Key takeaways
- An inbound call rings the teammate whose outbound line was called for about 15 seconds, then the rest of the team for about 20; a number with no assigned teammate rings the whole team at once.
- The browser rings on any Rapidialer page while the rep is signed in, and with call forwarding set, their mobile rings at the same time.
- Inbound calls are not matched to a lead: the Dialer shows the caller’s number, and a lead is linked only if you save a Callback outcome.
- At Twilio’s US rates an inbound minute answered in the browser costs $0.0125: $0.0085 for the local number plus $0.0040 for the browser leg.
Inbound calls: what it does for your team
- Callbacks reach the right rep
- Give each rep their own Twilio number and a lead who calls back reaches the person they spoke to, not a shared voicemail box.
- Logged like any other call
- Answered in the Dialer, an inbound call gets the same wrap-up: an outcome and notes in call history, and a Callback outcome puts a follow-up on the caller’s lead.
- Answer away from the desk
- An owner or admin can set a forwarding mobile for each teammate, and inbound calls ring it at the same time as the browser, so a callback is not missed between sessions.
Inbound calls, step by step
Sync your numbers
Connecting Twilio points each synced number’s voice webhook at Rapidialer, so Twilio asks Rapidialer where to send its calls.
Assign lines to reps
Each rep can have an assigned line, which rings them first. A number with no assigned rep rings the whole team at once.
Keep Rapidialer open in a tab
The browser rings on any Rapidialer page while you are signed in. Answer from the banner and the Dialer opens to log the call and start wrap-up.
What it does not do
Plain limits, so you can decide before you sign up.
- Inbound in Rapidialer is for callbacks, not a support line: there is no IVR, ring group, round-robin, queue or business-hours routing.
- The browser rings only while Rapidialer is open in a tab and the rep is signed in. If nobody answers, the optional voicemail box and missed-call text-back take over; with both off, the call ends.
- A rep who is already on a call does not get a second ring in the browser; the call rings their forwarding mobile if one is set, then the rest of the team.
- Leaving the Dialer page during a live call still hangs up that call.
- The Chrome extension keypad places outbound calls only and does not ring for inbound calls.
What makes a good callback number for cold calling?
A good callback number is one a lead can ring and reach the person who called them. Give each rep their own Twilio number and set it as their outbound line. Leads who call back then reach the person they spoke to, and that rep’s calls and callbacks stay together in history.
The number must be one you bought or ported into Twilio: Rapidialer can’t use Twilio Verified Caller IDs, because it syncs only the account’s own phone numbers. Because the browser rings only while a Rapidialer tab is open, set a forwarding mobile for reps who step away. If local presence is on, remember that callbacks go to the local number the lead saw, so assign those numbers to reps deliberately, or leave them unassigned so the whole team rings.
How do I answer Twilio calls on my computer with Rapidialer?
Inbound setup takes three settings: a connected Twilio account, synced numbers, and an outbound line for each rep. First, connect Twilio under Settings, then Telephony, with “Save & provision”. Then use “Import from provider” in the Phone numbers card, which brings in your numbers and points each one’s voice webhook at Rapidialer. Run it again after you buy a new number in Twilio.
Second, on the Team page, use “Change outbound line” to give each rep a number. That one setting decides both the caller ID the rep dials from and who rings when the number is called back. A number nobody has as their line rings the whole team at once.
Third, for anyone who should also ring away from the desk, open “Call forwarding” on the Team page and enter a mobile with its country code. The browser and that mobile ring at the same time, and whichever answers first takes the call. Leave the field blank to turn forwarding off.
What happens when a lead calls back?
The call rings the rep who owns the number, in the browser and on a forwarding mobile if one is set, and the rep wraps it up like an outbound call. Say a rep left a voicemail for a homeowner at 10am from her own Twilio number. At 2pm the homeowner calls that number. Twilio asks Rapidialer where to send the call, Rapidialer finds the rep whose outbound line it is, and her browser rings. On the Dialer she sees “Incoming call” with the caller’s number and Answer and Reject buttons; on any other Rapidialer page a banner offers Answer and Decline. If she misses it, the rest of the team rings for about 20 seconds.
She answers in the browser softphone (answering from the banner opens the Dialer, which logs the call), talks, and wraps up. If she picks Callback, Rapidialer finds the lead by phone number, creating one if the number is new, and schedules the follow-up there. Other outcomes are saved on the call in history, which records its direction as Inbound.
Rapidialer does not look the caller up when the phone rings. The handset shows the number only, with no name, notes or talk track from a lead, and the call stays unlinked in history unless the rep picks Callback. Search the number on the Leads page for context.
Inbound calls skip the outbound checks. The Do Not Call list blocks outbound dials only, so someone on it can still call you, and calling hours never apply to calls you receive.
What do inbound calls cost on Twilio?
