Local Presence

Local Presence picks your outbound caller ID for each call and text. If you’ve talked to the contact before, Close reuses that number; otherwise it picks your number closest to their area code. People are more likely to answer a number they recognize or one that looks local, and you don’t have to switch caller IDs by hand.

Turn on Local Presence

1. Click the phone icon next to your name to open your Phone Settings.
2. Click your current caller ID.
3. Choose Local Presence at the top of the list.

Local Presence needs at least two phone numbers to choose from. To get more, see Get numbers in the areas you call.

To go back to a fixed caller ID, follow the same steps and pick a specific number. That turns Local Presence off until you choose it again.

Which numbers it picks from

Local Presence only picks numbers you’re a member of. Members receive a number’s inbound calls and texts, so when a contact calls or texts back, it reaches you.

A shared number you’re a member of, like a main sales line, is included and can be picked when it’s the closest match. For texts, only numbers that can send SMS are considered.

External numbers you’re a member of are included for calls too. Calls back to an external number go to your carrier, not to Close, so turn Members’ calls and SMS off on it if you want return calls to reach you in Close.

Choose which numbers are included

Each number has a Local Presence section in its settings under Settings > Communication > Phone & Voicemail. It has two checkboxes:

• Members’ calls and SMS: whether Local Presence can pick this number for its members’ calls and texts. It’s on for new numbers.
• Voice agents’ calls: whether voice agents using Local Presence can pick this number. It’s off for new numbers. See Voice agents.

Turn Members’ calls and SMS off for a number you don’t want used for new contacts, like a main line you keep for inbound calls. Changing either checkbox requires the Manage Team Phone Numbers permission. The phone number list shows which numbers have Local Presence on.

How it picks a number

For each new call or text, Close works down this list and stops at the first match:

1. A number this contact already knows. If you’ve connected with this contact before, from a number you’re still a member of, Close reuses the one you used most recently.
2. The number closest to the contact. Otherwise Close picks the number nearest to the contact’s number, preferring numbers in the same country. If two numbers are equally close, Close always picks the one that was added first. Outside the US and Canada, Close matches the country you’re dialing, and in some places the city. See Does Local Presence work outside the US and Canada?
3. Your primary number. If Close can’t tell where the contact’s number is, it uses your primary number.

A prior conversation beats proximity. If you last spoke with a contact from your Denver number, you’ll call them from Denver again even after you add a number in their city.

What counts as connecting. A call the contact answered and talked on, a call the contact made to that number (even if you missed it), or a text the contact sent to that number. A call that reached voicemail doesn’t count, and neither does a text you sent with no reply. Calls and texts share one history, so a number you’ve called a contact from is also the pick for texting them.

Connections are tracked per person. If a lead moves from one rep to another, the new rep’s history with that contact is what counts, unless they’re both members of the number.

When Local Presence doesn’t apply

Local Presence picks a number when you start a new call or text from a lead, a contact or the dialer. When you continue a specific conversation, Close uses that conversation’s number instead, whatever your caller ID setting:

• Calling back from a missed call notification, a voicemail or a call log entry
• Replying to a text or continuing a text thread

If you no longer have access to that number, Close falls back to the Local Presence pick.

When you write a new text, the number Local Presence recommends is preselected. You can pick a different number for that text before you send it.

See which number was used, and why

During a call, the second line of the call bar shows the number you’re calling from. Hover over it to open the call details, which show both numbers on the call and why Local Presence chose yours:

• Local Presence selected (number) because it has history with this contact — you’ve connected with this contact from this number before
• Local Presence selected (number) because its area code is closest to this contact — it’s your closest number to theirs
• Local Presence found no match, so it selected (number) — Close couldn’t find a closer match and used your primary number

The same details are on the call in the lead’s activity timeline, and on texts. Hover over the number, or click Click to view full screen for the full view. See Call details.

Texts and Workflows

Texts follow the same rules as calls. When you start a new text, Close picks the number; when you reply in a thread, the thread’s number is kept.

In Workflows, an SMS step has a Use Local Presence checkbox. When it’s on, each text is sent from the number Local Presence picks among the sending user’s numbers, chosen when the text sends. When you enroll leads in bulk and choose who to Send SMS from, Local Presence is one of the options. See Workflow Steps.

Voice agents

A voice agent can use Local Presence instead of a fixed number. Open the agent’s settings, go to its phone number, and choose Local Presence. The agent then picks from every number that has Voice agents’ calls turned on in its Local Presence settings, using the same rules. You can’t save an agent on Local Presence until at least one number has it on.

Spreading an agent’s calls across several numbers also keeps call volume off any single number, which makes it less likely to be flagged as spam.

Callbacks to an agent’s numbers go to the number’s members, as usual. See Voice Agent Setup.

Predictive Dialer

When you set up a Predictive Dialer session, you can choose Local Presence as its caller ID. The dialer then picks per call from numbers with Allow anyone in your organization to use this number as caller ID turned on. See Using the Predictive Dialer.

Get numbers in the areas you call

Local Presence can only pick numbers you have. To cover the areas you call most, add numbers in those area codes under Settings > Communication > Phone & Voicemail > + Add, and make sure you’re a member of each. Each number has a monthly cost. See Calling Setup.

FAQ

Why did Close call from a number I didn’t expect?
Hover over the number on the call bar or in the call’s activity to see why it was chosen. The most common reason is a past conversation with that contact on that number.

Can I use a specific number for one call?
Not without turning Local Presence off. Picking a specific number in your caller ID list makes it your fixed caller ID until you choose Local Presence again. For a text, you can pick a different number for that message in the text composer.

I have two numbers in the same area code. Which one is used?
For a contact you’ve talked to, the one you used last. For a new contact, the one that was added to Close first.

Why isn’t one of my numbers ever picked?
Check that you’re a member of it and that Members’ calls and SMS is on in its Local Presence settings. For texts, the number also has to be able to send SMS.

What happens if we move to a plan without Local Presence?
Your setting is kept, but calls and texts go out from your primary number until you upgrade again.

Does Local Presence work outside the US and Canada?
Yes. For other countries, Close matches the country you’re dialing, and in some places it can match down to the city. In most countries the matching isn’t as precise as area code matching in the US and Canada. To call a country with a local number, add a number in that country and make sure you’re a member of it.