Caller ID

Caller ID is a telephone service in the United States that transmits the caller's name and/or telephone number to the called party's telephone. Today most telephones come with caller ID capabilities, and telephone companies regularly offer the service for little or no cost as part of their monthly service packages. Caller ID consists of two elements: the calling number and the subscriber name. This information appears on a person's telephone or display unit. Caller ID service lets you identify yourself to the person you are calling and lets you see who is calling before you answer the phone. It is estimated that more than half of all households in the United States have caller ID. Because this technology allows people to see who is calling, it is frequently used to screen unwanted calls, including those from survey research organizations. More and more people are using caller ID technology and caller ID-based services to screen incoming calls. A variety of call screening services or devices allow households to selectively or arbitrarily reject anonymous callers or any phone number that is not pre-identified to ring through.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has developed national caller ID rules. These rules allow subscribers to block or prevent their names and numbers from being displayed permanently or on a call-by-call basis. Conversely, the FCC rules require telemarketers to transmit caller ID information and prohibit them from blocking such information. Calls to emergency lines, such as 911, are exempt from federal caller ID rules and are governed by state rules and policies.

Caller ID technology and related call-blocking services will certainly continue to grow in popularity. Therefore researchers must continue to analyze the impact of this technology on response rates and to experiment with using caller ID technology to improve response rates. Although research firms are not required to send caller ID information, there is some experimental evidence that response rates may be improved by sending the survey firm name or an 800-number as their caller ID tag.