Phone Numbers

Your AI receptionist needs a phone number to receive and make calls. Frontdesk provisions a dedicated number for your receptionist and provides options for call forwarding so callers reach the AI when you are unavailable.

Your provisioned number

When you set up your receptionist, Frontdesk provisions a phone number for your account. This is the number your AI receptionist answers on.

You can view your provisioned number in the Phone Number section of the receptionist dashboard. The number is displayed and can be copied for use in your marketing materials, voicemail greetings, or call forwarding setup.

Getting a phone number

During onboarding, Frontdesk walks you through provisioning a number:

  1. Choose your country.
  2. For US numbers, select your preferred area code and pick from available numbers.
  3. For non-US numbers, additional regulatory documentation may be required. The dashboard will prompt you to upload the necessary documents and guide you through the approval process.
  4. Once provisioned, your number appears in the dashboard.

The form is titled Select a Number. Enter your preferred 3-digit area code, then click Fetch Numbers to see available options, or click Get Random Number to let the system pick one for you.

Call forwarding

Call forwarding lets you send calls from your existing business number to your Frontdesk AI receptionist.

How to set up forwarding

The specific steps depend on your phone provider, but the general process is:

  1. Copy your Frontdesk provisioned phone number from the dashboard.
  2. Log in to your phone provider's settings.
  3. Set up call forwarding (usually "forward when busy" or "forward when unanswered") to your Frontdesk number.

The dashboard includes guidance and a testing flow so you can verify the forwarding works before going live.

Testing your setup

After configuring forwarding:

  1. Navigate to the phone number / test section of your receptionist dashboard.
  2. Use the built-in test call feature to place a call and confirm your receptionist answers correctly.

The button label is Make A Call. Click it to place a test call to your receptionist.

Changing your number

If you need to change the number assigned to your receptionist, use the change testing number option in the dashboard. This lets you update the number associated with your account.

Non-US numbers

For phone numbers outside the United States, Frontdesk may require additional regulatory documentation (such as business identity verification). The dashboard prompts you through this process, and the number is provisioned once the documentation is approved. You can check the status of your bundle approval at any time from the phone number settings.

Troubleshooting

  • Number not provisioned -- make sure you have completed all onboarding steps, including selecting a number and any required document verification.
  • Calls not reaching the AI -- verify that your call forwarding is set up correctly with your phone provider. Double-check the forwarded-to number matches your Frontdesk provisioned number exactly.
  • Bundle pending review -- for non-US numbers, regulatory approval can take time. Check the status in your dashboard and ensure all requested documents have been uploaded.