The Inside Scoop on Call Delivery: Part III

Part I of our Call Delivery FAQ series focused on the questions we get asked every day on all things STIR/SHAKEN and Attestation and Part II focused on Number Reputation related questions for number campaign success. Part III will be myth-busting and answering important FAQs we get asked on Branded Calling.

For a deeper dive, tune in to our podcast episode!

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When it comes to the presentation layers that consumers can see on their mobile devices, is rich call data (RCD) the same thing as CNAM? 

Rich call data (RCD) allows businesses to add metadata that you can associate with a brand name, brand logo, and a custom call reason, which is displayed on consumer mobile devices at the time of the call. RCD and CNAM, also known as ‘Caller Name,’ are not the same thing. 

CNAM can send along an individual or company name associated with a phone number, but the biggest difference is that it is up to the carriers and their CNAM databases to push this information, which is often vulnerable to discrepancies and changes, to the consumer. RCD gives the power of accurate call display back to the enterprise.

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How does rich call data work for branded calling?

Rich call data information is sent as part of the SIP header of a call. The STIR/SHAKEN standards also allow this information to be added via an RCD PASSporT, where the data is added when the call is originated. It’s important to note that it’s possible for STIR/SHAKEN data to get dropped in the call path, and RCD could get lost with it and not make it to the terminating device. This technology is still very new, and RCD PASSporTs have not been widely adopted. 

In the meantime, out-of-band solutions can send rich call data outside the SIP header of a call, transmitted over the data network, sometimes in real-time. Once you register and attach vetted brand information to your calling campaigns with your provider, these customizable elements will present themselves whenever you call to display on compatible mobile devices. 

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How customizable are branded calling campaigns? Is it possible to just display a name if you don’t want to display a logo?

Branded calling is quite a flexible solution, especially when done through an aggregator like Numeracle that has direct relationships with the full solution providers ecosystem to provide you with the widest reach possible.

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Not all branded calling solutions are made equal, and some have more flexibility with what you can display compared to others. Some offer only a caller name, while others can provide a whole range of fields like caller name, a branded logo, and even a customizable call reason. Branded calling is also limited based on the type of device, with most servicing Android devices with full range branding and iOS with name-only branding (unless applicable apps are downloaded and in use by the individual subscribers being called). If you want to just send a caller name and omit your logo or call reason, you are able to do so. 

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Does rich call data information override the technology that labels calls as ‘Scam’ or ‘Spam’ that consumers see? 

A branded calling solution can’t guarantee ongoing correction of Scam or Spam labeling unless a number reputation solution is in place by the brand as well. Depending on the carrier network across which branding is intended to be displayed, carriers work with analytics providers to assign reputation to a brand’s calls. These analytics providers don’t typically share information across one another; so calls labeled Spam on one network may deliver branding successfully on another due to the disjointed nature of the carrier, analytics, and branding solution provider network.

To ensure branding is successfully delivered across the widest reach of carriers and devices, an approach to address number reputation across each desired network is the recommended first step in the process of call display improvement. Businesses may find not every call is right for branding every time. A layered reputation management + branding strategy allows businesses to determine when branding is best (and display it in those cases), while also ensuring non-branded calls are delivered across clean numbers (thanks to ongoing reputation management).

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There are quite a few branded calling solutions so how do I know which solution is right for me? How do I know if I need it?

We suggest focusing on the following questions to help streamline how you want to communicate with your customers in order to determine the right solution for your business:

• Can the solution you’re evaluating demonstrate a live branded call to you? Make sure the solution is demonstrable before locking yourself into a contract with unknown expectations of success.
• As an enterprise, who are you trying to call? Would the cost of branding layer benefit to every outbound attempt, or would a mixed strategy of un-branded + branded calls lead to better ROI?
• What do your target demographics look like? And which cell networks are they subscribers of? Does the solution you’re evaluating provide the necessary reach and demonstration of call display per network?

Here are a couple of helpful examples to evaluate various use cases where branding is of value vs. where branding combined with un-branded calls may lead to greater success:

• Where it may help: Let’s say you’re calling for a use case where your customers would be expecting a call from you, like a pharmacy making a call for a prescription pickup or a doctor’s office for an appointment reminder. For these types of calls, branded calling may help your connection rates because they’ll know they want to pick up that call.
• Where it may help: You may also want to consider callback rates, which we have seen an increase in. These callbacks are typically higher quality because customers are able to initiate a call with a reason to engage and because of that, it helps with the call experience, agent productivity, and brand recognition. Just because your contact rates don’t immediately go up when you add branded calling but there are other metrics and ROIs that are positively impacted beyond just the answer rate
• Where it may not help: Let’s say you’re conducting telemarketing calls, sales calls, or debt collection calls. Branded calling, especially in a repeat-attempt call strategy, may not be the most useful strategy for every single call. It could help, but it could also be an expensive solution wasted on the wrong target audience.

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What is the custom call reason field rich call data field for branded calling and how does it work? What can it say? Can it be changed at any time? 

The call reason field is text information that can be used to notify the intent of a call.  For example, if it's a doctor's office it can say list the name of the doctor and his office calling for an appointment reminder. However, there are no current standards in place to regulate the call reason field. 

Some solutions let you pick from a list of preloaded information which you can pick from at the time of making a call. Other providers still restrict the field by making it preloaded data and there is not much flexibility to amend it. Ideally, in the future, you’ll be able to attach a call reason for every single call in a customizable way, but it hasn’t been constructed yet. 

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