Use this guide when:
- messages from a GHL location use the wrong sending number;
- an HP number is missing from a dropdown;
- Local Presence uses an unexpected outbound caller ID;
- a location will not stay assigned to a Local Presence number;
- the requested area code is unavailable; or
- buying a number fails or shows a balance error.
If someone called your HP number and the call did not ring correctly, use the inbound-call guide. If an SMS campaign is sending to the wrong leads or a user wants notifications for SMS replies, use the SMS-campaign guide. These settings are related to phone numbers, but they do not use the same route.
Start by naming the exact job
Write down:
- the HP account and GHL location, if applicable;
- the full phone number involved;
- whether the problem is GHL SMS, Local Presence outbound caller ID, personal direct line, inbound call flow, or number purchase;
- the expected number or area code;
- one contact or call used for a controlled test;
- exact date, time, and time zone; and
- the exact error, including which page showed it.
Do not share Twilio or Telnyx passwords, API keys, authentication tokens, or login codes in support chat.
GHL messages use the wrong sending number
There are two provider decisions. Both must agree.
1. Provider saved for the GHL location in Hot Prospector
Open the GHL integration in Hot Prospector and find the affected location. Its SMS Provider choice is:
- GHL — enter or use the CRM phone number for that location; or
- Dialer — select an active Hot Prospector number.
This choice is saved per location. Confirm the location name before making a change.
2. Provider selected inside that GHL location
If messages should go through Hot Prospector, Hot Prospector must also be the selected phone/SMS provider in that GHL location. In layouts that show it, look under Phone Systems → Additional Settings. GHL menu labels can vary, so use the location's provider settings if that exact path is not visible.
Changing only one side can leave the location using the wrong provider or phone number.
Prove it with one new message
Send a fresh SMS to a contact you can identify easily and confirm:
1. the message appears on the intended contact;
2. the recipient sees the expected sending number; and
3. the same message remains in the expected conversation history after refresh.
A correct dropdown is not proof. If the message appears briefly and disappears after refresh, treat that as a failed persistence test and escalate with the contact and timestamp.
A number is missing from a dropdown
First name the exact dropdown. A GHL-location sender, personal direct number, inbound call-flow number, SMS-campaign number, and Local Presence number have different eligibility rules.
For a Dialer number on the GHL integration page, confirm:
1. the number is active and belongs to the same HP account;
2. the user has permission to use it;
3. a manager can see it while viewing the same location; and
4. it is not committed to an incompatible job.
For a personal direct-number assignment, HP rejects a number that is already:
- connected to an inbound campaign or call flow;
- enabled for Local Presence; or
- assigned as another user's direct number.
If Phone Settings or Call Flow Settings is absent from the number's gear menu, stop repeating that navigation. The missing option is a clue that the number is already in use. Find its current route before unlinking anything.
Do not unlink a live number until you know which calls or messages depend on it.
Local Presence uses an unexpected caller ID
Local Presence chooses the outbound caller ID. It does not choose the GHL location's SMS provider.
First confirm that the outbound campaign actually has Local Presence enabled and identify its selected mode: default, tag pool, location pool, or custom pool.
How the current selection fallback works
For the default Local Presence mode, HP looks in this order:
1. an eligible number with the lead's exact area code;
2. an eligible number in the same state;
3. an eligible number within approximately 100 miles when location data is available; and
4. any other eligible Local Presence number in the account.
For a tag or location pool, HP first looks for an exact-area-code number in the matching pool, then any eligible number in that pool. If the selected pool cannot supply one, current routing can continue with another eligible account Local Presence number.
For a custom pool, HP chooses an eligible number from that pool using its rotation data. If the selected pool cannot supply one, current routing can also continue with another eligible account Local Presence number.
If no eligible Local Presence number can be selected, the outbound call can fall back to the campaign's original sending number instead of stopping.
This means an unexpected caller ID does not automatically prove the call failed. Record the full caller ID that was actually used and compare it with the configured mode and pool.
What makes a number eligible
The number must belong to the same account and carrier context, be available for outbound use, not be deleted, and not be disabled by its cooldown setting. Pool membership alone does not guarantee selection.
