Phone System
Everything you need to call and text from Vendi Today — getting a number, making and routing calls, voicemail, texting compliance, and keeping your caller reputation clean.
56 articles
Getting Started with the Phone System
- Phone System OverviewVendi Today includes a built-in phone system for calling and texting your contacts — no third-party phone provider or separate signup required.
- Phone System Pricing & BillingPhone system costs are pulled from your account's wallet automatically as you use the system — there's no separate invoice to manage.
- The Phone Dialer OverviewThe dialer is the browser-based calling console built into Vendi Today — place calls, answer them, and handle everything around a conversation without leaving the app.
- Audio Device Settings in the Web DialerConfigure your microphone, speaker, and ring device so calls sound right and inbound calls ring where you expect.
- Call ScriptsGive your team an on-screen talk track they can follow during a live call, right inside the dialer.
Phone Numbers
- Buying a Phone NumberRent a new local or toll-free number in seconds, or bring in a number you already own.
- Toll-Free Number VerificationToll-free numbers used to send SMS/MMS in the US and Canada must be verified before they can text at full volume.
- Moving & Porting Phone NumbersBring an existing phone number into Vendi Today — port it from another carrier, or move it from another account.
- Number HostingKeep your existing number for voice calls with your current carrier while routing its text messaging through Vendi Today.
- Deleting & Restoring a Phone NumberDeleting a phone number releases it back to the carrier pool — you have 10 days to restore it before it's gone for good.
- Assigning Phone Numbers to UsersAssigning a number to a user means every inbound call to that number rings that specific person.
- Phone Number Configuration OptionsEvery number has its own configuration panel where you control how it handles incoming calls.
- Identity Verification (KYC) for Phone NumbersTelecom regulators require providers to confirm who's behind a phone number before it can call or text — this one-time check covers your account.
- Regulatory Bundles & Address VerificationMany countries require a regulatory bundle — verified documents proving who you are and where you're located — before you can activate a local number there.
Calling
- Making Outbound CallsPlace calls straight from your browser using the web dialer — no desk phone or separate app required.
- Call ForwardingForward your personal phone into Vendi Today, or make sure calls to your Vendi Today number ring your mobile app.
- Geo Permissions for CallingOutbound calling is restricted to a small set of countries by default — a deliberate fraud safeguard, not a bug.
- Call Connect: Accurate Call Status TrackingCall Connect requires a human to press a key to accept a call, so your reports only count genuinely answered calls.
- Call Tracking with Number PoolsShow different tracking numbers to different website visitors so you know exactly which campaign or page drove each call.
- SIM-Based Calling in the Mobile AppBefore you've purchased a phone number, the mobile app lets you call contacts through your phone's own SIM card and native dialer.
- Local Presence DialingAutomatically show a caller ID matching the recipient's area code so outbound calls look local and get answered more often.
- India Phone Numbers & Voice CallingIndia-based numbers work differently because of local telecom regulations, and ship with a reduced feature set.
- Call DispositionsDispositions turn 'what actually happened on that call' into structured data you can automate and report on.
- Using Call Data in WorkflowsThe Call Details workflow trigger starts an automation whenever information about a call is recorded or updated.
- Troubleshooting Call QualityChoppy audio, echo, or dropped calls almost always trace back to your network or device — work through these checks in order.
- Inbound Call Rate LimitsInbound calls are rate-limited per number to prevent spam and abuse — useful to know if you're expecting a call spike.
Call Routing & IVR
Voicemail
Texting & SMS
- Sending MMS (Media Messages)Attach an image, GIF, or video to a text and the platform automatically sends it as MMS instead of plain SMS.
- SMS & MMS PricingText messages are billed per **segment**, not per message — so a long message can cost more than one credit even though you only hit send once.
- SMS & MMS File Size LimitsCarriers cap how large a media attachment can be on a text message, and the cap depends on the recipient's carrier — not just yours.
- Shortened URLs and SMS DeliverabilityPublic link shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl, and similar) actively hurt SMS deliverability. It's worth understanding why before you build a texting campaign around them.
