that brings context to the phone call so that end users know who is calling, instead of the normal confusion surrounding a call from an unknown phone number. This identification can be as simple as substituting the digits in the phone number for your company’s name, or provide a more in depth experience, complete with a location, logo and context for the call.

2. Is there one source for Branded Caller ID across all majors US carriers?

No. Each major US carrier utilizes a different service for spam, fraud, and robocall protection for their end consumers. This direct relationship is what allows for the opportunity to control what name is displayed on the handset. Hiya, First Orion, and TNS/Cequint are the only entities with direct relationships with the mobile carriers T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. Any company claiming to provide Business Caller ID across all major US carriers must be an authorized reseller of solutions from all three (3) entities.

3. What partnerships do other companies have that allow them to display Branded Call information to mobile customers of AT&T and Cricket?

The only companies that are in partnership with Hiya are listed on https://www.hiya.com/solutions/partner-programs. No other companies are authorized to sell Hiya Connect, nor does Hiya allow any partners to resell access to the Hiya Network, inclusive of AT&T and Cricket.

4. How do companies (i.e. third-party caller registries like Neustar) technically display identity on devices?

Other entities that claim to sell Branded Caller ID across all major US carriers are utilizing CNAM. CNAM is a technology rooted in the land-line era, and tied to the billing name on the account for TNs. These “IDs” are limited to 15 characters, and cannot display a logo nor any other information about the call. Any updates made by businesses are not immediately reflected, but depend on carriers manually updating their service via the registry to refresh names, which is not enforced nor done with regularity. Additionally, new technology providers like Twilio and Bandwidth do not participate in the CNAM ecosystem at all. 

5. Isn’t ensuring the CNAM on my TNs is correct enough to get Branded Caller ID on all mobile devices?

When purchasing new numbers, or reassigning existing numbers, you should update your CNAM identity. However, ensuring CNAM is correct does not guarantee consistent and accurate caller identification, as CNAM implementation is subject to little oversight and is often implemented by carriers in an irregular way; this creates inconsistencies in displays for consumers. To have control over what is displayed on all calls placed to carrier (i.e. AT&T) subscribers, you need to work with the source provider of spam, fraud & robocall protection for that carrier. Deep network integration enables companies like Hiya to control / influence what identity information is displayed to every AT&T / Cricket subscriber. Hiya Connect Identity will 100% of the time trump CNAM.

6. Doesn’t the STIR/SHAKEN legislation intended to curb robocalls mean that my calls will be authenticated and more readily picked up by consumers?

STIR/SHAKEN legislation has taken effect and call recipients are seeing some visual indication when calls have been attested. However, attested calls do not provide identity to instill confidence in consumers to answer the phone, nor do they guarantee that non-attested calls are stopped. With Hiya’s Secure Call feature, branded calls are protected - unauthorized calls can be stripped of identity, labeled as fraud, or completely blocked. Control over calls from a TN is completely in the hands of the entity who owns the TN.

7. Where can I get granular call analytics to better understand how to optimize my calling performance?

Because of Hiya’s exclusive network integration with carriers like AT&T / Cricket, only Hiya can provide the performance analytics your business needs to measure the results of your outbound calls for these carriers. With this deep network and data integration, Hiya is able to provide call insights to businesses via a Voice Performance Platform that can’t be found anywhere else.

Many business and contact center leaders sample different options to find the optimal one for their needs. Here’s what they have to say: 

A lead data scientist at a premier research institution trialed both Hiya and a call registration service provider who claimed to be able to deploy Branded Caller ID. 

“We did a trial with [redacted] and did not see any change in contact rates. In fact, metrics around spam indication became worse. Companies that claim to have complete carrier coverage do not work directly with the carriers on their spam and robocall protection and do not seem to have any real authority to control what customers see on a phone.”

“We definitely saw a lift when it comes to Hiya. Over the course of a year, these increases could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.”

The director of the contact center at a major U.S. transportation company was not swayed enough to engage in a trial: 

“An ‘aggregator type company’ was suggested to us to evaluate. But why work with a third-party when I could employ [Hiya’s] Voice Performance Platform, where I know identity is having a major influence on what our customers see when we call.”