This article provides information about the various types of Caller ID associated with your Sky phone system.
- NOTE: This article is applicable to Sky customers. If you are a MiCloud customer, see Creating a User Group regarding inbound caller ID permissions and Editing Phone Settings for information about changing Outbound Caller ID.
Table of Contents
Overview
Managing Outbound Caller ID
Change Outbound Caller ID
Block Outbound Caller ID
Blocking Caller ID Using Your Phone
Caller ID On Screen Behavior for Transferred Calls
Managing Inbound Caller ID
FAQ
Overview
Caller ID, also known as Outbound Caller ID, is a telephone service for residential and small business customers. Within your phone system, your Outbound Caller ID normally displays the main line phone number of your organization or location, but can be changed to display other phone numbers. To manage Outbound Caller ID, see the Managing Outbound Caller ID section of this article.
The following are Caller ID-related features of your phone system:
- Blocked Caller ID is when phones display "Unknown" or "Anonymous" when a call is received. By default, Caller ID is not blocked for all phone profiles placing outbound calls from your phone system. Authorized Contacts can change this setting in the Account Portal (see the Block Caller ID section of this article). Users can utilize "star" codes to block or unblock Caller ID on a per call basis (see the Blocking Caller ID Using Your Phone section of this article).
- Internal Caller ID is the name that is displayed on phones when an internal 4-digit extension dial call is received. This name can be changed by updating the Contact Information name in the user's Personal Information screen. The Internal Caller ID name is also listed in the Employee Directory and displayed on several administrator screens in the Account Portal. For other incoming calls, the name displayed on your phone may be associated with a phone number that has been entered into your Personal Phonebook, Company Phonebook, or Employee Directory. Note that Internal Caller ID is also referred to as the Inbound Caller ID when receiving outside calls (see the Managing Inbound Caller ID section of this article).
- CNAM (Calling Name) is a service that adds text (a maximum of 15 characters), such as the name of a caller's company, to the phone number that appears on phones that receive calls from that company. The calling party's name is displayed along with, or instead of, the calling number. For more information, see the CNAM article.
Managing Outbound Caller ID
Authorized Contacts (Decision Makers and Phone Managers) can manage the Caller ID associated with a user's phone profile in the following ways:
Change Outbound Caller ID
To change a user's Outbound Caller ID, do the following:
- Log in to Account Portal with your business email address (username) and user password.
- Navigate to Phone System > Users, and click the Service/Phone Name link in the row of the desired user, which opens the Phone Settings screen.
- In the Identification area of the Phone tab, click the number area to the right of Outbound Caller ID, and then select the desired phone number from the drop-down menu.
NOTE: It is not recommended to select a toll-free number (if one is available). Some telecom carriers (and individual users) block inbound calls that display toll-free numbers as the Outbound Caller ID. - To save the changed Outbound Caller ID, click the checkmark to the right.
Block Caller ID
To block or unblock a user's Outbound Caller ID, do the following:
- Log in to Account Portal with your business email address (username) and user password.
- Navigate to Phone System > Users, and click the Service/Phone Name link in the row of the desired user, which opens the Phone Settings screen.
- In the Privacy area of the Phone tab, click the text area to the right of Caller ID and choose one of the following options:
- Block caller ID
- Do not block caller ID
NOTE: By default, Caller ID is not blocked for all phone profiles placing outbound calls from your phone system.
- To save the changed setting, click the checkmark to the right.
Blocking Caller ID Using Your Phone
When placing an outbound call, the Outbound Caller ID can be blocked or unblocked on a per-call basis through the use of "star" codes as explained below.
400-Series Phones
- When Caller ID is set to "Do not block caller ID" in the Phone Settings screen:
- Dial *67 + 9 + 1 + TN to block outbound caller ID for that one call
- When Caller ID is set to "Block caller ID" in the Phone Settings screen:
- Dial *82 + 9 + 1 + TN to unblock outbound caller ID for that one call
Cisco Phones
- Dialing *67 + 1 + TN will either block or unblock the outbound caller ID for that one call depending on what the caller ID is normally set to.
