Purchase and Configure SMS Phone Numbers

Purchase a new SMS phone number

1. Click on the top left corner of the screen.

2. Click Settings.

3. Under the Channels category, click SMS.

4. The SMS page shows you a list of phone numbers currently in Gladly. These are phone numbers already available or used as an Entry Point.

   • The Inbox column shows which Inbox SMS messages are routed to based on the phone number's Entry Point setting.

5. Click Set Up SMS.

6. Step 1, from the prompt, click Get a new phone number.

   • Do you need an SMS number for use outside of the United States or Canada? Contact Gladly Support since these can't be purchased through the Gladly UI.

7. Step 2, the Search Phone Numbers modal automatically populates available phone numbers in the United States listed in random order. Still, you can narrow your results by capability, city, or area code.

   • [A] Country – Default is United States. You can also choose Canada.

     • Contact Gladly Support if you need an international number or short code.

   • [B] Type – Search local or toll-free numbers (United States or Canada only)

   • [C] Capabilities – SMS is selected by default (can't be unchecked), so phone numbers displayed all have SMS capabilities. Click the Voice and/or MMS box if you'd like to see available numbers with those capabilities as well.

     • SMS numbers purchased with Voice capability also appear on the Voice page so it can be configured to support voice.

   • [D] Filters Number By – Search criteria options: Area Code or Contains:

     • Area Code – Search for numbers by area code (e.g., 415, 909, etc.) or by city (e.g., San Francisco, Riverside, etc.). You must enter the complete name of the city if searching by city.

     • Contains – Search by numbers using certain patterns. For example, entering "GLAD" could return "4523" if available.

   • [E] Available Phone Numbers – List of phone numbers available based on search criteria

     • Capabilities – Icons here represent the phone number's other capabilities: Voice, SMS, and/or MMS.

   • [F] View other numbers – Pagination appears if more numbers are available.

8. Click Search to narrow your search further by capability, city, or area code.

   • You will be presented with up to 30 SMS phone numbers. If you reach the end of the paginated results, click Search again to load more numbers, but remember that some numbers may not reappear on the new list.

9. To select a phone number to purchase from the list, click Select Number.

10. Step 3, you'll be asked to review your request to purchase a new phone number, including details like the city, type, and capabilities. Click Buy Number to confirm your purchase.

    • You'll be charged a monthly fee to keep this number in addition to other usage charges. See Voice Pricing for more billing information.

11. Step 4, a confirmation modal will appear that the phone number has been successfully purchased. Click Next.  

    • Closing the modal at this point by clicking X cancels the configuration process, but the phone number is yours. You can set up the phone number at a later time. See Use an existing Gladly SMS phone number to learn how.

12. Step 5 presents the A2P 10DLC Registration or Toll-Free Number Verification process, depending on the type of number (Local or Toll-Free) being purchased. This is not required if the numbers will only be used for Voice.

    • A2P 10DLC Registration – 10DLC numbers for SMS/MMS messaging must be registered first. Fill out the registration form and wait until Gladly notifies you when the registration is complete before setting up the number and using it to communicate with Customers.

    • Toll-Free Number Verification – Toll-Free numbers used for SMS/MMS must be verified, or the number of messages will be extremely limited and will have a higher chance of getting marked as spam by carriers. Fill out the verification form and wait until Gladly notifies you when the verification is complete before setting up the number and using it to communicate with Customers.

13. After completing the A2P 10DLC or Toll-Free Number Verification form, close the modal (step 5) by clicking X and wait until you hear from Gladly.  

    • Note – Refrain from continuing the setup until you get approval from Gladly Support. See Use an existing Gladly SMS phone number to learn how to finalize setting up the number in Gladly.

14. In unlikely circumstances where the number doesn't require verification or is already verified, click Next.

15. Step 6 gives you the following options for the phone number you purchased. Depending on your decision, the next steps will follow.

Yes, activate SMS

Activating SMS capabilities for the phone number in step 6 brings you to the configuration page, where you can link the Entry Point for the number through the Entry Points settings page.

1. Selecting Yes, activate SMS on step 6, which brings you to step 7, where you can choose to change the Inbox inbound SMS route. But if the default Inbox is correct, no action is required in this step.

   • See Add and Configure SMS Entry Points to learn how to link the Entry Point (phone number) to an Inbox.

2. Click Next.

3. Step 8, the SMS setup is complete, and the number is ready for SMS support.

   • You can begin advertising or using this number to support Customers.

   • SMS phone numbers you own are listed on the SMS page.

   • Visit the Entry Points page if you need to route SMSes to a different Inbox.

4. Click Done.

No, don't activate SMS

Choosing not to activate SMS capabilities on step 6 for the phone number completes the SMS phone number purchase. The number remains unusable until the SMS number is configured on the Entry Points settings page.

1. In step 6, while the number is purchased at this point, it's not ready for SMS, but it can be configured later. See Use an existing Gladly SMS phone number.

   • Note that 10DLC and Toll-Free numbers purchased in Gladly and used for SMS messaging must be verified (Toll-Free number) or registered (A2P 10DLC) before use. This is not required if the numbers will only be used for Voice.

2. Click Done.

Use an existing Gladly SMS number

Configure SMS phone numbers (e.g., link the SMS number to an Inbox) that you have purchased but did not complete setting up. SMS numbers where you selected No, don't activate SMS during the purchase process appear here.

1. Click on the top left corner of the screen.

2. Click Settings.

3. Under the Channels category, click SMS.

4. The SMS page shows you a list of phone numbers currently in Gladly. These are phone numbers already available or used as an Entry Point.

   • The Inbox column shows which Inbox SMS messages are routed to based on the phone number's Entry Point setting.

5. Click Set Up SMS.

6. Step 1, from the prompt, click Use an existing Gladly phone number, then click Next.

7. Step 2, you're shown SMS phone numbers that you have purchased but have not configured. Find the number you want to configure and click Select number next to it.

8. Step 3 displays the default Inbox where all SMSes go. Go to Entry Points page to create an exception if you want inbound SMSes from the number to go to a different Inbox. Click the Go to Entry Points link on step 3 to access the Entry Points page.

   • See Add and Configure SMS Entry Points to learn how to link the SMS number to an Inbox.

9. Click Next.

10. Step 4, depending on the type of number (Local or Toll-Free) being configured, presents the A2P 10DLC Registration or Toll-Free Number Verification process. Click Next if you've received either the registration or verification approval from Gladly. If not, you must first complete the registration/verification process.

    • A2P 10DLC Registration – 10DLC numbers to be used for SMS/MMS messaging must be registered first. Fill out the registration form and wait until Gladly notifies you when the registration is complete before setting up the number and using it to communicate with Customers.

    • Toll-Free Number Verification – Toll-Free numbers used for SMS/MMS must be verified, or the number of messages will be extremely limited and will have a higher chance of getting marked as spam by carriers. Fill out the verification form and wait until Gladly notifies you when the verification is complete before setting up the number and using it to communicate with Customers.

11. Step 5 confirms that the SMS phone number is ready for use.

12. Click Done. The Toll-Free number or 10DLC number is now ready to communicate with Customers.

Port or forward an SMS phone number from another provider

SMS phone numbers you own and not purchased through Gladly require additional configuration. To start, please submit a port request. Once ported, the number will be available on the SMS page, ready to be configured to use for SMS services.

Purchase short code

See SMS Number Types to understand the difference between toll-free numbers and short codes for SMS and how to choose, including costs.

Short codes or international numbers can be purchased by contacting Gladly Support.