Phone Number Management

Burki provides comprehensive phone number management capabilities, allowing you to search, purchase, configure, and release phone numbers from both Twilio and Telnyx directly through the platform. This eliminates the need to manage numbers separately in each provider’s console.

Overview

With Burki’s phone number management system, you can:

Search for available numbers across multiple providers
Purchase supported numbers and review their configuration
Manage your entire phone number inventory in one place
Compare costs between Twilio and Telnyx
Release unused numbers to optimize costs

Unified Management: Instead of juggling multiple provider dashboards, manage all your phone numbers from both Twilio and Telnyx in a single interface.

How It Works

Core Features

Multi-Provider Search

Search for available phone numbers from both Twilio and Telnyx with a single API call:

{
  "area_code": "415",
  "locality": "San Francisco", 
  "provider": "telnyx",
  "limit": 10
}

Search Filters:

Area code and region
City/locality
Number patterns
Country codes
Capabilities (voice, SMS, MMS)

Purchase & Configuration

Purchase a supported number, then review its configuration and readiness:

{
  "phone_number": "+14155551234",
  "provider": "telnyx",
  "assistant_id": 123,
  "friendly_name": "SF Support Line"
}

Configuration to review after purchase:

Carrier-specific webhook or connection settings
Required voice capabilities
Messaging capabilities and compliance, if messaging is needed
Number inventory record
Assignment to the intended assistant or flow

Inventory Management

Track and manage all your phone numbers in one place:

Usage Analytics: Call and message volume per number
Cost Tracking: Monthly costs across all providers
Assignment Management: Which assistant owns each number
Provider Distribution: Numbers across Twilio and Telnyx
Geographic Coverage: Numbers by country and region

Cost Optimization

Optimize your phone number costs:

Provider Comparison: Compare Twilio vs Telnyx pricing
Usage-Based Decisions: Release low-usage numbers
Bulk Operations: Purchase or release multiple numbers
Regular Audits: Automated cost analysis and recommendations

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
`/api/v1/phone-numbers/search`	POST	Search available numbers
`/api/v1/phone-numbers/purchase`	POST	Purchase a phone number
`/api/v1/phone-numbers/release`	POST	Release a phone number
`/api/v1/phone-numbers/countries`	GET	List supported countries

Getting Started

1. Search for Numbers

Find available numbers in your target area:

curl -X POST "https://api.burki.dev/api/v1/phone-numbers/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "area_code": "415",
    "provider": "telnyx",
    "limit": 10
  }'

2. Purchase a Number

Buy a number from the search results:

curl -X POST "https://api.burki.dev/api/v1/phone-numbers/purchase" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "phone_number": "+14155551234",
    "provider": "telnyx",
    "assistant_id": 123
  }'

3. Verify Readiness Before Using the Number

An assigned number alone does not prove telephone readiness. Check carrier setup, provider credentials, available funds and the published assistant version in your workspace. Complete an authorized inbound telephone test before directing customer traffic to the number. Confirm messaging setup and compliance separately before using SMS or MMS. Number rental is separate from conversation usage and may continue while a number is idle. See the Quickstart for the current browser-practice-to-telephone setup path.

Provider Comparison

Twilio vs Telnyx

Feature	Twilio	Telnyx
Global Coverage	Provider-dependent and changes by product	Provider-dependent and changes by product
Pricing	Higher cost, premium service	Competitive pricing
API Maturity	Very mature, extensive docs	Modern, developer-friendly
Features	Full feature set	Core features, growing
Reliability	Provider-backed infrastructure	Provider-backed infrastructure
Support	Comprehensive	Developer-focused

When to Choose Which Provider

Choose Twilio when:

You need maximum global coverage
You require advanced features (fax, SIP, etc.)
You have complex compliance requirements
Budget is less of a concern

Choose Telnyx when:

Cost optimization is important
You prefer modern API design
You need good US/Europe coverage
You want competitive international rates

Use Cases

Customer Support Scaling

Scenario: Growing support team needs local numbers in multiple regions

// Purchase numbers for different regions
const regions = [
  { area_code: "415", assistant_id: 101, name: "West Coast Support" },
  { area_code: "212", assistant_id: 102, name: "East Coast Support" },
  { area_code: "312", assistant_id: 103, name: "Central Support" }
];

for (const region of regions) {
  await purchaseNumber({
    area_code: region.area_code,
    provider: "telnyx",
    assistant_id: region.assistant_id,
    friendly_name: region.name
  });
}

Multi-Brand Management

Scenario: Multiple brands need separate phone numbers

// Different providers for different brands
await purchaseNumber({
  phone_number: "+18005551234",
  provider: "twilio",      // Premium brand uses Twilio
  assistant_id: 201,
  friendly_name: "Premium Brand Support"
});

await purchaseNumber({
  phone_number: "+18665554321", 
  provider: "telnyx",      // Budget brand uses Telnyx
  assistant_id: 202,
  friendly_name: "Budget Brand Support"
});

