Phone Numbers
To have your voice agent answer real phone calls, you need to connect phone numbers. This section covers everything about acquiring, configuring, and managing phone numbers on the Hanc.AI platform.
Overview
Getting Phone Numbers
You can get phone numbers directly through the Hanc.AI platform:
- Phone numbers available in 100+ countries
- Reliable call routing
- Local, mobile, and toll-free numbers
- No external accounts needed
Phone Number Properties
Each phone number has the following properties:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| phone_number | The number in E.164 format (e.g., +4312345678) |
| formatted_number | Human-readable format (e.g., +43 1 234 5678) |
| name | Custom label for the number |
| country | Country code (e.g., AT, DE, US) |
| area_code | Area code portion of the number |
| provider | Phone number provider |
| inbound_agent_id | Agent assigned to handle incoming calls |
| outbound_agent_id | Agent assigned for outbound calls |
Phone Number Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| ACTIVE | Number is live and can receive/make calls |
| INACTIVE | Number is paused, not handling calls |
| DELETED | Number has been removed |
Import Statuses
When importing numbers:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| IMPORTED | Number successfully imported and ready to use |
| PENDING | Import is in progress |
Getting Started with Phone Numbers
Option A: Buy Numbers Through Hanc.AI
- Go to Phone Numbers in the sidebar
- Click "Buy Number"
- Select country and number type
- Complete purchase
- Number is automatically configured
Option B: Connect Your Own SIP Carrier
Bring your own SIP provider — HANC speaks SIP natively and routes the calls into your voice agent.
Supported carriers
| Provider | Notes |
|---|---|
| sipgate | EU SIP trunking. API auto-import for numbers (Personal Access Token with numbers:read). |
| Placetel | German VoIP carrier. Manual setup. |
| TENIOS | European SIP trunks. Manual setup. |
| easybell | German SIP carrier. Credentials from the Kundencenter. |
| Zadarma | Global numbers. Optional API key for auto-import. |
| Twilio (BYO) | Bring your own Twilio account. Account SID + Auth Token. |
| Telnyx | API-driven SIP and DIDs worldwide. |
| Custom SIP trunk | Any other provider — supply host, port, transport, username, password manually. |
How to connect
- Go to Phone Numbers in the sidebar.
- Click "Connect SIP".
- Pick your carrier from the provider list.
- Enter the credentials your provider gave you (SIP username/password; for some carriers, an optional API key/secret to auto-import numbers).
- Click Connect. The platform registers SIP and, where supported, syncs the list of numbers you can import.
- Pick which discovered numbers to import, or add a number manually by E.164 (e.g.
+15054079172). - Assign an inbound and/or outbound agent to each imported number.
SIP carrier connections share the same compliance/consent flow as outbound campaigns — carrier KYC and end-customer consent. Until your account is approved, the Connect SIP button opens a showcase listing supported carriers and a request-access CTA. Contact support@hanc.ai from the showcase modal to enable it; approval is usually same-business-day.
For carriers without API auto-configuration, after import the wizard shows you the exact steps to set up call forwarding inside your provider's portal. Follow those steps once per number — the agent picks up everything else.
Phone Number Types
Local Numbers
Phone numbers tied to a specific area:
| Example | Coverage |
|---|---|
| +43 1 xxx xxxx | Vienna, Austria |
| +49 30 xxx xxxx | Berlin, Germany |
| +41 44 xxx xxxx | Zurich, Switzerland |
Best for: Local businesses, regional presence
Mobile Numbers
Numbers that appear as mobile phones:
Best for: Personal service feel, SMS capability
Toll-Free Numbers
Numbers where caller doesn't pay:
| Example | Country |
|---|---|
| 0800 xxx xxx | Austria/Germany |
| 1-800-xxx-xxxx | USA |
Best for: Customer service, national reach
Assigning Agents to Numbers
Inbound Agent
The agent that answers incoming calls:
- Go to Phone Numbers
- Click on a number
- Under Inbound Agent, select your agent
- Save
Outbound Agent
The agent used for outbound calls from this number:
- Go to Phone Numbers
- Click on a number
- Under Outbound Agent, select your agent
- Save
Multiple Numbers, One Agent
You can assign the same agent to multiple numbers:
Multiple Agents, Multiple Numbers
Or different agents for different numbers:
Number Management
View All Numbers
Go to Phone Numbers to see:
- All your numbers
- Assigned agents
- Status
- Provider
Edit Number Settings
- Click on the number
- Modify settings (name, assigned agents, status)
- Save changes
Remove Number
- Click on the number
- Click Delete or Remove
- Confirm removal
Removing a number may result in losing that number permanently. It might be assigned to someone else if released.
Call Routing Scenarios
Simple: One Number, One Agent
Most common setup:
With Fallback
If agent can't handle:
Department Routing
Different numbers for different purposes:
Best Practices
Number Selection
- Choose local numbers for local businesses
- Use toll-free for customer service lines
- Consider mobile numbers for personal services
- Have a backup number for emergencies
Configuration
- Test numbers before going live
- Set fallback numbers for agent failures
- Label numbers clearly in your account
Operations
- Monitor call volumes per number
- Track success rates by number
- Review periodically — remove unused numbers
Troubleshooting
Calls not connecting
Check:
- Number status is ACTIVE
- Phone number integration is connected
- Agent is assigned to number
- Agent is active (not paused)
Poor audio quality
Possible causes:
- Network issues
- Provider region
- Customer's phone quality
Solutions:
- Check the platform status page
- Test with different phones
Calls going to wrong agent
Check:
- Number's inbound agent setting
- No conflicting webhooks
- Correct number displayed in dashboard
Costs
Hanc.AI Usage
Hanc.AI uses credit-based billing:
- All plans include unlimited agents
- Calls are billed per minute from your credit balance
- Phone numbers cost per month (charged from credits)
- Per-minute rates vary by plan (see Billing)
Related Topics
- Voice Agents — Creating agents for phone numbers
- Integrations — Phone number and integration setup
- Analytics — Call statistics by number