- Usage and Types of Phone Numbers ---
- Viewing Existing Phone Numbers
- Buying or Porting Phone Numbers
- Phone Numbers Settings ---
- Routing and Forwarding ---
Usage and Types of Phone Numbers
The phone numbers you can create and manage on this screen are standard ten-digit numbers (including an area code). They can be used as caller IDs for outbound calls or as direct numbers for inbound callers so they can reach users and departments faster and more conveniently. Phone numbers can also be assigned to fax and SMS lines.
One of the numbers you create here will function as the main number for your company or organization and you will assign it to an IVR menu that will greet callers and help them navigate your phone system. See more about IVR here.
Phone Numbers VS Phone Lines
Telebroad's phone system is a cloud-based PBX, meaning users are initially only assigned internal phone lines or extensions that are 3-7 digits long. Inside the company, users can reach each other by dialing these lines or extensions.
A user's phone lines can be created and managed by selecting the user in Admin Center Menu>Users & Phones and selecting Lines & Devices.
For outside callers to reach users without a phone number, they need to dial the company's main number and enter the required line or extension (or use the dial-by-name feature.)
You can, however, assign existing ten-digit phone numbers to users so they can be reached directly. The feature is also called DID – Direct Inbound Dialing.
Direct and Main Numbers
There are two types of phone numbers:
- Direct Number: These are numbers assigned to users as DID numbers so outside callers can reach them directly without having to navigate the phone system menus.
A user's direct numbers can be managed by selecting the user in Admin Center Menu>Users & Phones and selecting Direct Numbers. - Main Number: These are numbers assigned to any other phone system destinations.
You define the phone number in the General Settings>User by selecting either a user (Direct Number) or No Owner (Main Number).
Viewing Existing Phone Numbers
Access your list of existing phone numbers from Admin Center Menu>Phone Numbers.
Check one or more numbers and select 
to delete them.
Select 
on the top-right to download a CSV file of existing phone numbers showing the phone number, description, a system ID of the user to whom the number is assigned (0 if the number is not assigned to a user), the usage of the number (call or fax), destination type (phone line for user or any other destination for main numbers), and the destination number (this can also be a system ID for the destination).
Select 
to search for specific numbers by number, description, or destination. You can also search by values from the CSV file.
Buying or Porting Phone Numbers
Unlike internal lines that can be directly generated on our server, the ownership of ten-digit numbers is more complex. Often they need to be bought or ported over.
The process is usually handled by our support team and you can still port numbers by providing them with a Letter of Authorization (LOA), as explained here.
Note that the porting and buying options on the Admin Center are still in beta phase and may not yet be available on your account.
Buying a New Number
Start the buying process by selecting BUY NUMBER and enter a full or partial phone number in the Start typing a number field. You can enter regular area codes or toll-free numbers (800, 844,855,866,877, or 888).
Selecting a number will put it in the order summary box. Add any additional numbers you wish to buy to the order and select CHECKOUT.
You will be provided with an order summary detailing the monthly cost of your new number(s). If you agree with these check the box to acknowledge the charges and select PLACE ORDER.
The process may take anywhere from a few minutes and up to 4-5 hours. You will be emailed when your new number is ready and it will show in the list of existing numbers.
Porting a Number
The process of porting a phone number is a bit more involving than just buying one. You would need to have all the details of the numbers and accounts you wish to port, including a copy of an existing phone bill.
Start the process by switching over to the Port Requests tab and selecting PORT A NUMBER.
There are five sections to fill in and review. Select Next whenever you complete a section:
- Enter Numbers: Enter the full number to be ported and select Next.
You can enter multiple numbers if they are under the same name and account! If they are not you need to submit separate porting requests for each account.
- Account Info: Provide details for the account where you are porting the number(s) from. Select the Account type (Business or Personal) and fill in all the other fields – Current phone number, Billing phone number (please provide this even if it is the same number), Account number, Account PIN (this protects your account from unauthorized porting. It can be obtained from your current provider), First Name, Last Name, Email, Address, City, State, and Zip.
You need to be very precise here because typos or mistakes may delay the porting process and will require us to follow up with you for corrections.
- Porting Info: Here you select the date to start the porting process. Keep in mind this this may take a few days to complete from your selected date.
You also need to upload your latest phone bill. This allows us to compare and confirm the details you provided.
