| CLI, or "Calling Line Identification", is a service | | | | telephone number - the one that appears on the |
| provided by most telephone providers, nowadays, | | | | telephone bill - but CLI also allows one, or more, |
| whereby the originating, or calling, telephone number | | | | "presentation" numbers as well. This can give the |
| is transmitted to the recipient when a call is made. | | | | illusion that remote workers, for example, are located |
| This effectively means anyone who has a telephone | | | | centrally by presenting the CLI of a main office. |
| handset capable of handling CLI can take advantage | | | | The most common, and simplest use of CLI, of |
| of services such as "Caller Display" or "Call Return", | | | | course, is to marry an incoming telephone number to |
| not only to see who is calling them and answer calls | | | | the name of a person - whether it be a friend, |
| selectively on that basis, but also to reveal the | | | | relative or business customer - in an internal |
| number of their last caller - by dialling 1471 at any | | | | telephone directory, so that name can be displayed |
| time - and call them back if desired. There is, of | | | | with, or instead of, the calling number. Even this |
| course, a restriction to both services in the event | | | | simple use can improve the perception of a company |
| that the calling number cannot be delivered, or is | | | | in the eyes, and ears, of regular callers who can be |
| deliberately withheld by a caller, but that number will | | | | greeted personally, directed quickly to a familiar |
| be displayed as "Private", "Withheld", or "Unavailable", | | | | member of staff, etc.. |
| by way of notifying the recipient of the call. | | | | At a more sophisticated level, however, CLI can be |
| How Can CLI Be Used? | | | | an important component of call routing, and hence |
| CLI has been used in many different guises over the | | | | even more valuable as far as customer service is |
| years within, and between, telephone networks | | | | concerned. Combined with other data - such as the |
| supporting customer service, billing and emergency | | | | time of day, day of the week, and IVR ("Interactive |
| services etc.. Ofcom ("Office of Communications" | | | | Voice Response") data, for example - CLI can be a |
| regulations stipulate that CLI must be presented on | | | | powerful tool for ensuring that a caller reaches the |
| all outbound calls from call centres using automated | | | | right individual, in the right geographical location, as |
| calling systems - a.k.a. "autodiallers" - for example, to | | | | quickly as possible. A caller calling an advertised |
| prevent problems caused by silent or abandoned calls. | | | | national number for, say, a double glazing company, |
| Problems can be caused if the number of calls | | | | can be routed to a local office, or showroom - based |
| generated exceeds the number of available agents, | | | | on the area code from which he, or she, is calling - |
| and CLI at least allows the recipient to see where | | | | without operator intervention. This not only saves |
| the call originated and to call back if necessary. | | | | the caller time and money, but also provides him, or |
| Each telephone line in the United Kingdom has a "real" | | | | her, with a personal, tailored customer experience. |