Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS)
Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) is a telephony feature that tells the receiving system which phone number the caller dialed.
Definition
Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) is a telephony feature that tells the receiving system which phone number the caller dialed. When a business has multiple inbound numbers (one for sales, one for support, one per region), DNIS is what lets the contact center route the call to the right queue before any IVR menu plays. In Salesforce, DNIS values flow into Service Cloud Voice and other CTI integrations as a routing attribute on the call record, available to Contact Flows and to Apex automation.
DNIS is the inbound counterpart to ANI (Automatic Number Identification, which surfaces the caller's number). Both arrive with the call, but DNIS describes what the customer dialed, not where they called from. A toll-free 800-number with DNIS routing can send sales calls to one queue, support calls to another, and warranty calls to a third, all from the same physical number-pool, without the caller ever pressing a key.
How DNIS routes calls in a Salesforce contact center
DNIS as inbound metadata
DNIS is one of two key signals delivered with every inbound call. The other is ANI (Automatic Number Identification, the caller's number). DNIS tells the receiving system which number was dialed; ANI tells it who is calling. The two together provide enough context to route most calls intelligently before any DTMF or voice interaction happens.
DNIS routing in Amazon Connect and Service Cloud Voice
In Service Cloud Voice, the Amazon Connect Contact Flow has access to DNIS as a system attribute. The flow can branch on it: if DNIS matches 1-800-SUPPORT, route to the support queue; if it matches 1-800-BILLING, route to billing. Contact Flows can also pass DNIS to Lambda functions for more sophisticated lookups, such as identifying the customer's region from a regional toll-free number.
DNIS and multi-tenant contact centers
A single Salesforce contact center can serve multiple business units or brands, each with its own published phone number. DNIS is the routing key that keeps them separate: a call to the consumer brand's number routes one way, a call to the enterprise brand's number routes another. Without DNIS, every call would land in the same queue and require manual triage.
DNIS in screen-pop and CTI integration
When a call connects to an agent, the Service Cloud Voice screen pop includes DNIS as part of the call record. The agent sees which number the customer called, which helps frame the conversation: Calling about the warranty? (DNIS matches warranty line) versus Calling about your account? (DNIS matches account-services line). This is invisible to the customer but valuable for the agent.
DNIS versus DID
DNIS and DID (Direct Inward Dial) are related but distinct. DID is the inbound-number-assignment service: a block of phone numbers routed to a single trunk, each delivered with DNIS metadata. DNIS is the signal that identifies which specific number was dialed. You typically buy DID service from your telephony provider; DNIS is automatic once DID is configured. Service Cloud Voice's Amazon Connect handles both layers transparently.
DNIS-based skill routing
Advanced contact centers use DNIS to drive skill-based routing. A call to a Spanish-language number triggers DNIS-based routing to Spanish-fluent agents. A call to a VIP support number routes to a senior-agent queue. Service Cloud Voice supports this through Amazon Connect's routing profiles, which can filter agents by skill and queue.
DNIS analytics and reporting
DNIS values appear in Service Cloud Voice analytics, letting you report on call volume per number. Useful for measuring marketing effectiveness (call volume to a campaign-specific number), product-line popularity (warranty-line volume after a product release), or operational health (after-hours volume per number). The DNIS field is queryable in Salesforce reports built on the VoiceCall object.
How to route calls based on DNIS in Service Cloud Voice
DNIS-based routing happens in Amazon Connect's Contact Flow editor. The DNIS attribute is available as a system value on every inbound call; conditional branches in the flow read it and route accordingly.
- Identify your inbound numbers and their intent
List every phone number that lands in your Amazon Connect instance: 1-800-SALES, 1-800-SUPPORT, 1-800-BILLING, and so on. Each should map to a clear routing intent before you start building the flow.
- Open the inbound Contact Flow
In the Amazon Connect console (accessed from Service Cloud Voice), open the main inbound Contact Flow. This is where calls land before any IVR or queue interaction.
- Add a Check Contact Attributes block
For simple cases, use Check Contact Attributes to branch on the System Dialed Number attribute. For more complex routing, use a Lambda function that takes DNIS and returns a queue name.
- Build the branches
For each expected DNIS value, create a branch in the Check Contact Attributes block. Each branch routes to a different queue or sub-flow. Include a default branch for unmatched numbers.
- Test each number
Call each of your inbound numbers in turn. Confirm the call routes to the correct queue. Watch the live agent dashboard or the call''s transcript to verify.
- Add reporting
Build a Salesforce report on the VoiceCall object filtered by DialedNumber. This gives you per-number volume metrics and confirms DNIS is being captured correctly for analytics.
Check Contact Attributes block in the main flow. Simplest pattern for 2-10 inbound numbers.
Each inbound number routes to a dedicated sub-flow. Use for complex per-number IVR logic.
External AWS Lambda function takes DNIS and returns routing instructions. Use when DNIS-to-queue mapping is dynamic.
Combine DNIS with agent skill profiles in Amazon Connect for fine-grained routing.
- DNIS comes from the telephony provider, not from Salesforce. Misconfigured DID at the carrier level can deliver wrong DNIS values; verify with your carrier before troubleshooting Salesforce.
- Spoofed inbound numbers are rare but possible. DNIS values are reliable enough for routing decisions but not as the sole authentication factor for sensitive flows.
- Toll-free numbers and direct-dial numbers may surface DNIS differently. Some carriers prefix toll-free DNIS with an indicator code; account for this in your branching logic.
- DNIS routing happens before any IVR. If you want DNIS-aware IVR menus (Welcome to support, our hours are...), the welcome prompt should be in the post-DNIS branch, not the main flow.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS).
- Service Cloud Voice OverviewSalesforce Help
- Amazon Connect Contact FlowsAWS Documentation
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS).
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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