Phone Numbers

This section provides information about your phone numbers (Smart Number, Smart Fax, etc.), the phone number and PIN to reach your Virtual Assistant as well as your office extensions and private numbers (home, mobile phone, etc.) where you can be reached and from which you may call your Virtual Assistant.

Depending on your user account type, you may or may not have the right to change your service subscriptions (such as adding a Smart Number) in a manner that affects account billing charges. See User Rights and Permissions for details.

To access your phone numbers, click Settings > Phone Numbers from the main menu.

From the Phone Numbers page, you can (depending on your account type):

Change your PIN (Personal Identification Number).
Add or delete a Smart Number.
Add or delete an office extension.
Add or delete a private phone number.
Activate/deactivate and configure Smart Number features (fax and SMS reception or 911 emergency service).
Configure your private phone number settings (authentication, first menu, call screening, etc.).
Configure general interaction settings with the Virtual Assistant (skill level, dialog mode, training, etc.).

Interface Overview

The Phone Numbers page includes the following sections:

Service Access Numbers: This section displays the phone numbers to reach your Virtual Assistant and your company's Virtual Receptionist, if any. It also displays your User ID and a link to change your PIN.
Smart Numbers: This section displays the Smart Numbers where people can reach you based on your call filtering and forwarding rules. A series of icons illustrate the options activated for each Smart Number: voice calls, faxes, text messages (SMS) and 911 emergency services.
Phone Numbers: These are the phone numbers where you can be reached and which you use to call your Virtual Assistant. The numbers are presented in two groups: your office extensions and your private numbers such as your mobile and home phones. The Virtual Assistant uses them to route calls to you and to identify you when you call.
A link to Phone Sessions enables you to configure how the Virtual Assistant will interact with you when you call from one of your private phone numbers.

In summary, the Service Access Numbers are the numbers where you can reach the Virtual Assistant and/or Virtual Receptionist. The Smart Number is the phone number that you share with your contacts and colleagues. The office extensions and private phone numbers are the numbers used by the Virtual Assistant to recognize you and where Smart Number forwards your calls to you based on your instructions.

Service Access Numbers (Virtual Assistant & Virtual Receptionist)

This section displays the phone numbers to access your Virtual Assistant and your company's Virtual Receptionist if you have a company account.

To view the service access numbers, click Settings > Phone Numbers from the main menu.

User ID and PIN

The User ID is a unique numeric identifier automatically assigned to your account at its creation. To login to your account on the Web portal, you must provide your User ID or email address together with your numeric PIN (Personal Identification Number). Your numeric User ID is also required to login to your account by phone and start a session with your Virtual Assistant. You cannot change your User ID.

For security purposes, the Web portal does not display your PIN. If you do not remember your PIN, you can click the "Forgot?" link in the login page. An email will be sent to you with your account credentials. See Change Your PIN for details.

Virtual Assistant and Virtual Receptionist

This section displays the phone numbers to reach the Virtual Assistant and your company's Virtual Receptionist if you have a company account. The Virtual Assistant greets you and executes your commands when you call to check your calendar, read your messages, schedule meetings, call or send messages to your contacts, etc. It also tells you who called you and gives you the option to call people back or dial telephone numbers.

Smart Numbers

People only need to dial your Smart Number to call you or send you faxes and text messages. Calls will reach you at the location of your choice. When people dial your Smart Number, the Virtual Assistant uses your status and call forwarding settings to answer and route your incoming calls efficiently. For example, you can take your calls at the office when you're working, but you may prefer to receive calls on your mobile phone when you're on the move, or at home during evenings and weekends. With call filtering, the Virtual Assistant checks who is calling you and decides whether to transfer them to you or to voicemail based on your instructions. In addition, you can enable your Smart Number to receive faxes and SMS text messages in addition to phone calls.

