Phone numbers
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A number is what makes an agent reachable. Vociply sells numbers in over sixty countries, connects numbers you already hold, and works fine behind a number you keep exactly where it is.
Three ways to get a number
| Approach | Best when | Takes |
|---|---|---|
| Buy one in Vociply | You are starting fresh, testing, or want a separate line for the AI. | Two minutes |
| Forward your existing number | You have a number customers already know and cannot disturb. | Ten minutes, at your current provider |
| Connect a number you own | The number already sits in your connected voice account. | One minute |
Buy a cheap number and point your agent at it while you tune. Test on that, in private, for as long as you need. Only when you are happy do you forward the real business line to it — and if anything goes wrong, you undo one setting at your provider and you are back to normal.
Buying one in the app
Open Phone Numbers and start a purchase
Phone NumbersBuy Number. Choose a country — Kenya, Nigeria, the US, the UK and Australia are the best-supported, with over sixty available in total.
Pick a number from the list
Available numbers appear with their monthly cost. Where area codes are offered, a local one is worth having: people answer local numbers noticeably more often than unfamiliar ones.
Confirm
The number is yours immediately and appears in your list. Rental is charged monthly and separately from your call minutes.
Attach it to an agent
A number with no agent behind it rings nowhere. Attach it from the number, or from AgentsEditPhone.
Local regulators in several countries require proof of address or a registered business before a number can be issued, and some restrict numbers to businesses based in that country. If a country needs paperwork, the app tells you at purchase. This is a legal requirement, not a Vociply policy — and it is why forwarding is often the faster route into a new market.
Keeping your existing number
You do not have to move your number to use Vociply. Leave it exactly where it is and forward it — your customers keep dialling what they have always dialled.
Buy a Vociply number and attach your agent
Test it thoroughly. Nothing customer-facing has changed yet.
Set up forwarding at your current provider
In your telco or PBX settings, forward your business number to the Vociply number. Every provider words it differently — “call forwarding”, “divert”, “follow me”, “call routing”.
Choose what kind of forwarding
- Always — the AI answers everything. Simplest, and right if the AI is genuinely the front door.
- On no answer — humans get first refusal, the AI catches what they miss. The most popular setup.
- On busy — the AI is the overflow. No caller ever gets an engaged tone.
- Out of hours — humans by day, AI at night and weekends.
Ring your own business number
The agent should answer. If it does not, the forwarding rule has not taken effect.
Porting the number to Vociply outright is also possible, and worth it long-term if you are consolidating. It takes days to weeks depending on the country and involves the losing carrier, so do it deliberately rather than in a hurry.
Pointing a number at an agent
A number belongs to exactly one agent at a time. An incoming call has to be answered by something specific, so there is no way to split one number between two agents.
- Several numbers → one agent is fine, and common: local numbers in three cities, one consistent agent behind them.
- One number → several agents is not possible directly. Use one front-door agent with a Handoff tool that routes to specialists — Tools.
- Deleting an agent detaches its number but keeps it on your account, ready to reattach.
Rental is charged for holding the number, not for using it. If you are done with one, release it — do not just detach it and forget.
Which number shows when you call out
For campaigns and lead callbacks, the agent’s attached number is what appears on the recipient’s screen. That has real consequences for whether anyone picks up:
- Use a local number. Answer rates for local numbers are dramatically higher than for foreign or unfamiliar ones.
- Use a number that can be called back. People do ring back, and reaching a dead line destroys trust. Point return calls at an inbound agent or a real desk.
- Keep it consistent. Rotating caller IDs to dodge filters is a spam pattern, it gets numbers blocked, and in several markets it is illegal.
Number questions
How much does a number cost?
It varies by country and number type, and the exact monthly price is shown before you confirm the purchase. It is charged separately from your plan’s call minutes.
Can I get a toll-free number?
In markets where they are available, yes, and they appear alongside local numbers when you search. They usually cost more per month and per minute — worth it for a national support line, rarely worth it for outbound.
Can the agent send and receive SMS on its number?
Sending, yes — attach a Send Message tool and the agent can text callers during or after a call. Inbound SMS is not handled conversationally; Vociply is a voice platform.
What format do I use when typing a number?
Always international, with the plus: +254712345678, +2348012345678, +447700900123, +15551234567. Local formats like 0712345678 are ambiguous and will not dial reliably.
My number was bought but calls are not reaching the agent.
Check three things in order: the number is attached to an agent; that agent is not deleted; and, if you are forwarding, the rule at your provider is actually active. Ring the Vociply number directly to isolate which side is at fault.