In this article, we are going to be reviewing and discussing the process of purchasing numbers within the Contact Center system.
Before we begin purchasing any numbers It is important to have an understanding of the different options which are available.
Options
"in every area code"
This option will attempt to purchase a DID (phone number) in every area code within the US.
"per area code in area code list"
This option will attempt to purchase a phone number from a specifically defined set of area codes, which you specifically define in the Area code list (which will be presented after you select this option).
"in every state"
This option will attempt to purchase a random phone number from every state in the US.
"per state in state list"
This option will attempt to purchase a random phone number from every state, which you specifically define in the State list (which will be presented after your select this option).
"per area code in state list"
This option will attempt to purchase a random phone number for every area code from every state, which you specifically define in the State list (which will be presented after your select this option).
Purchasing Numbers in Contact Center
Step 1
Let's first navigate over to the Numbers section within your contact center system and then select the Manage tab. On the right side, you will see a purchase number button.
Step 2
You will notice we now have several fields we must fill out. We first will be asked how many phone numbers we like to purchase. The total numbers will vary based on the next option you select. The total amount of numbers the system will purchase will be based on two factors:
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The number of phone numbers you select to purchase
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The option you select
See the examples below to give you a better sense of what you can expect to happen based.
Pro Tip:
Looking to purchase a full ACCID (Areacode Mapping) Set? Set the "purchase" number to 1 and select "in every area code".
Step 3
Within the Settings section, we will be filling out a few things:
DID Description
This will give the phone numbers a specific name, which will be helpful for searching the numbers at a later point in time or to quickly help identify a group of numbers what they do (i.e. ACCID_ABCCampaign, customer_service_2020)
Number Set
This is the number set they will be assigned to. 99% of the time you will always select "Contact Center" unless you have a custom setup and if you do, then you probably already know which one to select.
DID route
This is where you define what happens if you call these numbers. Should they be routed to an inbound queue or directly to an agent? Select the correct option and then you will be presented with one more option that will change based on the selected DID route.
Step 4
You will be presented with some details about the type of purchase you are looking to complete. If everything looks correct then type the word PURCHASE into the field and press Purchase to start the buying process.
Step 5
Once the purchase process is complete you will be provided with 1 of the following 3 scenarios:
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All your numbers are purchased as requested
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None of your numbers were available for purchase
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Some of your numbers were purchased and some of them were no available to be purchased
At this point, you might be completely done purchasing your numbers or you might want to finish up setting up the caller ID mapping for your numbers (if they are being used for area code mapping) or you might go back to look for some additional numbers in states where you initial area code is currently unavailable.
Tips:
- A lot of area codes have "overlays", search for the overlay area codes if you were looking for specific numbers, but none were available in that specific area code.
Step 6 (Optional)
Once the numbers are purchased, you might want to set up the area code mapping for those numbers. To do so, simply select the setup caller id mapping button. This will bring up the option to select the campaign(s) you wish to apply the mapping to and the Method for the mapping. Choose either "One Per Area Code" or "One Per State", then press "save" to complete the process.
"One Per Area Code"
This will map your phone number(s) to the matching area code only. For example, if your phone number is 7149998888, then the system will set up the mapping, so it will only display that specific number if you call a 714 phone number. If you call someone with a 949 number then the caller ID will revert to the default campaign caller ID setting.
"One Per State"
This will map your phone number(s) to every area code in that specific state. For example, if your phone number is 7149998888, then the system will set up the mapping so it will display this specific number if you call anyone in California (714 is a CA area code), regardless of the customer's area code is a 949, 714, 310, etc.. If you call someone with a non CA number, then the caller ID will revert to the default campaign caller ID setting.
Purchasing Toll-Free Numbers
Now purchasing a Toll-free Phone Number follows all the same steps as purchasing a local phone number for the exception for "Step 2" here there will be 3 different fields you will need to address. After this is complete you can follow steps 3 to 5.
*Note: Due to increased demand, Ytel has temporarily limited its available Toll-Free number inventory. If you are unable to obtain a new toll-free number, please contact Customer Support.
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Purchase: Here you will select the number of phone numbers you would like to purchase
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Number Prefix: Here you will select the toll-free prefix you would like to purchase
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Number Type: Here you will be able to select between voice-only or voice+SMS