What Is Branded Calling, and How Does Branded Caller ID Differ from CNAM?

According to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), consumers receive roughly 4 billion robocalls every month — that’s about 17 spam calls per person. This surge is driven by advances in technology that make it cheap and easy to launch massive robocall campaigns and “spoof” caller ID information, hiding a caller’s true identity. 

Even more alarming, Americans lost an estimated $10 billion to phone scams, with a median loss of $1,480 per person. And global losses to robocalling fraud are projected to peak at over $80 billion in 2025. 

It’s no surprise that 75% of Americans say they never answer calls from unknown numbers. The FCC recognizes this growing problem and has made combating unlawful robocalls and malicious caller ID spoofing a top consumer protection priority. 

For businesses that rely on outbound calls to deliver important information, updates, or customer support, this climate of distrust, combined with stricter regulations, creates a major challenge. How can you continue reaching customers over the phone when they don’t pick up? 

The answer is branded calling. 

In this article, we’ll explore what branded calling is, how it helps businesses communicate with customers despite rising scepticism, and how Branded Caller ID differs from CNAM. 

What is Branded Calling and Branded Caller ID?

There are many names for branded calling, but they all describe the same idea: adding context and trust to outbound phone calls so recipients know who’s calling.Branded calling and Branded Caller ID both let businesses display a verified name, logo, and call reason on outbound calls to mobile phones. Instead of showing only an unknown number or a string of digits, your calls appear with recognizable brand information that customers can trust. 

Branded calling refers to the overall practice and technology of delivering outbound calls with verified brand-controlled information. It covers everything from carrier partnerships and verification protocols (like STIR/SHAKEN) to the display of your brand elements on customers’ screens. 

Branded Caller ID focuses on the visible output: the verified name, logo, and call reason that appear on your customers’ mobile devices when you call.

How Does Branded Calling Work? 

Branded Calling combines carrier-level technology, verification protocols, and branded-call display services so your outbound calls show up as trusted, recognizable calls on your customers’ mobile devices. Here’s how the process works step by step: 

1. Registration and verification: Your business registers its phone numbers with a branded calling provider or directly through participating carriers. During registration, you submit your company name, logo, call reasons, and other details. This information is verified to ensure it matches your legal entity and cannot be spoofed. 
2. Adding your branded caller info to the database: Once verified, your brand information is uploaded to a secure database. When you place a call from one of your registered numbers, participating carriers pull your verified data in real time to display on the recipient’s device. 
3. STIR/SHAKEN verification and spam mitigation: To protect customers from fraudulent calls, all branded caller IDs must comply with the STIR/SHAKEN verification protocol. This confirms your call truly originates from your phone number, dramatically reducing the chance of it being flagged as spam or blocked and ensuring call delivery. 
4. Displaying branded info on customers’ devices: On supported mobile networks and smartphones, the call screen can display: 

• Your verified company name 
• Your logo or icon (if supported by the device) 
• The reason for the call (e.g., “Appointment Reminder,” “Delivery Update”) 
• A “Caller Verified” badge or trust indicator confirming authenticity 

Adopting branded calling not only gives a polished, trustworthy presentation of your brand on customers’ mobile screens, but also helps you comply with industry regulations and avoid having your calls flagged as spam or blocked, meaning your customers are far more likely to answer. 

How Does Branded Calling Differ from CNAM? 

To understand branded calling, it helps to look at its predecessor, CNAM (Caller ID Name). Introduced in the early 1990s, CNAM was designed to identify an incoming landline call by displaying the personal or business name assigned to the phone number. Limited to about 15 characters in the U.S., it allowed businesses to put a simple name to their calls for decades. 

Branded calling is a natural evolution of CNAM. With Branded Caller ID, instead of a plain text name, businesses can display a verified brand name, logo, and call reason to provide context before the call is answered. 

CNAM falls short in today’s environment of high call volumes, spam, and spoofing because it does not offer real-time verification, making it relatively easy for bad actors to fake caller names. Branded Calling adds stronger verification and mandatory protocols that not only help customers navigate a flood of unknown and untrusted calls but also help businesses stand out from fraudulent callers. 

Another major differentiator is coverage and consistency. CNAM works on most carriers and landlines in the U.S. but can be inconsistent: different carriers may display different names or outdated information. CNAM also can be offered as a part of premium service for mobile devices. Branded Caller ID works only with participating carriers and mobile devices that support rich caller display. While its coverage is still expanding, the experience is much richer and more consistent where available. 

Key Differences at a Glance 

Branded Calling or CNAM: Which Is Best for Your Business? 

Both approaches are viable in different situations. CNAM works best for individuals or businesses that only need a basic name to appear; it remains the default caller ID and still performs well for simple identification, especially on landlines. Branded Calling, on the other hand, is ideal for organizations that rely heavily on outbound calls, such as banks, healthcare providers, delivery services, or utilities, where higher answer rates and greater customer trust are crucial. 