A callback answered in the browser costs $0.0125 a minute at Twilio’s published US rates, and one answered on a forwarding US mobile costs $0.0225, because Twilio bills an outbound leg to the mobile instead of the browser leg (Twilio voice pricing). Rapidialer adds nothing per call.
A worked example: a rep takes 40 callbacks in a month that average 3 minutes each. That is 120 minutes: $1.50 answered in the browser, $2.70 on the mobile, plus $0.30 if recording is on. Twilio rounds each call up to the next whole minute. The Twilio cost per minute guide covers the other rates.
Why didn’t an inbound call ring?
Usually Rapidialer was not open in a tab or the call rang someone else. Check:
- No Rapidialer page was open, or the rep was signed out. Only an open, signed-in tab can ring, so set call forwarding for reps who work away from the desk.
- The number is not synced. Run Import from provider on the Telephony page after you buy or port a number, so its voice webhook points at Rapidialer.
- The number is nobody’s outbound line, so it rang the whole team and a teammate may have answered first. Check the Outbound line column on the Team page.
- The caller heard “We are unable to complete this call”: the Twilio connection for your organization needs to be saved again on the Telephony page.
- The browser blocked the microphone. Allow microphone access for the site, then reload the page.
Who should use a different tool for inbound?
Teams whose inbound calls are the main event, such as a support desk or a sales line advertised on the website, need queues, hold music, an IVR menu and business-hours routing. A contact-center platform such as Twilio Flex is built for that. Keep those numbers in a separate Twilio subaccount, and use dedicated sales numbers so callbacks from your outbound work reach the right rep in the web dialer.
Features that work alongside it
- Local presenceCaller ID that picks one of your own Twilio numbers with the lead’s area code.
- Call recordingDual-channel call recording stored in your own Twilio account, played back from call history.
- Follow-upsCall, email and to-do follow-ups, with a queue that power-dials the calls that are due.
Inbound calls: questions and answers
Can inbound calls go to voicemail?
Yes, when an owner or admin turns on the voicemail box. A caller nobody answers hears your greeting and records a message, which Rapidialer keeps with the missed call. Missed-call text-back can also send the caller an SMS from the number they dialed. With the box off, the call ends once the team stops ringing, unless a forwarding mobile’s own voicemail picks up first.
Do callbacks to a local presence number reach the rep who called?
Only if that rep owns the number. Rapidialer rings whoever has the called number as their outbound line first, then the rest of the team after about 15 seconds; a number nobody has rings the whole team at once. With local presence on, a rep may call from a shared local number they do not own, so the lead’s callback rings that number’s owner first. Assign local numbers deliberately, or tell reps who answers each one.
Can several reps share one inbound number?
Partly. Leave a Rapidialer number unassigned and a call to it rings the browsers of up to ten teammates at once; the first to answer takes it. An assigned number rings its rep, plus their forwarding mobile, before the rest of the team. There are no ring groups you define, round-robin, queues or IVR menus, so for a line several people staff, use a contact-center tool alongside Rapidialer.
What if nobody has Rapidialer open?
When nobody has Rapidialer open in a signed-in tab, an inbound call still rings the assigned rep’s forwarding mobile if an owner or admin has set one under Call forwarding on the Team page. If nobody answers, the optional voicemail box takes a message and missed-call text-back can send the caller an SMS; with both off, the call ends.
Are inbound calls recorded?
Yes. When call recording is on for your organization, Rapidialer records inbound calls the same way as outbound ones: dual-channel, from the moment the call is answered, stored in your Twilio account and playable from call history. Recording costs $0.0025 per recorded minute at Twilio’s published rate. Check call recording laws by state before you record.
What do inbound calls cost on Twilio?
Rapidialer adds no per-minute charge for inbound calls; Twilio bills them on your own account. At Twilio’s published US rates, an inbound call to a local number costs $0.0085 per minute, plus $0.0040 per minute for the browser leg when it is answered in the Dialer. A call answered on a forwarding mobile adds an outbound leg to that mobile instead.
Why didn’t my browser ring?
Check that Rapidialer was open in a tab and you were signed in, that the number is synced and assigned to you on the Team page, and that you weren’t already on a call. A number with no assigned rep rings the whole team at once, so a teammate may have answered first. Browser microphone permission also has to be allowed for Rapidialer.
Does Rapidialer show which lead is calling?
No. Rapidialer does not match inbound calls to a lead, so the incoming call shows the caller’s phone number without a name or notes. If the rep saves a Callback outcome, Rapidialer finds the lead with that number, or creates one, and schedules the follow-up there. Other outcomes stay on the call record in history, marked Inbound.
Can I change who answers a callback number?
Yes. In Rapidialer, the person who rings first for a number is whoever has it as their outbound line, so an owner or admin changes it with “Change outbound line” on the Team page. Moving a number to another rep moves both its caller ID and its callbacks. The team roles page explains who can change these settings.