One of the standout features of our cloud phone system is the ability to edit the caller-ID for the phone receiving the FlyNumber calls (only when using VoIP). This comes in handy when you need to distinguish between calls coming in from different phone numbers.
Imagine having a UK, Canada, and US FlyNumber ringing directly to your smartphone or a desktop VoIP phone (such as Grandstream or Yealink). By default, you’ll see the caller-ID of the person calling the FlyNumber, but you won’t know which FlyNumber they called.
This is where “CLI rules” come into play. They allow you to:
- Add custom text before or after the Caller-ID
- Remove the caller ID entirely and replace it with any text
- Add or remove a “+” symbol from the caller ID
You can also create matching patterns using regex. Don’t fret if you’re not familiar with regex – we’ll provide examples.
You’ll find the CLI rule settings in two places: the “Ring group” module and the “Phone Number” module. Both serve the same purpose but in different ways.
For example, if you edit the rules under your US “Phone number” module, all calls from the US FlyNumber will follow that rule. In this scenario, it won’t matter which VoIP client or phone receives the call; the caller ID they see will be what’s set in the rule.
On the other hand, if you set up the CLI rule in a “Ring group,” any devices in that module will follow the CLI rule you’ve entered. So, for example, if you have two ring groups set up – one for John and another for Sally – the John ring group can have a CLI rule set to show “Sales call – 212-555-1111,” while calls to the Sally ring group will show “Support – 212-555-1111.”
If you’re curious as to how you could apply this to your call flow here are several scenarios for where this could come in handy.
- Business differentiation: Customize the caller ID to identify which department or branch of your business is receiving the call. For example, you can have “Sales – US” or “Support – UK” to make it clear where the call is directed.
- Personal and work calls: If you’re using the same phone for both personal and work calls, you can use the custom caller ID feature to differentiate them, helping you prioritize and manage your calls more effectively.
- Marketing campaigns: Customize the caller ID to track the success of different marketing campaigns. For example, you can use different FlyNumbers for different advertising channels and label them accordingly, like “Ad Campaign A” or “Ad Campaign B”.
- Customer segmentation: Edit the caller ID to reflect specific customer segments, allowing your team to provide a more personalized experience when answering calls. For instance, label calls from VIP customers or clients in different industries.
- Language support: If you have a multilingual customer base, you can use custom caller IDs to indicate the language of the incoming call, such as “English Support” or “Spanish Support.” This helps ensure that the call is answered by someone who can communicate effectively in the caller’s preferred language.
- After-hours or emergency calls: Set up different FlyNumbers for regular business hours and after-hours calls, and use custom caller IDs to distinguish between the two. This helps staff members to know whether they need to respond immediately or if the call can wait.
If you have any questions feel free to comment below or post on our discussion forum.
