Branded calling ecosystem and processes

In this blog post, we explain the elements, processes, and roles that deliver branded calling services to enterprises. Let’s have a look.

For this overview, the caller is an enterprise organization that has a brand identity that they will present to people they call to raise the level of trust and encourage the called party to engage with the call.

Enterprises are interested in branding their calls and are willing to pay for the service because calling statistics have shown that consumers are unlikely to engage with a call from an unknown number due to concerns about scam calls. Branded calling presents a brand impression and calling information to help overcome these concerns and improve call engagement.

Branded calling elements

Caller Display Name: The name that that brand wants to use to identify its caller. With some branded calling solutions, this caller name can be up to 35 characters, longer than the CNAM 15-character limit. In Figure 1, the TransNexus branded caller name appears at the top of the display.

Call Reason: The text that describes the reason for the call and which the brand wants to appear on the called party’s supported handset. In Figure 1, the call reason, “Confirm Appointment,” appears underneath the caller’s name.

Call Logo: An image that the brand wants to appear on the called party’s supported handset. In Figure 1, the TransNexus icon appears in the middle of the display.

Note that the branded caller name always appears in branded calling, while the call logo and call reason only appear on supported handsets.

Figure 1. Branded calling example

Branded calling processes and roles

Figure 2: Branded call roles

Figure 2 illustrates the roles involved in setting up and using branded calling. The implementation details vary depending on whether the system is a proprietary or open branded calling arrangement, but the concepts are present in both approaches.

Onboarding: The collection of a complete set of the branded calling elements described above that will be vetted and used in branded calling. This role may also handle the accounting and billing processes with enterprise callers.

Vetting: The verification of the branded calling elements described above. The vetting process will validate that the enterprise has a legitimate right to use these calling elements and present them to people whom they call. Vetted branded calling information is saved in a branded calling database, either proprietary or open, for use in branded calls.

Signing: Branded calling information can be conveyed as Rich Call Data, a non-proprietary, standardized feature of STIR/SHAKEN. With this method, the SHAKEN signer includes the vetted branding calling information into the SHAKEN information for each outbound branded call.

Termination: Branded calling information is presented to the called party by the Terminating Service Provider (TSP). The TSP also reports the delivery of branded calling information back to the branded calling database.

Financial considerations

Branded calling delivers a brand impression to consumers and can significantly improve call engagement. For these reasons, many enterprise callers are keen to use it and are willing to pay a fair price to achieve these benefits.

The fees paid by the enterprise callers are used to compensate the organizations that provide the roles described above.

TransNexus solutions

TransNexus is a leader in developing innovative software to manage and protect telecommunications networks. The company has over 25 years of experience in providing telecom software solutions including branded calling, toll fraud prevention, robocall mitigation and prevention, TDoS prevention, analytics, routing, billing support, STIR/SHAKEN and SHAKEN certificate services.

Contact us today to learn more.