☎️ Telephony Setup Guide
We give you a special number. You tell your phone company to forward calls to that number. Agent Penny answers. Done.
- We provide you a special phone number (found in your onboarding email)
- You work with your phone company to route calls through Virnika
- Calls flow: Customer dials your number → Routes to Virnika → Agent Penny answers → Transfers to you when needed
- Four setup types available depending on your current system
🚀 Jump To:
🤔 Which Setup Do I Need?
| Setup Type | Best For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| 📞 Simple Forward | Single location, want it simple | All calls go straight to Agent Penny |
| 🎲 IVR Split | Want to keep some calls direct | Customers get menu: "Press 1 for orders" |
| 🛫 SIP Direct | Modern phone systems | Internet-based connection, cleaner |
| ⛅ Hybrid Failover | High-volume restaurants | SIP + phone line backup for reliability |
Most restaurants (80%) use Simple Forward because it's bulletproof reliable. If you're unsure, start with Simple Forward - you can always upgrade to SIP Direct later.
🏃♀️ Quick Setup (4 Steps)
Step 1: Find Your Magic Number
- Check your Virnika onboarding email
- Look for: "Your Virnika DID: (XXX) XXX-XXXX"
- This is Agent Penny's phone number
SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Dashboard showing where to find the Virnika DID number
Step 2: Call Your Phone Provider
Say this exactly:
"I need to set up call forwarding from my main restaurant number to this AI service number: [Your Virnika DID]"
They might ask for:
- Hunt groups (for IVR Split)
- SIP trunk configuration (for SIP Direct)
- Your account info
Step 3: Test It
- Call your restaurant from your cell phone
- Listen for: "Thank you for calling [Restaurant], this is Penny..."
- Place a test order (keep it simple)
- Check: Your analytics dashboard shows the call
SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Test call analytics view showing successful test
Step 4: Make Sure It Works
- Try calling from different phones
- Test during busy hours
- Confirm transfers work (ask for a manager)
- Check all call types reach Penny
🔧 Setup Types Explained
1️⃣ Simple Forward (Most Common)
Best for: Single location, straightforward setup
How it works:
- Customer dials your main number
- Carrier forwards directly to Virnika DID
- Agent Penny answers and handles the call
- Transfers to your location when needed
Setup: Work with your carrier to forward your main number to the Virnika DID we provide
SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Simple Forward configuration view in dashboard
2️⃣ IVR Split (Menu-Based)
Best for: Restaurants wanting to keep some calls direct (reservations, etc.)
How it works:
- Customer dials your main number
- Gets IVR menu: "Press 1 for takeout, Press 2 for reservations"
- Press 1 → Goes to Agent Penny
- Press 2 → Goes directly to restaurant
Setup: Your telephony provider creates hunt groups for each menu option
SCREENSHOT NEEDED: IVR Split menu builder/configuration in dashboard
3️⃣ SIP Direct Integration (Preferred)
Best for: Modern setups, best call quality
How it works:
- Calls route over internet to Virnika SIP endpoint
- Cleaner connection, lower cost
- More reliable than traditional phone lines
Setup: Your telephony provider configures the SIP trunk endpoint (Virnika provides specific details during setup)
SCREENSHOT NEEDED: SIP Direct endpoint settings in dashboard
4️⃣ Hybrid Failover (Most Reliable)
Best for: High-volume locations, maximum uptime
How it works:
- Primary: SIP connection to Virnika
- Backup: If SIP fails, automatically routes to Virnika PSTN line
- Double redundancy ensures calls always reach Agent Penny
Setup: Requires both SIP endpoint configuration and PSTN hunt group
SCREENSHOT NEEDED: Hybrid failover configuration panel
Don't stress about the technical stuff - your Virnika team will walk you through whichever setup makes sense for your restaurant.
Next: Menu Optimization Guide →