Geographic Expansion

Scenario: Expanding to new international markets

// Search for numbers in new countries
const countries = ["GB", "AU", "DE", "CA"];

for (const country of countries) {
  const numbers = await searchNumbers({
    country_code: country,
    provider: "twilio",  // Use Twilio for international
    limit: 5
  });
  
  if (numbers.length > 0) {
    await purchaseNumber({
      phone_number: numbers[0].phone_number,
      provider: "twilio",
      assistant_id: getRegionalAssistant(country)
    });
  }
}

Cost Optimization Audit

Scenario: Regular cleanup of unused numbers

// Monthly cleanup of unused numbers
async function monthlyAudit() {
  const numbers = await getOrganizationNumbers();
  
  for (const number of numbers) {
    const usage = await getNumberUsage(number.phone_number, 30); // Last 30 days
    
    if (usage.total_calls === 0 && usage.total_sms === 0) {
      console.log(`Releasing unused number: ${number.phone_number}`);
      await releaseNumber({ phone_number: number.phone_number });
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

Search Strategy

Start Broad: Begin with area code only
Refine Gradually: Add filters incrementally
Compare Providers: Search both Twilio and Telnyx
Check Capabilities: Ensure numbers support required features

Purchase Planning

Verify Requirements: Confirm number capabilities match needs
Assistant Readiness: Ensure target assistant is configured
Budget Approval: Consider monthly costs and setup fees
Geographic Strategy: Plan number distribution across regions

Cost Management

Regular Audits: Monthly review of number usage
Usage Tracking: Monitor calls and messages per number
Provider Optimization: Evaluate cost per provider
Automated Cleanup: Script to release unused numbers

Security & Compliance

Access Control: Limit who can purchase/release numbers
Audit Logging: Track all number management activities
Compliance Check: Verify regulatory requirements by country
Backup Strategy: Document number assignments and purposes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Solution
”Number not available”	Number taken by another user	Search for alternatives
”Insufficient balance”	Low provider account balance	Add funds to provider account
”Invalid credentials”	Wrong API keys	Check provider credentials
”Country not supported”	Provider limitation	Try alternative provider

Provider-Specific Issues

Twilio:

Geographic restrictions for certain countries
Account verification requirements
Compliance documentation needs

Telnyx:

Connection ID configuration
Account activation requirements
Regional availability limitations

Monitoring & Alerts

Set up monitoring for:

Failed purchase attempts
Number usage patterns
Cost threshold alerts
Provider availability issues

Billing Impact: Phone number purchases result in immediate charges to your provider accounts. Always verify pricing and account balances before making purchases.

Next Steps

Search Numbers: Learn how to search for available numbers
Purchase Numbers: Buy numbers with automatic configuration
Release Numbers: Clean up unused numbers
Country Codes: Check global availability

The phone number management system gives you complete control over your telephony infrastructure while maintaining the flexibility to optimize costs and coverage across multiple providers.

Getting Started

Core Concepts

AI Providers

Features

Advanced

Help & Resources

Overview

How It Works

Core Features

Multi-Provider Search

Purchase & Configuration

Inventory Management

Cost Optimization

API Endpoints

Getting Started

1. Search for Numbers

2. Purchase a Number

3. Verify Readiness Before Using the Number

Provider Comparison

Twilio vs Telnyx

When to Choose Which Provider

Use Cases

Customer Support Scaling

Multi-Brand Management

Geographic Expansion

Cost Optimization Audit

Best Practices

Search Strategy

Purchase Planning

Cost Management

Security & Compliance

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Provider-Specific Issues

Monitoring & Alerts

Next Steps

​Overview

​How It Works

​Core Features

​Multi-Provider Search

​Purchase & Configuration

​Inventory Management

​Cost Optimization

​API Endpoints

​Getting Started

​1. Search for Numbers

​2. Purchase a Number

​3. Verify Readiness Before Using the Number

​Provider Comparison

​Twilio vs Telnyx

​When to Choose Which Provider

​Use Cases

​Customer Support Scaling

​Multi-Brand Management

​Geographic Expansion

​Cost Optimization Audit

​Best Practices

​Search Strategy

​Purchase Planning

​Cost Management

​Security & Compliance

​Troubleshooting

​Common Issues

​Provider-Specific Issues

​Monitoring & Alerts

​Next Steps

Overview

How It Works

Core Features

Multi-Provider Search

Purchase & Configuration

Inventory Management

Cost Optimization

API Endpoints

Getting Started

1. Search for Numbers

2. Purchase a Number

3. Verify Readiness Before Using the Number

Provider Comparison

Twilio vs Telnyx

When to Choose Which Provider

Use Cases

Customer Support Scaling

Multi-Brand Management

Geographic Expansion

Cost Optimization Audit

Best Practices

Search Strategy

Purchase Planning

Cost Management

Security & Compliance

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Provider-Specific Issues

Monitoring & Alerts

Next Steps