Smart Number Key Features:

Your calls follow you on different numbers based on your instructions: at the office, home, on your cell, etc.
The Virtual Assistant can filter incoming calls to let only important ones through, and when you answer the call, it can tell you who is calling so you can decide whether to take the call or forward it to a colleague or voice mail.
You can set your status by phone, from the Web portal or on your mobile app to greet your callers and handle their calls appropriately when you are in-meeting, out-of-office or unavailable.
An easy-to-use Web portal allows you to manage your status, your call filtering and call forwarding schedules.
A mobile app enables you to quickly set your status while away from your office.
Speech commands to set your status and call forwarding by phone while driving safely.
People can call you, send you faxes and text messages (SMS) on the same number.
You can access and manage your voice messages, faxes and text messages on your Web portal, mobile app and by phone using speech commands when driving. Additionally, a copy of your voice messages, faxes and text messages is sent to your inbox as emails for convenient unified messaging access. You can also have SMS alerts to notify you when you receive new voice messages.
All your calls are logged so you can view them on the Web portal for billing or follow-up purposes. Call logs are also accessible on the mobile app and by phone using the Virtual Assistant's speech commands.

When people dial your Smart Number, the Virtual Assistant uses your status, your call forwarding schedules, your call filtering preferences and your phone numbers to answer and route your incoming calls efficiently. Accordingly, you will need to configure these settings under the Settings > Phone Numbers and Call Forwarding sections of the Web portal. See Call Forwarding for details.

To access your Smart Number, click Settings > Phone Numbers from the main menu.

Phone Numbers

This section includes the phone numbers where you can be reached and which you use to call your Virtual Assistant. The Virtual Assistant uses these phone numbers to route calls to you and to identify you and greet you when you call. Phone numbers fall under 2 categories:

Office Extensions: This section lists your office extensions and enables you to configure their properties. Each office extension is associated with a telephone device or a WebPhone on the mobile app or the Web portal.
Private Phone Numbers: This section lists telephone numbers (cell phone, home, cottage, etc.) and enables you to configure their settings.

To access your office extensions and private phone numbers, click Settings > Phone Numbers from the main menu.

Find Your Smart Number

Your Smart Number (if you have one) is displayed in your Web portal's heading section for your convenience. No number will be visible if you don't have a Smart Number. To order a Smart Number, see Add a Smart Number for details.

You can also access and view your Smart Numbers as follows:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
Your Smart Number(s) will be displayed in the Smart Numbers section.

Change your PIN

At anytime, you can change your PIN for added security.

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
Click Change my Phone PIN link next to your User ID.
A popup window will be displayed.
Enter your Old PIN for verification.
Enter your New PIN and re-type it for confirmation. The code must have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 digits.
Click OK to save your new PIN.

Add a Smart Number

NOTE: Depending on your user account type, you may or may not have the right to change your service options in a manner that affects account billing charges. See User Rights and Permissions for details.

To add a Smart Number to your account:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
In the Smart Numbers section, click the Add button.
Fill in the fields as required. Click the following links for details:
- Origin of number: new or existing phone number.
- Type of number: local, toll-free, international phone number.
- Options: phone calls, fax reception, SMS reception, 911 service.
- Geographic location: city, state/province and country of the phone number.
- Number selection from list or phone number to port.
Review the changes then check Inform the customer to get a confirmation email.
Click Confirm to add the Smart Number to your account.

Your account billing will be adjusted to reflect the changes in your subscription.

Add Office Extensions

Before adding an office extension to your account, you must know the telephone device, mobile app, WebPhone or third-party softphone that will be assigned to it.

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
In the Office Extensions section, click the Add button.
Fill in the new office extension fields as required. Click the following links for details:
- Type of device: type and model of device, mobile app or softphone.
- Device properties: descriptive name, extension number and internal name.
Review the changes then check Inform the customer to get a confirmation email.
Click Confirm to add the Office Extension to your account.

Your account billing will be adjusted to reflect the changes in your subscription.

Add a Private Number

To add a private number where you can be reached and which you use to call your Virtual Assistant:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
Click the Add button under the Private Numbers section.
Fill in the phone number fields as required. Click the links below for details:
- Phone Number Information: descriptive name, phone number, country, etc.
- Call Management: preferred authentication method, how to start a phone session, activate call screening, etc.
Click Save to add the private phone number.

Edit Private Phone Number Settings

Private phone number settings define how you want the Virtual Assistant to authenticate you, greet you and interact with you when you call from this number as well as what to tell you when transferring calls to you on this number (call screening option to know who's calling before taking a call).

To edit your private phone numbers settings:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
In the Private Numbers section, click the Edit icon next to a private phone number to edit its settings.
Modify the settings as required. See Private Phone Number Settings for details.
Click Save to apply.