Benefits of Branded Calling for Businesses 

By turning anonymous phone calls into a trusted, recognizable experience, Branded Caller ID does far more than make calls look good, it drives measurable business impact across every outbound interaction:  

Increase Call Pick-Up Rates 

When customers instantly recognize who’s calling, they’re far more likely to answer. Survey shows the impact of branded calls across industries: 79% of consumers say they would answer a branded call from their healthcare provider, 76% would answer from their bank, and 60% would answer from a hospitality or travel provider if the brand logo and name were displayed on the incoming call screen. By providing clear, verified identification, businesses can cut through the hesitation caused by unknown numbers and significantly improve call connection rates. 

Build Customer Trust Over Time 

With the rise of phone scams and fraudsters hunting for personal data, customers are not only hesitant to answer calls but also reluctant to share any information once they do. While sharing sensitive data over the phone should always be handled carefully, many businesses legitimately need certain details to resolve issues or provide service. 

Branded Caller ID helps your business consistently demonstrate legitimacy, reassuring customers that they’re speaking with a verified organization — not a robocaller or scammer. This trust makes them more willing to cooperate when necessary. For example, 65% of healthcare consumers, 57% of financial customers, and 55% of travel or hospitality customers say they’re more likely to share personal information when an incoming call displays a verified logo and name. 

Stay Compliant and Minimize Call Blocking 

Branded calling works with carrier verification protocols like STIR/SHAKEN, reducing the chance of your calls being flagged as spam or blocked. This strengthens your regulatory compliance posture and protects your outbound campaigns from misclassification. 

Cut Costs from Missed or Repeated Calls 

Higher answer rates mean your team spends less time making repeat calls or chasing unresponsive customers. This directly lowers outbound calling costs and improves the ROI of your outreach strategy. It also reduces missed appointments and delivery, no-shows, and lost opportunities, helping your team operate more efficiently and keep customers engaged.

Stand Out from Other Callers and Capture Attention 

Displaying your verified brand name, logo, and call reason instantly sets your calls apart from competitors still using generic caller IDs. This clear, trustworthy presentation makes customers more likely to answer your calls over unbranded or unknown numbers, giving your business a competitive edge. 

Business Use Cases for Branded Calling 

Here are some examples of how businesses can use Branded Calling to add clarity and trust to their outreach: 

Healthcare & Wellness 

• Appointment reminders and confirmations: Clinics, hospitals, and dental offices can display their verified identity along with “Appointment Reminder,” which helps patients recognize the call and reduces no-shows. 
• Prescription pick-up or refill notifications: Pharmacies can show “Prescription Ready” so patients know exactly why they’re being called and can pick up medications on time. 

Financial Services & Banking 

• Fraud and security alerts: Banks can display “Fraud Alert” or “Account Security Notice,” helping customers take action immediately and reducing the risk of compromised accounts. 
• Loan or credit follow-ups: Lenders can show “Loan Application Update” or “Credit Verification,” which speeds up approvals and lowers back-and-forth communication. 

Delivery, Logistics & Retail 

• Delivery coordination: Couriers and logistics companies can display “Delivery Update” or “Driver Arriving Soon”, ensuring smoother handoffs and fewer failed deliveries. 
• Order confirmations and status updates: Retailers can display “Order Ready for Pickup” or “Shipping Update”, which encourages timely pick-ups and fewer abandoned orders. 

Insurance & Utilities 

• Payment reminders and claims: Insurers can display “Payment Reminder” or “Claim Update”, prompting faster payments and reducing policy lapses. 
• Service outage notifications: Utility providers can use “Service Update” or “Restoration Alert”, keeping customers informed during outages and cutting down on inbound support calls. 

Travel & Hospitality 

• Booking confirmations and travel changes: Hotels can display “Reservation Change” to inform travelers timely and avoid future confusion. 
• Loyalty or VIP outreach: Hospitality brands can show “VIP Program” or “Exclusive Offer”, which increases engagement and improves upsell opportunities. 

Conclusion: Ready to Improve Your Call Answer Rates? 

Restoring customer trust in voice communication is a major challenge for today’s businesses. As this article has shown, fraudulent phone calls continue to plague consumers and have resulted in significant financial losses. However, recent research forecasts a turning point by 2026, with losses beginning to decline thanks to stricter robocall mitigation frameworks and the wider adoption of branded calling solutions. 

Branded calling represents the next evolution of Caller ID names. Like traditional CNAM, it identifies recipients but with more recognizable caller details, such as a verified name, logo, and call reason directly on recipients’ mobile devices, before they even pick up the phone. 

That said, CNAM still has its place. Not all carriers or devices currently support Branded Caller ID, especially landlines, so CNAM remains a fallback option for displaying a caller’s name. For businesses that simply need to show their name without extra branding or verification layers, CNAM can be a simple, cost-effective choice. 

If you’re ready to rebuild trust with fraud-weary customers, try DialLink’s business phone system to set up Branded Caller ID. It helps you cut through the noise of unknown numbers and scam calls, while still supporting CNAM for carriers and devices where Branded Caller ID solution isn’t yet available. Powered by advanced calling, business messaging, and AI voice agents, DialLink gives your business a complete, integrated communication suite in one platform. 

Try DialLink for free today!