# Set up your phone system

> Go from a new account to your first working call in seven steps.

- URL: https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/getting-started/set-up-your-phone-system/
- Section: Getting started
- Type: guide
- Applies to: All countries
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-29

This guide takes you from a new account to a working phone number that rings your team. It takes about 15 minutes. You'll get a phone number, add a person and their phone, connect them in the PBX, and make a test call.

## Before you start

- Sign in to the customer portal with the email and password from your welcome email.
- Have your payment method ready. New accounts are prepaid, so orders are paid from your account balance.
- **New account on a free trial?** Verify your identity first: until you do, you can only make calls inside your own phone system. Trial calls end after 1 minute. Once you're verified, you can activate your account at any time to remove the trial limits. See [Your free trial](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/getting-started/free-trial/).

## 1. Find your way around the portal

The portal has six tabs along the top. You'll mostly use **Services** to order things and **PBX** to decide where calls go.

![The customer portal home page with the six tabs along the top](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/images/getting-started/portal-home.webp)

| Tab | What you do there |
| --- | --- |
| **Billing** | See your balance, top up, pay invoices, manage administrators. |
| **Services** | Order phone numbers, licences, SIP trunks, call recording storage, phones and more. |
| **PBX** | Build your call flow: where calls go, when, and who answers. |
| **Reports** | Call history, recordings and statistics. |
| **Integrations** | Connect CRMs, Zapier, the API and webhooks. |
| **Support** | Network status, support tickets, this knowledge base, feature suggestions. |

## 2. Get a phone number

1. Go to **Services** › **Phone numbers**.
2. Choose the **Country** and **Area**, then pick a number from the list.
3. Tick **Agree to service terms and conditions** and click **Submit order**.

![Phone numbers page with country, area and available numbers](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/images/getting-started/phone-numbers.webp)

During the free trial you can only order local (geographic) numbers. To keep the number you already have, port it in **Services** › **Number porting** once your account is active. See [Your free trial](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/getting-started/free-trial/).

## 3. Order licences for your people and phones

Every person who makes or receives calls needs a **user licence**, and every phone or app they use needs a **device licence**.

1. Go to **Services** › **PBX licences**.
2. Click **Add user** for each person, and set how many devices each user needs. Someone with an office phone and a mobile app needs two device licences.
3. Tick **Agree to service terms and conditions** and click **Submit order**.

![PBX licences page with a user, their device count, call plan and SMS plan](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/images/getting-started/pbx-licences.webp)

## 4. Add the number to your call flow

1. Go to the **PBX** tab.
2. Drag **Inbound number** from the palette on the left onto the canvas.
3. Click the gear icon, enter a name such as "Main line", move your new number from **Available numbers** to **Included numbers**, and click **Save**.

See [Inbound number](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/receive-calls/inbound-number/) for details.

## 5. Add a user and their phone

1. Drag **User** onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
2. Enter the person's **Name**, choose their **Licence subaccount**, and choose your new number as their **Default caller ID**.
3. Enter their **Email** under **Webphone**, so they can sign in to the Webphone.
4. Under **Device configuration**, click **Add** and choose a device: **Webphone browser**, **Webphone desktop**, **Webphone mobile**, or **SIP device** for a desk phone.
5. Click **Save**.

![User settings with the device list on the right](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/images/pbx/accept-make-divert/user-settings.webp)

See [User](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/accept-make-divert/user/) for every setting.

## 6. Connect them and apply

1. Drag from the connection point on the right of the **Inbound number** to the left of the **User**.
2. Click **Apply configuration** in the top-right corner.

![A simple call flow on the PBX canvas](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/images/pbx/basics/pbx-canvas.webp)

**Important:** Nothing on the canvas affects real calls until you click **Apply configuration**. The button can only be clicked when there are unapplied changes.

## 7. Make a test call

1. Sign in to the Webphone: the user gets a password email once the configuration is applied. For a desk phone, use its SIP details from **PBX** › **Devices**.
2. Call your new number from a mobile. The user's device should ring.
3. Answer, then call a mobile from the Webphone or desk phone. The mobile should show your new number.

If the call doesn't ring, check that you clicked **Apply configuration**. For a browser, desktop or SIP device, check that it shows **Online** in [Devices](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/settings/devices/). Webphone mobile always shows as online.

## Next steps

- Send missed calls to [Voicemail](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/accept-make-divert/voicemail/) by connecting the User's **No answer** path.
- Route calls by business hours with [Time conditions](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/conditions/time-conditions/).
- Add a "Press 1 for sales" menu with a [Voice menu](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/conditions/voice-menu/).
- Share calls across a team with a [Ring group](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/mass-incoming-calls/ring-group/) or [Queue](https://kb.voipcloud.online/au/pbx/mass-incoming-calls/queue/).