Phone System Configuration in Shape Software

Configure Shape Software’s cloud phone system, including phone providers, phone numbers, caller IDs, texting, call recording, spam remediation, and more.

Phone System Configuration in Shape Software

Shape Software includes a fully integrated cloud phone system that allows your organization to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, route inbound calls, assign dedicated phone numbers to users, monitor call quality, record conversations, and much more, all from within your CRM.
Unlike traditional phone systems, Shape’s telephony platform is deeply integrated into your workflows. Calls can automatically open customer records, update activity history, trigger automations, assign ownership, and provide reporting across your entire organization.
This guide walks through configuring your phone system, managing phone numbers, enabling calling and texting, and understanding the core settings available within Manage Phone Settings.
Throughout this guide, we’ll also link to more detailed articles covering advanced features such as Inbound Call Routing, Call Transfers, Ring Groups, Local Presence, User Availability, and more.

What Can Shape’s Phone System Do?

Once configured, Shape provides a complete business communications platform,
Including:

• Cloud-based calling using your browser (Webphone)
• Call forwarding to external phones
• SMS and MMS messaging
• Local Presence caller ID
• Live call recording
• Call monitoring HUD
• Conference calling
• Warm, cold, and no-hold transfers
• Ring Groups
• Voicemail Drops
• Call Scripts
• Inbound call routing
• User call availability
• Call waiting
• Spam remediation
• Detailed call reporting
• AI-powered calling features (when licensed)

Whether you’re following up with new leads, supporting existing customers, or managing inbound inquiries, Shape gives your team the tools to communicate efficiently from a single platform.

Before You Begin

Phone system setup is included as part of every Shape onboarding. During implementation, our team will configure your phone system, provision your phone numbers, and help ensure your calling and texting services are ready to go.
To complete the setup, we’ll simply need a few details from your organization,
Including:

• Your preferred phone number area code(s)
• Your 10DLC registration information for business texting
• Any existing phone numbers you’d like to port or verify (if applicable)
• Your preferences for caller ID assignments, inbound call routing, and other communication settings
• Supervising customer service conversations.
• Assisting users during difficult customer interactions.
• Manager oversight of live conversations.

Behind the scenes, our team will work with you to complete the following setup steps:

• Enable your phone integration.
• Purchase or add communication usage credits.
• Purchase and provision at least one Shape phone number.
• Complete your 10DLC registration before sending text messages.
• Configure your default calling and texting numbers.
• Assign caller IDs and configure your initial phone settings.

By the end of onboarding, your phone system will be configured and ready for your users to begin making and receiving calls and text messages.

Accessing Phone System Configuration

Administrators can configure the phone system by navigating to:
Settings → Manage Phone Settings
This page serves as the central location for:

• Enabling calling and texting
• Configuring telephony providers
• Managing phone numbers
• Registering for 10DLC
• Configuring caller IDs
• Purchasing new phone numbers
• Managing spam remediation
• Configuring call recording
• Setting system-wide fallback numbers

Enabling Calling & Texting

At the top of the Manage Phone Settings page, you’ll find the controls used to enable your organization’s communication services.
These settings determine whether calling and texting are available throughout Shape.
You’ll first enable your phone integration, then choose whether your organization will use:

• Calling only
• Text messaging only
• Both calling and texting

Most organizations enable both services so users can communicate with customers through whichever method is most appropriate.

Text Messaging Requirement: U.S. wireless carriers require an approved 10DLC registration before businesses can send SMS or MMS messages using local phone numbers. Each approved 10DLC campaign can support up to 49 phone numbers. If your organization requires more than 49 texting numbers, Shape can assist with registering additional campaigns. We support both low-volume and high-volume texting use cases and will work with you to ensure your communication setup scales with your business.

Communication Usage Credits

Shape uses communication usage credits for services such as:

• Voice calling
• SMS messaging
• MMS messaging
• Call recordings
• Phone number provisioning

Most organizations subscribe to Shape’s Communications Package, which includes a monthly allocation of communication usage credits. These credits automatically apply toward eligible communication activity throughout the month.
If your organization exceeds its included monthly allocation, additional usage is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis, allowing your team to continue communicating without interruption.
If your organization does not have sufficient available credits, certain communication services may become unavailable until additional credits are added.
Communication usage and account balances can be managed from either:

• Settings → Manage Phone Settings
• Billing & Transactions

Best Practice: Most organizations find the Communications Package to be the simplest and most cost-effective option, as it includes a monthly pool of communication credits while still allowing additional usage if your business experiences higher-than-normal call or text volume.

