Phone numbers and caller ID

Every call, voicemail and text you send in Drop Cowboy® goes out from a phone number on one of your phone lines. You buy numbers onto a phone line, check each number's complaint history, and save the address your phones sit at for 911.

Buy a phone number

Use this to add a new number to a phone line.

1. Open Phone Numbers in the left menu. The page is titled Phone Hub.
2. Click the phone line the number is for. With no line yet, click Add and set up a phone line first.
3. On the Numbers tab, click Add Phone Number, then Buy a New Number.
4. Pick United States, Canada, Toll-Free or Global.
5. Search By area code, By state or By city (map), then click Search. Each result shows its FCC complaint history.
6. Click the buy button next to a number. To buy several, tick them and click the button that starts Buy selected.
7. If your numbers go to the cart, click Review & Checkout to finish. They work once checkout is complete.

Toll-free numbers can't send picture messages (MMS). To text from any number, the line needs a texting registration. See Send texts from a phone line.

If it doesn't work:

• "Register your brand to buy phone numbers." Carriers need your brand first. Register your SMS brand, then search again.
• "Team 911 address required." Click Open 911 settings and set your 911 address, then come back.
• A number can't be bought. It has FCC complaints and is blocked from sale. Pick another result.
• A number shows Pending payment. Its checkout isn't finished. Open the cart and click Review & Checkout.

If you don't see Phone Numbers, ask your account owner for access.

Buy local numbers

Use this to get numbers in the area codes your contacts live in.

1. Open Make Calls in the left menu and click a list under Callable Lists.
2. Scroll to Local Presence. Each area code in the list has a row with Contacts, For Coverage (how many numbers it needs) and Your numbers.
3. Read the color for each row: Needs numbers, Nearby coverage, Exact coverage or Over-covered.
4. Click Add Local on one row, or tick several rows and click Buy for Selected.
5. In Add Local Numbers, set How many numbers?, an Area code (optional, 3 digits), and the phone line under Assign to phone line.
6. Click Continue, check the numbers, then click Buy & Assign.

The new numbers join that phone line. Calls from the line use the number closest to each contact. Always identify your business location truthfully when asked by recipients.

To download the area code table, click Export CSV. When you create a broadcast campaign, Local presence shows the same coverage.

Choose the caller ID people see

Use this to control which number shows when you call, leave a voicemail or text.

1. Open Phone Numbers in the left menu.
2. Click the phone line most of your sends should use. Under Quick Actions, click Default. The line shows a Default badge.
3. When you send, pick a phone line:
   • In a broadcast campaign, the line is set on the Callback step. In a text campaign, pick it under Phone line. Return calls and texts come back to that same line.
   • In the dialer, set it under Return Phone Line & Caller ID in Set dialer rules.
   • On a desk phone, the phone line set for that phone is used.

Every send goes out from one of your phone lines, or from your team's default line when you don't pick one:

Only bring-your-own-carrier (BYOC) teams can show a custom caller ID, and only from numbers on their own carrier. See Bring your own carrier. Always identify your business location truthfully when asked by recipients.

If it doesn't work:

• A send fails with No Caller ID. You didn't pick a phone line and the team has no default. Set a default line in step 2, or pick a line on the send.
• The line you picked has no numbers. Add one in Buy a phone number, or pick another line.

Check number reputation

Use this to see whether people have filed complaints about one of your numbers.

1. Open Phone Numbers in the left menu, click a phone line, and open the Numbers tab.
2. Read the badge on each number:

If a number has complaints or shows Unhealthy, send from another line while you look into it. To drop the number, open its row menu and click Release Number, then buy a phone number to replace it.

Set your 911 address

Use this to save the address your phones sit at, so emergency services can find you.

1. Open Settings in the left menu, then click Emergency 911.
2. Click Add an address.
3. Fill in Name of this place and Location type. Type the street under Search for address and pick the match. Add a Floor / room / unit if it helps responders.
4. Under Who to notify when someone dials 911, add an Email or SMS contact with + Add email or + Add phone.
5. Fill in a Backup number. You need one before you can turn on 911.
6. Click Save address. The first address you save becomes your Account default. Saving an address doesn't turn on 911 by itself.
7. Click Turn on 911 on its row and confirm in the window. The 911 column shows On.

911 calling from Drop Cowboy isn't available on every account, even with an address turned on. A desk phone that shows not a 911 device can't place 911 calls. Keep a mobile phone or landline nearby for emergencies, and contact support to confirm whether your account can call 911.

Use Edit to change an address and Remove to delete one.

If it doesn't work:

• "911 is still off, and you were not charged." The address couldn't be registered. Check the address with Edit, then click Turn on 911 again.
• The row says "Add a backup number." Click Edit, fill in Backup number, and click Save changes. Then click Turn on 911.

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations vary by jurisdiction and use case. Always consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your specific practices comply with applicable federal and state laws.