Phone numbers are the foundation of your dialnote setup. Each number you add becomes a dedicated line for your business — capable of handling calls, texts, voicemail, and even AI agent conversations. You can get local numbers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, or a toll-free number to give your team a professional presence.
Types of Numbers#
dialnote supports three types of phone numbers:
Local numbers display an area code from a specific city or region. They're great when you want callers to see a familiar local presence. For example, a business in Austin might get a (512) number even if their team works remotely from different states.
Toll-free numbers (like 800, 888, 877) let customers call without paying long-distance charges. These work well for support lines and give your business a national feel.
Mobile numbers are available in select countries and can send and receive SMS alongside voice calls.
Where numbers are available
You can buy local numbers in the US, Canada, the UK, and France today, plus toll-free numbers in the US, Canada, and the UK, and mobile numbers in the UK. Already have a business number elsewhere? US and Canada numbers can be ported in — see Getting Numbers.
Choosing the right type
Most businesses start with one local number for their primary market. Add toll-free later if you want a single nationwide line, or get additional local numbers for different departments or regions.
What You Can Do With Each Number#
Every phone number in dialnote comes with its own set of configurable features:
- Call routing — Set up custom call flows with IVR menus, ring groups, and forwarding rules
- AI agents — Connect an AI voice agent to answer calls 24/7
- Recording and transcription — Auto-record calls with AI-generated transcripts and summaries
- Voicemail — Custom greetings with automatic transcription
- Business hours — Define when the number accepts calls vs. sends to after-hours routing
- SMS messaging — Send and receive text messages on capable numbers, once your plan includes texting and your US local or toll-free number has cleared A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification
- Team access — Share numbers with team members who need visibility
Number Capabilities#
When you browse available numbers, you'll see capability badges showing what each number supports:
| Capability | What it means |
|---|---|
| Voice | Can make and receive phone calls |
| SMS | Can send and receive text messages |
| MMS | Can send and receive picture messages |
Not all numbers support every capability. Toll-free numbers in some regions, for instance, might not support SMS. dialnote shows you exactly what each number can do before you buy it.
Sharing Numbers With Your Team#
Phone numbers support flexible team access. When you own a number, you can share it with other team members and control what they can do:
- Full access members have full control. They can change settings, delete the number, and manage other members
- Call & text members can make and receive calls, send messages, and get notifications for that number, but they can't change settings
- View only members can see call history and recordings for the number without being able to make calls or send messages
This means a single support line can be visible to your whole support team, while sales numbers stay private to the sales department.
Member visibility
The phone numbers list shows a member count for each number you have access to. Numbers owned by teammates appear under Team Numbers, with the owner's name instead of a count. Click "Manage Members" on any number you own to add or remove people. No plan caps how many people you can add to a single number. What limits you is your plan's user count: Solo includes 1 user, the free trial 10, and Team, Business, and Pro are unlimited.
Plans and Limits#
How many numbers you can hold depends on your plan. New trial accounts start with one number and can pick a US or Canadian local number. If your business is based elsewhere, you start on a temporary US number and can swap it once for a local number in your own region through the Switch Number flow. Need more lines for extra departments or regions? You can add numbers as your plan allows, and buy extra numbers as add-ons on a paid plan; trial accounts stay at one number. If you hit your limit, dialnote prompts you to upgrade before you can add another.
Removing a number is permanent. When you delete one, dialnote releases it back to the carrier and wipes its call flow, voicemail, business hours, and other settings — and everyone loses access right away. You can't recover a released number, so double-check before confirming. dialnote asks you to write down why you're releasing it, and that reason is required.
Deleting is permanent
A released number can't be recovered, and the same number may not be available to buy again later. The number's owner, your organization's owners and admins, and any member given owner-level access to the number can delete it. Trial accounts can't release a number at all, so you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan first.
What's Next#
Ready to set up your numbers? These guides walk through each part:
- Getting Numbers — Search, buy, or port in a number for your region
- Phone Number Settings — Recording, voicemail, business hours, and messaging
- Caller ID — Show your real business number on outbound calls
- Call Routing & IVR — Build flows that direct calls to teams, queues, or AI agents
- Making Calls — Use the dialer and call controls