Buy a phone number

Search for an available number by country, area code, city or digits, choose whether it texts and calls, name it, give it to a branch and the people who will use it, and buy it.

In the sidebar, open Settings, then choose Phone Lines under Communications. The page address is /settings/communications/phone-numbers. Purchase Number is at the top right of the list.

Before you start

• Your role needs permission to purchase phone numbers, and Nova must approve additional purchases. Without approval the page offers Request approval instead. Your number allowance still applies after approval.
• The included texting number is free with your plan; see Get your texting number. You can choose its area code during included setup. Purchase an additional number for a second office or a dispatch line after Nova approves it.
• Decide who will answer it. A line needs at least one authorized user before calls can ring in the app.

Steps

1. Press Purchase Number. The Purchase Number drawer opens.
2. Choose the Country.
3. Narrow the search: type an Area code, or under Search by pick Locality and type a city, or pick Number and type the Number digits or phrase you want with Match to set to any part, the first part or the last part.
4. Leave Text enabled and Voice enabled on unless you only want one of them.
5. Under Available numbers, pick a number. Each shows its location and what it can do.
6. Type a Display name such as Main dispatch. This is what your team sees in Nova.
7. Choose a Branch if the line belongs to one.
8. Under Authorized users, switch on the people who can answer and text from this line. Add me adds yourself.
9. Open Advanced line settings if you want to set Recording, Consent, Business hours, Ring strategy and Ring timeout now. All of them can be changed later.
10. Press Purchase Number at the bottom. The button reads Purchasing... while Nova buys the number and sets the line up.

What you see

• The new line appears in the Phone Lines list with its number, name, branch and status.
• Open its row menu for Assigned users, Voicemail, Call forwarding, IVR and the rest. See Set up who answers a phone line and where calls go.
• On the Customer messages page you can now choose this number under Texts come from. See Choose the number and inbox customer messages come from.

If something looks different

• Available numbers asks for at least 2 letters or digits: the digits or city you typed is too short to search.
• No numbers matched: widen the search. Clear the area code, or try a nearby city.
• Purchase Number at the bottom stays off: pick a number under Available numbers and switch on at least one person under Authorized users first.
• You do not see Purchase Number: your role may lack permission, or Nova has not approved additional purchases. Use Request approval or ask your admin. An allowance increase also needs Nova approval; the purchase never proceeds over your allowance.

Open Phone Lines