# Phone Numbers & Calls > Give your agent a phone number and a natural voice so it answers calls, takes actions, and logs every call to Inbox. Source: https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/phone Phone gives your agent a real phone line and a natural voice: customers call a dedicated number and get the same knowledge and actions they would in chat. Use it when customers call you, or when you want to talk to them from your website or place outbound calls from the dashboard. ## What you get - **SoftPhone**: place outbound calls from the dashboard to a contact, ticket, or any number - **Call recordings** with playback, download, and retention in the Inbox - **Voice library**: included and premium voices, plus custom voice design on Growth+ - **Background noise** for a natural, in-office call ambiance - **Call greetings** with optional personalized welcomes for returning callers - **Voice widgets**: embed voice-only or inline voice alongside your chat widget - **Inbox tools**: call thread filter, recording player, message feedback, and conversation export ## How it works The same agent that handles web chat, WhatsApp, and other channels also answers phone calls, using low-latency voice AI tuned for phone audio. 1. You purchase or assign a phone number in your workspace. 2. You enable voice mode on the agent and assign the number on the **Call** tab. 3. An incoming call connects to your agent's voice session. 4. The agent greets the caller, holds the conversation, and can run enabled actions (calendar, tickets, forms, transfers, and more). 5. The conversation is saved to the Inbox as a call thread, with transcript, optional recording, and review tools. The agent uses the same prompt, knowledge, and tools across channels. Phone-specific behavior (greeting, silence handling, recording, ambiance) lives on the **Call** tab. ## Voice mode requirement Voice mode must be enabled before phone calls or web voice will work, even if a number is already assigned. | Plan | Voice mode | | --- | --- | | Free trial | Available (Growth-level limits for testing) | | Starter | Not available. Upgrade to Growth | | Growth | Fully available | | Scale | Fully available | To enable it, open your agent's **Call** tab and turn on **Enable voice mode**. Then configure voice, greeting, and call behavior, and assign a phone number. Voice minutes are included per plan, with overage billing when you exceed your limit. Premium voices add a per-minute surcharge (see [Voice library](#voice-library)). ## Set up a phone line ### Get a phone number Open **Phone Numbers** in the dashboard and click **Get New Number**. Choose a country and area code, then select a number (typically $1 to $8/month per number). ### Configure voice on the Call tab On your agent's **Call** tab: - Enable voice mode - Assign the phone number - Choose a voice from the library (or design a custom voice on Growth+) - Set your call greeting and optional personalized welcome - Toggle background noise for a more natural call feel - Enable call recording if your plan supports it - Adjust call behavior (presence checks, silence timeout, max duration) Use the **Play** control next to your greeting to preview it with your selected voice, including background noise when that option is on. ![Call Tab](https://docs.getlinkai.com/screenshots/v2/agent-call.png) ### Test Call the assigned number, from a mobile and a landline if possible. Try interruptions, pauses, and a tool action (for example, "Can you check availability?"). You should hear your greeting in the selected voice and see the call as a new thread in Inbox. **Note:** Phone numbers are workspace-scoped and billed with the workspace subscription. See [Workspaces](https://docs.getlinkai.com/account/workspaces) for multi-workspace setup. ## Voice and call settings All of the following live on the agent **Call tab**. ### Voice library Open the voice selector to browse the voice library. - **Included voices**: part of your plan's voice minute usage at the standard rate. - **Premium voices**: higher-fidelity voices with an additional +$0.15/min surcharge on top of standard voice minutes. Filter by: - Tier (Included / Premium) - Gender - Language (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, and more) **Plan voice limits** | Plan | Saved voices | | --- | --- | | Starter | 1 (voice mode not available) | | Growth | 3 | | Scale | 6+ | #### Design a custom voice (Growth+) On Growth and Scale, you can create a voice for your brand. Custom voice design is a paid feature on Growth and above. ### Open the voice library Click **Create voice**. ### Describe the voice Describe the voice you want (tone, age, accent, energy). ### Pick a preview Listen to the generated previews and pick your favorite. ### Save it Name and save the voice. It's selected on your agent immediately. ### Call greeting Set the first thing your agent says when a call connects (up to 200 characters). Examples: - "Thanks for calling Acme Support. I'm Alex, your AI assistant. How can I help?" - "Hi, you've reached Bright Dental. I can help with scheduling or general questions." Use **Play** to hear the greeting with your current voice before going live. ### Personalized welcome Turn on **Personalized welcome** so returning callers hear a greeting that uses their name and history when Link AI recognizes them. The agent may say "Welcome back" for repeat callers or a warm first-time