Does your school withhold its telephone number?

[laserblazer]

Ours does and I don't really understand why. We get calls from parents asking if we'd try to call them, we try to call parents and their phones don't accept withheld call numbers. I can't see the problem with people we have tried to call knowing what our number is.

[chazzy2501]

yes, ours does as well. I can't remember why.

[psydii]

Sometimes. It depends which line the ancient switchboard decides to use for the call. Don't think there is a good 'business requirement', probably a technical limitation or oversight. Nobody much seems to care.

 

Previous schools: No, a number was presented to the recipient that they could use to get through to the auto attendant.

[john]

Ours did as it stops parents call screening IE going oh no it's them again, but its a double edged sword as some as has been said block withheld numbers so then you have to 1470 before the number to show it.

[FN-GM]

Nope, not here, we would like parents to be able to see that the school has phoned.

[pcstru]

We used to block caller ID but I stopped it. I don't think we have any business making calls to people and trying to hide who we are.

[localzuk]

Only on the occasion where we don't want a parent to try and avoid our call.

[pete]

Nope, because it looks dodgy and people will reject the calls.

 

The rise of mobile phones and the associated increase in idiots with autodialers means a withheld number stands a higher chance of being rejected (often automatically) than ever before.

 

If you're not presenting a number, you're the equivalent of That Guy who hasn't configured his mailserver correctly yet whines when everyone rejects his mail.

[laserblazer]

Only on the occasion where we don't want a parent to try and avoid our call.

 

We have a separate line that we usually use to track down absentees and the like.

 

The reason I ask is that the mobile I use for school to contact me now charges to pick up voice message and I'm not prepared to pay 25p everytime the school wants to contact me. If they don't withhold the number, then I can see from the missed calls and call them back.

[plexer]

We don't but it's just as much hassle because every outgoing call shows the same number and then parents ring in to see who called them and the receptionists have to guess and phone around different offices if it wasn't them.

 

Our doctors withholds their number and as they now do telephone triage it's a pain.

 

Ben

[elsiegee40]

We don't withhold numbers and have 3 lines. Which means that the call from the school could appear to come from the school, the fax machine or a third number that we never advertise. Most of our extensions can't dial out, apart from 999.

[plexer]

All of our extensions can dial normal number, premium and international are barred.

 

Ben

[laserblazer]

We don't but it's just as much hassle because every outgoing call shows the same number and then parents ring in to see who called them and the receptionists have to guess and phone around different offices if it wasn't them.

 

Our doctors withholds their number and as they now do telephone triage it's a pain.

 

Ben

 

If a parent calls back it's usually to check it's not a medical issue, which the office staff would know about anyway.

[rad]

We don't, however it does backfire when they call back as they have a missed call on their mobile and want to know who called them!

[Novalee]

I wish we did - if a member of staff calls a parent from anywhere in the building and they don't answer they later see the missed call with the switchboard number. Then call back and asked who phoned them. The receptionist has no way of knowing who called them, whether it was important or not etc. and parents can be left worrying why they were called.