Set up your phone with Telnyx (recommended)

Direct REI works with three phone providers: Telnyx, Quo and Twilio. We recommend Telnyx. It's the one where everything happens inside Direct REI — you connect it with one click, buy numbers here, register for US texting here, call from your browser (including calling several leads at once), and use the AI Call Agent.

The whole setup is five steps. Settings → Phone shows the same five steps with a check mark as you finish each one.

1. Create your Telnyx account

Go to telnyx.com/sign-up and create an account. Then add a payment card and verify your business. It's a one-time step that takes about 10 minutes.

2. Connect it to Direct REI

1. Go to Settings → Phone. Under Provider setup, pick Telnyx — recommended. New accounts start there.
2. Click + Connect a number, then Connect with Telnyx — sign in & authorize.
3. Sign in to Telnyx and approve the connection. Finish it in the same browser and don't close the tab — you land back in Direct REI with a "Telnyx connected!" message.

If the sign-in doesn't work for you, the Connect window also has a paste an API key instead link. Create the key in your Telnyx account and paste it there.

3. Get a phone number

Numbers already on your Telnyx account show up on their own. To buy a new one:

1. Click + Buy # on your Telnyx row.
2. Type an area code, or leave it blank for any US number, and click Search numbers.
3. Direct REI shows the number and its monthly price. Nothing is charged until you click Buy.

Pick an area code near the leads you'll be calling and texting. If a new number doesn't show as ready to text after a minute, click Numbers on your Telnyx row, then Sync numbers.

4. Register for texting (10DLC)

US carriers make every business register before it texts from a regular phone number. Under Settings → Phone → Text messaging registration (10DLC):

1. Register brand — your legal business name, EIN if you have one, and your address exactly as they appear on your tax documents.
2. Register a campaign → — what you'll text people about. Direct REI builds your opt-in page, fills in the form, and checks it before you pay.

Approval usually takes a few business days. Telnyx bills about $19 one-time plus a monthly campaign fee (typically around $10/mo). Numbers you buy later are cleared for texting on your approved campaign automatically.

Open: Get approved for business texting (10DLC)

5. Turn on calling

Calls need no registration, so you can call while texting approval is pending.

1. Go to Settings → Phone → Calling integration and set Provider to 🎧 In-browser calling (your Telnyx number). New accounts start there.
2. Click Enable calling on your number. It shows 🎧 Calling ready when it's done.
3. Want incoming calls to ring in Direct REI too? Click 🔔 Ring my browser for incoming calls.

Your browser asks for microphone permission the first time you call — allow it. A headset works best. Calls run roughly $0.002 a minute on your Telnyx bill.

Open: Call from your browser

After that (optional)

• Show your business name on calls and keep them from being labeled spam: Settings → Phone → Get your calls answered. Open the lesson
• Let an AI answer your phone or call your list with the AI Call Agent. Open the lesson

Already using Quo or Twilio?

Nothing changes — they keep working. Pick them in the Provider setup dropdown to see their numbers. You can connect Telnyx alongside them any time.