Understanding Default Calling & Texting Numbers

One of the first settings you’ll configure is your organization’s Default Calling Number and Default SMS Number.
These numbers act as your system’s fallback numbers whenever Shape cannot determine a more appropriate phone number to use.
For example, fallback numbers may be used when:

• A user has not been assigned a dedicated caller ID.
• A messaging template doesn’t specify a sending number.
• Local Presence is enabled but no matching local phone number is available.

Having properly configured fallback numbers ensures your users can always place calls and send messages without interruption.

Registering for 10DLC

If your organization plans to send SMS or MMS messages using Shape phone numbers, you’ll first need to complete 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) registration.
10DLC is an industry-wide registration program required by U.S. wireless carriers to help reduce spam messaging, improve message deliverability, and ensure businesses sending text messages are properly identified.
Registering your business tells carriers:

• Who is sending the messages
• What types of messages will be sent
• Which phone numbers are associated with your texting campaign

Without an approved 10DLC registration, outbound text messages may be delayed, filtered, or blocked by participating carriers.
Administrators can begin the registration process directly from the Manage Phone Settings page.

Important Information About 10DLC

10DLC registration is an industry requirement and is not unique to Shape. All businesses sending text messages through standard U.S. phone numbers must comply with carrier registration requirements, regardless of the platform they use.

While Shape guides customers through the registration process and submits registrations on your behalf, all approvals are determined by third-party wireless carriers and registration authorities. As a result, Shape cannot guarantee approval timelines or approval outcomes.

Delays, denials, suspensions, or other actions taken by carriers or registration authorities are outside of Shape’s control and do not constitute a failure of Shape’s services.

For additional information regarding 10DLC registration, payment obligations, and service availability, please refer to the 10DLC Guidelines page.

Call Recording

Shape includes built-in call recording for both inbound and outbound calls.

Call recordings can be valuable for:

• Employee training
• Quality assurance
• Customer service reviews
• Compliance
• Dispute resolution

Recordings are stored within Shape and can be reviewed later through your call reports and customer activity history.

Administrators can choose between two recording methods:

Automatically Record Every Call

When enabled, every inbound and outbound call routed through Shape will be recorded automatically.

Users won’t need to manually start or stop recordings, helping ensure consistent recording across the organization.

This option is commonly used by organizations with compliance or quality assurance requirements.

Manual Call Recording

If automatic recording is disabled, users may choose when to begin recording by selecting the Record button within the dialer during an active call.

Users can start or stop recording at any time during the conversation.

Important: If recording is started and stopped multiple times during the same call, Shape stores only the most recently recorded portion of that conversation.

Legal Considerations for Call Recording

Call recording laws vary by state and country.

Some jurisdictions require only one participant to consent to recording, while others require consent from everyone participating in the conversation.

It’s your organization’s responsibility to ensure call recording is used in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Many organizations accomplish this by playing an automated greeting before recording begins, informing callers that the conversation may be recorded.

These greetings can be configured as part of your Inbound Call Routing rules.

Note: Shape provides the tools to record calls but cannot provide legal advice. Consult qualified legal counsel if you have questions regarding your organization’s recording requirements.

Requiring Call Outcomes

Shape can require users to select a Call Outcome before completing each call.

When enabled, users will automatically receive a call disposition window immediately after hanging up.

This helps ensure every conversation is categorized consistently while improving reporting, automation, and follow-up workflows.

Common call outcomes include:

• No Answer
• Left Voicemail
• Spoke with Customer
• Appointment Scheduled
• Not Interested
• Wrong Number

Available outcomes vary depending on your organization’s configuration and can be managed on the Call Outcomes settings page.

Why Require Call Outcomes?

Requiring call outcomes provides several benefits:

• Improves reporting accuracy.
• Ensures every call is properly documented.
• Supports automation through Triggers and Prioritized Views.
• Helps managers understand call performance.
• Creates consistent follow-up processes across the organization.

Many organizations also use call outcomes to automatically update customer statuses or initiate future workflows.

Best Practice: Require call outcomes for all users to maintain clean reporting and consistent activity tracking throughout your CRM

Managing Your Phone Numbers

Once your phone system has been enabled, the next step is managing your organization’s phone numbers.

The Phone Numbers table provides a centralized view of every Shape phone number in your system, making it easy to purchase new numbers, identify how they’re being used, monitor their reputation, and configure inbound call routing.

Each phone number supports both calling and texting and can be assigned to users, shared across multiple users, or used as a system-wide fallback number.

