ExoPhone Setup

An ExoPhone is a virtual phone number (DID -- Direct Inward Dialing) assigned to your Exotel account. It serves as your business phone identity for making and receiving calls. This guide walks you through selecting, purchasing, and configuring your first ExoPhone.

What is an ExoPhone?

An ExoPhone is the phone number that:

• Appears as caller ID on outbound calls
• Receives inbound calls and routes them through your call flow
• Sends SMS (when SMS is enabled for the number)
• Identifies your business to customers

Every Exotel account needs at least one ExoPhone to make or receive calls.

ExoPhone Types

Exotel offers different types of virtual numbers depending on your region and use case:

Type	Format	Example	Best For
Local DID	City-specific landline	080-XXXX-XXXX (Bangalore)	Regional presence, local trust
Toll-Free	1800 prefix	1800-XXX-XXXX	Customer support, national reach
Mobile	Mobile number format	9XXX-XXX-XXX	Personal touch, high answer rate
Vanity	Memorable sequence	1800-XXX-1234	Brand recognition, marketing

Type Comparison

Feature	Local DID	Toll-Free	Mobile
Caller pays for inbound	Yes	No (free for caller)	Yes
National reach	Regional	National	National
SMS capability	Limited	No	Yes
Answer rate (outbound)	Good	Moderate	Highest
Monthly rental	Lowest	Highest	Moderate

Selecting Your ExoPhone

Via Dashboard

1. Log in to my.exotel.com
2. Navigate to ExoPhones in the left sidebar
3. Click Buy New Number
4. Filter by:
   • Region: Select the city or region
   • Type: Local, Toll-free, or Mobile
   • Prefix: Search for specific number patterns
5. Browse available numbers
6. Click Purchase on your preferred number
7. Confirm the purchase (credits will be deducted for the first month's rental)

Via API

List available numbers:

curl "https://<api_key>:<api_token>@api.exotel.com/v2/accounts/<account_sid>/available-phone-numbers?type=local&region=bangalore"

Purchase a number:

curl -X POST "https://<api_key>:<api_token>@api.exotel.com/v2/accounts/<account_sid>/incoming-phone-numbers" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "phone_number": "+918048XXXXXX",
    "friendly_name": "Support Line"
  }'

API Reference: See the ExoPhones API for complete number management endpoints.

tip

For outbound campaigns, use a local DID or mobile number as the caller ID. Recipients are more likely to answer calls from recognizable local numbers than toll-free or unfamiliar numbers.

Configuring Your ExoPhone

After purchase, configure your ExoPhone for inbound and outbound use.

Assign a Call Flow

Every ExoPhone needs a call flow to handle incoming calls:

1. Go to ExoPhones in the dashboard
2. Click the Configure icon next to your ExoPhone
3. Under Incoming Call Flow, select an existing call flow or create a new one
4. Click Save

If you have not created a call flow yet, see First Call Flow.

Via API

curl -X PUT "https://<api_key>:<api_token>@api.exotel.com/v2/accounts/<account_sid>/incoming-phone-numbers/<exophone_sid>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "incoming_call_url": "http://my.exotel.com/<account_sid>/exoml/start_voice/<app_id>"
  }'

Configure SMS (if applicable)

For ExoPhones that support SMS:

1. Enable SMS in the ExoPhone configuration
2. Set an incoming SMS webhook URL to receive messages
3. Configure the default Sender ID for outbound SMS

ExoPhone Billing

Charge	Frequency	Description
Monthly rental	Monthly (auto-deducted)	Fixed fee for keeping the number active
Inbound call charges	Per call	Per-pulse rate for incoming calls
Outbound call charges	Per call	Per-pulse rate for outgoing calls
SMS charges	Per message	Per-SMS rate (if SMS enabled)

warning

ExoPhone rentals are charged monthly. If your account has insufficient credits on the rental date, the ExoPhone may be released and the number returned to the pool. Set up auto-recharge to prevent losing your numbers.

Managing Multiple ExoPhones

As your business grows, you may need multiple ExoPhones for different purposes:

Use Case	ExoPhone Strategy
Support + Sales	Separate ExoPhones for each department
Multiple cities	Local DIDs for each city
Campaign tracking	Dedicated numbers per marketing campaign
IVR + direct calls	One for IVR, one for direct agent routing

List All ExoPhones

curl "https://<api_key>:<api_token>@api.exotel.com/v2/accounts/<account_sid>/incoming-phone-numbers"

ExoPhone Auto-Renewal

ExoPhones are set to auto-renew by default:

Setting	Behavior
Auto-renew ON (default)	Rental deducted automatically each month
Auto-renew OFF	ExoPhone is released at the end of the billing cycle

To change auto-renewal settings, go to ExoPhones > Configure > Renewal Settings in the dashboard.

Releasing an ExoPhone

If you no longer need an ExoPhone:

1. Go to ExoPhones in the dashboard
2. Click Configure on the number you want to release
3. Click Release Number
4. Confirm the release

warning

Releasing an ExoPhone is permanent. The number is returned to the pool and may be assigned to another customer. If you release a number used in campaigns, API integrations, or published materials, those references will break.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
No numbers available in my city	Limited inventory	Try nearby cities or different number types
ExoPhone not receiving inbound calls	No call flow assigned	Assign a call flow in ExoPhone settings
Caller ID not displaying correctly	Operator-specific behavior	Some carriers modify caller ID display; this is not controllable
ExoPhone released unexpectedly	Insufficient credits for rental	Set up auto-recharge; contact support to recover the number
SMS not working on ExoPhone	SMS not enabled for this number type	Not all ExoPhones support SMS; check number capabilities

Next Steps

• Build your first call flow -- Create an IVR for your ExoPhone
• Get API credentials -- Set up API access
• ExoPhones API -- Manage ExoPhones programmatically