How to Set Up Your Phone Number
**Important Resource: at around minute 9:30 of the video, you will get to the step in the setup process where you have to add a screenshot of an Opt-in Workflow Image URL. Instead of creating your own URL, you can use this one: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15GgnbLiEYVOSMNDn-SY7GVJjN2w4OehY/view?usp=sharing. Simply copy and paste that link into the box under "Opt-in Workflow Image URLs" when prompted to do so.
Log into your dashboard. In the bottom left-hand corner, click on Settings.
In the settings menu on the left-hand side, click on Phone Numbers.
Click on the blue + Add Number button in the top right corner. In the dropdown menu that appears, select Add Phone Number.
Now you can choose the number you want to use. You can set your country to change the numbers available to choose from, or use the Filter button to see more options. Use the following filters to find a number that you like:
Search by digit or phrases. Use this to search for numbers with specific numeric orders (e.g. your local area code) or numbers that correspond to letters to spell something (e.g. 468378 to spell INVEST).
Match to. Use this to specify which part of the number you want your search to line up with (e.g. for an area code, select match to First part of number).
Capabilities. It’s recommended to keep all of these options selected (SMS, MMS and Voice).
Number Type. Choose a local number and/or a toll-free number.
**Note** You’ll see that there’s a small charge to set up the phone number, and it’s a little higher for a toll-free number. If you have any credits included in your plan, the cost is deducted from those; if you are on the Starter plan, it will simply be billed to your account.
Once you have selected the number you want to use, click the blue Proceed to Buy button in the lower right corner. Once you have the purchase confirmation, it’s a good idea to copy the number down somewhere.
Click the blue Verify this Number button in the lower right corner. (If you see a blue button that says Register for A2P, skip to step 9.) Fill out the next two forms that come up with your business information. (This is a necessary step the system takes to prevent spam numbers from being created.)
The third form that comes up is the Messaging use case form. Here the system just wants to know how you’re planning to use the number and how much. Let’s go through the fields on this form one by one:
Estimated Monthly Volume. How many text messages do you estimate or expect to send in a month?
Opt-in Type. How will most people be opting in to receive text messages from you? If it’s through your website, select Web Form.
Use Case Categories. What is the purpose of your communication with this phone number? Customer Care and/or Marketing are most likely to apply, but you can browse the options and choose the one(s) that best fit your business.
Opt-in Workflow Image URLs. What they want here is proof that you’re actually going to use this phone number to text people (i.e. not spam). You can use this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15GgnbLiEYVOSMNDn-SY7GVJjN2w4OehY/view?usp=sharing. Just copy and paste that link to be verified in the Opt-in Workflow Image URLs form box.
Use Case Description. Give a general description of how you plan to use the number. You can click on See example next to this field on the form to get ideas. You can even copy and paste the example into the box and just change the wording to fit your business.
Message Content. Share an example of what you will be sending to people. Again, you can click to see a couple of examples. You can even copy and paste one of the examples and just edit it to fit you and your business.
Click the blue Send Information for Verification button, and you’re done!
Now your number should show up with “Verification in Progress” underneath. That is for text messages, so you should be able to make phone calls from your new number.
If after buying your phone number you see a blue button that says Register for A2P, click on it. (This is a verification process legally required to prevent spam numbers from being created.)
Scroll to the bottom and click the blue Start Registering Now button.
Fill out your business information in the following steps that appear on the screen.
Where it asks for a tax ID. This is not strictly necessary to use the phone number for sms, but if you’re going to set it up with a business entity (like an LLC), it’s a good idea to get your tax ID and enter it here. It helps with brand recognition and trust for your company.
Campaign Details / Messaging Use Case. This section asks for some basic info on how you plan to use your phone number. For further instructions on how to fill out this section, see step 7 of this tutorial.
