In Today’s era, no one answers unknown numbers. Many people ignore calls, suspecting them to be spam or fraud. Building trust back to the phone call is a constant focus all businesses are trying to solve. Enter call branding – a solution designed to bridge this gap of trust and improve customer engagement.
In one of our surveys, we asked users if they would prefer a branded call with pre-call intent vs just a branded call. 100% of them agreed and said they would prefer a pre-call intent and the power to reschedule a call. Branded Calling ID is not enough to engage users; this technology has been available for a decade, yet it has not helped. Modern problems need advanced AI solutions.
What is Call Branding?
Call branding, aka branded calling, is a technology that allows businesses to display their name, logo, and sometimes the call intent on the receiver’s screen. This approach changes a phone number into a recognizable and trustworthy identity, encouraging a customer or prospect to answer.
Benefits of Call Branding:
- Increased Answer Rates: When recipients know the caller, they are more likely to answer.
- Enhanced Trust: Displaying authentic branding reassures customers about the call being legitimate. i.e., a personalized call purpose with logo and brand name.
- Improved CX: A clean branding experience with a logo and purpose of the call creates a relationship between the customer and business even before answering.
How Does Call Branding Work?
Call branding solutions vary depending on which solution you choose:
- Business Onboarding: The most common form of onboarding includes registering a set of numbers with the service provider that will be branded
- Caller Identification: The service provider processes the pre-determined branding information attached to a number — such as name, logo, and call purpose when the outbound call is placed
- Branding Display: The destination device receives and displays the branded call, allowing the user to identify the caller before answering.
It’s important to note that the effectiveness of call branding can depend on factors like user device compatibility, geolocation, and network support.
Types of Call Branding Solutions
Various telcos and partner companies provide call branding services, each with unique features and implementation methods. Understanding these options can help businesses select the most suitable approach.
1. Traditional Caller ID (CNAM)
CNAM (Calling Name) delivers only the caller’s name to the recipient’s device. It’s a basic form of caller identification that relies on carrier databases.
Limitations:
- Inconsistency: The displayed name can vary across different carriers and devices.
- Character Limit: Restricted to 15 characters, which may truncate longer business names.
- Lack of Visual Elements: Does not support logos or additional information like call purpose
2. Branded Caller ID
These solutions build upon traditional CNAM by incorporating additional elements like logos and static call purpose. Currently, in the US, only telcos like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon support this feature, and Airtel in India via the DLT route.
Limitations:
- Inconsistency: Requires coordination with multiple carriers and does not support all devices, geographies, and networks.
- Static Call Purpose: The call purpose is a static section that allows limited text and cannot be easily edited per campaign.
3. Third-Party Applications
3rd party apps on Google and Apple devices provide solutions that pop up as a secondary caller ID on the installed devices. Most of these apps are crowd-sourced and also provide services to businesses to brand their calls. TrueCaller is a well-known example, offering P2P and business caller identification
Limitations:
- Business Data Security: Intercepting each call and customer, the service has your data, and you are dependent on a 3rd party.
- Privacy Concerns: Users are hesitant to install apps that access their contacts and call logs.
- Conflicting Branding: Most times, the recipient receives dual branding, where a third party pops up the call as legit, and the telco marks the call as Likely a Scam, which confuses the user.
- Crowd-sourced data: Most apps allow the user to create their profile for their registered number, leading to scammers using this to spoof branding.
4. Assertion’s GenAI-Powered Secure Call Branding
Assertion Identity Assurance empowers businesses to have direct control over their call branding with their mobile app without relying heavily on third-party apps or carriers. This approach ensures consistent branding and reduces dependency on external entities.
Advantages:
- Enhanced Branding: Personalised call intent with customer name along with logo and business name (editable to departments and subsidiaries)
- Lead Generation: Pre-call notification to enable customer engagement
- Lost Lead Recovery: Recover missed calls with post-missed call engagement
- Security: Enhanced protection against call spoofing and impersonation in real time.
- Consistency & Flexibility: Greater control over the information displayed to recipients.
- Smart Fallback: The AI detects if data is not available on the destination phone and switches to telco branding to ensure 100% branding.
- Cost Efficient: Added benefits with lower cost of branding
Implementing Branded Caller ID for Your Business
To effectively implement call branding:
- Assess Your Needs: Determine the level of branding required and identify the target audience.
- Research Solutions: Explore all providers and understand their features, limitations, and compatibility with your existing systems.
- Evaluate Costs: Consider the investment required for each solution and weigh it against the potential benefits, such as increased answer rates, improved customer engagement, and trust.
In a time where scams and spam calls are on the rise, establishing trust through effective communication is of great need. Call branding offers a viable solution by enabling businesses to present a secure and recognizable identity, thereby increasing customer engagement.
By understanding the various types of call branding solutions, businesses can make informed decisions that align with their communication strategies and objectives. Contact us today to learn how call branding can help your enterprise.