Temporary Number: While you wait for the porting to complete we can provide you with a temporary number that you can ask your current provider to forward calls to. Make sure to check the box at the top of the section to request a temporary number.
- Accept Terms: A summary of legal details related to the porting request.
- Review & Submit: Self-explanatory. Gives you a chance to correct any details or cancel the porting request.
The Porting Requests Tab
Your porting requests are summarized here:
Current Provider: The provider you are porting the number from.
Status: ???????????????????
Request Date: The date when the porting request was submitted.
FOC Date: Firm Order Commitment is a confirmation that the porting request was accepted and the date it will take place.
Temporary Number: A temporary phone number provided by Telebroad that you can ask your current provider to forward calls to while the porting request is being processed.
Make sure to check the Temporary Number box in section 3 of the porting request to be assigned with such a number.
Requested By: The name of the Admin Center user who placed the port request.
Phone Numbers Settings
Select any number or create a new one to show its settings screen. There are three expandable settings categories.
When making changes you need to make sure to SAVE each category separately.
On the top-right you can use the arrows to select the next or previous phone number without having to go back to the phone numbers list.
General Settings
Description: This is optional, but can help you remember the function of the number.
Usage: Select if the number can be used as a caller ID in the TeleConsole for calling, faxing, or both.
Caller ID Access: Select which users can use this phone number as a caller ID for outbound calls or faxes. The checkbox next to the search box lets you select or unselect all users.
Note that there is a general account setting that either allows or prevents all users from being able to change caller ID for calling or faxing. Find it under Account>Account Profile>Restrict Caller ID changes for users.
User: Selecting a user defines the number as a direct number. Selecting a No Owner defines it as a main number.
SMS Emails, eFax Emails, SMS Members, Caller ID Name: These are presently not yet supported. Future updates of the Admin Center will add their functionality.
Enable call recording: When enabled, only incoming calls on the direct number will be recorded by default.
If you wish to record outgoing calls as well, you will need to enable call recordings on each individual user's phone line by selecting the user in Admin Center Menu>Users & Phones and then selecting Lines & Devices, edit the relevant line ( 
), and select General Info>Enable call recordings. Note that enabling both call recordings options may create duplicate call recording records.
Call recrodings can be viewed and played in the Call History Report screen.
Advanced Settings
Caller Tag Name: A caller ID is usually just the caller's number! You can enter a name here that will replace or get added to the phone number when using it to make calls.
Caller Tag behavior: If you added a Caller Tag name select if you want it to Replace the number or have it displayed before or after his number (Append or Prepend).
Force caller ID: You can select a caller ID that will always be used with the number from a list of caller IDs that has all the other existing phone numbers. Select Original to use the user's own choice of caller ID.
Call Screening: Call screening gives the user an idea about the identity of a caller so he can decide if to accept the call or not.
Enable the feature by selecting:
- Yes, and play caller ID: The system will play the caller ID of the caller to the user before he decides to take the call.
- Yes, and ask caller to record (his) name: The system will prompt the caller to record his name and play it to the user before he decides to take the call.
- Play file: The system asks the caller to record his name using the user's Call Screening Message and plays the caller's name to the user before he decides to take the call.
- Play file and caller ID: The system asks the caller to record his name using the user's Call Screening Message and plays the caller's name and caller ID to the user before he decides to take the call.
- No: to disable call screening. Note that this may override routing. If you don't want to override use...
- Unchanged (defaults to): Disables call screening without affecting any routing.
Request special ring tone: Select a special tone that callers will hear while their call is ringing. Select None to keep the standard ringtone.
Force hangup after: Use this option to limit the duration of active calls, for example when you don't want call center agents to spend too much time on each call. Select from 1-1000 minutes time limit or No limit.
PIN/Confirm PIN: Enter and confirm a PIN to allow a user to remotely update the phone number's default calling route and "Play announcement before routing" message. Leave these empty to prevent updating the phone number.
For this to work you need to create an extension with a default calling route of the "Number menu" (found under the Predefined features destinations). When a user calls that extension, he can enter his phone number and PIN. The system will then prompt him to "Set the destination" or "Work with the message".
Allow to enter this number in IVR menus: When this is toggled on, callers can dial the phone number from an IVR menu to reach the user/phone line it is associated with as a direct number. If this is toggled off, the caller will get an error message when trying to dial the number.
