Dedicated numbers (also known as a virtual or static number) are an ideal way to create familiarity and loyalty among your recipients. Using a dedicated number means that all of your messages will come from the same number, which your recipients can save so they know who's messaging them. Dedicated numbers are available for outbound, or inbound - they can also start a conversation by sending an SMS to your dedicated number.
If you've had dedicated number functionality enabled on your account, you can easily choose your own dedicated number straight from the numbers page.
Important - in order to manage dedicated numbers for your Hub account:
- You need account administrator credentials.
- You need to be logged in to the parent account - you can use the account switcher in the Hub menu.
- If you want to share your dedicated with a sub-account, account admins will need to contact our support team.
Number types
Long codes
A Long Code is basically just a standard phone number used to send and receive voice calls and SMS messages. Long code numbers are typically 10 digits long, although this may vary in some countries.
An example of a long code in Australia is 0412 345 678 - a typical Australian mobile number.
Short codes
A short code is essentially a special, shortened phone number that's used to send and receive SMS messages in high volumes.
Short codes are pre-approved by carriers, and there are different types of short codes for different regions. This pre-approval means that your messages are far less likely to be marked as spam by that region's carriers - which makes short codes ideal for sending large-volume broadcasts, or important messages that you need to get through quickly.
Add a dedicated number
- Navigate to Settings > Numbers > Active > Add a number
- In the resulting modal, configure the following:
A) Give your number a nickname for easy reference.
B) Select the desired country and area code (if applicable) to display a list of available numbers.
C) Choose the number you want by clicking the radio button in the Select column - click the arrow button to scroll through the available numbers.
D) Click on Add dedicated number to have your selected number added to you account.
Important: Pricing is displayed in your local currency, however the pricing shown is the standard price for that number type. If you have custom pricing for numbers in your plan, it will not reflect on this page.
Once your dedicated number is activated, you can select it on an ad-hoc basis when sending a new message by selecting the option from the Sender ID list.
You can also update the default sender ID so that all future messages will be sent from your Dedicated Number - this article can show you how.