- If Caller ID is set to "Block caller ID" in the Phone Settings screen and you dial *67 + 1 + TN, it will unblock the caller ID for that one call.
- If Caller ID is set to "Do not block caller ID" in the Phone Settings screen and you dial *67 + 1 + TN, it will block the caller ID for that one call.
NOTE: For the instructions above, note the following:
- 9 is the Outbound Dial Digit, which may be set to a number other than 9 in your phone system. Authorized Contacts can find the outbound dial digit used for your organization on the Account Details screen.
- * is the * key on the keypad of your phone.
- TN is the phone number that you are dialing to place the outbound call.
Caller ID On-Screen Behavior for Transferred Calls
An incoming call displays the Caller ID on the receiving phone. However, if the call is transferred, note the following:
- If a warm (announced) transfer is used, the call initially displays as an internal call and not the dialing party's Caller ID. When the call is connected, the system changes to show the Caller ID of the original dialing party on the phone to which the call is transferred.
- If a cold (unannounced) transfer is used, the call shows the Caller ID of the original dialing party on the phone to which the call is transferred.
Managing Inbound Caller ID
By default, Caller ID displays on all phones when inbound calls are received in your phone system. Inbound Caller ID functionality for a specific phone can be disabled (or enabled) by Users or Authorized Contacts of a Sky account by doing the following:
- Log in to Account Portal with your business email address (username) and user password.
- Access the Phone tab of the Phone Settings screen:
- Users: Navigate to Home > Settings > Phone Settings.
- Authorized Contacts: Navigate to Phone System > Users, and then click the Service/Phone Name link in the row of the desired user.
- In the Features area of the Phone tab, click to the right of Inbound Caller ID and select one of the following options from the drop-down menu that appears:
- Enabled - This is the default setting and displays the name and phone number associated with the caller ID on the phone's screen for all inbound calls.
- Disabled - This setting displays only the phone number associated with the caller ID on the phone's screen for all inbound calls.
- To save the changed setting, click the checkmark to the right.
FAQ
Q: How do I block my Outbound Caller ID?
A: The star code *67 can be used to block and unblock outbound Caller ID.
Q: How do I change my Outbound Caller ID?
A: The Outbound Caller ID is often set to the mainline phone number of a location because of E911 emergency registration regulations. If another phone number is set as the Outbound Caller ID for a phone profile in your organization, ensure that user's phone profile has a valid emergency location address. Only Authorized Contacts can change Outbound Caller ID (see the Change Outbound Caller ID section of this article).
Q: Can I use a non-Sky phone number for my Outbound Caller ID?
A: Authorized Contacts may only select from Active assigned numbers present on their Sky account.
Q: Is inbound CNAM supported?
A: Yes.
Q: Are outbound CNAM services provided?
A: Yes, we provide outbound CNAM services that enable you to display your company's name in addition to your mainline phone number on the phones of the parties that receive calls from your organization.
Q: Why does the Caller ID sometimes not display the "9" (Outbound Dial Digit) in Cisco 79xx Phone Directories?
A: The Outbound Dial Digit should display for all calls that are made directly to or from a phone. However, when a call is transferred or overflowed from a Ring Group, the Outbound Dial Digit does not display because it is considered an internal call.
Q: What should we do if the Outbound Caller ID number we are sending out is incorrect?
A: Please create a Support Case to communicate the information that needs to be corrected to Support.
Q: What should we do if the Caller ID Name (CNAM) we are sending out displays something strange or unusual?
A: Please create a Support Case to communicate the information that needs to be corrected to Support.
Q: Can toll-free numbers be used as Outbound Caller IDs?
A: Yes, however, it is not recommended to ever choose a toll-free number as the Outbound Caller ID for a phone profile. Some telecom carriers (and individual users) block inbound calls that display toll-free numbers as the Outbound Caller ID.
