Phone Numbers

How phone numbers work in your account

Every phone number assigned to your tenant shows up in your Phone Numbers page. You don't buy numbers from this page (your service provider buys and assigns them) — but you control how they behave.

The Phone Numbers list

Top nav → Phone Numbers. Columns:

• Number — formatted, e.g., (501) 555-0123
• Region / Rate Center — where the number is geographically "located"
• Type — Standard or Toll-Free
• Routing — what the number currently does (call flow name, "Unrouted", etc.)
• CNAM — the caller-name set on this number
• E911 — whether an emergency address is registered
• Fax — whether fax capability is enabled (only available on numbers from carriers that support fax)
• Actions — edit, set as default caller ID, route, enable fax

Routing a number

Three places a number can be routed to:

1. A call flow — most common. The flow handles routing logic. (See chapter 10.)
2. An extension directly — for personal direct lines.
3. A ring group, queue, or voicemail — usually as part of a call flow.

To route a number, click Edit on the number. The routing dropdown shows your active call flows + your extensions. Pick one. Save.

Until a number is routed, callers hear a default "this number isn't configured" message (configurable in Tenant Settings).

Setting CNAM (caller ID name)

CNAM is what shows on the receiving person's phone when you call them. Set per-number or use the tenant default.

In the number's Edit modal:

• Custom CNAM — overrides the tenant default for this number. Max 15 characters.
• CNAM Sync Status — shows when the change was last sent to carriers (Synced / Pending / Failed)

CNAM updates take 24-48 hours to propagate. Carriers cache CNAM nationally. Don't expect the new name to show on your cell phone immediately.

If sync fails (rare): your CNAM may be too long, contain disallowed characters, or have been flagged. Try a simpler version.

Setting E911 emergency address

Federal law requires every phone number to have a registered street address for 911 dispatching.

In the number's Edit modal:

• Street Address
• City
• State
• ZIP

For a multi-location business: use the address where the people who'll dial 911 from this number actually are. If 5 people in 3 different offices share a 4-digit extension, set the address based on where each person physically sits.

For workers with softphones at home: use their home address.

The Apply to all DIDs option propagates the same address to every number on your account. Use only if you have a single office.

A number without an E911 address can't dial 911. This isn't a "feature gate" — it's a legal requirement. Set E911 on every number, every time. We'll show warnings on numbers without E911 to remind you.

Setting a number as the default caller ID

The default caller ID is the number that displays when extensions don't have their own outbound caller ID configured.

Click Set as Default Caller ID in the number's Actions. Confirm.

You can choose to apply this only to new extensions, or retroactively update all existing extensions to use this number.

Enabling fax on a number

If your service provider's carrier supports fax for this number, you'll see a Fax action.

Click Enable Fax. The number is now able to send and receive faxes. Set up the inbound email address (where received faxes get delivered as PDFs) in the fax settings.

Not all numbers support fax. Toll-free numbers usually don't. Some DIDs from certain carriers don't. The Action will be greyed out if not available.

Requesting more numbers

Need additional numbers? Contact your service provider — they handle DID purchases for you. Tell them what area codes/cities you want.

Releasing a number

If you no longer need a number, contact your service provider. They'll release the number from your account. Once released, you may not be able to get the same number back.

If you want to keep the number but not pay for it (e.g., seasonal business), ask your provider — they may offer "park" pricing.

Porting a number to a different provider

If you're leaving this service entirely and want to take your numbers, see the porting documentation from the new provider. They'll initiate the port with your service provider as the losing carrier.

Port your numbers BEFORE deactivating your account. Once a number is released, it's much harder to port.

Stats

The summary at the top of the Phone Numbers page shows:

• Total numbers assigned
• Number of distinct rate centers (regions)
• Number of providers (anonymized as PROV-1, PROV-2)

For a single-office business, you'll typically have 1 rate center and 1-2 providers. For a multi-state business, you might have 5-10 rate centers.