Call Bridge
Call Bridge turns a captured phone number into an immediate phone call. The moment a lead shares their phone number in the conversation, Auto-Respond rings your phone, waits for you to pick up, and then dials the lead and drops both of you on the same call. No dialing, no tab-switching, no “let me call you back.”
The Call Bridge card lives on any source’s Messaging Settings → Integrations tab → Other sub-tab.
When to enable Call Bridge
Turn Call Bridge on when:
- Your leads convert dramatically better if you reach them in the first minute.
- You’re a solo operator or small team who can pick up a call during business hours.
- You already answer new-lead calls on the spot — Call Bridge just removes the manual dial step.
Leave it off (or use SMS or Slack instead) when:
- You want a written notification you can act on later, not a live ringing phone.
- You have specific hours during which your team takes calls and the source runs 24/7.
What happens, step by step
- A lead messages the source and shares a phone number.
- Auto-Respond places an outbound call from the calling phone number you picked → to your phone number.
- You answer. Auto-Respond waits until your line is actually picked up.
- Auto-Respond then dials the lead’s phone number and joins both calls on one conference line.
- You speak with the lead directly. When either side hangs up, the call ends.
If you don’t answer, the call does not proceed to the lead — they aren’t called by a silent line.
Setup
Call Bridge needs two phone numbers to be set up before it can run:
- Your phone number — the number Auto-Respond will ring when a lead shares their phone. Verified by SMS so only you control it.
- Calling phone number — the number the outbound call comes from. You choose this number from a search in the integration UI; pick by area code.
Optionally, you can also verify a Caller ID so the lead sees your number when the bridge dials them (instead of the calling phone number from step 2).
Open the Call Bridge card
Go to Sources → pick the source → Messaging Settings → Integrations tab → Other sub-tab → Call Bridge card.
Add your phone number
If you don’t already have a phone number on the card, you’ll see Add Your Phone Number.
- Enter your phone number in international format (e.g.,
+1234567890). - Click Send code. Auto-Respond sends a one-time code to that number by SMS.
- Enter the code and click Verify. The number is now saved on the card.
Add the calling phone number
Next, set the number calls will come from.
- Scroll to Add Calling Phone Number.
- Enter a 3-digit US area code (e.g.,
212) and click Search Numbers. - A list of available numbers in that area code is shown. Click Select next to the one you want.
That number is now reserved for Call Bridge on this source.
(Optional) Verify your Caller ID
By default, the lead sees the calling phone number you just picked. If you want the lead to see your personal number instead, verify it as a Caller ID.
- Under Caller ID for Lead Calls, follow the verification steps to confirm you own that number.
- Once verified, the checkbox Show my number to leads when calling (recommended) becomes available. Turn it on.
Turn on Enable
Flip the Enabled toggle at the top of the card. Call Bridge will now fire whenever a lead shares a phone number.
Options
Enable
Turns Call Bridge on or off for this source. Default: off. The toggle is disabled until both your phone number and a calling phone number are set — Call Bridge won’t run without both.
Your Phone Number
The verified number that Auto-Respond rings when a lead shares a phone. Click Remove on the card to detach it. Removing your phone number also turns Enable off.
Calling Phone Number
The outbound caller number used to place the call. This is what the lead sees by default when they pick up (unless you’ve turned on Show my number to leads when calling). Click Remove to detach it. Removing the calling phone number also turns Enable off.
Caller ID Verified
A small check badge on your phone number that shows up once you’ve verified the number as a Caller ID. When the badge is present, the Show my number to leads when calling checkbox becomes usable.
Show my number to leads when calling
Label: Show my number to leads when calling (recommended). Default: on when Caller ID is verified, off otherwise.
- When on — When Auto-Respond dials the lead, the call appears to come from your verified number. Callbacks from the lead go straight to you.
- When off — When Auto-Respond dials the lead, the call appears to come from the calling phone number on the card. Callbacks go there.
Turn this on if you want leads to save your real number. Turn it off if you want all return calls to go through the source’s assigned number instead.
Inherit from parent
Only shown on a location with a parent business. When on, the location uses the parent’s Call Bridge phone numbers and Caller ID. When off, this location has its own.
What triggers a bridge call
Only one event: the lead shares a phone number in the conversation. No other event (new lead, new message, email, etc.) fires Call Bridge. If the lead never shares a phone number, Call Bridge never runs.
What doesn’t happen
- Call Bridge doesn’t ring you on generic new-lead events — only when a phone number is captured.
- It doesn’t keep trying if you don’t answer. The lead isn’t dialed if your leg of the call wasn’t answered.
- It doesn’t replace the automated reply — Auto-Respond still sends the normal conversation response. Call Bridge runs alongside.
Troubleshooting
- The Enable toggle is greyed out — You’re missing one of the two required numbers. Add your personal number (verified by SMS) and pick a calling phone number from the search.
- The SMS code never arrives — Confirm the number is in international format (e.g.,
+1...for US), and that the carrier isn’t blocking short-code messages. - I answered but the lead was never called — Check the error log on the card. This usually means the lead’s number was invalid or the outbound call failed; the timestamp and reason are shown inline.
- Lead sees the wrong number — Check Show my number to leads when calling. If on but your Caller ID isn’t verified, the call falls back to the calling phone number. Re-verify your Caller ID.
- Call Bridge never fires — Confirm Enable is on, both numbers are set, and the lead has actually shared a phone number (check the conversation).
Questions about Call Bridge? Email support@auto-respond.com.