You need three things:
A browser and a microphone. No headset is required, though one helps. No desk phone, no client software.
A Dialer plan. See Pricing.
At least one phone number bought inside Outboundry. A dialpad with no caller ID cannot place a call, so a workspace with no numbers is taken straight to the number purchase flow instead.
Grant microphone permission to your browser when prompted. If permission is denied, Outboundry blocks the dial before it reaches the carrier, so you never spend credits on a call you cannot speak into.
A workspace with no numbers sees a three-step setup panel rather than a dialpad:
Get a phone number. Local or toll-free. Your plan includes several slots; anything beyond them bills monthly.
Set your caller ID. This decides which number leads see when you call, and where inbound calls ring.
Make your first call. Dial manually, or press Call on any lead.
If you already bought a number and left the flow partway through, use "I already have a number, take me to the dialpad" to skip ahead.
Go to Calling › Phone Numbers › Buy a number.
Step 1: Select a number
Choose a country (US, Canada or United Kingdom).
Choose a type: Local or Toll-free.
For local numbers, enter an area code. Toll-free ignores the area code, and the field is disabled.
Press Search.
Pick one or more numbers from the inventory table, which shows the number, region, type, whether address verification is required, and the monthly cost.
A few things worth knowing:
Search is deliberate, not live. Changing the country, type or area code clears the previous results, so you can never buy from a stale list.
The area code determines the region label shown against the number.
Free plan slots are consumed first and appear as "Free slot" in the table.
If an area code has no inventory, you get an explicit empty state with a Clear area code action rather than a blank table.
Step 2: Confirm
Review the per-number line items, set a label, choose inbound routing, and decide whether this number should become your default caller ID. If plan slots cover everything in your basket, the total is $0.00 and the button reads Activate number. If a paid extra is in the basket, it reads Pay and activate.
Plan slots cover local numbers only. Toll-free numbers always bill as an extra, even when you have free slots available. Toll-free also requires address verification.
Calling › Phone Numbers lists every number you own with its label, type, region, inbound routing, monthly cost and status. Numbers covered by your plan show an "In plan" tag instead of a price, so you can see at a glance what your extra numbers are actually costing.
A slots chip in the page bar shows how many free plan slots you have left, how many extras are in use, and what those extras cost per month, with a link to change your plan.
Setting | What it does |
Label | Internal only. This is how the number is named everywhere else in the Dialer, so give it something meaningful like "Sales line" or "Founder line". |
Inbound calls ring | Everyone in the workspace, a named teammate, or straight to voicemail. Changes apply to the next inbound call; a call already in progress is never moved. |
Default caller ID | Exactly one number carries it. Setting it on one number clears it from the others. New calls and campaigns use it unless told otherwise. |
Release | Cancels the number's subscription and stops inbound calls immediately. |
Releasing a number is irreversible. The number cannot be recovered, and calls returned to it simply vanish. Because a released sales line loses callbacks silently, release is guarded by a typed confirmation dialog.
Open Calling › Dialer, or press Call on any lead in Leads, Pipeline CRM, Unified Inbox or Lead Finder. Every entry point uses the same call engine.
Calling from defaults to your default caller ID and lists every number you own alongside its label.
The country picker covers 28 dial codes in a searchable dropdown. Search matches country name, ISO code or dial code, and Enter picks the top result.
US and Canada numbers are formatted as you type. Other countries stay as raw digits, so a local format we do not recognise never gets mangled.
Keyboard first. Digits, * and # type into the display, Backspace deletes, Enter dials. Key capture is switched off while you are typing in a text field or notes area.
Call is disabled below 7 digits, and while another call is already live. In that case, the button reads "End the current call to dial again".
Record this call overrides your workspace recording default for this call only. The recording notice and the 90-day retention rule are stated inline next to the toggle.
Once you have typed 7 or more digits, Outboundry matches what you have typed against your known leads on the trailing 7 digits. If it finds one, you get a lead card showing stage, campaign, ICP score, the lead's local time and their last touch — so you know who you are calling before they answer. If there is no match, you see the idle "softphone ready" state instead.
The call bar is the call. It floats above every screen in Outboundry and has a collapsed and an expanded form, so you can keep browsing, open the lead record or check a campaign without dropping the call.
