Frequently asked questions about caller ID

Overview

Caller ID is phone system feature that allows the person you're calling to see your name and number. A caller ID consists of two parts:

• The caller ID number is the phone number attached to the caller.
• The caller ID name is the name displayed in text with the caller ID number.

Here are some common questions about caller ID and how it works with Zoom Phone.

This article covers:

• How is the caller ID number determined on outbound calls from Zoom Phone?
• How is the caller ID name determined on outbound calls from Zoom Phone?
• How do I hide my caller ID name and number?
• Why is my caller ID name not displaying correctly for the receiving party?
• How does caller ID work for outbound calls to other Zoom Phone users?
• How does caller ID work for transferred or forwarded calls?
• What caller ID do I see for inbound calls?
• How do I control which outbound caller ID numbers phone users can select? (admin)
• How does caller ID work in Canada?

How is the caller ID number determined on outbound calls from Zoom Phone?

Desktop client or mobile app

You can see your outbound caller ID number below the dial pad in the Zoom Desktop Client or Mobile App. Click the Caller ID menu to display your available caller ID numbers:

You can change your outbound caller ID number to the following direct numbers (if applicable to you):

• Your own direct numbers
• Company numbers in the same site (direct numbers assigned to the main auto receptionist in the same site)
• Direct numbers that belong to the delegator (if you're a delegate in a call delegation setup)
• Direct numbers that belong to the shared line group you're a member of
• Call queue direct numbers (if you're a member of the call queue)

Note:

• The Zoom Phone admin can control which outbound caller ID options you can access. Contact the admin if you don't see one of the options or you can't change your outbound caller ID.
• The display name above each number is there to help you identify the phone number. It is not the caller ID name displayed to the receiving party.
• If someone else assigns you to make and receive calls on their behalf, you will see their name over the shared lines, but this is not the caller ID name being used for outbound calls to external numbers.
• You can set your default caller ID number in your Zoom Phone settings in the web portal. Look for the Outbound Caller ID option. The display name for each number is there to help you identify the phone number. It is not the caller ID name displayed to the receiving party.
• You won't see the Caller ID drop-down menu if you don't have any direct phone numbers or your organization only has a single company number.

Desk phone

On most supported desk phones, you can change your outbound caller ID by selecting a line from the home screen before making a call. See the quick start guides for Polycom or Yealink for more information.

You can change your caller ID number to the following direct numbers (if applicable to you):

• Your own direct numbers
• Company numbers
• Direct numbers that belong to the delegator (if you're a delegate in a call delegation setup)

Note: Change the line key settings to change the default outbound caller ID number when using a desk phone. 

How is the caller ID name determined on outbound calls from Zoom Phone?

The caller ID name on outbound calls is determine by the Zoom Phone admin. If you're a Zoom Phone admin, you can change the organization's caller ID name in the Zoom web portal. If have multiple sites, admins can change the caller ID name for each site.

Note:

• The caller ID name is only applied to US and Canada phone numbers.
• Zoom Phone will attempt to apply the caller ID name to US/CA toll numbers. This is a 'best effort' service with limitations. There are no technical criteria when the specified caller ID name will be applied to a toll number.
• The caller ID name applies to the entire organization or site. The admin cannot apply a different caller ID names for individual phone users.
• Phone users can hide their caller ID name and number.

In the US, the caller ID name that is displayed to the receiving party is determined by the phone service that is receiving the call, not the phone service where the call is originating. The phone service that is receiving the call relies on a caller ID name database to match the incoming caller ID number with a caller ID name. In the US, only the caller ID number is passed along to the receiving phone service so it's up to them to match the number with a caller ID name.

Note that this may work differently depending on your country. 

How do I hide my caller ID name and number?

There are two ways to hide your caller ID before you make a call. The receiving party will see UNKNOWN or ANONYMOUS (no caller ID number is displayed).

Note: Hiding your caller ID isn't guaranteed to be effective in all countries or regions.

Desktop client or mobile app

Below the dial pad, click or tap the Caller ID menu to display your available caller ID numbers, then select Hide Caller ID.

