Create Custom Phone Number with SignNow

Get rid of paper and automate digital document managing for higher performance and endless possibilities. eSign anything from a comfort of your home, fast and feature-rich. Explore the perfect manner of running your business with airSlate SignNow.

Award-winning eSignature solution

What creating a custom phone number entails

Creating a custom phone number within an eSignature platform means provisioning or assigning a dedicated telephone number for transaction-related SMS functions such as one-time passcodes, signer notifications, or branded sender IDs. This capability centralizes mobile-based authentication and messaging, reduces reliance on shared short codes, and can improve deliverability and traceability by using a consistent sender number. Organizations may use a custom number to meet regulatory or audit requirements, to integrate SMS workflows with APIs, and to provide a clear, recognizable contact point for signers during multi-factor authentication and status updates.

Why businesses choose a custom phone number

A dedicated phone number improves SMS deliverability, supports consistent multi-factor authentication, and creates a recognizable sender identity for signers in critical signing flows.

Why businesses choose a custom phone number

Common implementation challenges

  • Carrier registration and compliance may require business documentation and take several days.
  • Maintaining deliverability across regions can require local numbers or short codes.
  • Costs for provisioning and messaging volumes vary by carrier and jurisdiction.
  • Integrating number provisioning into existing APIs requires coordination with telephony providers.

Typical internal users and roles

IT Administrator

IT administrators handle provisioning, carry out carrier registrations, configure API keys, and enforce messaging limits. They coordinate with telephony vendors, monitor delivery metrics, and ensure the custom number is tied to the organization’s authentication and audit systems.

Compliance Officer

Compliance officers review documentation for carrier onboarding, ensure SMS authentication practices meet ESIGN and UETA requirements, set retention policies, and validate that message content adheres to privacy and industry regulations such as HIPAA where applicable.

Who commonly uses custom phone numbers

Organizations that handle sensitive transactions or high-volume communications often standardize on custom phone numbers to secure and brand SMS interactions.

  • Financial services departments using SMS OTP for high-risk transactions.
  • Healthcare providers sending appointment confirmations and secure OTPs.
  • Enterprise HR teams distributing onboarding and benefits documents by SMS.

Choosing a custom number supports traceability and compliance while enabling consistent user experience across mobile signing workflows.

Key capabilities to evaluate when creating a custom phone number

When adding a custom phone number, assess features that affect security, deliverability, integration, and compliance to ensure consistent signer authentication and messaging performance.

Provisioning

Automated provisioning APIs streamline number assignment and carrier onboarding to reduce manual steps and speed deployment across regions.

Sender identity

Branded sender IDs and dedicated numbers increase recognition and reduce user confusion during OTP and notification delivery.

Regional support

Local-number availability and international routing impact deliverability and compliance with regional messaging regulations.

Message analytics

Delivery reports, failure reasons, and latency metrics help maintain high OTP success rates and diagnose carrier issues.

API controls

Fine-grained API keys, scopes, and rate limits enable secure integration with signing workflows and developer platforms.

Compliance tools

Features for consent capture, opt-out management, and message archiving support regulatory obligations and audit readiness.

be ready to get more

Choose a better solution

How custom phone numbers work in signing flows

This sequence describes the runtime interactions between signers, the custom number, and the eSignature system during authentication and notifications.

  • Trigger: Platform generates OTP request when signer initiates.
  • Send: Custom number dispatches SMS via carrier gateway.
  • Verify: Signer enters OTP and system verifies.
  • Record: Platform logs delivery and verification in the audit trail.
Collect signatures
24x
faster
Reduce costs by
$30
per document
Save up to
40h
per employee / month

Quick setup: Provision a custom phone number

A compact sequence outlines the typical steps to provision and activate a custom phone number for SMS authentication within a signing workflow.

  • 01
    Select provider: Choose a carrier or SMS aggregator service.
  • 02
    Submit documents: Provide business registration and use-case justification.
  • 03
    Configure APIs: Connect the number to your eSignature API integration.
  • 04
    Test and monitor: Validate OTP delivery and monitor logs.
be ready to get more

Why choose airSlate SignNow

  • Free 7-day trial. Choose the plan you need and try it risk-free.
  • Honest pricing for full-featured plans. airSlate SignNow offers subscription plans with no overages or hidden fees at renewal.
  • Enterprise-grade security. airSlate SignNow helps you comply with global security standards.
illustrations signature

Configuration settings for custom phone number workflows

Common settings and default values used to configure OTP and notification behaviors when using a custom phone number in signing processes.

Feature Configuration
OTP validity window 5 minutes
Retry attempts 3 attempts
Reminder frequency 48 hours
SMS sender name Dedicated number
Archival retention 7 years

Device and platform considerations for SMS-based phone numbers

Ensure target signer devices support SMS reception and that your eSignature platform can trigger and validate SMS OTPs reliably across mobile networks.

  • Mobile compatibility: SMS-capable phones
  • Platform API: RESTful endpoints
  • Browser support: Modern browsers for web workflows

Verify mobile carrier coverage, allow fallback authentication methods for unsupported regions, and test on representative devices to avoid signer friction during authentication and signing.