greeting for new ones, without reading internal data aloud. This works for phone and web voice when caller or contact context is available. ### Background noise Enable **Background noise** under Voice mode to add subtle office ambiance during calls. This makes the voice sound closer to a real phone call. - Applies to phone calls and web voice - Included in the greeting preview when enabled - Off by default. Turn on when it fits your brand ### Call recording Enable **Record calls** to save call audio to the Inbox and workspace memory. | Plan | Call recording | | --- | --- | | Starter | Not available | | Free trial, Growth, Scale | Available | **Retention** - Growth / Free trial: recordings kept for 90 days - Scale: recordings kept for 180 days After retention expires, the audio is removed automatically. The transcript remains in the thread. **Warning: Compliance** Recording laws vary by region. Some jurisdictions require all-party consent or an announcement at the start of the call. You are responsible for compliance with local laws. ### Call behavior Control how calls start, pause, and end: | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | Check user presence | After silence, ask if the caller is still there | | Presence check delay | How long to wait before the presence prompt (1 to 10s) | | Presence message | Custom text, e.g. "Are you still there?" | | Silence timeout | Max silence before hang-up (3 to 30s) | | Hang up message | Spoken before ending a silent call (up to 60 chars) | | Maximum call duration | Auto-end after a set length (30s to 15 min) | These settings help manage cost, avoid dead air, and keep conversations professional. ## SoftPhone (outbound) SoftPhone lets you place outbound calls from the dashboard using a workspace phone number. Use it to call a contact, follow up on a ticket, or dial any number, without leaving Link AI. ![SoftPhone dialer](https://docs.getlinkai.com/screenshots/v2/softphone.png) ### Place a call ### Open SoftPhone Open **Phone Numbers**, select a number, and click **Call** at the top right. You can also start SoftPhone from a [contact](https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/contacts) or a ticket, with that contact already selected. ### Confirm the From number The header shows the number you are calling from. Click **Switch** to use another number on this workspace. ### Enter who to call Type a number on the keypad, or pick someone from the **Contacts** panel on the right. **History** and **Actions** fill in once a contact is selected. ### Check the rate Review the destination rate shown before you dial. Pricing is quoted per destination. ### Call Press the call button under the keypad. You can minimize SoftPhone and keep navigating; a floating bar keeps the live call. The dialer matches the number to a workspace contact when it can, so you see the name and photo before you call. ### During and after the call - The call stays active if you move to another dashboard page. Expand it from the floating bar. - The conversation is saved in the Inbox as an outbound call thread. - When recording is enabled, audio is stored with the thread and in workspace memory, same as inbound calls. SoftPhone uses the same voice-minute pool as inbound phone. Check included minutes and overage in **Settings → Billing**. ### Send an SMS SoftPhone also sends text messages from your workspace number. ### Open the SMS tab Open **Phone Numbers**, select a number, and click **SMS** at the top right. If SoftPhone is already open, switch the toggle above the keypad from **Call** to **SMS**. ### Pick a contact Choose who to text from the **Contacts** panel on the right. SMS goes to saved contacts, so add the person in [Contacts](https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/contacts) first if they are not there yet. ### Write and send Type your message and send it from the number shown in the header. **Note:** SMS only works after the number completes A2P 10DLC registration, which is a carrier requirement for business texting in the US. See the [SMS setup on the Channels page](https://docs.getlinkai.com/agents/channels#sms) for fees and steps. The number's page in **Phone Numbers** shows SMS as **Approved** once it is ready. ## Web voice and widgets Voice is not only for phone numbers. You can offer talk-to-agent on your website with the same voice, greeting, and settings. ### Widget styles In widget configuration, choose a button style: - **Standard button**: classic chat launcher - **Floating input**: compact input bar - **Voice only**: dedicated voice call button (no chat UI) ### Embed options On the agent **Deploy** tab, copy embed code for: - **Full widget**: chat (and voice if enabled in the widget UI) - **Voice only**: standalone voice button ### Inline voice on your site Place a voice button anywhere in your layout (hero, CTA row, or sidebar) without a floating corner widget: ```html ``` To use voice on the same page as chat, keep your normal chat widget and add a second inline voice snippet. Load `chatbot.js` once per page. **Warning: Before embedding** Enable voice on the **Call** tab and add every embed domain under **Domain security**. Visitors see a one-time legal consent notice on first use (stored per agent in the browser). ## Inbox and call review Every phone call creates an Inbox thread with source **Call**. Use the Inbox to review, QA, and export conversations. ### Call threads - Filter by **Call** in the channel tabs - See caller info, agent, timestamps, and full transcript - Live transcript during the call; post-call transcription fills in gaps when needed ### Recording player When recording is enabled, the thread includes an audio player with: - Waveform synced to the conversation - Segments for caller, agent, and agent actions (tools) - Playback speed (1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x) - Download the recording file - Delete the recording (transcript stays) A warning appears when a recording is within 7 days of expiry. ### Message feedback Review individual agent replies with thumbs up / thumbs down and optional comments (up to 500 characters). Use this to flag weak answers, document QA notes, and improve prompts over time. Feedback is included when you export the conversation. ### Export conversations From the thread header, **Export** downloads a structured JSON file with: - Thread and contact metadata - Full message and tool timeline - Voice session details (duration, numbers, recording status) - Admin feedback ratings and comments Use it for compliance archives, coaching, and integrations. ## What your agent can do on a call Phone calls support the same enabled actions as other channels, with voice-appropriate behavior: - **Calendar**: check availability, book appointments - **Smart Forms**: collect information conversationally - **Smart Tickets**: create support tickets - **Orders**: process with verbal confirmation - **Web search**: look up live information with spoken progress updates - **Phone forwarding**: transfer to a human when needed (see below) During longer operations, the agent gives verbal progress cues ("Let me check that for you…") so callers aren't left in silence. ## Phone forwarding Phone forwarding is a phone-specific action for agents that are the first line on an incoming number. Instead of "Press 1 for sales, Press 2 for support," the agent talks with the caller, resolves what it can, and transfers only when appropriate: when the caller asks for a person or the issue requires it. Configure forwarding rules in your agent's **Actions** tab. Rules can be saved before a number is assigned; they activate once a number is connected. ## Pricing snapshot | Item | Notes | | --- | --- | | Phone number | ~$1 to $8/month per number | | Voice minutes | Included per plan; overage at plan rate | | SoftPhone outbound | Quoted per destination in the dialer before you call | | Premium voices | +$0.15/min on top of voice minutes | | Call recording | Growth+ (90-day retention; 180 days on Scale) | Check your plan in **Settings → Billing** for exact included minutes and limits. ## Best practices **Optimize for phone** - Keep answers short and spoken-friendly - Confirm actions verbally ("I've booked you for Tuesday at 2pm") - Offer to text or email details when something is too long for voice **Sound human** - Pick a voice that matches your brand - Write a concise, warm greeting - Consider background noise for customer-facing lines - Use personalized welcome for support lines with repeat callers **Record responsibly** - Enable recording only when you have a lawful basis - Disclose recording where required - Use Inbox export and retention settings for your compliance workflow **Test regularly** - Call from different devices and networks - Test noisy environments - Verify transfers, forms, and calendar actions end-to-end **Review and improve** - Scan Call threads weekly - Use message feedback on weak replies - Listen to recordings for tone, pacing, and accuracy ## Troubleshooting **Call not connecting** Check that voice mode is enabled on the agent, the phone number is assigned to the correct agent, and the number is active in **Phone Numbers**. **No audio or poor quality** Test from another network, check device volume and Bluetooth routing, and retry during off-peak hours to rule out local network issues. **Agent not responding** Check that the agent is published and not over its voice minute limit, and that a greeting and voice are selected. Review the agent prompt for conflicting phone instructions. **Recording missing** Check that **Record calls** is enabled on the **Call** tab and that your plan includes call recording (Growth+). The recording may still be processing, so refresh the Inbox thread. Expired or deleted recordings show a notice; the transcript remains. **Widget voice not working** Check that voice mode is enabled and the domain is allowlisted. For inline voice, confirm `mode="voice-only"` and `placement="inline"` are set, and that `chatbot.js` is loaded once per page. **Call drops on silence** Adjust the silence timeout and presence check settings. Increase the maximum call duration if calls end too early. **SoftPhone will not dial** Check that a workspace phone number is active and selected as the From number, that the destination quote succeeded (some numbers cannot be priced or dialed), and that you are inside your voice-minute limit. ## Next steps **[Smart Forms](https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/smart-forms)**: Collect structured data on calls. **[Smart Tickets](https://docs.getlinkai.com/products/smart-tickets)**: Escalate issues from voice. **[Channels](https://docs.getlinkai.com/agents/channels)**: Run phone alongside chat, WhatsApp, and email. **[Workspaces](https://docs.getlinkai.com/account/workspaces)**: Separate numbers and agents per team.