Contact centers use CLI / Caller ID
If calls go straight to your center, or if your agents contact customers across international networks, accurate presentation is essential when using CLI (caller line ID) in the contact center.
What happens when your customer calls you, but there is no call-back number?
What happens when you call back but your CLI is not presented correctly?
What is Caller ID / CLI?
Caller ID, or CLI, provides the receiving end of a call with the number of the calling phone. CLI is often used to identify the caller or the geographic location from which a call originated. Contact center software has some fantastic functions that leverage CLI presentation to improve business performance for inbound and outbound calls.
CLI is powerful through the lifespan of a customer call. It can add value before connecting to an agent, during the agent interaction, and after agent interaction is complete.
When a customer calls, contact centers use CLI to identify the best routing, matching the phone number information to CRM (customer relationship management) data. With information retrieved from CRM, relevant information about the customer is used to direct the call appropriately.
Once an agent is in conversation with the customer, CTI (computer-telephony integration) uses caller ID to display information about the customer and their product use. With customer-specific information presented automatically to the agent, a powerful personalised customer experience occurs.
When a customer calls from a new originating number, the caller ID can be captured post-call and added to their CRM to enable greater personalisation in the future.
Increasingly, contact centers rely on virtual hold technology to manage queues, enhance customer experience and improve operations. In a virtual hold call flow, customers may be identified by caller ID. The agent interaction is then facilitated by an outbound call where the agent’s caller ID is important in identifying your call as a “trusted caller” at the customer end.
What happens when CLI is not working for you?
Use of these features in an international contact center is dependent on the accurate presentation of CLI, which can be a challenge. Caller ID is passed from carrier to carrier when a call is transmitted. Unfortunately, carriers and regulatory bodies vary in their preferred formatting, and calls may transit several networks before reaching their destination. The caller ID information may be altered, distorted, or lost along the way. Where CLI isn’t presented, it can be an indication that there is a grey route being used.
In telecommunications, a “white route” is a route where both source and destination are legal termination. A “black route” is one that is illegal in both ends. Particularly common in the VoIP world, is a “grey route” where the routing of a call is legal for the party on one end, but illegal on the other. These grey routes are known to negatively impact not only CLI presentation, but also connection rates, audio quality and DTMF recognition.
The absence of CLI may frustrate callers as routing decisions are impaired. Customers can experience longer hold times, inadequate information with the agent, multiple call transfers, and more.
Virtual hold callbacks are impacted. In a world where consumers are frustrated and annoyed by telemarketing, and are cautious of potential scams, callbacks must present clearly, or conversations won’t happen.
Your solution?
Spearline are experts in measuring and monitoring customer experience and have the tools to hold your network partners accountable, build customer loyalty and grow your business. Proactive management of your communication channels allows you to build customer loyalty through delivery of high quality service processes.
New to Spearline?
Spearline is the leading network intelligence company in the telecommunications industry. The Spearline platform enables enterprises and telecommunications service providers to test connectivity and quality on global telecoms networks, testing automatically at volume. If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with us.
