Connecting a phone number

What your plan includes

Every plan comes with one phone number at no extra cost. You claim it when you are ready. Extra numbers are billed monthly on top.

A number is what turns on texting, voice, and the softphone. The softphone rings through to Groundwire, Zoiper, or any other SIP app, on the phones and laptops your staff already carry, so there is no software of ours to install. Until you have one, your account runs on website chat.

You have to go live first

A phone number costs money the day it is issued, so it is not part of the $1 trial. Going live is the step that unlocks it.

If you try to claim a number while you are still on the trial, the page tells you so and offers you the go-live button instead. Nothing breaks and nothing is charged by accident.

You also need to be an administrator on the account and have two-factor sign-in turned on. We ask for a code before anything that costs money.

Claim your included number

We take the first available local number in that area code. There is no list to pick from. It takes a few minutes to finish setting up, so refresh the page if it is not showing yet.

1. Go to Settings, then Phone numbers.
2. Press Claim your included number.
3. Type the three-digit area code you want, for example the one your customers already dial.
4. Press Claim number.

If there is nothing free in that area code the page says so straight away. Try a neighbouring one.

Add another number

1. On the same page, press Add another number.
2. Choose an area code.
3. You are taken to Stripe to set up the monthly charge.
4. Come back and give it a moment to appear in your list.

There is a limit on how many extra numbers you can add yourself. If you need more than that, ask us and we will raise it.

Use it for texting

A number does not text on its own. Connect it to an SMS inbox: Settings, then Connections, then set up SMS, and pick the number when it asks.

One number serves one inbox. If a number is missing from the list it is because it is already attached somewhere else.

If you are texting anyone with a US number there is a registration step before your messages go through. See the article on A2P and CASL.

Giving a number back

Only extra numbers can be released. The one included with your plan cannot be released on its own.

Press Release next to the number and type it out to confirm. We ask you to type it because this is hard to undo.

• ✓The number may later go to another business, and you may not get it back.
• ✓Call history, recordings and texts tied to that number stop being reachable, so export anything you need first.
• ✓You have about 4 weeks afterwards where you can reclaim it, if it has not already gone.
• ✓The monthly charge for that number stops right away.

Moving a number you already have

You cannot move an existing business number across by yourself yet. Email us and we will do it by hand. There is no charge for it.