Twilio Registration FAQ

Twilio provides Knock with programmable communication tools for making and receiving phone calls, sending and receiving text messages, and performing other communication functions using its web service APIs. Here are some commonly associated questions regarding our use of the Twilio system.

 

What is A2P messaging? What are the benefits of registering for A2P?

Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging is any kind of messaging traffic in which a person is receiving messages from an application rather than an individual. Carriers in the US consider all Twilio traffic to be A2P, since it is a software application run by an enterprise to a consumer’s device. 

Registering for A2P will distinguish a business as “verified” in the A2P ecosystem. US carriers state that they provide higher deliverability rates and lower filtering risk for A2P compliant numbers.  

What is SHAKEN/STIR? What are the benefits of SHAKEN/STIR?

SHAKEN/STIR is a telephone call protocol mandated by the FCC to counteract the rise in unwanted robocalls and unlawful caller ID spoofing. It works by digitally signing outgoing calls to prove origin and authenticity and there are three tiers of attestation. Carriers use these digital signatures to track caller reputation and attestation tiers to present trust indicators, such as “Verified Caller,” to recipients’ phones. Prior to SHAKEN/STIR registration, all Knock’s customers/ Knock associated phone numbers are level “B” by default. However, after registration, Knock phone numbers associated with the customer's given account are level “A” and a unique customer identity is assigned. 

SHAKEN/STIR allows verified callers to be marked as “Verified Called”, a company name, or to display the 10 digit phone number, as opposed to “Spam Likely” or “Unknown Caller.” Registering your company will likely lead to an increase in the volume of answered calls as well as a decrease in the percentage of calls being sent to voicemail or blocked. 

Attestation Level	Industry Standard
Full or “A”	The service provider knows the customer and their right to use the phone number.
Partial or “B”	The service provider knows the customer, but not the source of the phone number.
Gateway or “C”	The service provider has originated the call onto the network but can’t authenticate the call source e.g.,  international gateway.

What is CNAM? What are the benefits of CNAM?

Caller ID Name (CNAM) is a service used in telephone networks to provide the name of the calling party. This allows for a business' unique name to display on a recipient's device, as opposed to the 10 digit phone number. 

CNAM provides another layer of verified authenticity for a business’ phone numbers. Registering all your company will likely lead to an increase in the volume of answered calls as well as a decrease in the percentage of calls being sent to voicemail or blocked.  

Outbound Calling Examples

 

How can I register with Knock for A2P, SHAKEN/STIR, or CNAM?

Please provide your Customer Success Manager with the level of registration you are interested in along with the information below, which is required by our telephony provider:

• Your business name and legal business name
• Your EIN (Federal Tax ID)
• Company type (Corporation, Limited Liability Corporation, Partnership, Co-operative, Non-profit Corporation, Sole Proprietorship)
• Your stock symbol and exchange (if a public company)
• The name, email address, phone number, and job title of a person at your company who the phone carriers can contact, if necessary
• Note: CNAM identities are limited to 15 characters.

 

Why is the above information necessary to register your company?

The information above is necessary to verify the authenticity of each legal entity. Telephony service providers must retain a high reputation in order to optimally function. As a result, each EIN must match the legal name of the entity, to ensure that the identity matches the business profile. This prevents spammers and fraudsters from the trusted environment. An individual contact must be provided to have one file in the case that the legal entity needs to be verified. 

Can I customize the SHAKEN/STIR and/or CNAM identity per property?

No, you cannot customize the SHAKEN/STIR nor CNAM identity per property. When registering a customer, a business profile is created for the entire legal entity and all associated phone numbers.