Caller ID just got smarter – at least for AT&T mobile subscribers. Due to a new collaboration with TransUnion (yes, that TransUnion), AT&T customers will see not only the business calling but the reason for the call on their smartphone screen. Think of this like an email subject line for phone calls.
For example, incoming calls from businesses can say things like “appointment reminder” or “delivery update.” This text shows up similar to the ways that verified number badges display on Android devices. Or, for iPhone users, it will look similar to the “potential spam” indicator we all know and love.
That last part is just for the sake of illustration. The feature currently only works on Android phones… and those that have AT&T as a carrier. That creates a narrow band of compatibility, but this could be a proof of concept that other carriers and operating systems (looking at you Apple) replicate if it works well.
In addition to the contextual indicator on the incoming call as it’s happening, these details will also be on the call details page in users’ call history. It will be equally useful there for anyone who may have missed that call from their dentist. They can save time by seeing the context, rather than listening to a voicemail.
Meanwhile, on the business/caller end of the equation, they are given the option to display such messages when they launch a given call. Presumably a voice prompt lets them do so (similar to how Google Voice prompts your name before reaching the user), which is then transcribed to text.
Existentially Bizarre
Stepping back, this could be something that’s packaged as a consumer-centric move, but with more subtle business-facing advantages. Though the former could certainly be true in infusing more transparency and context for incoming calls, it also serves the latter in potentially boosting answer rates.
That last part may not have been the case a decade ago. But in the age of advanced smartphone caller ID, providers like Apple label many calls as “potential spam,” as noted, thus driving down pickups. Providing more context around caller intent could salvage some of those pickups if the intent is sound.
For example, this feature will serve businesses that have established relationships with a given customer, and the need to reach out to them for service-related matters. It however won’t do much for telemarketers, unless they find ways to game the system or act dishonestly in the call “reason” indicator.
Moreover, it’s unclear how the system of voice-prompted caller intent will work in a robocall context. Auto-dialers won’t be able to process instructions when the AT&T/Transunion system prompts them for a call reason. This could lead to existentially-bizzare scenarios in which one AI agent is talking to another.
Meanwhile, many SMBs could benefit from this Caller ID enhancement, given use cases like appointment reminders from your dentist. So in the end, this could be an SMB-friendly development for those who use it well. Of course, it only applies to a narrow band of compatibility, as noted, but we’ll see if it’s adopted broadly in the long term.
Header image credit: Lindsey LaMont on Unsplash
