Phone Numbers Overview

Overview

Phone settings matter because the number is the entry point customers trust. When routing is clear, Alex answers with the right voice and logic, and your team avoids missed leads.

This workspace separates number ownership from behavior so you can request lines, route calls, and configure messaging without rebuilding pathways.

How it works

• Managed numbers are requested first, because Alex needs an approved line before you can run outbound caller ID or inbound automations.
• Inbound voice and messaging settings then attach behavior to each line, which means the same number can support predictable call and SMS experiences.
• Twilio integration is optional and useful when you already operate a BYOT inventory, so existing numbers can inherit Hello Alex pathway routing.
• Removing a number archives it rather than deleting it: it stops carrying calls and stops being billed, while its past calls stay in your history and your analytics.

Important fields

• Managed number: A HelloAlex-provisioned phone line approved by the admin team and billed monthly from your wallet.
• Area-code request: Your preferred local prefix when asking the admin team to provision a new managed line.
• Assigned number: An active managed line on your account that you can use for outbound caller ID and inbound routing.
• Inbound pathway: The published pathway Alex runs when someone calls your managed or Twilio line.
• Messaging pathway: The published pathway Alex runs when someone texts your line. Required before Batch SMS.
• Twilio BYOT: Bring-your-own-Twilio setup that imports your Twilio numbers into HelloAlex after credentials are linked.

Use cases

• Local-area outbound caller ID strategy
• After-hours inbound routing
• Twilio BYOT migration with minimal disruption

Tips

• Good to know: keeping dedicated numbers by region or campaign makes attribution easier when you review call and SMS history later.
• Good to know: messaging behavior should be saved before batch texting, otherwise the sender line can exist but still fail content routing.

1. Managed Numbers

Managed Numbers exists so billing and line provisioning stay transparent before traffic goes live. Requests move through approval, then renewal pricing appears on the assigned line.

Use Assigned Numbers to pick which line will handle inbound voice and SMS configuration next.

• A request starts with area-code preference and context, which helps admin approval align with your business intent and compliance profile.
• After approval, the line appears in Assigned Numbers and can be reused across launches, so the same caller identity stays consistent for recipients.
• Removing a number moves it to the Archived tab beside Phone Numbers. It leaves the rotation immediately, stops dialling and stops being billed, and every call it already carried stays in your history, your analytics and the bill for the period it happened in.
• Preferred Area Code: The local prefix you want for the new line, such as 415 or 628.
• Request Note: Context for the admin team — front desk coverage, local presence, or campaign use.
• Wallet Balance: Your prepaid balance. You need enough credits before a new request is accepted.
• Monthly Renewal: The recurring charge for an assigned managed line after admin approval.
• Request History: A log of pending, approved, and rejected requests with admin notes and final pricing.
• Source: Whether a number came from HelloAlex or from your own Twilio account, shown as a badge on the row.
• Archived: A removed number, kept for its record. The tab shows when it left service and why.
• Good to know: if request actions appear locked, the blocker is usually plan limits, pending approvals, or low wallet balance rather than a UI error.
• Good to know: archiving is how a number's history survives, so nothing is lost by removing a line you no longer want to dial from.
• New location phone identity
• Budget planning for recurring number costs
• Pre-campaign line provisioning

2. Inbound Voice Settings

Inbound settings define call behavior because a number without routing cannot produce consistent caller outcomes.

Run a quick inbound test call to verify the selected pathway and voice before high-volume traffic.

• You select the line first, then apply voice and routing mode, so inbound behavior remains explicit per number instead of hidden in a global default.
• When Pathway mode is saved with a published version, live callers immediately follow that flow and your call records reflect the new behavior.
• Voice: The voice Alex uses when answering inbound calls on this line.
• Routing mode: Pathway runs a published conversation flow. Prompt uses a direct instruction instead.
• Published pathway: The live pathway callers hear when Routing mode is set to Pathway.
• Model settings: Language, AI model, and related voice-engine options for inbound calls.
• Dispatch: Opening behavior such as the first sentence callers hear before the main flow.
• Good to know: a pending live badge usually means sync is still in progress, so waiting briefly avoids unnecessary re-saves.
• Main office receptionist flow
• After-hours triage
• Single-line A/B behavior validation

3. Messaging Settings

Messaging settings are the SMS equivalent of inbound voice routing, so replies stay aligned with your workflow and compliance posture.

