Deploy
Keep your existing clinic number
Choose call forwarding or SIP without changing the number patients already know.
Most clinics start by keeping their number with their current carrier and routing only selected calls to Verbatik. Your website, signage and patient records can keep showing that number.
Choose the connection
| Option | What changes | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Call forwarding | Your carrier forwards selected calls to a Verbatik receiving number | Carrier or PBX access and a receiving number with a published agent |
| SIP trunking | Your carrier sends calls directly to the Verbatik SIP gateway | SIP-capable service, carrier routing access and a supported trunk |
| Number porting | The carrier holding the number changes | A separate carrier porting process and ownership documents |
Forwarding and importing a SIP number do not port it. Keep the current service active while setting up either route.
Start with forwarding
- Create and test a Verbatik receiving number with a published receptionist agent.
- Ask the clinic’s carrier or PBX administrator to configure after-hours, no-answer, busy/overflow or all-call forwarding to that number. Names and forwarding codes vary by carrier.
- Confirm how to turn forwarding off and save the original routing settings.
- Test using a number you control. Check the caller’s number reaches the agent, the greeting is correct, audio works both ways and staff can still receive calls that should stay with them.
- Configure staff transfers to a direct line that does not forward back into Verbatik.
Carrier forwarding can create a second paid call leg. Ask the carrier about forwarding charges and caller-ID preservation. Do not assume a browser test proves forwarding works.
Use SIP instead
Follow Connect via SIP trunking. Ask the carrier for its termination domain, transport, codecs and current signaling ranges. The inbound destination is the Verbatik SIP URI shown in your setup guide, not the dashboard or media-control URL.
Keep a rollback route
Write down who can restore the previous route and when. For an initial launch, a limited after-hours or overflow window is easier to assess than moving every call at once. If the agent or booking connector is unavailable, staff should have an agreed callback or fallback process.
SMS is a separate channel. Voice forwarding or SIP routing does not transfer ownership of the clinic’s text messages.