Phone numbers

Customers reach your voice and SMS lines on numbers the helpdesk holds for you. One number can carry a voice line and an SMS line at the same time, so customers can call and text the same number.

Growth Dept switches voice and SMS on for each helpdesk and sets how many numbers it may hold (two to start). Until it does, Settings > Channels > Phone numbers says why the channel is off and every button there is greyed out. Ask your Growth Dept contact to turn it on.

What a number costs#

Nothing, for you. Growth Dept pays the carrier (Telnyx) for every number, up front and each month, and never bills it to your helpdesk. When you pick a number, the page shows what Telnyx charges Growth Dept for it so you can see it is covered. Calls and texts themselves are billed separately; see Paying for calls and texts.

Add a number#

Admins add numbers.

1. Go to Settings > Channels > Phone numbers and click Add phone number.

2. Pick the country: United States or Canada.

3. Pick the type:

   • Local numbers belong to an area. Enter a three-digit area code, such as 415.

   • Toll-free numbers start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888 and are free for the caller.

4. Optionally enter up to seven digits the number should contain, then click Search. Up to twelve numbers that can take both calls and texts are listed, with their city and region.

5. Pick one, give it a name your agents will recognise, such as Support line, and click Add this number.

The number shows as Ordering for a few seconds while the carrier finishes, then Active. Only an active number can take a voice line or an SMS line. If the order fails, the row says why.

Numbers in other countries are not available, and you cannot bring a number you already have from another carrier.

The numbers list#

Each row shows the number, its name, the voice and SMS lines on it, its status and its carrier registration. The line above the table says how many numbers you hold out of how many you may hold.

Carrier registration matters for texting only. US carriers block business texts from numbers that are not registered, so a number used for SMS shows whether its registration is approved, still in review, or missing, with a sentence on what that means. Calls are not affected. See Register your numbers for texting.

Rename or release a number#

• Rename changes the name agents see. The number itself never changes.

• Release gives the number back to the carrier. It stops costing Growth Dept anything, and customers who call or text it no longer reach you. A released number cannot be recovered.

A number that still carries a voice line or an SMS line cannot be released. Delete those lines first on the Voice and SMS pages.