dialed number identification service (DNIS)

Definition

Telephone company service that allows a direct marketing or telemarketing firm's computer to route the incoming calls to their designated extensions. In this scheme, the firm may have several advertised 800 or 900 numbers (each with its own DNIS number) for different products or offers but only a few incoming (trunk) telephone lines attended-to by the salespeople. When an outside call comes, the firm's computer reads its DNIS number, matches it against a stored table to determine which product or offer it is associated with, and then routes the call to the appropriate available salesperson.