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9bx user guide

PBX & Call Center

Number masking

Let two people, for example a customer and a delivery rider, call each other through a temporary number so neither sees the other's real number.

Contents

What it is for

Number masking protects privacy for services where customers and staff or partners must talk, such as deliveries, rides or field service.

Who can use it

Users with the Number masking permission. It needs a plan that includes masking ("Number masking isn't in your plan yet"). Without it you can look around, but sessions, the pool and settings cannot be changed.

Where to find it

Phone → Advanced → Number masking

How it works

  1. Put one or more official numbers in the pool. Pool numbers stop taking normal inbound calls.
  2. Your app (or you, for a test) creates a session for two parties. A pool number is picked.
  3. When either party calls that number, the call goes to the other party, who sees the pool number.
  4. When the session ends, callers hear that the number is no longer active.

Sessions are normally created by your own system through the Developer API (see Developer API in the app: API keys and webhooks).

The screen explained

Top tiles: Live sessions, Numbers in the pool, Your plan (Included or Not included). Three tabs:

Tab Contents
Sessions Parties, Pool number, Ends, Calls, source (API or Panel). Filters: All statuses, Active, Expired, Closed; search a number or order. Buttons: New session, Extend (the session then lives that long from now), Close now.
Pool Official numbers available for masking.
Settings Defaults for new sessions.

New session fields: Party A (for example the customer), Party B (for example the rider), Order reference, Lives for (minutes, up to the maximum shown), Record calls.

Tasks

Create a test session

  1. Open Number masking → Pool and add at least one number.
  2. Open Sessions and press New session.
  3. Enter Party A and Party B numbers, an order reference such as "ORD-1001" and Lives for 60 minutes.
  4. Press Create session. Note the pool number shown.
  5. Call the pool number from party A's phone. Party B's phone rings and shows the pool number.

End a session early

  1. Find the session and press Close now, then confirm.

Example scenario

A grocery delivery rider for a Dhaka shop is told to call the customer. The rider's app starts a session for order "ORD-1001" lasting 90 minutes. Both people call the pool number +880 9600 000200 (example) and are connected without exchanging real numbers. After delivery the session closes.

Tips

  • Keep the pool large enough for your peak number of simultaneous sessions.
  • Turn on Record calls for disputes, and mention recording to callers where required.

Troubleshooting

Problem Fix
"Add numbers to the pool first; sessions need a pool number." Add a number to the Pool.
"Could not create the session" See the reason: no free pool number, or the feature is not in the plan.
Callers hear "no longer active" The session expired or was closed. Create or Extend one.