Phone numbers

A number is what makes the agent reachable. Until you have one, everything is testing.

Telephony → Numbers

Two ways to get one

Most people buy a number to get going, then move their real number over later once they trust it.

Buying a number

1. 1

   Search

   Filter by area code, or by digits the number should contain. You get a list of what's available.

2. 2

   Label it and choose the agent

   A label is for you ("Main line", "Leeds branch"). The agent is who answers calls to this number.

3. 3

   Buy

   Your wallet balance and the monthly price are shown before you commit. If the balance is too low, the button blocks and offers a top-up link rather than half-completing the purchase.

Behind the scenes the entire telephony chain is set up for you — carrier account, trunks, and the routing rule that connects that number to your agent. It takes a few seconds and there is nothing for you to configure.

Bringing your own number

If you already have a number your customers know, you don't have to give it up.

1. 1

   Gather your carrier details

   You need the number in full international format, your carrier's SIP termination host, and any username and password they gave you. Your phone provider or IT person will have these.

2. 2

   Add the trunk

   Numbers → Add SIP trunk. Enter the details, pick a transport (leave it on auto unless your carrier specified otherwise), and choose the answering agent.

3. 3

   Point your carrier at us

   On success the panel shows you a SIP host to copy. Give that to your carrier as the inbound origination target — that's what makes calls to your number arrive here.

4. 4

   Test it

   Ring your own number from a mobile. If the agent answers, you're done.

Bring-your-own numbers carry no monthly charge from us. You still pay per-minute for calls, and you keep paying your carrier for the line itself.

Which agent answers

Each number maps to one inbound agent — that's the whole routing model at its simplest, and it's enough for most businesses.

Open a number to configure it further:

• Inbound agent — who answers calls to this line.
• Outbound agent — which agent is used when this number is the caller ID on an outbound call.
• Dynamic routing — instead of one agent for everyone, route by the caller's CRM stage: new enquiries to the sales agent, existing customers to support. See Smart routing.

Changing the agent takes effect on the next call.

The per-number call view

Open any number and there's a Calls & reporting tab showing the last 100 calls on that line — direction, status, who, how long, and the summary. It refreshes while you watch, so a call in progress flips to completed without a reload.

Useful when you run several lines and want to know which one is actually generating the work.

Billing, renewal and what happens if payment fails

Bought numbers renew roughly every 30 days and the rent comes out of your wallet.

If your wallet can't cover a renewal:

1. The number is marked past due — a badge appears in the list.
2. We retry daily for a grace period. The number keeps working during this time.
3. If it's still unpaid at the end of the grace period, the number is released — it stops working and goes back to the pool.

A released number is generally not recoverable. Keep a buffer in your wallet if the number is printed on your van.

Bring-your-own numbers are never charged or auto-released by us.

Limits

How many numbers you can hold is a plan limit:

Trial accounts genuinely can't have a number. That's why trial testing goes through the test surfaces instead.

Troubleshooting

• The buy button is disabled — either your email isn't verified, or your wallet can't cover the first month.
• Calls to a bring-your-own number don't arrive — nearly always the carrier side. Confirm they've pointed inbound origination at the SIP host shown in the panel, and that the number is in full international format on both sides.
• "Number already in use" when adding a SIP trunk — the number was partly configured by an earlier attempt. Try again; the system clears stale configuration for that number automatically.
• The wrong agent answers — check the number's inbound agent, then check whether dynamic routing is on and sending that caller elsewhere based on their stage.