Set Up Caller ID to See Who is Calling You at Work

What is caller ID? How much does Caller ID cost? How can I get caller ID?

Caller ID for privacy at work
GraphicStock

What is Caller ID? 

Caller ID stands for “Caller Identification.” Caller ID is a telephone company service that is now available in most areas throughout the United States.

Women who work from home have to deal with personal and business calls all day long. Having caller ID on your home and business lines can help you stop wasting valuable time spent taking unwanted calls.

How much does Caller ID cost?

There is usually a one-time start-up fee and small monthly fee ($3-$10 per month depending on other services you subscribe to) for the service, but it is well worth the money. If you have a business line, your phone costs may be tax-deductible, including the cost of having caller ID services.

What types of phones have Caller ID services?

All cell phones come equipped to automatically show caller identification information. There is no additional charge for caller ID services on cell phones.

Most phones that can be purchased in retail stores already come with caller ID capacity. If you have a phone with a caller ID screen and caller ID phone service (you need both), when a person or business calls you, their name and number will display on an LED screen on the telephone (or, in some cases, on an answering machine base for portable phones).

How Caller ID can help women who work from home better manage their time

If you know who is calling you, you can make better decisions about whether or not you have time to take the call. Caller ID is a great way to screen personal calls, telemarketing calls, and even callers you just do not want to talk to at any given time.

How Caller ID makes it hard to hide who you are

Caller ID can now be integrated into many types of ordering and customer service systems. For example, when you call to order pizza from major chain delivery services, the restaurant may have caller id that displays your phone number that is connected to their ordering system. Simply by calling from a particular phone number many companies can now see where you live, your order history, and keep a file of your phone calls.

Many businesses (and even individuals) use caller ID and won't take calls -- or even blocks calls from numbers that show as 'anonymous' or 'unknown.' Scammers have now resorted to using throwaway phones, Google, and other digital phone services as a way of getting around caller ID.

The next time you call a business who knows who you are and your account information without asking, you can blame it on caller ID.