Why it matters
Whippy Business Phone channels let your team handle inbound and outbound calls inside Whippy, without desk phones or a separate telephony system. Once configured, you can enable call recording, transcription, voicemail, call forwarding, IVR or AI agents for inbound routing, and keep all call data logged alongside SMS and email.
Key Concepts
Whippy Business Phone Channel: A phone channel in Whippy that supports inbound and outbound calling using VoIP (calling over the internet).
Communication Provider: The service that powers the phone channel (for example, Whippy Phone, Twilio, Vonage).
Channel Sender: The specific phone number used to place and receive calls for the channel.
Capabilities: The enabled functions for the phone number (for example, Voice, SMS, MMS, Fax).
Call Flow: Rules that control how inbound calls are handled, including recording, transcription, ring timeout, voicemail, forwarding, IVR, or an AI agent.
Business Hours: Availability settings (time zone and hours) that control when the channel is considered open or closed and what happens after hours.
Step-by-Step: Set Up a Whippy Business Phone Channel
Go to Settings in the top navigation.
Under Organization Settings, select Channels.
Click Add Channel (top right).
Enter the Channel Name.
(Optional) Add a channel icon.
Enter the Channel Description.
Enter the Business Address.
Start typing, then select the address from Google Maps autocomplete.
Confirm the Google Place ID auto-populates after selecting the address.
Click Next.
Select Phone as the channel type.
Click Next.
Open the Communication Provider dropdown.
Select Whippy Phone (recommended) or another supported provider (Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx, Synch, Bandwidth).
Click Next.
Configure the Channel Sender (Phone Number) using one of the options below.
Option A: Buy a New Number
Select Buy a New Phone Number.
Select a Provider Account (for example, Whippy).
Search available numbers by area code.
Select a phone number.
Click Next.
Option B: Add an Existing Number Manually
Select Add Manually.
Enter the Phone Number.
Enter the Phone Number SID.
Select Capabilities.
Select Voice at minimum.
Optionally select SMS, MMS, and Fax if required for this number.
(Optional) Enable the Hosted checkbox if the number is hosted by your provider.
Click Next.
Review and Complete
Review the channel configuration:
Channel name and icon.
Description.
Address and Place ID.
Channel type (Phone).
Communication provider.
Sender phone number.
Click Complete to create the Whippy Business Phone channel.
Confirm the channel appears in the Channels list under Organization Settings.
Tips and Best Practices
Use Whippy Phone as the provider to access the tightest integration with Whippy Business Phone features.
Ensure the business address is correct, since the address field relies on Google Maps autocomplete and populates a Place ID.
If adding a number manually, you must provide the phone number, SID, and capabilities before you can continue.
Assign the channel to the right users so they can place and receive calls.
Plan call routing early (voicemail, forwarding, IVR, AI agent) so inbound calls are handled consistently once the channel goes live.
If you use Voice AI, configure your channel so automated calls can hand off to a human inside Whippy when needed.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Cannot complete setup | Required fields missing | Complete all required fields, including phone number, SID, and capabilities (when adding manually) |
Unable to proceed past sender setup | Missing sender details | Add a phone number, phone number SID, and select capabilities |
Number will not verify | Incorrect number or SID | Re-enter the phone number and SID, then try again |
Call option not appearing for a user | Channel access not granted | Update user channel access in Organization Settings |
Cannot buy a number in selected area code | No inventory available | Try a different or nearby area code |