Beside Agentic comes with a business phone line and a Receptionist that answers it. Your agent uses that line as one of its main sources - every call and text tells it something about your customers - so getting it set up early makes everything else work better.
It takes a few minutes, split between Beside Agentic and the Beside app.
Where your line lives
Open Text & Call, in the Workspace section of the left menu. That is where your workspace connects to a Beside line, and where you manage it afterwards.
Once a line is connected, Text & Call has three tabs:
Tab | What it is for |
Analytics | Your recent conversations, and your calls and texts over the last 30 days: incoming calls, missed calls, and how many your Receptionist handled |
Line settings | Voice Receptionist, Text Receptionist, who each of them answers, Silence unknown callers, and Team ringing |
Permissions | What your agent may do with the line on its own |
Taking calls and replying to texts still happens in the Beside mobile app or at app.beside.com. 📖 Beside on the web
1. Install the app and sign in
Download Beside from the App Store or Google Play.
⚠️ Sign in the same way you signed up: use the same email address you used for Beside Agentic. Signing in a different way creates a separate account, and your subscription and your agent won't be there.
2. Connect your line
In Text & Call, pick your line and select Connect line. A workspace works with one line, so if you have several, this is where you choose which one your agent uses.
If nothing is listed, create a line in Beside first, then come back and connect it. Only the workspace owner or an admin can connect a line.
3. Decide how customers reach you
You have three options, and they are not exclusive - most businesses start with forwarding and port later.
Option | When it makes sense |
Forward your existing number | You want to keep the number your customers already know, and change nothing on their side. The fastest way to start. |
Port your number to Beside | You want your number to live entirely in Beside - calls and texts, in and out, in one place. |
Use a new Beside number | You are starting fresh, or you want a separate business number with your own area code. |
Text & Call has entry points for the first two, Set up forwarding and Start number transfer, and both finish in Beside.
📌 Some things are still done in the Beside app: Call forwarding, Caller ID, porting and creating a line are completed in the Beside mobile app, not in Beside Agentic. Once set, they apply everywhere automatically.
4. Set up your Receptionist
Your Receptionist is what answers when you can't. It picks up calls and texts, answers common questions, qualifies leads, and books appointments.
You set it up in Beside, in the mobile app or at app.beside.com: its greeting, its voice, what it knows about your business, and how it handles different kinds of call.
Once it is running, Line settings in Text & Call gives you the main switches without leaving Beside Agentic: whether the Receptionist answers calls and texts, who it answers, Silence unknown callers, and Team ringing. They are the same settings on the same line, so nothing is duplicated.
5. Let your agent use the line
Your line shows up in Beside Agentic as a connected source called Beside Phone. Your agent asks separately before it works with it, and the request waits under Needs human review on your Beside Agent page.
Choose Allow to let it act on its own, or Ask first if you would rather be consulted each time. Until you answer, anything that depends on your calls and texts waits.
FAQ
Is the phone line included in my plan?
Is the phone line included in my plan?
Yes. A business line and a Receptionist come with Beside Agentic, in both work modes. 📖 Understand your plan and credits
Where do I configure my Receptionist?
Where do I configure my Receptionist?
In Beside: the mobile app or app.beside.com. Beside Agentic gives you the main on and off switches under Line settings in Text & Call, but the greeting, the voice, the knowledge and the call scenarios are set up in Beside.
Can I use Beside Agentic without setting up the line?
Can I use Beside Agentic without setting up the line?
Yes, but your agent will see less. Your calls and texts are where most of what happens with your customers actually happens - without them, follow-ups, lead scoring and much of what your agent proposes have far less to work from.
I have several lines. Can I connect more than one?
I have several lines. Can I connect more than one?
Not to the same workspace. Each Beside Agentic workspace works with one line, so pick the one your customers actually call. You can disconnect and choose a different one later, and your existing history stays.
I already had a Beside line before subscribing.
I already had a Beside line before subscribing.
Then there is nothing to create. Your number, your Receptionist and your settings carry on exactly as they were, and you connect that line in Text & Call. 📖 Beside Agentic and your Beside phone line
Where do calls and texts actually happen?
Where do calls and texts actually happen?
In the Beside mobile app or at app.beside.com. Beside Agentic is where you connect the line and see what your agent did with it, but you take calls and reply to texts in Beside.