Security controls for custom phone numbers

SMS OTP: One-time passcodes for signer verification
Delivery encryption: Transport-level encryption for API calls
Access controls: Role-based API key restrictions
Rate limiting: Throttling to prevent abuse
Audit logging: Retention of message and access records
Number verification: Carrier-level number ownership checks

Industry examples using custom phone numbers

Two concise case examples show how custom numbers support common signing scenarios across regulated sectors.

Banking OTPs

A mid-size bank implements a dedicated number for SMS OTPs to verify high-value transfers

  • Local carrier registration completed
  • Reduced OTP delivery latency and clearer audit trails

Resulting in improved transaction traceability and reduced fraud investigations.

Healthcare consents

A regional clinic uses a branded number to send consent forms and appointment OTPs

  • Integration with patient records system
  • Higher signer response rates and fewer missed consents

Leading to consistent compliance records and streamlined patient onboarding.

Best practices for secure and reliable custom phone numbers

Adopt consistent procedures and technical controls to maintain security, compliance, and high delivery rates when using custom phone numbers for signing workflows.

Validate numbers and use canonical formatting
Normalize and validate phone numbers at capture time using E.164 formatting to prevent delivery failures, reduce parsing errors, and ensure correct regional routing for OTPs and notifications.
Implement fallback authentication options
Provide secondary methods such as email OTP or authenticator apps for signers who cannot receive SMS, ensuring uninterrupted access and preserving transaction completion rates.
Retain detailed audit logs
Persist delivery receipts, verification timestamps, and API call logs to meet ESIGN and UETA audit requirements and to support internal or external compliance reviews.
Monitor deliverability metrics
Regularly review delivery success, latency, and carrier error codes. Use those metrics to request routing changes or switch providers for problem regions.

FAQs and troubleshooting for create custom phone number

Common questions and practical solutions for provisioning, delivery issues, and integration when deploying a custom phone number for signing workflows.

Feature availability: create custom phone number across platforms

A concise comparison shows whether leading eSignature vendors support provisioning or integrating a custom phone number for SMS authentication and messaging.

Platform Signing Feature Comparison Criteria signNow (Recommended) DocuSign Adobe Sign
Support for custom phone number provisioning
SMS OTP built-in support
API for phone number management Limited Limited
Local-number availability in US
be ready to get more

Get legally-binding signatures now!

Operational timelines for provisioning and compliance

Typical milestones and estimated durations for provisioning a custom phone number and validating it for production use.

Carrier documentation submission:

1–3 business days

Carrier review and approval:

3–14 business days

Number provisioning and routing setup:

1–5 business days

Integration testing and QA:

2–7 business days

Full production rollout:

After successful tests

Risks and regulatory consequences

Carrier penalties: Fines or suspension
Delivery failures: Missed signer OTPs
Compliance breaches: Regulatory investigations
Reputational harm: Loss of trust
Data exposure: Unauthorized message access
Operational delays: Onboarding interruptions

Pricing and plan features for custom phone number capabilities

Pricing elements and plan-level availability for custom number provisioning and SMS volume handling across major eSignature vendors.

Plan or Feature signNow (Featured) DocuSign Adobe Sign Dropbox Sign OneSpan Sign
Entry-level availability and trial Free trial available; custom numbers on paid tiers Trial available; custom number via addons Trial; custom numbers via enterprise Trial; limited SMS features Enterprise plans only
Monthly per-user starting price $8/user/month starting; messaging fees apply $10/user/month typical $14/user/month typical $10/user/month typical Custom pricing for enterprises
Custom number provisioning included Included for business/enterprise plans; provisioning fees possible Available as add-on Available for enterprise customers Not standard; via partner Enterprise service only
SMS volume and throughput Flexible tiers and negotiated throughput Tiered plans; higher rates cost more Enterprise SLAs for throughput Limited throughput for SMB plans High-throughput enterprise options
API access and developer tools Full REST API with phone controls and webhooks Rich API but limits on phone management Comprehensive API; phone features via enterprise Developer API; limited phone features Secure API with enterprise integrations

Simplify complex workflows

Create, execute, and manage workflows of any complexity, electronically from virtually anywhere. Scalable eSignature capabilities allow you to share documents with the right people in the correct order and define roles for each recipient. Execute document workflows faster and easier than ever before.

Automate document management

Optimize complex signing processes with airSlate SignNow’s powerful features to enhance your business. Control your automated eSignature workflows to ensure they're running at peak performance with instant notifications and reminders.

Optimize in team collaboration

Bring teams together in a secure, shared environment. Manage documents, use form templates and notifications to create more efficient cross-organization collaboration. Free your employees from having to spend time on repetitive activities so that they can focus on valuable, business-critical tasks.

Integrate into your existing systems

Run your projects with industry-leading integration. Collect Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint all in one business flow. Connect your software to a single system for endless possibilities and more productiveness.

Stay compliant with best-in-class data safety

Feel confident knowing that your data remains secure by the most recent in encryption security. airSlate SignNow is GDPR and eIDAS compliant and provides you transparence into your eSigning process with court-admissible audit trails. Set up user authorization and rights to control who has access to what.

walmart logo
exonMobil logo
apple logo
comcast logo
facebook logo
FedEx logo
be ready to get more

Get legally-binding signatures now!