Desk phone, desktop client, or mobile app

Dial *67 before you dial a phone number, then place the call.

Web portal

You can use the Zoom web portal to hide your caller ID by default when using the desktop client. In the Outbound Caller ID drop-down menu located in your phone settings, select Hide Caller ID. This option requires client/app version 5.4.0 or higher.

If I change my caller ID name, when does it take effect?

If the Zoom Phone admin changed the organization's caller ID name in the Zoom web portal, the change is not immediate. You should allow 24 to 72 hours for Zoom to make the change.

However, keep in mind that the phone service or carrier of the receiving party needs to update their caller ID name database for your new caller ID name to take effect. As a result, some people could see the new caller ID name while others see the old caller ID name. Since it costs money to update their caller ID name database, some carriers rarely update their databases so it could take weeks for your new caller ID name to take effect on all carriers. Generally, it can take around 3 weeks for the new caller ID name to be updated for external providers.

Why is my caller ID name not displaying correctly for the receiving party?

The reliability of caller ID name delivery varies depending on the country and the outgoing and receiving phone services that handle the call.

In the US, it's up to the receiving phone service or carrier to match your caller ID number using a caller ID name database. These databases cost money so some phone services may not have a caller ID name database with updated information. As a result, the receiving party may see an outdated caller ID name.

If you're calling a mobile number, it is still up to receiving party's carrier to support caller ID name. If the carrier doesn't support caller ID name, the receiving party will only see your caller ID number.

Here are some other limitations of caller ID name:

• Does not display if you select a toll-free number as your outbound caller ID (only the caller ID number will display)
• Has a maximum of 15 characters including spaces
• Displays with all uppercase letters regardless of how you specify it in Zoom Phone
• Cannot contain any special characters

How does caller ID work for outbound calls to other Zoom Phone users?

Same organization

If you're making a call to another Zoom Phone user in the same organization, Zoom Phone will display your profile name/picture and extension number in the call notification to the other user.

Note: Your Zoom profile name and extension are different from your organization's caller ID name and number which are displayed on calls to external numbers.

External Zoom contact

If you're making a call to an external Zoom contact with Zoom Phone, Zoom Phone will display your organization's caller ID name and your phone number (the company number or a direct number assigned to you) for the receiving party. Since both parties are using Zoom Phone, the organization's caller ID name will be correctly displayed to the receiving party.

How does caller ID work for transferred or forwarded calls?

When you transfer or forward calls to an external number, the receiving party will see your caller ID name and number. They will not see the caller ID of the party that is being transferred or forwarded.

When you transfer or forward calls to an internal Zoom Phone user, they will see a call notification showing:

• The caller ID name and number of the party being transferred.
• Your profile name/picture and extension below TRANSFER FROM (for transferred calls) or FROM (for forwarded calls).

What caller ID do I see for inbound calls?

Refer to our article about incoming call notifications to see how caller ID is displayed for inbound calls.

How do I control which outbound caller ID numbers phone users can select? (admin)

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Company Info.
3. If you have multiple sites, click the name of the site you want to edit, then click the Settings tab.
4. In the Outbound Caller ID section, click the check boxes to enable or disable these options.
   • Call Queue Numbers (For Call Queue members): Allow call queue members to select direct numbers assigned to the associated call queue.
   • Auto Receptionists Numbers (For all users under this site): Allow all phone phones to select direct numbers assigned to auto receptionists in the same site.
   • Shared Line Group Numbers (For Shared Line Group members): Allow shared line group members to select direct numbers assigned to their shared line group.
5. (Optional) In the Customize Numbers section, click Add to allow all phone users to select specific direct numbers associated with an auto receptionist, call queue, or shared line group.

How does caller ID work in Canada?

Unlike the US, most carriers in Canada do not use caller ID name databases. caller ID name information is passed from the originating phone service, along with the caller ID number.

As a result, the phone service or carrier of the receiving party doesn't need to look up the caller ID number in a caller ID name database. There are caller ID name databases available in Canada but most carriers do not subscribe to them.