State | When | What the bar shows |
Connecting | Call placed | Waiting dot and "Connecting". Controls are visible but disabled. |
Ringing | Carrier accepted the call | "Ringing". No timer yet. |
Live | Answered | Running timer, a Rec indicator when recording, all controls enabled. |
Live + held | You pressed Hold | "On hold". The timer keeps running, and hold time is billable. |
Wrap-up | You pressed End | Controls are replaced by notes, outcome and Save, with "Call ended" and the final duration. |
Mute, Hold, Keypad, Transfer and End. Everything except the keypad requires a live call. Transfer opens a teammate or voicemail selector and performs a warm transfer.
Script — your talk track: opener, why now, qualify, ask, and a scripted objection handler, with merge tags filled in for the lead you are speaking to.
Notes — writes straight to the lead timeline. Your notes also appear in wrap-up regardless of which tab you had open.
Keypad — sends DTMF tones for IVR menus and extensions, and echoes back what you sent.
Lead — repeats stage, ICP score, campaign, local time and last touch. If there is no matching lead, it tells you one will be created from the outcome.
When you press End, the bar switches to wrap-up.
An outcome is required. Save stays disabled until you pick one, and the footer explains why.
When the outcome moves the lead, the bar tells you before you commit — for example, "Moves Priya to Meeting in the CRM".
Discard throws the whole call away, including your notes.
An Up next card suggests the next callable lead, so a block of calls keeps its rhythm.
If you close the browser during wrap-up, the call is not lost. It is already ended and metered, so it is stored as a completed call with the outcome "Not set" and waits for you in Call Logs.
The incoming call widget rings whenever your softphone is online and one of your workspace numbers is dialled, whatever screen you are on.
What the widget shows
A ring animation, the caller's avatar, how long it has been ringing, and their name or number — plus title and company if they are a known lead.
Which line is being called, by label. If you run a sales line and a founder line, you know which hat to wear before you answer.
For a known lead: local time, stage, ICP score, campaign, last touch, and a note if answering will close an open call task.
For an unknown caller: "Not in your CRM. We will create a lead from this call when you save the outcome."
The footer shows the inbound rate and your remaining credit balance, because inbound calls spend credits too.
Actions: Decline (the caller hears a busy tone), Voicemail, or Answer.
If a call comes in while you are already on one, the widget stacks above the call bar and the primary action becomes Hold & answer, with a warning that your current call will go on hold rather than be dropped.
Outcomes are the contract between calling and your pipeline. Seven ship by default:
Outcome | Moves the lead to |
Connected | Engaged |
Meeting booked | Meeting |
Callback | Engaged |
Left voicemail | No move |
No answer | No move |
Wrong number | Disqualified |
Not interested | Closed lost |
In Calling settings, you can add your own. An outcome is a label plus an optional CRM move chosen from the same list, including "Do not move the lead". Custom outcomes are workspace-scoped and show up in the wrap-up chips, the Call Logs filter and your reporting breakdown.
Campaigns do not place calls. A Create Call Task step files a manual task for every lead that reaches it, and the sequence pauses on that lead until someone works the task. This is deliberate: an automated dial with nobody on the line is a wasted touch and a compliance problem.
Option | Values |
Purpose | Discovery, follow-up, requested callback, qualify, book a demo, renewal, or your own custom purpose. |
Due | 0 to 30 hours or days after the step. Zero means due immediately. Overdue tasks are flagged. |
Priority | High, normal or low. |
Note for the caller | Free text with merge tags, filled per lead when the task is created. |
Calling › Call Tasks holds every task, with search plus priority and purpose filters. Overdue tasks are visually distinct, not just sorted to the top.
Each row shows the lead, purpose, priority, due date, the source campaign and the step that created the task, and the caller note. Tasks you added by hand show "Added by" and the person's name instead of a campaign step.
Call starts the same call engine with the task attached. Saving the outcome completes the task and releases the lead back into the sequence.
Skip advances the sequence without a call and is recorded, so a skipped task is auditable rather than invisible.
Calling › Call Logs holds every call: owner, when it happened, the lead or the raw number, direction, duration, status (completed, no answer, failed), outcome and a recording flag.
Opening a row reveals the call detail drawer:
The recording player, with waveform scrub and download.
The outcome and the CRM move it caused.
Your notes.
Call details: from, to, status and credits spent.
Calls placed without recording say so explicitly rather than showing you a dead player. Inbound calls with no matching lead keep the raw number as their identity until a lead is created.
Recording is a workspace default with a per-call override on the dialpad.
A short notice plays to both parties before connecting whenever recording is on. This cannot be switched off, because two-party-consent jurisdictions exist. If you are unsure about recording a particular call, turn recording off for that call on the dialpad.
Recordings are kept for 90 days, then permanently deleted. Download anything you need for a deal file or a QA review before then — deletion cannot be reversed.
The do-not-call (DNC) list blocks a number before the phone rings, in both directions. Entries can be added by hand or automatically when a lead asks not to be called, and each entry records who added it and when. If a number is both a lead and a DNC entry, DNC always wins — there is no override.
Metering is separate for recording, transcription and the AI dialer, so you can price down by turning off what you do not need.
Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Credits/mo | Numbers | Seats | Approx. minutes | AI dialer |
Starter | $19 | $15 | 1,000 | 1 | 1 | ~500 | Add-on |
Growth (recommended) | $49 | $39 | 2,500 | 3 | 3 | ~1,250 | Included |
Scale | $99 | $79 | 5,000 | 5 | 10 | ~2,500 | Included |
Enterprise | Custom, volume pricing | — | Committed | Custom | Custom | — | Included |
Annual billing saves roughly 20–21%. Plan credits reset each cycle and do not roll over.
One credit is $0.02. Credits meter connected minutes only, rounded up per minute. A call that never connects costs nothing.
Activity | Rate | Effective cost |
Outbound call (US) | 2 credits / min | $0.040 / min |
Inbound call (US) | 1.5 credits/min | $0.030 / min |
Voicemail drop | 2 credits/min | $0.040 / min |
Call recording | 0.5 credit / min | $0.010 / min |
Transcription | 1 credit / min | $0.020 / min |
AI dialer | 5 credits/min | $0.100 / min |
International outbound | Per rate card | Destination-based |
Rates stack. A recorded and transcribed US outbound minute costs 3.5 credits, not 2.
Pack | Price | Per credit | Approx. outbound minutes |
1,000 credits | $20 | $0.0200 | ~500 |
5,000 credits (best value) | $95 | $0.0190 | ~2,500 |
10,000 credits | $185 | $0.0185 | ~5,000 |
Add-on credits never expire and are only consumed once your monthly plan credits are gone. Auto-recharge re-buys the same pack when your balance drops below 200 credits. A balance under 20% of your monthly allowance is flagged as low, and calls stop connecting at zero.
Type | Monthly | Counts against plan slots | Notes |
US local | $2.50 | Yes | Free until your plan slots are used up. |
US toll-free | $4.50 | No | Always an extra. Address verification required. |
India local | $5.00 | No | Gated. Regulatory documentation required before activation. |
My credits ran out mid-call. The call in progress is never cut. It finishes, and the balance is allowed to go negative for that one call. Your next dial is blocked with a top-up prompt.
I can't dial — the Call button is disabled. Check three things: you have typed at least 7 digits; you are not already on a live call ("End the current call to dial again"); and the number is not on your DNC list.
The dial was blocked with a DNC warning. The number belongs to a lead on your do-not-call list. The block happens before the phone rings, in both directions, and the message names the DNC entry and who added it. There is no override.
My microphone isn't working. The dial is blocked before the carrier is touched, with a prompt to repair the permission. Check your browser's site permissions and that an input device is connected, then try again.
I navigated to another screen and the call kept going. That is expected — the call engine lives at app level and the call bar follows you. A full page reload does end the call, which is a known v1 limitation; the tab warns you before unloading.
I closed the browser during wrap-up. The call was already ended and metered. Find it in Call Logs with the outcome "Not set" and disposition it there.
A teammate is calling the same lead I am. Both calls are allowed, but the second caller sees a warning that a teammate is on a live call with this lead. Both calls log independently against the lead.
My outcome would move a lead that is already closed. The move is stated and applied. Moving a lead out of Closed lost back to Engaged asks for confirmation first, because it re-enters your reporting.
A call task's lead was unsubscribed or disqualified. The task is auto-closed as "no longer callable", and the lead leaves the sequence. The task is not silently deleted, so you can still see what happened.
Nobody worked a call task, and the lead is stuck. That is intentional. The lead stays paused indefinitely and the task is flagged overdue — the sequence never proceeds as though the call happened. Campaign health shows you the count of stalled leads.
An inbound call came from a number not in my CRM. Answer it normally with full functionality. A lead is created from the call when you save the outcome, with the call as its first timeline entry.
I released a number, and callbacks are disappearing. Release is irreversible and stops inbound immediately. The confirmation dialog warns about this before you commit; there is no way to recover the number.
I released my default caller ID. The default automatically reassigns to the oldest remaining active number, and you are told which one. Your workspace is never left without a default.
My toll-free number isn't working as caller ID yet. Toll-free numbers appear pending until address verification completes. They bill from purchase, but cannot be used as caller ID until verification clears.
I downgraded my plan and now have more numbers than slots. Nothing is auto-released. Numbers beyond the new allotment convert to paid extras, and the downgrade screen shows your new monthly total before you commit.
I'm calling outside the lead's working hours. The lead card shows their local time prominently, but the dial is never blocked. Calling hours are a judgement call in v1.
A warm transfer failed. If the transfer target is offline, the call falls back to you with the call still live, and offers the voicemail target instead. A failed transfer never drops the call.
Recording stopped partway through the call. The call continues and the Rec indicator clears. The log records a partial recording with an explicit note, and recording credits are charged only for the minutes actually captured.
Do I need a phone or a headset? A browser and a microphone. The softphone runs in your tab; there is nothing to install and no desk phone to configure.
Can I use my existing business number? Not in v1. Numbers are bought inside Outboundry. Porting is on the roadmap; for now, forward your existing line to an Outboundry number.
What happens to credits I don't use? Monthly plan credits reset each cycle. Purchased add-on packs never expire and are only spent once your monthly allowance is gone.
Am I charged for calls nobody answers? No. Credits meter connected minutes only. No answer, busy and failed calls cost nothing.
Is hold time billable? Yes. The call is still connected, so the timer and the meter keep running.
Do numbers I don't use still cost money? Yes — numbers bill monthly whether or not you dial from them. Release anything you are not using. Plan-slot numbers cost nothing but still occupy a slot.
Can Outboundry dial a list automatically? No. A campaign can file a call task for every lead, and the sequence waits on that lead until a person makes the call. That is the designed behaviour.
Is it legal to record calls? It depends on your jurisdiction, which is why the notice plays to both sides and cannot be turned off while recording is on. If you are unsure, turn recording off per call on the dialpad.
Can I get a recording back after 90 days? No. Deletion at 90 days is permanent. Download anything you need before then.
Who receives inbound calls? Whatever the number's routing says: everyone in the workspace, one named teammate, or voicemail. It is set per number, and changes apply to the next inbound call.
Does a call show up in the lead timeline and in reporting? Yes. Duration, notes, recording and outcome all attach to the lead, and the outcome drives the CRM stage and channel attribution.
Can I call internationally? Yes, 28 dial codes are selectable on the dialpad. International minutes are billed per rate card rather than at the flat US rate.
Why must I pick an outcome? Because the outcome is what moves the deal. Without it, the call is a log line that changes nothing — which is the problem this feature exists to fix.
Can I add my own outcomes? Yes, in Calling settings. Give it a label and, if you want, a CRM stage to move the lead to.
Does the AI dialer place calls for me? No. The AI dialer rate is published for planned assisted-calling capability. Today, every call is initiated by a person.
So you know where the edges are:
It is not a contact centre. No queues, no IVR trees, no supervisor barge, no wallboards.
It is not a power or predictive dialer. One call at a time, initiated by a human.
It does not send SMS. Numbers are voice only for now.
It does not replace your phone system. Number porting is not supported in v1.
It is not an AI cold caller. The AI dialer rate is a forward-looking line on the price list, not a shipped autonomous agent.