Purchasing Additional Phone Numbers

As your organization grows, you may need additional phone numbers for new users, departments, marketing campaigns, or geographic regions.

To purchase a new number:

1.

Navigate to Settings → Manage Phone Settings.

2.

Select Get Phone Number.

3.

Choose the desired area code.

4.

Select an available phone number.

5.

Complete the purchase.

New phone numbers become immediately available for caller ID assignment, inbound routing, and text messaging.

Best Practice: Assign each user their own dedicated phone number whenever possible. While users can share numbers, dedicated numbers provide better reporting, simplify inbound call routing, and create a more consistent customer experience.

Friendly Names

Every phone number can be assigned a Friendly Name.

Friendly Names make it much easier to identify numbers throughout the system, especially when managing dozens or even hundreds of phone numbers.

Instead of seeing only the phone number itself, administrators can quickly identify its purpose.

Common examples include:

• Corporate Main Line
• Sales Team
• Customer Service
• Phoenix Office
• Mortgage Marketing
• Insurance Renewals
• After Hours Line

Friendly Names are for internal organization only and are never displayed to customers.

Understanding Phone Capabilities

Each phone number displays its supported communication capabilities.

Depending on the provider and phone number type,

capabilities may include:

• Voice Calling
• SMS Messaging
• MMS Messaging

Most Shape phone numbers support all three communication methods, allowing organizations to use a single number for both voice and text communication.

Capability icons provide a quick way to verify how each number can be used.

Telephony Provider Indicators

Each phone number also displays which native provider manages that number.

Provider indicators allow administrators to quickly identify whether a number is hosted by:

• Twilio
• Plivo

This is particularly useful for organizations using mixed provider configurations or maintaining redundant communication systems.

Inbound Call Routes

Every Shape phone number can be associated with an Inbound Call Route.

The inbound route determines what happens whenever someone calls that phone number.

Examples include:

• Ring a specific user.
• Ring multiple users simultaneously.
• Route to a department.
• Play greetings or announcements.
• Send callers to voicemail.
• Trigger QuickFire Connect.
• Route calls based on schedules or business hours.

The Phone Numbers table displays which inbound route is currently assigned to each number, making it easy to verify your configuration without opening the routing settings.

Learn More: See our Inbound Call Routing Guide for detailed configuration instructions and best practices.

Spam Remediation

Carrier spam labeling has become increasingly common across the telecommunications industry.

To help organizations maintain healthy caller reputation, Shape includes built-in Spam Remediation.

Spam Remediation continuously monitors your phone numbers for spam labeling across major U.S. wireless carriers,

including:

• Verizon
• AT&T
• T-Mobile

If a carrier flags one of your phone numbers as potential spam, Shape can automatically begin the remediation process to remove the spam designation whenever supported by the carrier.

This helps improve outbound answer rates while reducing the likelihood of customers ignoring or blocking your calls.

Understanding Spam Status

Not all spam flags are the same.

Carrier-level spam labels and third-party reputation services are managed independently.

Shape can actively remediate spam flags reported by participating wireless carriers.

However, if a phone number has been flagged by:

• Third-party call blocking applications
• FCC reputation databases
• External spam reporting services

automatic remediation may not be possible.

In these situations, replacing the phone number is often the recommended solution.

Best Practice: Review your phone number reputation periodically. Addressing spam labels early can help maintain higher outbound answer rates and improve the overall customer experience.

Organizing Your Phone Number Inventory

As your organization grows, keeping your phone numbers organized becomes increasingly important.

We recommend:

• Assign meaningful Friendly Names.
• Give users dedicated caller IDs whenever possible.
• Remove unused phone numbers.
• Review inbound routing assignments regularly.
• Monitor Spam Remediation status.
• Keep fallback calling and texting numbers up to date.

Well-organized phone numbers make troubleshooting easier, simplify administration, and improve the overall experience for both users and customers.

Caller ID Management

One of the most important decisions you’ll make when configuring your phone system is determining which phone numbers your users will call and text from.

Shape provides several flexible options depending on your organization’s workflow, allowing users to share phone numbers, have dedicated phone numbers, or even display verified external numbers for outbound voice calls.

Proper Caller ID configuration improves reporting, simplifies inbound routing, and creates a more consistent experience for your customers.

Assigning Caller IDs to User

Every user who makes outbound calls should have a Caller ID assigned.

Caller IDs determine which phone number customers see when receiving an outbound call from your organization.

