Set up who answers a phone line and where calls go

Name a phone line, give it to a branch, choose the teammates who can answer and text from it, record a voicemail greeting, forward calls after hours, and cancel or reactivate a line.

In the sidebar, open Settings, then choose Phone Lines under Communications. The page address is /settings/communications/phone-numbers. Every line is a row in the list; the menu at the right end of the row holds its settings.

Before you start

• Your role needs permission to manage phone lines. If you can only view them, each row reads Read-only instead of a menu. If you can only buy or transfer numbers, a note says your role cannot view or edit existing lines.

Steps

To name the line and set its basics:

1. Open the row menu and choose Edit line, or press the row. The Edit Phone Line drawer opens.
2. Change the Display name and the Branch. The number itself cannot be changed.
3. Set Recording mode and Consent mode for calls.
4. To stop texts going out from this line at night, turn on Quiet hours enabled and add the times under Quiet windows. Texts sent from the line during those times are refused; calls still ring.
5. Under Business hours, set the Hours source: the branch's hours, the organization's, or hours for this line only.
6. Press Save changes.

To choose who answers:

1. Open the row menu and choose Assigned users. The Assigned Users drawer opens.
2. Under Add organization user, search for a teammate and press Assign user. The person is added right away. Repeat for each person.
3. Under Current assignments, press Remove beside anyone who should no longer answer calls or send texts from this line.

To set voicemail:

1. Choose Voicemail from the row menu and check that Voicemail enabled is on.
2. Under Add a greeting, pick a Greeting type: Text greeting (Nova reads your words aloud), Upload audio or Record in browser. Fill it in, then press Add text greeting, Upload greeting or Add recording.
3. Under Default greeting, pick the greeting callers hear. A new greeting becomes the default by itself when none is set, or when Set this as the default greeting is on.
4. Press Save voicemail. A text greeting is only kept once you save.

To forward calls:

1. Choose Call forwarding from the row menu and turn on Forwarding enabled.
2. Set the Mode: Always forward, Forward outside business hours, Forward when unanswered or Scheduled forwarding rules.
3. Enter the Default forwarding destination. The scheduled mode ignores it and uses its own rules.
4. Press Save forwarding.

What you see

• The list shows each line's Phone, Name, Policy (recording and consent), Status and Operational access; Branch is a hidden column you can add. Search with Search phone lines or narrow with Filters.
• The row menu also offers Announcement (a message before ringing), External ring group, Hold music, Ring & text sounds, IVR for a press-1-for menu, and Routing simulator to see where a call would go.
• Cancel line asks you to confirm, stops the line ringing and starts a 90-day window to reclaim the number, which may carry provider fees. Until then the menu offers Reactivate line, which resumes billing.
• An amber box above the list names lines that need attention, such as an active line with no assigned users or a number the phone company has not verified yet.

If something looks different

• The amber box says a line has no assigned users, or Operational access reads Unassigned line: add at least one person under Assigned users. With nobody assigned and no forwarding, ring group or IVR, calls go straight to voicemail.
• The menu reads Reactivation unavailable instead of Reactivate line: the number has been released or its reclaim window has passed. Buy or transfer a number instead. Reactivation disabled means reclaiming cancelled lines is not part of your plan.
• A line has a NovaAI override entry in its menu: NovaAI is on for your organization and this line can behave differently from the default. See Turn on NovaAI for calls.

Open Phone Lines