If the customer requires a strict pool with no outside fallback, do not promise that behavior from the current resolver. Document the requirement as a product request or technical review.
A Local Presence location assignment will not stay saved
A number must already be enabled for Local Presence before a GHL location can be attached to its Local Presence pool. A location can be assigned to only one number/pool at a time, and locations already used elsewhere may be unavailable.
After assigning or clearing a location:
1. save the change;
2. refresh the page;
3. reopen the same number; and
4. confirm the selection still matches.
HP supports both assigning and clearing the location. If the page reports success but the old value returns after refresh, or a cleared location reappears, that is not a training problem. Escalate with the full number, location, before-and-after screenshots, and time.
Buying a number or finding an area code
Number availability comes from the account's connected carrier. For Local Presence, HP searches for numbers that support both voice and SMS.
If the exact area code has no inventory, the current search may show a nearby number within roughly 100 miles. Always read the full number and confirm the actual area code before purchasing.
Practical alternatives are:
1. choose a nearby available area code;
2. select another number serving the same market; or
3. port an existing number from another provider.
Do not promise that inventory will appear on a particular date.
Balance and price guidance
The Local Presence purchase checks the account's Hot Prospector available credit before completing the order. Number cost can vary by account/reseller settings, service, and country. Do not rely on a universal price or direct the customer to a separate carrier balance unless the exact purchase interface explicitly requires it.
If there is not enough HP credit, the purchase error should show the required amount, available amount, and per-number cost. Capture that exact message.
Use the exact page and error
Record whether the attempt was made from the general Buy Number page or from the Local Presence page. Also record:
- country and requested area code;
- number quantity;
- connected carrier, if shown;
- HP credit balance shown at the time;
- full number if one was offered; and
- exact error text.
If a manager can buy the same number from the Local Presence page but the customer's Buy Number page fails, inventory and balance have already been partly disproved. Treat it as a page-specific or permission-specific problem and escalate that contrast instead of repeating “add balance” or “try another area code.”
Read the purchase result correctly
Result — Meaning — Next action
No exact-area number is shown, but nearby numbers appear — Exact inventory is currently unavailable; the broader search found alternatives — Confirm the full number and choose or port an alternative
Insufficient HP credit message — The pre-purchase HP credit check failed — Add the displayed required credit or reduce quantity, then retry once
Missing carrier configuration or unsupported service message — The account cannot complete that purchase route as configured — Escalate with service/carrier and exact message
A displayed number fails during purchase — Search succeeded, but purchase or persistence failed — Escalate with the offered number and timestamp
Carrier purchase succeeds but number is absent in HP — The carrier and HP records disagree — Do not repurchase; escalate with the carrier order and HP screenshot
One HP purchase page succeeds while another fails — Inventory and account funding are not the whole cause — Escalate as a page/permission defect with both results
When the issue needs technical support
Send one complete package:
- HP account and affected GHL location;
- full phone number or requested area code;
- exact number job: GHL SMS, Local Presence, direct, inbound flow, or purchase;
- selected provider, campaign mode, or pool;
- expected and actual sending number or caller ID;
- contact/call used for the test;
- exact time and time zone;
- page used and exact error;
- HP credit balance and displayed per-number cost for a purchase;
- whether the saved setting survives refresh; and
- whether a manager, another page, or the connected carrier gets a different result.
Once this information is present, support should not ask the customer to repeat the same browser or navigation steps. The comparison already identifies the technical boundary.
What counts as resolved
Use a fresh test that matches the complaint:
- GHL SMS uses the expected number and remains in conversation history after refresh;
- Local Presence uses a caller ID allowed by the configured mode, or the customer understands and accepts the documented fallback;
- a location assignment remains correct after refresh;
- the previously missing eligible number appears in the correct dropdown; or
- the customer successfully purchases the intended or accepted alternative number and it appears in HP.
A saved setting, a carrier inventory statement, “we added credits,” or a successful purchase from a different page does not by itself prove the original problem is resolved.