Activate or Deactivate Call Screening

You can choose to have the Virtual Assistant announce callers when transferring calls to you then wait for your decision to accept or reject the call and have it go to voicemail:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
Click the Edit icon next to the phone number that should have the call screening option.
Under the Call Handling section, check the box Tell me who's calling to activate call screening or uncheck it to deactivate call screening.
Click Save to apply changes.

Call screening is configured independently for each one of your private phone numbers.

Virtual Assistant Phone Sessions Settings

Phone sessions specify how you want the Virtual Assistant to interact with you when you call.

To access and modify your Virtual Assistant interactions settings (phone sessions):

Click My Phone Session Settings (Speech, Touchtone, Skill Level, etc.) under Settings > Phone Numbers
In the Phone Sessions section, you will see the current settings of your Virtual Assistant interactions.
Modify the Phone Sessions fields as needed. See Phone Session Settings for details.
Click Save to apply the change.

Delete a Smart Number, Office Extension or Prive Number

To delete a Smart Number, office extension or private number from your account:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
Click the Delete icon next to a Smart Number, office extension or private number to remove.
Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Review your call forwarding settings to ensure that the deleted number is no longer used.

Your account billing will be adjusted to reflect the changes in your subscription.

Activate / Deactivate Smart Number Options

In addition to handling phone calls, your Smart Number can also support fax and SMS reception as well as 911 emergency calls. See Smart Number Options for details.

To modify your Smart Number options:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
In the Smart Numbers section, click the Edit icon to edit the Smart Number options.
Check or uncheck the box next to each option to enable it or disable it. See Smart Number Options for details.
Click Save to apply.

Your account billing will be adjusted to reflect the changes in your subscription.

Configure Smart Number Options

If your Smart Number supports phone calls, fax reception, text messaging (SMS) and/or 911 emergency calls, you may need to configure the settings of some feature.

To configure Smart Number options:

From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
The Smart Numbers section lists your Smart Numbers along with a series of icons next to each number.
Each icon illustrates the activation status of a Smart Number option. Click the icon to access the option settings:
Edit the settings of each option separately as needed (fax reception, SMS reception and 911 emergency address). See Smart Number Option Settings for details.
Click Save to apply.

Smart Number Option Settings

In addition to handling phone call, your Smart Number can also be configured to support other features such a fax and SMS reception as well as 911 emergency calls.

Fax Reception Settings

Faxes received on your Smart Number are automatically sent to your email address. You can also have a paper copy sent to a fax machine registered on your phone service through an ATA connected to one of your office extensions.

Check the option to receive a paper copy of your faxes then select the fax machine where faxes will be forwarded.

SMS Reception Settings

Incoming SMS messages are automatically sent to your Web Portal and mobile app but you can also choose to receive a copy of your text messages by email and SMS on your mobile phone.

Check any of the options below to activate them, or uncheck them to deactivate.

Email them to me: Check this box to receive a copy of your incoming text messages as emails.
Send them as SMS to my mobile phone: Check this box to receive a copy of your incoming text messages by SMS to your mobile phone defined under Settings > Phone Numbers.
Call me and read them to me on my phone: Check this box to have the Virtual Assistant call you each time you receive a new SMS message and offer to read it to you on the phone for your safety on the road. You will have the option to reply to the SMS using your own voice that may be accompanied with a voice transcription. Use the dropdown list to select the phone number where you want to be reached. If you prefer to be contacted on a phone number that is not in the dropdown list, go to Settings > Phone Numbers to add the phone number. See Phone Numbers for details.

911 Settings

It is important to keep the address specified in this section up to date because any 911 calls made from this Smart Number will dispatch emergency services to this address.

Location Name: Enter a descriptive name for this address.
Address: Enter the full address, city, state/province, zip/postal code and country where emergency services must be dispatched if you dial 911 using your Smart Number.

Private Phone Number Settings

The phone number settings instruct the Virtual Assistant what to do when you call from this number or when a call is forwarded to you on this phone number.

Private Phone Settings include the following sections:

Phone Information: Contains basic information about the phone number.
Call Management: Determines (a) how the Virtual Assistant greets you and interacts with you when you call from this number, and (b) what you want the Virtual Assistant to do when a call is forwarded to you on this number (call screening allows you to know who's calling before taking a call).

Phone Information Section

Type of Phone: Use the dropdown list to specify the type of phone (main office, mobile, home or other). This is used to set your predefined call forwarding schedules.
Extension Name: Enter a descriptive name for the new telephone number or extension.
Country / Region: Specify the country where the phone number is used.
Local Number: Enter the phone number in the TAPI format.

Call Management Section

Login Authentication

Specify how you want to be authenticated when you call from this phone number:

Recognize me and log me in automatically: This option is called Auto-PIN. The Virtual Assistant will not ask you to enter your User ID or PIN when you call from an Auto-PIN phone number. This option is to accelerate and facilitate access to your Virtual Assistant, however be aware that any caller using this phone number will be given access to your account and can listen to your messages, modify your personal settings, etc. For security reasons and to protect your account from the risks of wrongful access, a private phone number can only be set as Auto-PIN for one user on the system.
Recognize me but ask for my PIN: This option is called Auto-ID. The Virtual Assistant will not ask you to enter your User ID when you call from an Auto-ID phone number but will ask you to only enter your PIN each time you call the Virtual Assistant from that phone.
Don't answer. Call me back: This option is referred to as Call Back and is especially useful to save on long distance charges when you call while traveling abroad or from a long-distance location. When you dial the Virtual Assistant from a Call Back phone, you simply hang up when hearing a fast busy tone and the Virtual Assistant will call you back immediately. You must have the required permissions to receive call backs on the selected phone number. This option provides many benefits:
- More secure access: It prevents malicious use of your access codes from another device.
- Long Distance Savings: Any long distance call charges will be based on the low rates of your company or service provider
- More cost effective: No air time charges if your wireless provider charges only for outbound calls.
Ask for my User ID and PIN: This is the default setting for phone numbers that have not been configured. The Virtual Assistant will ask you to enter your User ID or PIN.

Phone Session Startup

Select how you want the Virtual Assistant to start your phone sessions when you call from this phone number:

Play my personal greeting: The Virtual Assistant will greet you by name each time you call from this phone number.
Tell me what's new: The Virtual Assistant will immediately tell you how many new messages and appointments you have when you call. Appointments can be read only if your account is connected to a mail server that supports remote access to a calendar (Microsoft Exchange, Google G Suite or Google Gmail). See Mail Access for details.
Tell me my phone status: The Virtual Assistant will remind you of your current status if it is not "Available" (in-meeting, out-of-office or unavailable). See Current Status for details.

You can also set some advanced options such as:

Telephone Profile: Select how you want the Virtual Assistant to handle calls from this phone numbers:
- Office Extension - Speech: This profile enables you to call contacts and colleagues and access voice messages using speech commands.
- Office Extension - Touchtone: This profile enables you to dial internal extensions, access your voice messages and voice mail settings using touchtone commands.
- External Phone: This profile enables you to access the Virtual Assistant's main menu to access and manage emails, voice messages, calendar events, call contacts, change your status and call forwarding, check your call logs, etc. using speech and touchtone commands.
Start my phone session with: Determine how you want to start using the Virtual Assistant service:
- Main Menu: Your session will begin at the top level menu from which you can access any feature: emails, appointments, contacts, call logs, etc.
- Voice Mail: Your session will immediately accept commands related to your voice messages.
- Speech Mail: Your session will immediately accept commands related to your emails.
- Speech Calendar: Your session will immediately accept commands related to appointments.

Incoming Call Handling - Call Screening (announce callers)

Call Screening allows you to know who's calling before taking a call. When you receive a call, the Virtual Assistant will announce the caller and ask you to choose what you want to do: take the call, forward it to a colleague (if you have a company account) or send it to voice mail. You can turn call screening ON or OFF for each private number separately.

Check the box Tell me who's calling (Call screening) to activate call screening on this number or uncheck the box to deactivate it.

New Smart Phone Number

The wizard to help select a new Smart Number to your account, requires the following information:

Origin of the Phone Number

Order a new phone number: Select this option if you need to order a new phone number and use it as your Smart Number.
Transfer an existing phone number: Select this option is you want to transfer an existing number (telephone, fax, mobile) and use it as your Smart Number. When selecting this option, you will be required to provide information on the number to port: the service provider where the number is currently active, the customer account number and address of its owner, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTE: To transfer a mobile number, it is recommended to ask your mobile service provider to assign a new number for your mobile SIM card before transferring your mobile number. This way, your existing mobile number will be transferred to your Smart Number service and the new number will be assigned to your mobile phone and eventually kept confidential for more privacy.

Type of Phone Number

The following options are available when you choose to order a new number:

Local Phone Number: You will be assigned a new a number in your area. In the next step, you will be asked to select the state/province, city and area code of your new number.
Toll-Free (8xx) Number: You will get a new toll-free number for people outside your region to call you without paying long distance charges. In the next step, you will be asked to select the toll-free area code (800, 866, 877, 888, etc.).
International Phone Number: You will get a new number in a country of your choice to enable people in that country to call you without paying long distance charges (it will be a local call for them). In the next steps, you will be asked to select the country, the area code and the city where you want your new number.

Phone Number Options

Smart Number offers many features. Select all the options that you want to enable:

Telephone Calls (Voice): Select this option if you want to use this number to make and receive phone calls.
Fax Reception (Smart Fax): Select this option if you want to use this number to send and receive faxes.
SMS Reception (Smart SMS): Select this option if you want to use this number to send and receive text messages (SMS).
Emergency Calls (911): By default, Smart Number do not support traditional 911 or E911 emergency calls. A subscription is required for this. Select this option if you want to activate 911 services on this telephone number.

Phone Number Geographic Location

State/Province: Select the state/province of your new Smart Number.
Area Code/City: Select the area code/city of your new Smart Number.
Toll-Free Prefix: Select a toll-free area code of your new Smart Number from the dropdown list.

Phone Number Selection

A list of available numbers in the selected State/Province and Area Code/City will be displayed if you opted to order a new number. Select a number from the list or click Not Listed to have one of the representatives contact you and help you with your phone number selection.

Phone Number to Port

To port a phone number currently in your possession and use it as your Smart Number, you will need to submit a Line Number Port (LNP) request that provides detailed information on the number to port, its current service provider as well as the customer account number and address of its owner (you). A copy of your most recent bill must be submitted with the LNP request.

Wireless Number?: Select Yes if this phone number is operated by a wireless carrier.
ssnpin (if wireless): Enter the ssnpin code of your wireless phone number. Ask your wireless provider for this information.
Current Service Provider: Enter the name of the current telephone service provider (example: Rogers or Verizon).
Account Number: Enter your account number with the current telephone service provider. This information should be on your bill.
Billing Phone Number: Enter the phone number used by the current telephone service provider to contact you for billing purposes.
Name on Statement: Enter the first and last name or company name to which bills are addressed.
Recent Invoice: Upload your most recent invoice from the current telephone service provider. The maximum file size is 2MB.
Billing Address: Enter the full billing address indicated on your invoices from the current telephone service provider (city, state/province, zip/postal code and country).

Type of Office Extension Device

Select the type of telephone device or softphone assigned to your office extension:

Device: Select this option to assign a SIP telephone device to your office extension. This can be an IP phone or an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) device configured to use the selected office extension.
Mobile app: Select this option to assign a mobile app to the office extension. You can choose the mobile app for iPhone, Android or BlackBerry devices.
WebPhone: Select this option to assign a WebPhone to the office extension. WebPhone can run on your Web portal or as a browser extension for Chrome, Mozilla or Edge.

Based on your selected type of office extension device, a dropdown list offer the available devices, their price and availability.

Office Extension Properties

Extension Name: Enter the descriptive name that will be displayed in your list of numbers (example: cottage). Maximum of 19 characters.
Extension Number: Enter the extension number assigned to this new device.
Internal Name: Enter the name shown for internal calls (if you have a company account).

Phone Number Format

The service supports 2 types of phone number formatting: TAPI (regular public telephone system format) and SIP (Internet-based phone number format).

TAPI Format

All numbers must be formatted according to the universal TAPI (E164) convention as follows:

Country/Region
City/Area Code
Local Number
Extension

The following are all TAPI-compliant formats::

+1 (514) 555 1212
+1 (514) 555 1212 x201
+33 (1) 4331 1212
+44 (3456) 6789

SIP Format

SIP phone numbers are entered in the standard SIP format as follows:

"sip:" as the SIP Prefix
Phone Number or User ID: telephone number or name of the SIP phone subscriber.
The "@" sign.
Provider Host Name or IP Address: the host name or IP address of the subscriber's SIP Telephony Provider (SIP gateway or Softswitch).

If the IP telephony provider requires authentication, enter your account credentials to be authenticated in the fields below:

User Name: Your account user name
Password: Your account password

As an example, "sip:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." or "sip:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." or "sip:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." are valid SIP phone numbers for John Smith.