What number does this extension actually show when it dials out? One table answers it for every extension on every customer PBX: the effective caller ID, and whether it is set explicitly or derived from the trunk.
The question every MSP gets asked
A customer calls: "Why does our billing department show up as the front desk when they call patients back?" In 3CX the answer lives in two places. Each extension can carry its own Outbound Caller ID, and when it does not, the call falls back to the trunk's caller-facing number. Simple enough for one PBX. Across twenty-five customer PBXs it means twenty-five consoles and a lot of "let me check and get back to you."
Sikurd collapses that into one table. Every enabled extension in the fleet, the number it effectively presents, and how that value is decided: Explicit when the extension sets it, Derived when the trunk provides it.
The Effective Caller ID view: every extension, the number it presents, and its source, filterable by instance. Demo data shown.
Explicit, derived, and the gap between them
Explicit caller IDs are deliberate: the billing team presents its direct callback line, the on-call extension presents the main number. Derived caller IDs are the default everyone forgets about, which is fine right up until a DID is ported, a trunk is replaced, or a company renames itself. Then the fleet quietly presents wrong numbers, and the only symptom is confused callers.
Because the table shows the effective value rather than the raw setting, both failure modes are visible at a glance: an Explicit number that should have been retired, or a whole department on Derived that was supposed to present its own line. The filter chips split the fleet by source, so "show me every extension with its own caller ID set" is one click during an audit.
Built to be acted on
Each row links to the extension's edit page inside Sikurd, where outbound caller ID is a normal form field guarded by role-based access and recorded in the audit log. A level-one tech can correct a caller ID in the same minute the ticket arrives, without a 3CX admin password and without knowing which console the customer lives in.
For the bigger jobs, the table edits in bulk: select any set of extensions, even across instances, type the number once, and Sikurd writes it to each extension's PBX, or clears it so they fall back to the trunk. A ported main number or a rebrand becomes one action instead of an afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
How does 3CX decide which caller ID an extension presents?
If the extension has its own Outbound Caller ID set, 3CX presents that number. If it does not, the call presents the trunk's caller-facing number, which usually means the site's main line. Sikurd calls the first case Explicit and the second Derived, and shows which one applies to every extension so you never have to reason it out per call.
Why does effective caller ID matter for an MSP?
Because the wrong caller ID generates real tickets: a clinic's billing office presenting the main line so callbacks land at the front desk, an acquired site still presenting the old company's number, or a DID that was ported away but is still set on someone's extension. Seeing the effective value for the whole fleet turns each of those from a mystery into a one-line fix.
Can I fix a wrong caller ID from Sikurd?
Yes. The table links each extension to its edit page, where the outbound caller ID is a normal field, guarded by Sikurd's roles and recorded in the audit log. A level-one tech can correct a caller ID without holding a 3CX admin password.
What does Derived mean on a site with more than one trunk?
The presented number then depends on which outbound rule the dialed number matches. Sikurd resolves the site's primary trunk and labels multi-trunk sites as rule-dependent, so the table is honest about the one case where the answer varies per call.
Know what every extension presents.
Open the live demo and see the effective caller ID for a whole 25-instance fleet, explicit and derived, in one table. No signup required.
