Aptly makes it easy to call and text your customers—without exposing your personal phone number. By connecting a Twilio phone line to Aptly, you can:
- Make outbound calls directly from the Aptly Inbox
- Send SMS messages to any contact
- Keep your personal phone number private
- Track, log, and record all communication automatically
Aptly handles the connection to Twilio behind the scenes so you can work from one platform without switching apps or devices.
How Phone Calls Work in Aptly
When you place a call from Aptly, you’re not calling from your personal phone number. Instead, Aptly uses your Twilio phone line (provided by your company) as the caller ID.
When you use Custom Number for callback calling, here’s what happens behind the scenes:
- You click Call in Aptly.
- Aptly tells Twilio to start the call.
- Twilio first calls your personal device—this is your Agent Number.
- You pick up the call on your device.
- Twilio then connects you to the customer using your Twilio phone number as the caller ID.
🔒 Your personal phone number is never visible to the customer.
Twilio settings and configuration live directly inside Aptly under:
- Settings → Personal Phone Numbers
- Settings → Shared Phone Numbers
Shared vs. Personal Phone Numbers
Personal Phone Numbers
These are Twilio phone lines assigned just to you. They do not appear as shared inboxes, and only you can make calls or send texts from them.
Shared Phone Numbers
Teams can share Twilio phone lines—for example:
- Leasing
- Maintenance
- Resident Services
- Accounting
- After-hours emergency lines
Shared phone lines appear as inboxes in your Inbox folder list. Any team member assigned to the line can access calls, voicemails, and SMS conversations.
👉 Many customers also create unique phone numbers for different lead sources (Zillow, Zumper, Apartments.com, etc.) so they can track call performance by source.
Making a Phone Call in Aptly
Before placing a call, make sure:
- A Twilio line is connected in Aptly
- For callback calling, you have a working phone device (mobile, landline, or VoIP number) that Twilio can call to reach you. For Call from browser, complete your browser-calling setup instead.
📌 Note: Twilio charges different rates for international calling. See Twilio Pricing for details.
Step-by-Step: How to Make a Call
- Click the plus icon in the top bar, then choose New Call (Start a phone call).
- Under Calling From, review the Twilio line you want to use. Choose Switch line if you need a different available line.
- Under Agent Number, choose how you will speak with the customer:
- Custom Number: Enter the phone number where Twilio should call you in Enter agent phone number. Answer that call to connect with the customer.
- Call from browser: Use browser calling instead of the callback to a separate device. Complete the browser-calling setup first; see Setting Up Browser Calling for Twilio in Aptly.
- Use Search name, or enter a number to find the contact or enter the customer's number.
- Review the calling line, your calling method, and the recipient, then click Call.
For Custom Number, Aptly calls your device first, then connects you to the customer. This callback sequence does not apply to Call from browser.
Your customer sees your Twilio number, not your personal number.
Your agent number cannot be the same as the Ring To number set for the phone.
Sending an SMS Message in the Inbox
Sending SMS is just as easy as making a call.
Once your Twilio number is set up and registered for A2P 10DLC, you can send texts directly from the Aptly Inbox.
How to Send an SMS
Still from an earlier walkthrough: the SMS composer with recipient and message empty; sender and user details omitted.
- Click the plus icon at the top.
- Select the SMS to open the SMS composer window.
- Type your message and send.
Aptly logs all sent and received messages in the conversation thread automatically.
Bulk SMS
If you need to send SMS messages to a group of contacts—such as residents, owners, or leads—you can use Aptly’s Bulk SMS feature.
A separate guide for bulk SMS is linked under Related Articles.