Get a phone number.

Buy a Twilio number

A US local number costs $1.15 a month. We are using US even if you are not in the US, because non-US numbers usually require regulatory paperwork that takes weeks. The number is just where calls come from; the recipient does not care.

1. Open Chrome. Go to console.twilio.com. Sign in if needed.
2. In the left sidebar, click Phone Numbers, then Manage, then Buy a number.
3. Set the country to United States.
4. Tick the Voice capability box (and SMS if you want, optional).
5. Click Search. A list of available numbers appears.
6. Pick any number. Click the blue Buy button next to it.
7. Confirm the purchase. The $1.15 is deducted from your Twilio balance.
8. Copy the number you just bought. Save it to your notes.

You now own a phone number. It is not connected to anything yet, but it is yours.

Connect Twilio to ElevenLabs

EL has a built-in Twilio integration. Two minutes.

1. Open a new Chrome tab. Go to elevenlabs.io. Sign in.
2. In the left sidebar, click Conversational AI, then Phone Numbers.
3. Click Connect Twilio (or Add phone number → Twilio).
4. Paste your Twilio Account SID in the first field. Paste your Auth Token in the second.
5. Click Authenticate. EL pulls your numbers.
6. Pick the number you bought from the dropdown. Click Import.
7. The number appears in EL with a Phone Number ID like phnum_xxxx. Copy that ID. Save it to your notes.

Attach the number to your agent

1. In the EL dashboard, go back to Conversational AI, then Agents.
2. Click on the agent you built in step 2.
3. Find the Phone Numbers section on the agent page.
4. Click Add, then pick the number you just imported.
5. Save.

Make the test call

Now the moment of truth.

1. On the agent page, find the Test button (usually top right).
2. Choose Outbound Call.
3. Type your own mobile number in international format, e.g. +15551234567.
4. Click Call.

Your phone should ring. Pick up. Say hello.

You should hear your agent's voice, in the persona you built. The agent will say "Hi, this is [name], calling on behalf of [you]" and then wait for you to respond. Reply naturally. The conversation will be a little aimless because there is no objective set yet, but the voice and personality should feel right.

Hang up after a few seconds. The voice layer is now done.

If something went wrong

• Phone did not ring at all. Twilio may need verification on the destination number for trial accounts. In Twilio Console, go to Verified Caller IDs and add your mobile.
• Phone rang but the call dropped immediately. The agent does not have a system prompt or first message yet. Go back to step 2.
• Voice sounds robotic or inconsistent. You probably picked V3 Conversational instead of Flash. Go back to step 2 and switch.
• Agent dumped the whole purpose into the call. The objective is in your first message. Remove it. First message should be the greeting only.

When the test call works to your satisfaction, click next.