Q: I get complaints that when users in my system call outside they have the caller ID of another company in town. Where do I look to see what caller ID a phone sends?
A: It's time to look at CLID tables and how they affect the Caller ID sent by your system when your people call out. This discussion assumes you have PRI trunks and your carrier uses the number you send for Caller ID.
Load overlay 21 in your system and do this:
REQ: prt
TYPE: clid
CUST: 0 (or whatever customer number you use)
RNGE: (just press Enter here)
You may have more or less entries, but the system will print out a list similar to this one:
ENTRY 0
HNTN 999
ESA_HLCL 888
ESA_INHN NO
ESA_APDN YES
HLCL 888
DIDN YES
HLOC
LSC
CLASS_FMT DN
ENTRY 1
HNTN 999
ESA_HLCL 8887777
ESA_INHN NO
ESA_APDN YES
HLCL 8887777
DIDN NO
HLOC
LSC
CLASS_FMT DN
ENTRY 2
HNTN 999
ESA_HLCL 8886666
ESA_INHN NO
ESA_APDN YES
HLCL 8886666
DIDN NO
HLOC
LSC
CLASS_FMT DN
ENTRY 3
HNTN 800
ESA_HLCL 2223333
ESA_INHN NO
ESA_APDN YES
HLCL 2223333
DIDN NO
HLOC
LSC
CLASS_FMT DN
ENTRY 5
HNTN 999
ESA_HLCL
ESA_INHN NO
ESA_APDN YES
HLCL
DIDN YES
HLOC
LSC
CLASS_FMT DN
In the first entry, HNTN is the Area Code for this company and HLCL is the exchange or NXX. Skip the ESA entries for now. Entry 0 is for DID extensions only.
Now look at a station in your system and note the number that follows the extension number. Most of them are probably 0. The information in your entry 0 is probably similar to mine, sending out the Area Code that follows the HNTN prompt and the exchange (maybe with more or less digits) following the HLCL prompt, and then the extension number itself. What would happen if you use a CLID entry of 0 after a non-DID extension? You would be sending out a Caller ID that doesn't belong to you.
Look at entry 1. It has seven digits in HLCL and DIDN is set to NO. That means calls from an extension with CLID of 1 will send out my main number 999-888-7777 on every call instead of using the extension number making the call. I use this CLID entry on phones with only non-DID extensions.
Entry 2 is similar, programmed with a whole number that is a departmental number, as is entry 3.
Before we look at entry 5, let's talk about one other option for CLID entries on your phones. Let's say you have a DID number on key 0, and a "rollover" extension or "hunting" number on key 1. You might use CLID entry 0 on key 0, but you really want to send the same caller ID when you make calls using key 1. To accomplish this, use CLID entry D on key 1.
When you make a call using a key with a CLID entry of D, the system starts at key 0 and hunts up the keys until it gets a key with a CLID entry that's a number. It uses that entry for the call. This is very important to understand. As long as key 0 has a CLID entry that sends out the number you want, any other extension keys on the phone can have a CLID of D and send out the same number.
Keep that in mind and consider this notable exception. An ACD supervisor must have Incalls on key 0 because the phone has ACD supervisory capabilities. It also has a couple of extensions elsewhere on the phone. One of the extensions is a DID number with CLID 0. What do you use for the CLID entry on the second, non-DID extension? If you use a D, calls will carry the CLID entry from key 0, a non-DID number. As long as you program key 0 on that phone with an entry that sends a main or departmental number, that should be okay.
At this site I used some creativity to send proper Caller ID on the non-DID extension of ACD phones. I programmed the non-DID extension key with a 7-digit extension that is the same as the 7-digit telephone number you dial to get the DID extension. For instance, if the DID extension on the phone is 4444 and people call 999-888-4444 to reach that person, I programmed non-DID extension as 888-4444 and assigned CLID entry 5. That CLID entry tacks on the Area Code and sends out the 7-digit extension number to complete the Caller ID.
Using proper CLID entries is very important. Be sure the number you are sending out to your customers is the Caller ID you want them to see.
Reach Phil at philruffin@hotmail.com.
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