Phone Numbers and Deployment
A Frontline agent answers the calls made to its phone number. Numbers come from the organisation's Twilio account, and each number can belong to one agent at a time. When an agent gets a number, the number is pointed at the agent so its calls start reaching it. This page covers choosing a number, moving one between agents, and what to do when calls are not getting through.
Background agents do not use phone numbers.
Before You Start
- Role: Admin or Organisation Admin. See Roles and Permissions.
- Twilio connected. The organisation's Twilio account must be connected, with at least one phone number in it. See Twilio.
Where to Choose a Number
- While building with IQ: on the Publish step, under Phone Number. See Building an Agent with IQ.
- In the editor: in the Phone number section. The number takes effect when the draft is published. See The Agent Editor.
- On a live agent without a number: select Add Number on its card in Agents, or at the top of the agent's page.
- On a live agent with a number: change it in Quick Config or the editor, then publish. If calls are not reaching the agent, the notice on its page also offers Change Number.
A number is optional. A Frontline agent without one still works in the playground, and shows No Phone Number in the Agents filter.
Giving a Live Agent a Phone Number
- Select Add Number, or Change Number on the deployment notice. "Give It a Phone Number" or "Change Phone Number" opens.
- Under "Which Number Should Callers Dial?", choose a number. Use Search numbers to find one in a long list.
- Select Save Number.
Calls to the number go to the agent as soon as you save. If the agent has unpublished changes, the window says "This Also Publishes Your Draft", because saving the number publishes those changes too. Publish or discard them first if they are not ready.
Reading the Number List
Each number says where it stands:
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| free in your account | Not used by anything. Choosing it has no side effects. |
| this agent's number | Already belongs to this agent |
| answers followed by a name | In use by another agent, the contact centre or another app |
| can't take calls | The number cannot receive voice calls |
To bring in a number newly bought in Twilio, select Refresh. Get a new number opens Twilio to buy one.
Using a Number That Is Already in Use
Choosing a number that is in use opens "This Number Is in Use". It says who uses the number now and what happens if you take it. Using it here moves its calls to this agent. When taking the number would leave another agent with no number, the window also says that agent will be disabled.
The current owner can be:
- Another agent in this environment
- Another agent in a different environment
- The contact centre
- Another app connected to the Twilio account
Select Use This Number to go ahead, or Cancel to choose another.
Taking a number from the contact centre or another agent means calls to that number stop going where they went before. Check with whoever relies on the number first.
When There Are No Numbers
- "Connect Twilio to see your numbers." Twilio is not connected. Select Connect Twilio, or see Twilio.
- "Every number in your Twilio account is already in use." Buy or port a number in Twilio, then select Check Again. Buy a Number in Twilio opens Twilio.
- "Couldn't load your numbers." Select Try again.
Changing Number on Publish
When a published agent's draft has a different number, the publish review warns "The number callers dial changes". Calls to the old number stop reaching the agent as soon as the version is published. See Publishing and Versions.
Deployment
After an agent gets a number, or a version is published, the number is set up to send its calls to the agent. This is called deployment, and it usually finishes within moments. While it runs, the agent page shows Deployment pending: "The phone number for this agent is still being set up."
Troubleshooting Deployment
If deployment does not finish, the agent page shows a notice, and the agent's status in Agents changes.
Not answering. The notice reads "Inbound calls are not reaching this agent". Callers dialling the number do not reach the agent. The notice says when the last attempt failed, and may include the reason Twilio gave.
Deployment unconfirmed. The notice reads "This deployment was never confirmed". The number may or may not be pointed at the agent. Retrying is safe.
To fix either:
- Select Retry deployment on the notice.
- If it fails again, the notice reads "Retrying the deployment failed. Try again shortly." Wait a minute and retry.
- If retries keep failing, check the Twilio account is still connected and the number is still in it. See Twilio. To use a different number, select Change Number.
What Happens Next
- Call the number and check the call appears in sessions
- Turn the agent off when it should stop taking calls