Owners and admins manage phone numbers in two places:
| Where | What you do there |
|---|---|
| Admin → Numbers | Buy numbers, label them, turn on fax, and release numbers you no longer need |
| Admin → Settings → Settings → Numbers & Routing → Phone numbers | Decide what happens when each number is called |
Members can see the workspace's numbers, and choose which one to call or text from.
Buy a number
Search
Go to Admin → Numbers and find Buy a number. Enter an Area code (3 digits), a State (2 letters), or both, and search. If you leave both empty you'll see "Provide an area code, city, or state to search".
Pick one
Up to 15 available numbers are listed, with their city and state. Search again with a different area code or state for more choices.
Buy
Select Buy on the number you want. The purchase happens straight away, with no confirmation step, so check the number first.
Route it
New numbers don't ring anywhere until you route them. See Route a number to an extension.
- Numbers you buy are US local numbers that can make and receive calls and send and receive texts.
- Your plan includes a set number of phone numbers. Extra numbers are billed as usage, so check Admin → Billing before buying more. See Billing & usage.
- For toll-free or international numbers, contact intSignal.
- To bring numbers you already have, see Number porting.
You can also search in Settings → Phone numbers, which adds a City search and asks you to confirm before buying.
If you search many times in quick succession, wait a minute before searching again.
Note
Every new extension gets its own direct number automatically, so you don't need to buy one for each person.
Label a number
Select the pencil icon on a number to give it a label of up to 80 characters, such as Main line or Spring campaign. Labels make numbers easy to recognize across the app. Numbers without one show No label.
Each number also shows badges for what it can do: voice, SMS and, once enabled, fax. To turn fax on or off, see Fax.
Release a number
Select the trash icon and confirm "Release … ? This frees it at the carrier and removes it from your workspace."
Releasing is immediate and permanent
A released number is gone straight away, and it can be given to someone else. Before releasing, make sure it isn't printed on your website, signage or business cards, and remove it from your routing.
An extension's own direct number can't be released here, because it's the extension's 911 caller ID. You'll see "This number is an extension's line (used for 911 caller-ID). Unassign it first." When you delete an extension, its direct number is released automatically after 10 days.
Route a number to an extension
Go to Admin → Settings → Settings → Numbers & Routing → Phone numbers. The table has three columns: Number, Routes to extension and AI receptionist.
- In Routes to extension, choose the extension that should ring, such as 101 (Front Desk). Numbers that don't ring anywhere show — unrouted —.
- Select Apply Configuration. As the panel says: "Routing a number to an extension takes effect once you apply your configuration."
Shared phones appear in the list too, because they're extensions.
Send a number to a menu, ring group or queue
A number rings one extension, or is answered by an AI receptionist. To send callers to an auto attendant, ring group, call queue or announcement, use one of these:
- Business hours (recommended). Route the number to an extension, such as reception, then add a business hours schedule to the number. Choose your menu, group or queue for Open →, and your after-hours destination for Closed →. To send callers there at all hours, choose the same destination for both, with the schedule open every day.
- Forward everything. Route the number to an extension, and set that extension's Forward ALL calls to the ring group or queue.
The Visual Flow builder shows each number and everywhere its calls can go.
Let an AI receptionist answer a number
In the AI receptionist column, choose a receptionist instead of — off —. Routes to extension is then unavailable for that number ("An AI receptionist answers this number").
- This takes effect immediately, without applying configuration.
- The receptionist answers the number's calls and, if you've turned it on, its texts.
- Set up and turn on the receptionist first. See AI receptionist.
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Turn on AI for this workspace first." | Turn AI on. |
| "Turn on that receptionist first, then point a number at it." | Turn on Answer calls with the AI receptionist for that receptionist. |
| "That number has been released." | Reload the page. The number is no longer in your workspace. |
Caller ID: the number people see
| When you | The number shown is |
|---|---|
| Call from the browser phone | The one chosen in Calling as. See Place a call. |
| Text from Messages | The one chosen in From |
| Text from the chat bar | Your workspace's first number |
| Call 911 | Always your extension's own direct number |
| Are reached through follow-me | Your extension's chosen outgoing number |
| Have calls forwarded to an outside number | Your number, or the original caller's, depending on the Caller ID choice in Forward ALL calls |
Emergency calls
Whatever you choose for everyday calls, 911 calls always show the extension's direct number, which is linked to its confirmed emergency address. It can't be changed. See Emergency calling.
Protect your numbers' reputation
Carriers can label business numbers as likely spam. If number reputation checks are turned on for your workspace, see how your numbers are rated in Spam reports & blocking.