Placing a call in dialnote takes a few clicks. The dialer is a floating, draggable pane you can open from anywhere in the app, so you don't lose your place while you work. Let's walk through how to call out and what you can do once you're connected.
Before you start#
You'll need at least one phone number on your account, and your role needs call access to it. Your own email address and phone number have to be verified too. Numbers come in three access levels: full access (owner), call & text (shared user), and view only. View only applies to incoming calls: a view only number won't ring you.
To call from a specific number, pick it in the dialer's Make the call from selector. dialnote shows the recipient your verified caller ID for that number when one is set.
Place an outbound call#
- Open the dialer with Start Call in the left sidebar, or the call tab in the bottom bar on mobile. If your account has no number yet, that item reads Get Phone Number.
- Type or paste a phone number, or search your contacts.
- Pick a result from the dropdown to dial right away, or tap the green call button.
The green call button stays disabled until the number you typed is in full international format, starting with +. The dropdown's Dial row is more forgiving: it adds the country code from the number you're calling from. If your wallet is empty, or calling is paused for billing, a banner appears above the search box and the call won't go through.
Pro tip
While you're on a call, the 0-9, * and # keys on your physical keyboard send touch tones to the other side. When the dialer is idle, digits you type land in the search box and build a Dial suggestion you can pick.
Controls during a call#
Once you're connected, the dialer shows a row of call controls:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mute | Silences your microphone. Tap again to unmute. |
| Hold | Pauses the call and plays hold music for the other side. |
| Record | Starts recording. Tapping again pauses (doesn't stop) so you can resume into the same recording. |
| Keypad | Opens the dial pad to send touch tones (for IVR menus). |
| Add participant | Brings a third person onto the call as a conference. |
| Transfer | Hands the call off to a teammate. |
| End | Hangs up. |
Hold, Add participant and Transfer need a Team, Business or Pro plan. They're on during the 10-day free trial, but not on Solo.
Recording mid-call#
The Record button toggles between three states: a circle to start, a red pause icon while recording, and an amber play icon when paused. Pausing keeps a single recording rather than creating a new one each time. You can't pause during the free trial, or before your business details are approved: calls stay recorded the whole way through. Whether calls record automatically depends on the number's setup — see Call recording.
Transfer a call#
Tap Transfer to choose how you hand the call off:
- Cold transfer — the call moves to the new person immediately, and you drop off.
- Warm transfer — the original caller goes on hold while you brief the recipient first, then you complete or cancel the transfer.
For either mode, pick the teammate you're handing off to by searching your team by name or email. Transfer targets are teammates only, so you can't transfer a call to an outside phone number.
Keyboard shortcuts#
When the dialer is open, these shortcuts work without reaching for the mouse:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + M / Cmd + M | Toggle mute |
| Ctrl + H / Cmd + H | Toggle hold |
| Ctrl + K / Cmd + K | Toggle the keypad (only while connected or on hold) |
| Esc | End the call (only while connected or on hold) |
On a Mac
Use the Command (⌘) key instead of Ctrl — both trigger the same shortcuts.
After the call#
If the number you called from has AI transcription turned on, dialnote can transcribe the call and generate a summary once it ends. You manage these in the number's AI & Intelligence settings. Learn more in Call transcription.
What's Next#
- Receiving calls — handle incoming calls
- Caller ID — set the number people see
- Phone number settings — recording, voicemail, and more
- Call transcription — automatic transcripts and summaries