FAQ & Setup Guide

A complete, start-to-finish guide — from installing your softphone to placing your first call and understanding every error message. Written so you don't need any prior telecom experience to follow it.

ON THIS PAGE
  1. What is DID & DIALER?
  2. Before you start — what you need
  3. Setting up your softphone
  4. Logging in and going Ready
  5. Using the Manual dialer
  6. Using the Predictive dialer
  7. Using IVR Broadcast
  8. Common errors and what they mean
  9. Troubleshooting checklist
  10. Still stuck?

1. What is DID & DIALER?

DID & DIALER gives you a real, private U.S. phone number (called a "DID") plus calling software to make and receive calls on it. There are three ways to dial — Manual, Predictive, and IVR Broadcast — explained in their own sections below. The dashboard you log into is where you manage your number, your team, and your calls. To actually make or take a call, you also need a separate piece of software called a softphone — this page explains why, and walks through setting one up.

2. Before you start — what you need

These three things are required. Missing any one of them means you will not be able to make or receive any calls, even if you're logged into the dashboard.

You need all three of these:

  • A DID & DIALER account — your login (email and password) for the dashboard, given to you by your account manager.
  • A softphone app, installed and running — a piece of software on your computer or phone that actually handles the audio of the call. Free, well-known options are MicroSIP (Windows), Zoiper, and X-Lite. The dashboard is where you manage calls; the softphone is what actually rings and lets you talk. If your softphone is closed, or open but not registered, no call can be made or received — inbound or outbound — no matter what you do in the dashboard.
  • Your SIP extension details — a username (extension number) and password, separate from your dashboard login, used only to connect your softphone. Get these from your account manager or Super Admin if you don't already have them.

3. Setting up your softphone

These steps use MicroSIP as the example, since it's free and commonly used — Zoiper and X-Lite use the same information in slightly different menus.

Download and install a softphone
Download MicroSIP (or Zoiper, or X-Lite) from its official website and install it like any other application.
Open the account setup screen
On first launch, or from the app's account/settings menu, look for "Add Account" or "Add SIP Account."
Enter your SIP server details
SIP Server: 65.20.82.173
Port: 5070
Transport: UDP
Your account manager will confirm this address if it ever changes.
Enter your extension username and password
Use the SIP extension username and password given to you separately from your dashboard login — not your dashboard email/password.
Save and check the status
Save the account. Within a few seconds, the softphone should show a status like Ready, Registered, or a green indicator. If it instead shows Not registered, Offline, or red, see the Troubleshooting checklist below — this must be fixed before anything else will work.
Leave it running
Keep the softphone open in the background for your entire shift. If you close it, both inbound and outbound calling stop working immediately, even though the dashboard will look normal.

4. Logging in and going Ready

Your softphone being registered is step one. Separately, the dashboard itself needs to know you're available.

Log into the dashboard
Use your dashboard email and password (different from your SIP extension credentials from Step 3).
Find the status toggle
Look for a status control — usually labeled Ready, Paused, or Offline. This is separate from your softphone's registration status.
Set yourself to Ready
If you're set to Paused or Offline, you will not be able to place any call — you'll see the message "You are currently paused. Go Ready to place calls." Switch to Ready before dialing.

In short: softphone registered + dashboard status set to Ready — both are required, independently, every time.

5. Using the Manual dialer

This is the simplest option — you dial one number at a time, like a normal phone.

Confirm you're Ready
Softphone registered, dashboard status set to Ready (see sections 3 and 4).
Enter the number
Type in the number you want to call. Only U.S. and Canada numbers (starting with 1) can be dialed.
Click Dial
Your softphone will start ringing the destination. Answer/talk directly on the softphone — the dashboard shows the call's status, but the audio itself happens in the softphone.
End the call
Hang up from either the softphone or the dashboard. You must finish your current call before you can dial another one, unless your account is configured to allow more than one call at a time.

6. Using the Predictive dialer

Instead of you dialing each number, the system dials through a list automatically in the background and only connects you once a real person actually answers — so you're not stuck listening to rings, voicemail, or busy signals.

Join an active predictive campaign
A manager sets up predictive campaigns with a list of numbers to call. You'll see available campaigns in your dashboard.
Set yourself to Ready
Same as manual dialing — the system will not send you a call unless you're Ready and your softphone is registered.
Wait for a call to connect
The system is dialing multiple numbers in the background on your behalf. When someone answers, the call is connected straight to your softphone automatically — you don't dial anything yourself.
Handle the call, then you're ready for the next one
Once you finish a call, the system will connect you to the next answered call as soon as one is available.

7. Using IVR Broadcast

IVR Broadcast is different from the other two — it doesn't need an agent on every call. It's set up and run by a manager, not an individual agent.

Upload your call list
A manager uploads the list of numbers to be called for this broadcast.
Set up the recorded message and menu
Record or upload the message that will play automatically when someone answers, and set up any options — for example, "press 1 to speak with someone, press 2 to be removed from this list."
Start the broadcast
The system automatically calls through the entire list and plays the message to whoever answers — no agent needs to be on the line for this to happen.
Route responses if needed
If someone presses an option to speak with a person, that call can be routed to a Ready agent — the same Ready/softphone requirements from sections 3 and 4 apply to that agent.

8. Common errors and what they mean

These are the exact messages you may see, and what to do about each one.

MessageWhat it means / what to do
"You are currently paused. Go Ready to place calls."Your dashboard status is set to Paused or Offline. Switch to Ready before dialing.
"Insufficient balance"Your workspace has run out of available minutes/balance. Contact your manager or support@didndialer.com to top up.
"You already have [X] active call(s) — finish your current call before dialing another."Your account allows a limited number of calls at once (often just one). Finish or hang up your current call first.
"Destination not allowed. Only US/Canada (+1) numbers permitted."The number you entered isn't a valid U.S. or Canada number. Only numbers starting with 1 (11 digits total) can be dialed.
"Your plan allows [X] agent seat(s) — you've reached that limit."Your plan's agent seat limit has been reached. Upgrade your plan or remove an existing agent to add a new one.
Softphone shows "Not registered" / "Offline" / red statusYour softphone isn't connected to the server. See the Troubleshooting checklist below — no calls are possible until this is fixed.

9. Troubleshooting checklist

If dialing doesn't work, or you're not receiving calls, check these in order — in practice, almost every issue is one of the first two.

Is your softphone open and registered?
This is the single most common cause of "nothing happens when I try to call." If your softphone is closed, or shows anything other than Registered/Ready/green, no call — inbound or outbound — is possible at all. Re-check your SIP server address, port, username, and password from section 3.
Are you set to Ready in the dashboard?
Check your status toggle — Paused or Offline will block dialing even with a registered softphone.
Do you have remaining balance?
Check your workspace's balance/minutes in the dashboard.
Is the number valid?
Confirm it's a U.S. or Canada number, 11 digits, starting with 1.
Have you hit a call or seat limit?
Check whether you already have an active call, or whether your plan's agent seat limit has been reached.
Check your network
Softphones need a stable internet connection. If registration keeps failing, try a different network, or confirm nothing (like a firewall) is blocking the connection.

10. Still stuck?

If you've gone through the checklist above and it's still not working, contact us with what you've already checked and any error message you saw — that helps us solve it faster.

Support
support@didndialer.com
Phone
+92 344 4830574