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Phone Numbers

The Phone Numbers page shows all phone numbers assigned to your account. From here you can order new numbers or initiate a port to transfer existing numbers from another carrier.

Viewing Phone Numbers​

Navigate to Phone Numbers from the sidebar. The table displays all numbers with their assignment status and associated port order (if applicable).

Adding Phone Numbers​

Click the Add Numbers button to see two options:

Order New Numbers​

Search available phone numbers from inventory and order them for your account.

  1. Click Add Numbers → Order New Numbers.
  2. Browse or search for available numbers.
  3. Select the numbers you want.
  4. Choose where the numbers should route calls — a user, dial plan, voice app, queue, ring group, or shared voicemail — so they're ready to take calls as soon as they're added. This step is optional; choose Set up routing later to configure each number from its detail page afterward.
  5. Complete the order.

Port Existing Numbers​

Transfer phone numbers you already own from another carrier to DialStack.

  1. Click Add Numbers → Port Existing Numbers.
  2. This launches the port order wizard. See Port Orders for the full process.

Directory Listing​

The Directory Listing card on the Settings page lets you register one of your phone numbers in national directory databases, 411 directory assistance, and online business directories. Only one number per account can have an active listing. Temporary numbers are not eligible.

Why directory listing matters​

A registered directory listing feeds your business information into the national directory database, which in turn distributes it to online business directories, mapping services, and data aggregators that people use every day to find local businesses. Having consistent, accurate information in this network helps customers find you and builds confidence that your business is established and legitimate.

Directory registration also affects how your outbound calls are perceived. Carriers and call-screening apps cross-reference calls against directory databases. A number with a verified business listing is far less likely to be flagged as spam, which means your calls are more likely to be answered. For a small business that relies on calling customers back — appointment confirmations, follow-ups, estimates — this directly impacts your ability to reach people.

Setting up a listing​

  1. Navigate to Settings.
  2. In the Directory Listing card, select the number you want to list from the dropdown.
  3. Choose a listing type:
    • Listed — your business name, address, and phone number are published in directory databases, available via 411, and distributed to online directories.
    • Non-Listed — stored in the directory database for caller verification but not published in directories. Still available via 411.
    • Non-Published — stored for caller verification only. Not available via 411, printed, or online directories.
  4. Enter your business name (max 200 characters).
  5. Optionally select a location to include your address in the listing.
  6. Click Save. The update is submitted to the carrier and may take a short time to process.

To change which number is listed, select a different number from the dropdown. The old listing will be removed automatically. To remove the listing entirely, select None.

Phone Number Details​

Click any active phone number in the list to open its detail page. From here you can view and manage the number's settings.

Temporary Numbers​

If the number is temporary, an informational banner appears at the top of the detail page explaining that the number is not permanently assigned and showing when it will expire. Click Keep this number in the banner to convert it into a permanent number — the expiry is removed and the number behaves like any other on the account.

When a temporary number reaches its expiry, it is automatically released back to the carrier. Released numbers appear under the Cancelled tab on the phone numbers list. From there you can click Recover to attempt to re-acquire the number; recovery may fail if the carrier has already reassigned it elsewhere.

E911​

If the phone number is associated with a location that has E911 configured, an E911 card appears showing the current provisioning status and the linked location name. This is display-only — E911 configuration is managed through the Locations page.

Inbound​

The Inbound card controls where incoming calls to this number are directed. Use the routing target picker to route calls to a user, ring group, dial plan, or voice app. The change takes effect immediately.

To deliberately turn a number into a dead end, choose Route to nothing (drop calls) at the top of the picker. You'll be asked to confirm, because incoming calls will then be dropped immediately — the caller hears no ring, no voicemail, and no message. This is distinct from a number with no routing target set, which rings everyone on the account so a new number never silently loses calls. Restore normal handling at any time by picking a routing target again.

  • Caller ID prefix — an optional label added in front of the incoming caller's name shown on the device that answers. For example, with a prefix of [Acme] a call from John Smith rings as [Acme] John Smith. This is useful when calls to a number are answered on behalf of a specific brand or business, so whoever answers knows which company the caller is trying to reach. It affects only what the answering party sees; it does not change call history or reporting. Leave the field empty for no prefix.

Outbound​

The Outbound card controls outbound calling settings for the number.

  • Outbound Calling — toggle whether users can place outbound calls using this number as their caller ID.
  • Caller ID Name — the name displayed to the called party on outbound calls (also known as CNAM). Maximum 15 characters; letters, digits, spaces, and & , . ' - ( ) are allowed. Edit the field and confirm the change in the dialog that appears. Only one caller ID change can be pending per phone number at a time — once submitted, no further updates will be accepted for that number until the carrier finishes processing (up to 72 hours).
note

Caller ID can only be updated for active phone numbers.

Fax​

The Fax card controls fax handling for the number.

tip

Use a dedicated number for fax. Because a fax-enabled number stops handling inbound voice and bypasses its routing, turning fax on for a number that's also used for calls — a user's line, a ring group, a dial plan — will take it out of those voice flows. Set aside a separate number for faxing to avoid clashing with your voice setup.

  • Fax Enabled — toggle whether this number is set up for faxing. Toggling it asks you to confirm, because while fax is enabled inbound calls to the number are received as faxes instead of voice — it no longer takes inbound voice calls, and its inbound routing target is bypassed (kept, and it resumes when you disable fax).
  • Delete fax documents — controls whether a copy of each fax is kept.
    • Off (the default): faxes are stored. A received fax is kept here to view and download, and its notification email links to it.
    • On: faxes aren't stored. A received fax is sent only as an attachment on the notification email and no copy is kept, and a fax you send has its source file deleted once it finishes (delivered or failed).
    • With this on, the email is the only copy of a received fax, so at least one notification recipient is required — the toggle stays off until you add a recipient, and you can't remove the last recipient while it's on.
  • Notification Recipients — when fax is enabled, add the email addresses notified when a fax is received on this number. Enter an address and click Add; remove one with the trash icon. Each recipient must be a valid, unique email address, and you can add up to 10. Leave the list empty to receive faxes without email notifications — unless Delete fax documents is on, which needs at least one recipient.

Recipients are configured per phone number, so different fax numbers can notify different people. Account-wide fax volume limits are configured separately on the account Settings page.

Cancelling a Number​

To permanently cancel a phone number, open the detail page and click Cancel Number at the bottom. A confirmation dialog will appear before the number is cancelled.

warning

Cancelling a number releases it back to the carrier. The number will stop receiving and making calls. You can attempt to recover it from the Cancelled tab, but this may fail if the carrier has already reassigned it.

Port Order Status​

If a phone number has an associated port order, clicking the row navigates you to the port order detail page where you can track the transfer progress.