What is a DID number?

DID stands for Direct Inward Dialing. A DID is a phone number that can receive calls directly and route them to a specific destination, without needing a dedicated physical phone line tied to that exact number. In everyday conversation, people mostly just call it a phone number, but DID is the correct term for the destination type used in call routing.

Where the term comes from

DID originated with business phone systems that wanted individual numbers to reach specific extensions inside a company without needing a separate physical line for each one. The same underlying idea now applies broadly to how modern phone systems and VoIP platforms assign numbers: a number exists as an address that traffic can be routed to, independent of any specific hardware.

Why the distinction matters for call buyers

When a marketplace like Callmart says it can deliver calls to a phone number, it means a DID: a number a buyer designates, which the routing system rings when a call is delivered. That number can forward to a mobile phone, a desk phone, a call center system, or anywhere else the buyer has it pointed. The buyer does not need a special kind of hardware to receive it; it works like any other phone number reaching a phone.

DID versus other destination types

DID

A phone number used to receive calls directly, which can be pointed at a phone, a system, or forwarded onward.

SIP address

A VoIP endpoint identified by an address rather than a number, used by systems that carry voice over the internet.

Softphone

Software that answers calls without a phone number of its own, such as Callmart's browser softphone.

What buyers actually need to do with a DID

• Provide the phone number you want inbound calls delivered to as your destination.
• Make sure that number is actually staffed or forwards somewhere that is, since an unanswered destination does not start connected time.
• Update it in your workspace if your team changes numbers or adds new agents with separate destinations.

How this fits into Callmart's routing

Calls can be delivered to a phone number (DID) or a SIP address the buyer designates, or answered in the Callmart browser softphone. Which destination type a buyer uses does not affect pricing; it only affects where the call physically rings.

Getting a number is a carrier decision, not a marketplace one

Getting a phone number to use as a DID, whether a new one or one ported from an existing provider, happens through your own phone or VoIP service, not through Callmart. Callmart's role is routing calls to the destination you designate, not issuing or managing the underlying number itself. This is worth knowing if you are setting up a new destination for the first time, since number provisioning is a separate step from configuring it inside your workspace.

What to check after setting a new DID as your destination

A newly set destination is worth testing before you rely on it for live volume. Confirm the number rings the device or system you expect, confirm it forwards correctly if forwarding is involved, and confirm whoever is meant to answer it actually knows to expect calls. A quiet or misrouted destination does not generate an error; it simply results in calls that never connect and never start accumulating connected time.

None of this affects how a call is priced or billed. A DID is simply the address a call is delivered to; the campaign and buffer you selected determine the price, not the type of number you use to receive it.

• A mobile phone carried by a single agent.
• A desk phone on a traditional business line.
• A cloud phone system that then routes internally to whoever is available.

Common questions