I have encountered a situation with many of my customers, and they all agree that something needs to be done about it.
With the almost universal use of cell phones and other wired phones that all accept CID, a customer who calls out on one of his auxiliary lines sends the CID for that particular line, which may or may not be the appropriate line on which to return the call.
Incoming calls therefore may come in on a line that does not have an answering machine or answering service (after hours application) or even on a fax line that the customer used as an expedient when all the voice lines were in use.
People using cell phones, in particular, just hit "reply" or whatever it's called, to return a missed call. This can be confusing at best, and may cause lost calls, at worst.
I need to know if there is any way to get a local service provider to send the CID of the main number on all trunks associated with that main number. While it is obviously not a good idea, and illegal, to allow a customer to spoof or fake a CID, it seems to me that with the proper authorization and bonafide credentials, an arrangement could be made with the provider to send the CID of the main listed number on any other line that the customer owns.
Does anyone know if this has ever been addressed in tariffs, or in any negotiations with a state public utility board? It seems like it could be great help to the industry in general if this were to be allowed.
