Setting up your channels

Set up practice-wide communication channels in Settings → Omnichannel. Owners and admins use this page to provision the phone number and email address used by the omnichannel inbox, then decide how inbound calls are answered.

For the day-to-day inbox, see The omnichannel inbox. For calling from patient and lead conversations, see Phone calls.

How do I provision a phone number?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel to get the local number your practice uses for SMS. After calling is enabled, the same number is used for phone calls.

1. In Phone number, select Provision number.
2. Choose the three-digit Area code you want to search in.
3. Select Provision number.

When the number is provisioned, it appears in Phone number with a copy button. Local numbers are registered with carriers for 10DLC messaging after provisioning, and the registration status appears on the page.

10DLC status	What it means
Registering with carriers	Registration is in progress and usually completes within a few minutes.
Registered	The local number is registered for 10DLC messaging.
Failed	Registration did not complete. Review the reason and use Register now to try again.

Older toll-free numbers use Toll-Free Verification instead of 10DLC. If your practice has one, the verification section shows Submit now, Resubmit, or the current carrier review status.

Toll-free status	What it means
Under review	Your submission is being reviewed. This typically takes 5–10 business days.
Carrier review	The carrier is processing your verification. No action is needed.
Action required	Additional information is needed to complete verification.
Verified	The toll-free number is fully verified for messaging.
Rejected	Review the rejection reason and resubmit.

How do I provision the email address?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel to create the dedicated email address your practice uses for two-way patient and lead conversations.

1. In Email address, select Provision email.
2. Wait for the address to appear.
3. Use the copy button if you need to share the address with your team.

The address uses the @mail.ona.health domain and appears alongside SMS messaging in the omnichannel inbox.

How do I enable phone calls?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel to turn your provisioned phone number into a calling line. You need a phone number before you can enable calling.

1. In Phone calls, select Enable calling.
2. Wait for Status to show Enabled.
3. Check This browser to see whether your current browser is ready to receive calls.
4. Check My mobile to see whether your profile phone number will ring.

If setup needs attention, Status shows Needs attention and the button changes to Try again. After calls are enabled, your team can call patients and leads from the browser or bridge calls through a mobile phone. Inbound calls ring your team first; if nobody answers, the AI receptionist answers when it is enabled, or the caller is sent to voicemail.

This browser can show Ready for calls, Connecting…, Not connected or Inactive. My mobile can show Rings, No number or Off for the practice.

How do I set who answers incoming calls?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel to choose the group that rings for inbound calls. The same group is notified about calls they could have answered.

1. In Phone calls, find Who answers incoming calls.
2. Choose Everyone available, Front desk only or Only selected members.
3. If you choose Only selected members, select + Add member and pick active team members.
4. Remove a selected member with the remove button on their name chip.

Option	What happens
Everyone available	Every team member rings in the browser when Ona is open. If mobile ringing is on, team members with profile phone numbers also ring on mobile. Everyone is notified.
Front desk only	Only members with the Front desk (staff) role ring and are notified. If nobody has that role, calls keep ringing and notifying everyone.
Only selected members	Only the active members you choose ring and are notified. If the list is empty, calls ring and notify everyone until you add someone.

If you are not in the answering group, the setting tells you that you will not ring for inbound calls. If you select more than eight members, up to eight available members ring at once; anyone beyond that is still notified about missed calls.

How do I set the ring time and mobile ringing?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel to control what happens when an inbound call arrives.

1. In Ring my team for, choose 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds or 60 seconds.
2. Turn Ring mobile phones on if answering group members with a phone number on their profile should also receive the call on mobile.

Mobile calls use the same ring window as browser calls. The person answering on mobile must press 1 to take the call.

When the AI receptionist is enabled and set to answer first at certain times, Ring my team for may also say Outside opening hours it answers straight away, without ringing. or During your custom hours it answers straight away, without ringing. For AI setup, see Setting up the AI Receptionist.

How do I change the voicemail greeting?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel to set what callers hear before the voicemail tone when nobody answers and the AI receptionist is not handling the call.

1. In Phone calls, find Voicemail greeting.
2. Type the greeting callers should hear.
3. Wait for the autosave indicator to finish.

The greeting can be up to 500 characters. Leave it empty to use the default greeting. Voicemail messages land in the conversation with a recording and transcript.

What can't I do here?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Omnichannel. In Settings → Omnichannel, channel setup is limited in these ways:

• Staff and clinicians cannot manage Omnichannel settings.
• You cannot enable calling until a phone number is provisioned.
• New Omnichannel phone numbers are provisioned as local numbers.
• After a phone number or email address is provisioned, this page does not show a way to replace or remove it.
• Only selected members can include active team members only.

Common questions

Which number should I publish for patients?

Use the number shown in Phone number. It is the number used for SMS and, after calling is enabled, for inbound and outbound calls.

Why does Enable calling look unavailable?

Calling needs a provisioned phone number first. Provision the number in Phone number, then return to Phone calls and select Enable calling.

Why does My mobile say No number?

Your profile does not have a phone number. Use Add a phone to your profile to add one. Mobile ringing also depends on Ring mobile phones being on for the practice.

What happens if nobody answers an inbound call?

If the AI receptionist is enabled, it takes the call after the ring window. When it is set to answer first outside opening hours or during custom hours, it answers straight away during those times. If it is not enabled, the caller is sent to voicemail.

Where do messages and calls show up?

Provisioned channels appear in conversations for patients and leads in the omnichannel inbox. Calls and voicemails are saved in the conversation with their call details.