Restoring Telecom Trust

Some consumers might like the option to have their name put into the Rich Call Data display name field (see Figure 3, right). This might be especially attractive to younger consumers—studies show that they are more hesitant to interrupt or disturb people by making unexpected voice calls. Some might like to have their display name appear on their calls.

Government organizations and schools would find it helpful to improve call answer rates on critical calls.

Rich Call Data can be extremely valuable to enterprises that struggle to reach their customers by telephone. With Rich Call Data, these organizations can present their calls with:

• Display name
• Logo image or picture of the caller
• A variety of data fields supported by the jCard and vCard specifications, including:
  - Identification properties (e.g., name, photo)
  - Communication properties (e.g., telephone, email)
  - Geographical properties (e.g., location)
  - Organizational properties (e.g., title, role)
  - Explanatory properties (e.g., categories, note—such as the reason for the call)
  

The data supported by the vCard standard is extensive, and handset makers might limit the amount of Rich Call Data they display on their handsets. But this list gives you an idea of the potential scope. Imagine the possibilities!

It’s important to remember that Rich Call Data is an extension of STIR/SHAKEN. This data cannot appear on calls that were not signed. Terminating service providers probably would not present this data for calls that do not pass verification.

This means that Rich Call Data is a more secure, trusted way to introduce a telephone call.

Putting It All Together

These three technologies build upon and complement each other. Together, they are much more powerful and effective:

1.  STIR/SHAKEN — Prevents caller ID spoofing.
2. Call Analytics — Becomes much more effective in preventing robocalls when spoofing is identified.
3. Rich Call Data — Introduces signed and verified calls with more information to help the called party feel comfortable about answering these calls.

Together, STIR/SHAKEN, call analytics, and Rich Call Data provide these benefits to allow consumers to feel more comfortable in answering calls that are signed and introduced with Rich Call Data, and enterprises will find it easier to connect with their customers when presenting a branded identity with their calls. 

In addition, telecommunications service providers will see:

• An improvement in their call completion rate
• More effective call analytics and robocall blocking
• Fewer complaints about unwanted robocalls
• Increased customer satisfaction and decreased churn.

In short, these emerging technologies will work together to help restore trust in telephone services.