CNAM

CNAM (Caller Name) is the text-based caller identification that displays a name alongside the phone number on the recipient’s caller ID screen. When properly registered, CNAM shows your business name (e.g., “ACME Sales”) instead of “Unknown Caller” or a generic carrier label, providing brand recognition that improves answer rates.

How It Works in VICIdial

CNAM is not configured within VICIdial itself — it is registered at the carrier or CNAM database level. When you provision DIDs from a carrier, you request CNAM registration for each number, specifying the business name to associate (limited to 15 characters by the CNAM database standard). When VICIdial places a call using that DID as the outbound CID, the terminating carrier performs a CNAM lookup and displays the registered name.

CNAM lookups are performed by the recipient’s carrier, not VICIdial’s carrier. This means there can be delays (sometimes 24-48 hours) for new CNAM registrations to propagate across all carriers. Some carriers also cache CNAM data, so changes may not appear immediately for all recipients.

For inbound calls to VICIdial, the system receives CNAM data from the calling party’s carrier (when available) and can display it on the agent screen.

Why It Matters

CNAM registration is a simple step that can measurably improve outbound answer rates. Calls displaying a recognized business name are answered more frequently than those showing “Unknown” or a generic number. In combination with STIR/SHAKEN attestation, CNAM provides a layer of caller identity verification that builds trust.

However, CNAM display is not guaranteed — mobile carriers and VoIP services handle CNAM differently, and many mobile phones rely on their own contact databases or spam-detection apps rather than CNAM lookups. Despite this inconsistency, registering CNAM for all outbound DIDs is a best practice for every VICIdial campaign. See the DID hygiene feature page for more on number reputation management.