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Phone numbers

Phone numbers are how your agents reach the world: an outbound campaign needs a number to call from, and an inbound agent needs a number for people to call. This is where you buy numbers, see the ones you own, and manage their subscriptions. Voice Portal handles the underlying telephony, so you work with numbers, not carrier infrastructure.

Open Phone (/phone).

How numbers are used​

A number is the bridge between your agents and the phone network, and it works in two directions:

  • Inbound — people dial your number and an agent answers. Each inbound agent needs a number assigned to it so callers have something to ring.
  • Outbound — your agent places calls and your number appears as the caller ID. Campaigns and the bulk-call action in Contacts dial from a number you own.

You buy numbers here, then point your agents at them on the agent's Calling & telephony tab.

My Numbers​

My Numbers My Numbers: allocated numbers, with the KYC gate that must be cleared before requesting a number.

My Numbers lists the phone numbers your organization owns. For each number you can see its details and assign it to the agent or use that should answer or place calls on it. Keep this list tidy so it's always clear which number does what — which one answers inbound support, which one your renewal campaign dials from, and so on.

Buy a phone number​

To get a new number, open Buy phone (/phone/buy-phone).

  1. Search the available numbers. Filter by the criteria offered (such as country or region) to find a number that fits your audience.
  2. Pick the number you want from the results.
  3. Purchase it. The number is added to My Numbers, ready to assign.
tip

Choose a number local to the people you're calling. Familiar local numbers are answered more often than unknown or out-of-region ones, which lifts your campaign answer rates before the agent even says a word.

Assign a number to an agent​

Owning a number isn't enough on its own — it has to be attached to the agent that should use it:

  • For inbound, assign the number to the agent you want answering it. When that number rings, that agent picks up.
  • For outbound, the number is used as the caller ID for the calls an agent or campaign places.

You set inbound and outbound behavior on the agent itself; see Calling & telephony.

Subscriptions​

Phone numbers are an ongoing service, so each one carries a subscription. The Subscription view (/phone/subscription) is where you review and manage the subscriptions tied to your numbers — keeping a number active, or releasing one you no longer need. Costs for numbers and calling are reflected in Billing.

note

Keep a number's subscription active for as long as agents or campaigns rely on it. Releasing a number that an inbound agent still answers on means callers can no longer reach that agent.

Platform administration

Number inventory and number requests are managed by imatic platform administrators (super-admins), not from your organization's screens. If a number you need isn't available to buy, that's where it's provisioned.

Next steps​