Cli (Calling Line Identity)

CLI, or "Calling Line Identification", is a service provided by most telephone providers, nowadays, whereby the originating, or calling, telephone number is transmitted to the recipient when a call is made. This effectively means anyone who has a telephone handset capable of handling CLI can take advantage of services such as "Caller Display" or "Call Return", not only to see who is calling them and answer calls selectively on that basis, but also to reveal the number of their last caller - by dialling 1471 at any time - and call them back if desired. There is, of course, a restriction to both services in the event that the calling number cannot be delivered, or is deliberately withheld by a caller, but that number will be displayed as "Private", "Withheld", or "Unavailable", by way of notifying the recipient of the call.

How Can CLI Be Used?

CLI has been used in many different guises over the years within, and between, telephone networks supporting customer service, billing and emergency services etc.. Ofcom ("Office of Communications" regulations stipulate that CLI must be presented on all outbound calls from call centres using automated calling systems - a.k.a. "autodiallers" - for example, to prevent problems caused by silent or abandoned calls. Problems can be caused if the number of calls generated exceeds the number of available agents, and CLI at least allows the recipient to see where the call originated and to call back if necessary.

Each telephone line in the United Kingdom has a "real" telephone number - the one that appears on the telephone bill - but CLI also allows one, or more, "presentation" numbers as well. This can give the illusion that remote workers, for example, are located centrally by presenting the CLI of a main office.

The most common, and simplest use of CLI, of course, is to marry an incoming telephone number to the name of a person - whether it be a friend, relative or business customer - in an internal telephone directory, so that name can be displayed with, or instead of, the calling number. Even this simple use can improve the perception of a company in the eyes, and ears, of regular callers who can be greeted personally, directed quickly to a familiar member of staff, etc..

At a more sophisticated level, however, CLI can be an important component of call routing, and hence even more valuable as far as customer service is concerned. Combined with other data - such as the time of day, day of the week, and IVR ("Interactive Voice Response") data, for example - CLI can be a powerful tool for ensuring that a caller reaches the right individual, in the right geographical location, as quickly as possible. A caller calling an advertised national number for, say, a double glazing company, can be routed to a local office, or showroom - based on the area code from which he, or she, is calling - without operator intervention. This not only saves the caller time and money, but also provides him, or her, with a personal, tailored customer experience.