Caller ID name display is controlled by the recipient carrier and their caller ID settings. Your carrier usually publishes the name for the phone number, but name delivery can still vary by network. If you want to influence how your business name shows up, you can use a carrier supported name feature (such as Share Name ID) and you can register your business name with public caller ID databases that some carriers and spam protection vendors use.

When to use

1. Customers report that your business name is missing or incorrect on outbound calls
2. Your calls show only a phone number, or show a different business name
3. You are setting expectations for how caller ID name works across carriers

What caller ID name delivery means

Important limitations

1. If the recipient does not have caller ID name service, they may only see the phone number
2. If the recipient saved your number in their contacts, their device may show the contact name instead of CNAM
3. Different carriers and spam protection services can show different results for the same phone number

How VoIP caller name differs

Some VoIP systems can present a name from the calling device or platform. That is not the same as carrier CNAM databases. Carrier name features and directory submissions are mainly used to help mobile and traditional phone networks display a business name.

Options to improve caller name display

Option 1: Share Name ID (one business name per account)

Use this if your business needs one consistent name for the entire account. This registers one business name per account with a directory provider used by Verizon mobile users.

Requirements:

1. At least one mobile number on the account must have the Share Name ID feature enabled to configure Name ID Services
2. Not recommended if you need multiple different caller names for different numbers on the same account

Note: Verizon mobile users are the most consistent audience for this display. For calls to other networks, the recipient carrier controls name display.

Option 2: Free Caller Registry

Use this to register your business name with multiple caller ID and trust vendors. It is free.

Link: https://freecallerregistry.com/ 

What it does: registers with First Orion, TNS, and Hiya.

Option 3: List Yourself (directory listing)

Use this if you want a directory style listing. Some CNAM vendors may use directory data as one input source.

Link: https://www.listyourself.net/ListYourself/ 

What it does: registers with List Yourself.

Recommended approach

1. If you want a single business name for Verizon mobile recipients, use Share Name ID
2. If you want broader coverage across carriers and spam protection tools, also register in Free Caller Registry
3. If you want a directory style listing, optionally register in List Yourself

Set expectations with customers

1. Name display may take time to propagate and may differ by carrier
2. If the name is incorrect on a specific recipient network, that recipient may need to contact their carrier
3. Results can vary and are not guaranteed

Also searched as: caller id name, cnam, business name caller id, share name id, free caller registry, list yourself

Sample questions:

Why does my caller ID show only my number

How do I change the caller ID name for my business

Will Share Name ID fix caller ID for all carriers

How do I register my business name for caller ID