Include in directory: Toggle this on to include the number in the Dial by Name menu. The number will be listed under the user who is selected in the number's General Settings.
Phone Number Music/Audio Selection
You can select or change the music or audio files callers hear when they get placed on hold, being routed from the phone number, or if the call screening feature is enabled.
Music on Hold
Select 
to listen to the current music or sound callers hear when placed on hold. Change the current music with Select Music or select Use Default to go back to the system's default music.
Each on-hold music selection can contain up to 10 audio files that will play in a sequence. When you select or change the music you can use the arrow buttons to switch back and forth between those files (indicated as 1/3 in the following example.)
On the Edit Music screen you can select Add Music to go to the Voice Features>Audio Files>Music on Hold options. After naming the music you can upload, record, or use text-to-speech to create music on hold sequence. See more about on-hold music and audio files here.
Call Screening Custom Message/Play Announcement Before Routing
Call screening message: If Play file or Play file and caller ID are enabled in the Enable call screening field (see General Settings in the previous section), the audio file selected here will be played to the caller to make them aware of being call-screened and ask them to record their name.
Play announcement before routing: An announcement, music, or sound played to a caller when he is routed to the phone number.
If a message/announcement has not been assigned yet, you will see the option to create one by selecting Add Sound.
Otherwise, an audio player will let you listen to the current message/announcement. Use the mini-menu (
) on the right of the audio player to Download a WAV file of the audio or change its Playback Speed.
You can Change an existing greeting or Remove it.
Adding or Changing Message/Announcement
When you select to add or change the message/announcement you will see two tabs:
- Under the Audio tab you can Upload or Record a new audio file. Select Save Sound to keep the file and assign it to the message/announcement.
You can also select an Existing Sound to pick a file from already recorded or uploaded files.
- Don't have a file to upload or prefer not to use your own voice? No problem.
Under the Text to Speech tab you can type the message/announcement and have it generated as an audio file with a voice, pitch, and accent of your choice. You can even select different languages and the text will be automatically generated in the selected language.
Select Generate and Preview to listen to the generated audio. If you are satisfied with it select Save Sound to keep it and assign it to the message/announcement.
Routing and Forwarding
Default Calling Route
This is the destination where the phone number will route calls to.
Select the type of destination from the Route To drop-down list. For your company's main number, you would commonly select an IVR menu and the main IVR associated with it. If the number is used as a user's Direct Number, you would select Phone and the user line associated with it.
You can also select any of the Admin Center's routings and features to use the phone number in any manner you wish. If the phone number is not routing to a user's phone line (Direct Number) you should set the User field to No Owner in the General Settings.
Select the actual destination from the Destination drop-down list. Not all destination types will offer this choice because some function as a destination by themselves, for example "Hang up call", "Busy tone", or "Music".
Temporary Forwarding – Override schedules and caller ID routes: You can toggle this on to have calls routed to the Default destination or a Specific number even when schedules or caller ID routings are configured and enabled.
Call Routing Schedules
This allows you to automatically route calls from the phone number based on an assigned schedule. You can assign multiple schedules, each will route calls or perform a different phone system function at different times.
You can create a new schedule as needed with the 
button and selecting Create New Schedule. You can manage existing schedules by going to Admin Center Menu>Voice Features>Schedules. Read more about how to manage and configure schedules here.
Select 
to edit an existing assigned schedule or 
to remove it from the phone number assignment (this will NOT delete the schedule from the system).
Select Add Schedule Route to assign a schedule to a phone number. Select an existing schedule from the Schedule field and a destination or feature for the call in the Route To field. Select SAVE to finish assigning the schedule.
Call Routing Based on Caller ID
This is essentially a call screening or blocking feature that lets you route calls depending on the caller ID of a caller. Use it to block unwanted callers or automatically route certain callers to the most suitable destination. You can also screen anonymous callers who hide their caller ID.
When routing, you can match a whole number or just the prefix (such as an area code). If more than one caller route matches the caller's number, the longest prefix will apply.
Select 
to edit an existing caller ID route or 
to remove it.
Select Add Caller ID Route to create a new routing and provide a whole number or a prefix. If you don't provide anything, the route will match unknown callers with hidden caller ID.
Enter the destination or system feature in the Route To field. The default destination is "Hang up call" which basically blocks unwanted calls. But you can select any destination or feature and route legitimate calls to relevant queues, agents, extensions, IVR menus, etc.
