A fallback caller ID is a backup number on a voice campaign. If calls from your main number start failing because the carrier route is down, Edesy switches the campaign to the backup number and keeps dialing. Without one, the campaign pauses to protect your list until you resume it. Use a backup on a different route for any time-sensitive broadcast.
Add a backup caller ID: Open the Voice app and set it in the campaign wizard.
The problem: one route, one point of failure
Every outbound call leaves through a carrier route tied to your caller ID number. Routes sometimes fail: maintenance, an outage, a capacity problem upstream. When that happens, every call from that number fails the same way, usually within seconds.
A broadcast with retries makes this worse. If the route is down for ten minutes and you dial hundreds of contacts a minute, each contact can use up its attempts on calls that never had a chance. When the route comes back, those contacts show as failed.
How Edesy handles it
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Main number's route is healthy | Calls go out from the main caller ID |
| A run of carrier failures on the main number, no backup set | Campaign pauses, so the list isn't used up; you resume when the route is back |
| A run of carrier failures, backup caller ID set | Calls switch to the backup caller ID and the campaign keeps dialing |
| Running on backup | The campaign shows that the backup is in use |
Edesy watches for carrier-level failures (the route refusing calls), not normal outcomes like busy or no-answer. A customer not picking up doesn't trigger a switch.
Fallback vs rotation vs failover
These three get mixed up:
| Feature | What it does | Where on Edesy |
|---|---|---|
| Fallback caller ID | Standby number used only when the main route fails | Voice broadcast campaigns |
| Automatic carrier failover | The platform moves calls off a failing route | Broadcast campaigns (with a backup number) and number masking |
| Caller-ID rotation | Spreads calls across a pool of 2 to 4 numbers all the time | Edesy Collect reminder campaigns |
If your goal is to avoid overusing one number on repeated reminder calls, you want rotation, not a fallback. See caller ID rotation for payment reminder calls.
Choosing the backup number
- Ideally on a different route. A backup on the same route as the main number fails at the same time. When you buy a number, ask us which numbers suit a backup if you're not sure.
- A number you own and route. People will call it back. Point its inbound routing somewhere useful: forwarding to your team, an IVR, or a missed-call capture.
- Recognisably yours. If your main number is a Bengaluru landline, a backup that looks unrelated may confuse people. Mention your brand name early in the message so the number matters less.
- KYC'd and active. It goes through the same KYC as any number.
What customers notice when the switch happens
Some contacts will get the call from the backup number instead of the one they've seen before. Plan for that:
- Say your name first. "Namaste, this is XYZ Finance" in the first sentence matters more than the number on screen.
- Route callbacks the same way. If someone calls the backup number back, they should reach the same team or IVR as the main number.
- Tell your support team. If a customer asks "why did you call from a different number?", the answer is simple: it's our backup line.
When a backup is worth it
| Campaign | Backup? |
|---|---|
| Time-bound alerts (outage notices, exam or election reminders) | Yes |
| Payment due-date reminders on a deadline | Yes |
| Large lists run once | Yes |
| Small test or internal campaigns | Optional |
| Long-running campaigns with no deadline | Optional; a pause and resume may be fine |
Setting it up
- Buy a second number in the Voice app (mobile, 92-series, landline or toll-free) after KYC.
- Set its inbound routing so callbacks reach you.
- In the campaign wizard, choose your main caller ID and a backup (fallback) caller ID.
- Set max concurrent calls, dialing hours, AMD and DNC suppression as usual.
- Use test call to hear the message and check the cost estimate.
- Launch, and watch the campaign view: it shows when the backup number is in use.
Campaign settings are also available through the API. See the campaigns docs.
What it costs
| Item | Price (plus 18% GST) |
|---|---|
| Backup number rental (mobile or 92-series) | Rs 499 per month |
| Backup number rental (landline) | Rs 449 per month |
| Calls from either number | Rs 0.50 per minute, 60-second pulse |
| Unanswered calls | Free |
You only pay call charges for calls that are answered, whichever number they go out from. See voice broadcasting pricing.
Good habits alongside a fallback
- Clean the list and suppress DNC numbers before launch.
- Respect dialing hours. Calls outside daytime hours annoy people and draw complaints.
- Identify yourself in the first seconds of the message.
- Use AMD so your reach numbers are honest: see answering machine detection for broadcasts.
- Read failure reasons in the results. Detailed outcomes (busy, no-answer, unreachable, invalid number, network) show what to fix. More in why campaign calls fail.
More on the product: voice broadcasting and broadcast features.