Administrators can assign Caller IDs directly from the Manage Phone Settings page.

Users may either:

• Have their own dedicated Shape phone number.
• Share a phone number with other users.
• Use a verified external Caller ID (voice only).

The assigned Caller ID will be used for outbound communication unless another rule, such as Local Presence, overrides it.

Dedicated vs. Shared Phone Numbers

Organizations can configure phone numbers in several ways.

Dedicated Phone Numbers

With a dedicated phone number, each user has their own unique Shape phone number.

This is the recommended configuration for most organizations because it provides:

• More accurate reporting
• Cleaner inbound routing
• Better caller recognition
• Easier troubleshooting
• A more consistent customer experience

When customers call the number back, the call can be routed directly to the user who originally contacted them.

Best Practice: Whenever possible, assign each user their own dedicated phone number.

Shared Phone Numbers

Multiple users may also share the same phone number.

Shared numbers work well for:

• Reception teams
• Customer Service
• Shared sales desks
• General office numbers

While fully supported, shared numbers make it more difficult to determine which individual user should receive return calls unless inbound routing rules are carefully configured.

Verified Caller IDs

If your organization already owns phone numbers outside of Shape, you may choose to verify them for outbound voice calling.

A Verified Caller ID allows users to display an existing phone number, such as a mobile phone or office line, when placing outbound calls through Shape.

Verification confirms that your organization owns the phone number before it can be used.

This option is commonly used when organizations want to continue displaying an existing business number without immediately porting it into Shape.

Important: Verified Caller IDs are supported for outbound voice calls only. They cannot be used for SMS or MMS messaging.

Should I Use Verified Caller IDs?

Verified Caller IDs are useful in certain situations, but they are generally intended as a temporary solution.

Because the number remains outside of Shape, some advanced communication features are unavailable compared to using a native Shape phone number.

Best Practice: Whenever possible, port important business numbers into Shape instead of relying on Verified Caller IDs. Native Shape phone numbers provide the best experience for both calling and texting.

Local Presence

Local Presence automatically selects a phone number that is geographically close to your customer when placing outbound calls.

Rather than always displaying the same Caller ID, Shape attempts to use a local phone number whenever one is available.

This helps improve outbound answer rates by presenting a familiar area code to the recipient.

For example:

A user located in California calls a customer in Texas.

Instead of displaying a California phone number, Shape may display an available Texas phone number assigned to your organization.

If no suitable local number is available, Shape automatically falls back to your configured default calling number.

Learn more: See our Local Presence Caller ID Guide for setup instructions, routing behavior, and best practices.

Caller ID Best Practices

• Assign every user a dedicated Shape phone number whenever possible.
• Configure both default calling and texting fallback numbers.
• Use Local Presence to improve outbound answer rates.
• Reserve shared numbers for departments or reception teams.
• Use Verified Caller IDs only when necessary.
• Port important business numbers into Shape instead of masking them whenever possible.
• Periodically review Caller ID assignments as users join, leave, or change roles.

Supported Telephony Providers

Shape’s native phone system is powered by two industry-leading cloud communications providers:

• Twilio
• Plivo

These providers power the underlying voice calling, SMS messaging, MMS messaging, phone number provisioning, and carrier connectivity that make Shape’s communication features possible.

All phone system management, however, takes place directly within Shape. You do not need to create your own Twilio or Plivo account, purchase phone numbers separately, or configure either platform yourself. Shape manages these provider connections for you as part of your phone system configuration.

Administrators simply configure their preferred provider from the Manage Phone Settings page, while all day-to-day calling, texting, reporting, and administration continue to take place within Shape.

Depending on your organization’s needs, you can configure:

• Twilio for both calling and texting
• Plivo for both calling and texting
• Twilio for calling with Plivo for texting
• Plivo for calling with Twilio for texting

Supporting both providers gives organizations additional flexibility for carrier availability, redundancy, and deployment options. It also allows Shape to offer reliable communications while providing alternative options if one provider experiences service disruptions or carrier-specific limitations

Note: Twilio and Plivo operate behind the scenes as Shape’s communication providers. There is no need to purchase separate services or manage accounts directly with either provider.

Best Practice: Most organizations use the same provider for both calling and texting. Mixed provider configurations are also fully supported and can be helpful for redundancy, carrier availability, or specific deployment requirements.

Phone Features

Once your phone system has been configured, Shape includes a wide range of built-in calling features to help your team communicate more effectively. The following features are configured elsewhere in the system or are user-specific settings.

Select a feature below to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions