Adding Talk phone lines

A Zendesk Suite trial comes complete with a Talk phone number you can start using immediately. After the trial is over, you can buy more phone numbers from Zendesk. You can purchase these numbers directly within Talk. If you already have a support telephone number, and want to keep using it, you can forward calls from your support number to the Zendesk Talk number.

If you're looking for information about adding digital lines, see Adding a Talk digital line.

This article contains the following sections:

• Adding a new line
• Adding an external number for outbound calls
• Forwarding incoming calls from an existing number to Talk
• Adding a local business address

For information about managing numbers, see Managing Zendesk Talk lines.

Adding a new line

For a detailed list of numbers you can purchase, see Zendesk Talk number availability and pricing. Some countries have specific regulatory requirements and you may be required to verify your business before you can purchase a number. For a full list of requirements see Zendesk Talk and Zendesk Text number regulatory requirements. For more information about how to verify your business for Talk phone number purchasing see Verifying your business for Zendesk Talk phone number purchasing.

If you have an existing telephone number that you use for support calls, you can forward these calls to your Talk number. If you have a United States (US) based number, you can port the number to Twilio to use as your Talk number. For details, see Porting numbers into Zendesk Talk.

To add a new line

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
2. Click the Lines tab.
3. Click Add line > Purchase a new number.

   

4. Choose a country, and select the number type for example, local or toll free. A list of available numbers is displayed. You can also search for phone numbers or vanity numbers containing specific sequences of letters or numbers.

   Talk displays one or more of the following icons next to each number to show whether the number is voice, text, or MMS compatible.

   

5. Select a phone number and then click Next. The phone number is free during a trial of Talk, but you cannot change it until you add Talk to your accounts subscription.
6. Review the number you selected and monthly deduction amount, then click Next.
7. If the number requires an approved business verification, you will now be asked to associate the approved business verification with the number and to also confirm your business address. After you have selected the correct business verification and address, you can click Next.
   Note: If you don't have an approved business verification for the country and number type, you won't be able to continue purchasing a number. For more information about how to verify your business when purchasing a Talk phone number purchasing see Verifying your business for Zendesk Talk phone number purchasing.
8. Some countries might not require you to have an approved business verification but you might be required to enter a business address. Enter your business address, then click Next.
9. Click Finish. You can now start making and receiving calls with your chosen number.

Adding an external number for outbound calls

External numbers for outbound calls is a feature only available on the Talk Professional and Enterprise plans. To add an external number, you must have purchased at least one Zendesk number, plus have international calling activated. To activate international calling, contact Zendesk customer support. New external numbers are associated with your default brand at the time the number is added.

When agents place outbound calls, the Talk number selected in the call console appears as the caller ID. If you have an outside number that you'd like to appear for caller ID instead, you can add it as an external number. This does not route incoming calls to the external number into Talk. It only allows you to place outbound calls using the external number.

For details on configuring using an external number for your outbound caller ID, see Standardizing your outbound caller ID.

To add an external number

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
2. Click the Lines tab.
3. Click Add line > Add an external number.

   

4. Enter the external number in the window that appears and click Call to receive a verification code.

   

5. Enter the verification code from the screen on your phone to verify the external number.

   

The external number now appears in your list of phone lines.

Important: An external number uses your Talk number to make outgoing calls. Because of this, you will be charged the same rate as any other outgoing Talk call.

Forwarding incoming calls from an existing number to Talk

If you want to keep using an existing telephone number for support, you can forward the calls to a Talk number. If you have a US-based number with another carrier, you also have the option of porting the number to Twilio (our voice service provider) to use as your Talk number.

To forward calls

1. Set up a Talk number as described in the section above.
2. Ask your telephone service provider to forward calls to the Talk number.

Make sure to check with your existing provider about passing the inbound caller ID to your Talk number.

To port an existing number to Talk

Zendesk let's you move or "port" your existing phone number to Zendesk Talk for many countries. Bear in mind that this process might take some time, so factor that into your plans. To get started, see Porting numbers into Zendesk Talk.

Adding a local business address

When adding a new line to Talk, for some locales, you'll need to add a local business address.

If you're adding a new number from one of these locales, you'll be prompted to enter the address while purchasing the number (see Adding a new line).

If you're using an existing number that requires an address, you can enter it in the Talk channel settings.

For a full list of address and documentation requirements for Talk numbers, see Zendesk Talk and Zendesk Text number address requirements.

To add a local business address for an existing number

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
2. Click the Addresses tab.
3. Click add address.
4. Enter your address details.
5. Click Save.