Send a controlled SMS to confirm routing and fallback behavior before launching a larger audience.

• Each line receives its own routing mode and pathway or prompt objective, which prevents mixed behaviors when multiple teams share one workspace.
• Saving messaging behavior activates it for live texts, and those settings become the default context for single and batch SMS sends.
• Routing mode: Pathway runs a published SMS flow. Prompt uses a direct objective instead.
• Published pathway: The live pathway Alex follows when someone texts this line.
• Behavior: SMS-specific rules such as response timeout and conversation limits.
• Objective: When Routing mode is Prompt, the plain-language goal Alex follows on inbound texts.
• Good to know: if a line is selectable in launchers but replies behave unexpectedly, the usual cause is stale or unsaved messaging configuration.
• Lead qualification by text
• Appointment confirmation threads
• Separate support and marketing SMS behavior

4. Twilio Integration

Twilio integration reduces migration friction because existing BYOT numbers can keep serving traffic while gaining Hello Alex pathway controls.

Assign published pathways to imported numbers and place validation calls on each critical DID.

• Credentials establish the trust link between Twilio and the voice engine, then number sync imports eligible lines for assignment.
• Once import status is complete, each synced line can receive pathway routing, which makes BYOT behavior operationally similar to managed numbers.
• Once imported, a Twilio line can also join the rotation pool below and share outbound calls with your other numbers.
• Account SID: Your Twilio account identifier, starting with AC.
• Auth Token: The secret Twilio token used to validate and sync your account.
• Voice routing: The link status between your Twilio credentials and the voice engine for inbound routing.
• BYOT Numbers: Twilio lines synced into HelloAlex with voice, SMS, and pathway assignment controls.
• Inbound pathway: The published pathway assigned to a synced Twilio number for inbound calls.
• Good to know: connection success and import readiness are separate states, so routing controls stay disabled until import fully completes.
• Twilio retention during platform adoption
• Multi-brand BYOT inventory routing
• Unified inbound control for mixed number sources

5. Rotation Numbers

Rotation spreads your outbound calls across several numbers instead of one. A single line that carries every call is the line carriers learn to flag, and once it is flagged it stops connecting without telling you. The pool is split into two lists: the numbers in rotation, and the numbers available to swap in. A number moves between them, so replacing one that has started to struggle does not mean rebuilding anything.

Add a second number to the pool, give it a few days of warm-up, and compare its connected rate against the rest before leaning on it.

• Add numbers to the pool, and calls are shared between them instead of dialing from one line every time.
• A new number warms up rather than starting at full volume: it takes a small share of calls at first and climbs to its normal share over a set number of days.
• A rotation setup holds one inbound configuration -- the pathway that answers a callback -- and applies it to every number in the setup, so a pool of twenty numbers is configured once rather than twenty times.
• When a number stops connecting, Replace swaps it for one that has not been used yet and carries the setup's configuration across to it.
• In rotation: The numbers currently dialing. Each shows what answers a callback on it.
• Available to swap in: Numbers you own that are not dialing yet, kept ready to replace one that is struggling.
• Rotation setup: One inbound configuration -- calls or SMS -- shared by every number attached to it.
• Call interval: The shortest gap between calls from the pool. Five seconds by default; a longer gap paces a campaign more gently.
• Daily cap per number: How many calls one number may carry in a day, or unlimited if you would rather not cap it.
• Warm-up: The ramp a new number climbs before it takes a full share of the pool's calls.
• Good to know: a replaced number is never re-used automatically. Replace always reaches for a number that has not dialed yet, which is the point -- swapping in a line that was already tired would repeat the problem you were solving.
• Open any number to see its own record: how many calls it has carried, how many connected, what it did today, and which setup answers it. That page is where a number that has quietly stopped connecting becomes visible.
• The interval is a floor, not a target. A pool paced at one call every ten seconds will not go faster, however many numbers it holds.
• Outbound campaigns that would burn a single caller ID
• Replacing a number that has started going unanswered
• One callback pathway shared across a whole pool

Next step

Open Managed Numbers and confirm at least one assigned line before finalizing inbound voice and messaging behavior.