Question:

What happens when the sender ID is left blank when sending notifications using the Everbridge Open API?

Answer:

When sending voice notifications to phones through the Everbridge Open API, Everbridge will revert to the "default" caller ID number of (818) 847-2511 if any of the following conditions are met:

1. The caller ID field is blank when sending from the API.
2. The caller ID field contains less than 10 digits (in the US).
3. The caller ID field contains more than 10 digits (in the US).
4. The caller ID is not configured for the country being called.

When Everbridge delivers the voice message to the carriers, the carriers then determine how the voice message is delivered. Sometimes the carrier modifies the sender caller ID. If a contact receives 8188472511 as the caller ID, one can assume this was sent by Everbridge due to one of the reasons outlined above. Everbridge passes the configured caller ID value for all voice notifications; if the sender ID is some other wrong number (or blank) then this was most likely modified by the carrier.

When creating or updating a caller ID, keep in mind the following:

• Although the Everbridge Suite platform will use the selected caller ID for each voice notification, some downstream voice carriers may modify or omit the caller ID value when delivering the voice call to the recipient's phone.
• The caller ID should be a valid phone number that can be called back if needed.
• The caller ID should be a full phone number that begins with the specific 1 to 4 digit country code.

For more information on caller IDs, see Knowledge Base Article 000001428 - Everbridge Caller ID Best Practices.