Automatic number identification (ANI) is a feature of a telecommunications network for automatically determining the origination telephone number on toll calls for billing purposes. ANI is commonly used by emergency center dispatchers to save the caller having to report the information and when necessary, to help locate callers. A telephone company's 9-1-1 service to a public-safety point usually includes the ANI feature.
In a call center, ANI displays the number of the calling party to the call center agent in real time. Among other things, the call center can use the information to forward calls to different people for different geographic areas.