Branded Calling ID
Your name on the screen, not just your number.
Branded Calling ID puts your business name, your logo and the reason for the call on your customer’s phone as it rings. It is the industry program run by CTIA, and Ahoy Telecom is an Authorized Partner — approved both to originate branded calls and to sign them. Your business, your numbers and the details you want displayed are vetted independently before any of it reaches a screen, one registration works across participating networks rather than carrier by carrier, and there is nothing for your customer to install. In BCID’s own research, 75% of consumers said they would answer a call that showed indicators such as a name, logo or call reason.
Without Branded Calling IDA number, and nothing else
With Branded Calling IDYour name, your logo, your reason
Shown on iOS. What appears varies by handset, operating system and carrier.
What Shows Up
Your business name
The name your customer knows you by, vetted before it is ever allowed on a screen.
Your logo
The same mark that is on your invoices and your van, shown next to the number.
Why you are calling
A short call reason — an appointment reminder, a delivery, a service call — so the person deciding whether to answer knows what it is about.
How It Works
You are vetted
An independent vetting agent confirms your business is who it says it is, that the numbers are yours, and that you have the right to the name and logo you want to display. We handle the paperwork with you.
We originate and sign the call
Ahoy is authorized by CTIA as both an Originating Service Provider and a Signing Agent. Your call leaves on our network and we apply the cryptographic signature that proves the display data was vetted.
The receiving carrier displays it
The terminating carrier reads that signature and shows your name, logo and call reason on the handset. No app for your customer to install.
Why This One
Built on STIR/SHAKEN
BCID conveys vetted Rich Call Data inside the same STIR/SHAKEN framework that already authenticates calls, rather than bolting a separate system onto the side of it.
One registration, every network
The older branded calling products are proprietary and each carrier is a separate deal. BCID is interoperable, so one registration works across participating networks.
You pay only when it displays
A call to a network or handset that cannot show branding is not billed. There is no charge for a call that displayed nothing.
What It Costs
Three parts, and the third only applies when your identity actually reaches the screen.
$349 one time
Covers the independent vetting of your business, your numbers, your display name and your logo.
$49 a month
One identity is one name, logo and call reason set. Most businesses need one. A company running distinct brands needs one per brand.
10¢ a call
Charged only when the carrier confirms your identity was actually displayed on the handset.
A call to a network or handset that cannot display branding is not billed. You are charged for confirmed displays only.
What You Need For It
- Calls have to originate on Ahoy trunks, because we are the provider that signs them.
- It is an add-on to an existing Ahoy service, not a standalone product.
- Your business, your numbers, your display name and your logo all pass vetting first.
It Works Best Alongside Monitoring
A spam label takes precedence over branding. If one of your numbers is flagged, your name and logo will not display on calls from it, however well the branding is set up. Number Reputation Monitoring checks your numbers against the major carriers every day and tells you the day a label appears, which is what keeps the branding you are paying for actually showing.
Branded Calling Questions
Is this the same as getting a spam label removed?
No, and they are separate problems. Branded Calling ID is about identity — putting your name, logo and call reason on the screen. It is not a way to overcome spam labeling. If one of your numbers is carrying a spam label, that label takes precedence and your branding will not display on that call. That is why the two services belong together: Number Reputation Monitoring tells you the day a label appears so you can get it dealt with, and branding does its job on a number that is in good standing.
What does my customer have to do?
Nothing. There is no app to install and no setting to turn on. The display is handled between our network and their carrier.
Will it show on every call?
It shows where the receiving carrier and handset support it. Coverage is growing as more carriers join the program. When a call cannot display your identity, you are not charged for it.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Both, where the carrier supports it. What the screen looks like differs between handset models and operating system versions, which is why the illustration above names the OS it is showing.
How long does vetting take?
It depends on how quickly the vetting agent can confirm your details, so we are not going to quote you a date we do not control. What we can tell you is what they will ask for up front, so nothing stalls waiting on a document.
Can I change my logo or call reason later?
Yes, though a change goes back through vetting before it can display, for the same reason the original did.
Who runs Branded Calling ID?
CTIA, the wireless industry association, with its members and partners. Ahoy is an Authorized Partner, authorized as an Originating Service Provider and as a Signing Agent. The vetting itself is deliberately done by an independent third party rather than by the carrier selling you the service.
Put Your Name On The Screen
Tell us which numbers you call customers from and what you want displayed. We will take you through vetting and tell you what the vetting agent needs before you start.