Phone Numbers
Phone numbers in Auto-Respond are purchased through Manage Business Phones and then assigned to one or more voice agents. An agent can accept inbound calls on its assigned number, place outbound calls from it, or both.
Getting here
In Auto-Respond, go to Voice Agent → Manage Business Phones.
Buying a number
Open the purchase dialog
Click Buy a number in Manage Business Phones.
Search
Filter by country code and area code to find a number that fits your market. Numbers in your customer’s local area code have noticeably higher answer rates on outbound calls.
Confirm purchase
Select a number from the results and confirm. The number appears in your list within a few seconds.
Trial plans are limited to one purchased number. Upgrade your plan to add more. See Pricing.
Your numbers list
Each number in Manage Business Phones shows:
- The number itself in E.164 format (e.g.,
+19095551234). - SID — a unique identifier for the number.
- Creation date — when the number was purchased.
- Business — which business the number belongs to.
- Caller ID verification status — verified or unverified. See Caller ID & Trust Hub.
- Trust Hub status — configured, pending, not-configured, or error. See Caller ID & Trust Hub.
Assigning a number to an agent
Numbers must be assigned before an agent can use them.
- In Manage Business Phones, find the number.
- Click Assign to agent and pick the agent from the list.
- Set per-agent toggles:
- Accept inbound — the agent answers calls that come in to this number.
- Use for outbound — the agent places outgoing calls from this number.
- Save.
You can assign the same number to an agent as both inbound and outbound — or split them. A common setup: one number for inbound only (your public business line) and a separate local-area-code number for outbound calling campaigns.
Using your own number for outbound caller ID
The purchased number is what the customer sees by default when your agent calls them. If you want them to see your real business number instead, verify it as caller ID — see Caller ID & Trust Hub.
Removing a number
To release a number you no longer need:
- In Manage Business Phones, find the number.
- Click Remove.
- Confirm.
Removing a number is immediate. Any agent using it will stop receiving and placing calls on that number. If you have a Trust Hub profile attached, confirm the profile still has at least one number attached afterwards or future compliance may require resubmission.
How numbers are used by each agent type
- Answering Agent — requires a number with Accept inbound enabled. Customers call this number (directly, or forwarded from your main office line).
- Calling Agent — requires a number with Use for outbound enabled. The agent places one call per new lead from that number.
- Batch Calling Agent — requires a number with Use for outbound enabled. The batch origin phone number must match the country code of the recipients in the batch.
Troubleshooting
I can’t buy a number. Trial plans allow only one purchased number. Upgrade your plan, or remove an existing number you no longer use.
Calls to my purchased number aren’t reaching the agent. Confirm the number is assigned to an agent and Accept inbound is enabled. Also check the agent’s Timing — calls outside configured call hours go to voicemail or are declined. See Inbound Call Handling.
Outbound calls from my number are being flagged as spam. Complete a Trust Hub profile for the number’s business. See Caller ID & Trust Hub.
I want callers to see my existing business number, not the purchased one. That’s caller ID verification — see Caller ID & Trust Hub.
I want to forward my existing office line to the agent instead of giving out a new number. See Call Forwarding Setup.
Questions? Email support@auto-respond.com.