- SMS Deliverability Best PracticesA few consistent habits make the difference between texts that land in someone's inbox and texts that get silently filtered by a carrier.
- International SMS ComplianceTexting rules vary significantly by country. If you're messaging contacts outside the US, check whether your destination country has specific requirements — a few notable ones below.
- SMS Compliance SettingsRather than manually typing opt-out language and your business name into every message, you can have the system add and refresh this automatically.
- Messaging Acceptable Use PolicyCarriers actively police what gets sent over SMS/MMS, and violations can get your number — or your whole account — suspended, sometimes with financial penalties passed through by the carrier. Here's what's off-limits and what's required on everything else.
- Increasing Messaging LimitsEvery account starts with a daily sending limit that increases gradually over time — a "ramp" designed to protect your deliverability, not slow you down arbitrarily. Jumping straight to high volume is one of the most common ways to trigger carrier filtering or a suspension, so the limits exist for your own benefit.
- Troubleshooting SMS DeliveryWhen a text fails, the fastest path to a fix is reading the specific error rather than guessing. Here's how to work through it.
RCS Messaging
- RCS Messaging OverviewRCS (Rich Communication Services) is the modern successor to SMS/MMS — it lets you send branded, interactive messages instead of plain text.
- Sending RCS MessagesOnce your RCS sender is approved (see **RCS Messaging Overview**), you build messages as reusable snippets and send them to your contacts.
A2P Registration & Compliance
- What Is A2P 10DLC?A2P 10DLC ("Application-to-Person, 10-Digit Long Code") is the registration system US and Canadian carriers require before a regular local phone number can send business text messages at scale. If you plan to text US contacts from a standard local number, this registration is required — not optional.
- Registering Your A2P Brand & CampaignRegistration happens in two parts: first your **Brand** (who you are), then your **Campaign** (what you're texting about). Both live under the Trust Center.
- A2P Campaign Use CasesWhen registering a campaign, you have to declare a **use case** — the category that best describes what you're actually texting about. Carriers use this to set your filtering rules and throughput, so picking the right one matters.
- A2P Campaign Rejections & How to Fix ThemIf your A2P campaign gets rejected, the reason is almost always one of a handful of recurring issues — most are fixable and eligible for resubmission.
- Linking a Number to Your A2P Campaign (Error 30034)**Error 30034** means the number you're sending from isn't linked to an approved A2P campaign — the campaign itself may be approved, but this specific number was never connected to it.
Caller Reputation & Spam Prevention
- Number IntelligenceNumber Intelligence is a bundle of three checks the system can run automatically on unknown phone numbers, so your team spends less time on spam and dead-end texts.
- Caller Reputation & Spam PreventionIf your calls are showing up as "Spam Likely," going unanswered, or your texts aren't landing, the underlying cause is usually your number's reputation with carriers. Here's how reputation is built, how it breaks, and how to repair it.
- CNAM: Displaying Your Business Name on Caller IDCNAM (Caller Name Presentation) is what lets a recipient see your business name — instead of just a bare phone number — when you call them from a US number.
- What Is SHAKEN/STIR?SHAKEN/STIR is an industry-standard protocol that cryptographically confirms you actually own the number you're calling from. It's the main defense against caller ID spoofing across the phone network.
- Verified Caller IDA verified caller ID lets you show a phone number you already personally own — instead of your assigned business number — as the caller ID on outbound calls.
Reporting & Analytics
- Messaging AnalyticsThe messaging analytics dashboard shows how your text messages are actually performing — not just that you sent them, but whether they arrived.
- Call Recording & TranscriptionRecord calls for training and quality review, and optionally get an automatic written transcript so you don't have to re-listen to find what was said.
Compliance & Troubleshooting
- Why Your Phone System Access Was SuspendedIf calling or texting suddenly stops working across your whole account rather than on one number, it's usually a compliance suspension rather than a technical bug.
- Phone System Error CodesWhen a call or text fails, the system logs a specific error code that tells you exactly why — far more useful than "message failed." A few of the most common ones: