Make and receive sales calls right inside Pipeline CRM, with every call, recording and transcript saved to the right record for you.
What is Pipeline Phone?
Pipeline Phone is calling built into Pipeline CRM, for both the calls you make and the calls you receive. You don't need a separate phone system running next to your CRM.
- Call in one click from any person or company record, or from the phone panel that follows you around the CRM.
- Every call logs itself. Pipeline CRM adds an activity to the person or company, with the recording and transcript attached.
- Stay in your flow. Update fields, take notes and move between records while you're on a call.
- See what's working. Track call volume, talk time and call outcomes in Reports.
Before you start:
- Pipeline Phone is available on all Pipeline CRM plans. Your account needs an active, paid subscription. Pipeline Phone can't be started during a free trial.
- An admin sets up billing and turns on Pipeline Phone for each user who needs it. If you're not an admin, skip to Set up your phone settings.
- Pipeline Phone works in your web browser. It isn't available in the mobile app yet.
Set up Pipeline Phone (admins)
Admins do this once for the whole account. Go to Settings > Phone to find two pages in the left menu:
Page
What's there
Phone settings
Four tabs: Phone Management (users and numbers), Phone Settings (activity categories), Billing and Business Registration
Call outcomes
The outcomes your team picks from after each call
Step 1: Add funds to your phone balance
Pipeline Phone is pay as you go. You load a prepaid balance, and calls, & phone numbers are deducted from it as you use them. Nothing is charged until you confirm the final summary. For current rates, see Pipeline Phone pricing.
- Go to Account Settings > Phone.
- Click Start Billing Setup.
- Pick an initial deposit, or enter your own amount.
- Enter a Recharge amount of at least $20.
- (Optional) Turn on the Monthly spend alert and enter an amount.
- (Optional) Turn on Call recording.
- (Optional) Turn on call transcription.
- Click Continue to summary and check your choices.
- Click Confirm and pay. Your card on file is charged the deposit.
Start with a deposit above $10. Automatic recharge kicks in at $10, so a smaller deposit triggers a recharge right after your first call.
Manage your balance on the Billing tab
After setup, the Billing tab is where you keep an eye on spending and change your settings at any time.
On the Billing tab
What it does
Current balance
Shows how much is left in your phone balance.
Usage breakdown
Shows what you've spent over the time period you select.
Run cost estimate
Helps you estimate your costs before you commit.
Auto recharge
Shows your Recharge amount and Monthly spend alert. Click the pencil icon to change them.
Call recording
Records all incoming and outgoing calls across the account.
Include call transcription
Creates a text transcript of every recorded call. Only available when Call recording is on.
Recharge history
Lists every deposit and recharge with its date, amount, what triggered it and its status. Invoices are emailed to your billing contact.
How auto recharge and the spend alert work:
- Auto recharge: When your balance drops to $10, Pipeline CRM adds your recharge amount. A $100 recharge takes a $10 balance to $110. The $10 trigger can't be changed.
- Monthly spend alert: Emails every admin when the month's usage passes your amount. The default is $500. Calls keep working.
Step 2: Register your business (Optional but recommended)
Registration is a compliance requirement. It also gives your calls a verified caller ID, which makes them less likely to be labeled as spam on the other person's phone. Carriers can still flag calls for reasons outside Pipeline CRM's control.
- Go to Settings > Phone > Phone settings.
- Click the Business Registration tab.
- Click Register Business Profile.
- Fill in each screen of the form, then click Continue to Step 2, Continue to Step 3 and so on.
- On the Review & Submit screen, check your details.
- Click Submit Business Profile.
Screen
What you'll need
1. Business Information
Business legal name, business type, industry, registration type and your Tax ID / EIN
2. Contact Details
Business email and business phone number. The website is optional.
3. Business Address
Street address, city, state or region, postal code and country
4. Authorized Representative
First name, last name, email and phone of the person authorized to represent your business
5. Review & Submit
Nothing new. Check everything before you submit.
The approval status appears on the Business Registration tab.
Calling works before your registration is approved, but registering first makes your calls less likely to be labeled as spam.
Step 3: Turn on Pipeline Phone for each user
- Go to Settings > Phone > Phone Settings.
- On the Phone Management tab, find the user.
- Turn on the Enabled toggle in their row.
Turn it on for yourself too if you'll be making calls. Admins aren't enabled automatically.
Step 4: Give each user a phone number
You can only give a number to a user who has Pipeline Phone turned on. Choose one:
- Get a new number: Click the three dots and select Provision, enter an area code if you'd like one, then click Provision again. The number is ready in a few seconds. Area codes are optional and depend on availability.
- Reuse a number you already have: Click Assign and pick an unassigned number from your number pool.
Pipeline Phone numbers are US numbers. Your team can still call anywhere in the world, though international calls cost more than domestic ones.
To bring over a number you already use with another provider, contact customercare@pipelinecrm.com about porting it. Porting usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, and can take longer if a carrier rejects the request.
To take a number away from a user:
- Unassign sends the number back to your number pool so you can give it to someone else.
- Deprovision returns the number to the phone provider.
Deprovisioning is permanent. You lose the number and can't get it back. To move a number to another user, unassign it instead.
Step 5: Choose how calls are logged
Each call creates an activity on the person or company. Pick an activity category for each type of call so calls show up properly in the activity section and in your activity scoreboard reports.
- Go to Account Settings > Phone.
- Click the Phone Settings tab.
- Under Incoming Calls and Outgoing Calls, pick a category for each call type: missed, with voicemail and answered.
- Click Save changes.
Step 6: Set up call outcomes
A call outcome records how a call went. Outcomes appear in the Outcome column of Call Logs.
- Go to Account Settings > Phone.
- Click Call outcomes in the left menu.
- Adjust the list:
- Add an outcome: Click New outcome.
- Rename or recolor an outcome: Click the edit icon.
- Remove an outcome: Click the trash icon.
- Reorder outcomes: Drag an outcome by its handle.
Pipeline Phone starts with eight outcomes: Connected, No Answer, Busy, Wrong Number, Callback Requested, Meeting Booked, Not Interested and Do Not Call.
Prompt for an outcome after each call is on by default, so users are asked to pick an outcome when a call ends. Turn it off if you don't want the prompt.
Cancel Pipeline Phone
If your team no longer needs Pipeline Phone, you can cancel it for the whole account.
Canceling can't be undone, and every phone number is released right away. To keep a number, contact customercare@pipelinecrm.com to port it out before you cancel. Porting usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, so start well ahead. There's no grace period.
- Go to Settings > Phone.
- Click Cancel dialer in the top-right corner.
- Read the summary of what happens.
- Click Cancel dialer to confirm, or Keep dialer to go back.
After you cancel
What happens
Your numbers
All numbers are released immediately.
Your balance
Unused balance is converted to a credit note within 30 days, minus any pending carrier charges.
Your history
Call logs, recordings and transcripts are kept and stay accessible.
Restarting
If you turn Pipeline Phone back on later, you'll set up new numbers from scratch.
Set up your phone settings
Check your settings before your first call. Go to My Profile > Phone.
- Your Pipeline number is shown here. Only an admin can change it.
- Unanswered calls go to your Pipeline voicemail by default. You can forward them to your mobile instead.
- Your mobile number is used when you forward unanswered calls, use Connect to Mobile or transfer a call to yourself. Add it in My Profile on the General tab, in Mobile number. See Manage Your Profile Settings.
Get to know the phone panel
Click the phone icon in the top navigation bar to open the phone panel. It stays with you as you move around Pipeline CRM. Drag it anywhere on the screen or collapse it to save space.
In the phone panel
What you can do
Recent calls
See who you called or who called you, with the person or company name when the number is saved. Click to call back.
Keypad
Dial a number by clicking the keys or typing.
Call log
Scan recent calls with their transcripts. A voicemail icon and missed call marker show what you missed.
Unknown numbers
Add a number you don't recognize as a new person or company.
Make and receive calls
Make a call
Start a call from wherever you are:
- From a person or company: Click the work phone number, then choose how to connect.
- From the phone panel: Click a recent call, or enter a number on the keypad.
Pipeline Phone uses a person's work phone number by default. When you click a number on a record, choose how to connect:
Option
What happens
Connect to Browser
The call runs through your computer. Use a headset for the best sound.
Connect to Mobile
Pipeline CRM rings your mobile first, then connects you to the other person.
When call recording is on, both sides hear "This call is being recorded." This announcement is required by law.
Calls in your browser end if you close the browser window or your internet connection drops. Keep Pipeline CRM open and use a stable connection for the whole call.
Answer a call
Calls to your Pipeline number ring in your browser, and you answer them in the phone panel. The in-call controls are the same as for outgoing calls.
If you don't answer, the caller reaches your Pipeline voicemail, or your mobile if you set up forwarding. The call shows as missed in your call log, with a voicemail icon if they left a message.
Use the in-call controls
While you're on a call, you can:
- Move anywhere in Pipeline CRM and update any field.
- Mute and unmute yourself.
- Pause and resume the recording.
- Collapse the phone panel or drag it out of the way.
- Transfer the call.
- End the call.
A timer in the top navigation bar shows how long you've been on the call. It stays visible on every page, even if you close it.
Transfer a call
- Click Transfer in the phone panel.
- Choose your mobile, or search for a teammate by name or number.
- Read the warning and confirm the transfer.
Transfers drop you from the call right away, and you can't rejoin it. There's no way to talk to your teammate before handing the call over.
Transfer to
What happens
Your mobile
The call continues on your phone and recording keeps going. Your browser is free for other calls. You get one call log entry with one combined transcript.
A teammate
The call moves to their phone panel. You each get your own call log entry, activity and transcript, with a marker showing when the transfer happened.
Log the call outcome
When a call ends, Pipeline Phone asks how it went. Pick an outcome, or close the card to skip it.
You can add or change an outcome later from Call Logs. Each outcome, and every change to it, is logged as an activity on the linked person or company.
Review your calls
Find a call in Call Logs
Every Pipeline Phone call appears in Tools > Call Logs with its recording, transcript and outcome. From there you can play recordings, save unknown numbers as new people or companies, and export your calls. For the full walkthrough, see Review Your Calls in Call Logs.
Report on your calls
Go to Reports > Calls to analyze calling the same way you analyze other activity.
- Count calls, or add up or average talk time.
- Group by week or month.
- Break results down by owner, team or call outcome.
- Click any data point to see the calls behind it.
- Filter, switch chart types and save the result as a report, view or dashboard.
For more on building and saving reports, see Reports.
Create follow-up tasks automatically
Admins can use call logs as an automation trigger. For example, when a call's outcome is No Answer or Busy, create a callback task due the next day and assign it to the user who made the call.
To build one, see Automations.
Good to know
- US numbers only. You can still call anywhere in the world.
- One call at a time. You can't start a second call while you're on one.
- No conference calls. You can't add a third person or merge calls.
- Users can't change their own number. Only an admin can reassign it.
- No texting. SMS and WhatsApp aren't available.
- Web only. Pipeline Phone isn't in the mobile app yet.
- Keep your browser open. Closing the browser window or losing your connection ends a browser call.
Need help? Contact support at customercare@pipelinecrm.com.