Set Up Phone & Call Tracking

This guide walks you through purchasing a phone number, setting up call tracking with number pools, configuring IVR menus, and enabling call recording in GoHighLevel.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

Admin or agency-level access to your sub-account
A website where you will install the tracking snippet (if using number pools)
Access to your website’s code or CMS for snippet installation
A clear understanding of your call routing needs (who should receive calls, when, and how)

Purchase a Phone Number

Your first step is to acquire a phone number for making and receiving calls.

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers
Click + Add Number in the top right
Choose your number type:
- Local Number: Tied to a specific area code, ideal for local businesses
- Toll-Free Number: 800, 888, 877, etc., signals a national or professional brand
- International Number: Establish a presence in countries outside the United States (may require regulatory verification)
Select your area code if purchasing a local number
Review the available numbers and click Select next to your preferred number
Confirm the purchase

Your phone number is now active and ready for configuration.

Configure Your Phone Number

Set up basic call handling for your new number.

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers
Click on the phone number you just purchased
Set the Forwarding Number (the external phone number where calls should ring, e.g., your cell phone)
Optionally record or upload a Voicemail Greeting (recommended: .wav file for best quality)
Enable Call Recording if you want to record all inbound and outbound calls
If enabling call recording, add a Recording Disclaimer message (e.g., “This call may be recorded for quality assurance”)
Set the Whisper Message (optional) to announce the call source to the person answering (e.g., “Call from your website”)
Click Save

Your phone number is now configured for basic inbound and outbound calling.

Set Up a Number Pool for Call Tracking

Number pools enable dynamic phone number tracking so you can attribute calls to specific marketing campaigns, traffic sources, and keywords.

Create a Number Pool:

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers > Number Pools
Click + Add Number Pool from the dropdown menu
Select Visitors Activity as the tracking type
Choose which visitors to track:
- All Visitors: Track every visitor to your website
- PPC Search: Track only visitors from paid search ads
- Organic Search: Track only visitors from organic search results
- Custom Source: Track specific traffic sources
Click Next: Create Pool

Configure the Pool:

Enter a Pool Name (e.g., “Google Ads Call Tracking”)
Set the Pool Size (minimum 4 numbers, increase for high-traffic sites)
Enter the Forwarding Number where calls should ring through
Enter the Swapping Number (the number currently displayed on your website that will be dynamically replaced)
Choose number type: Local or Toll-Free
If local, select the desired area code
Click Activate Number

Your number pool is now active and ready for snippet installation.

Install the Call Tracking Snippet

Install the JavaScript snippet on your website to enable dynamic number swapping.

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers > Number Pools
Click the three-dot menu next to your pool
Select Number Pool Info
Copy the Normal Snippet Code provided

For Platform-Built Sites:

Go to Sites > Websites or Funnels
Open the site or funnel settings
Navigate to the Tracking Code section
Paste the snippet into the Body Tracking Code field
Click Save

For External Sites:

Log in to your website’s CMS (WordPress, Squarespace, etc.)
Navigate to the theme or custom code editor
Paste the snippet just before the closing </body> tag
Save and publish your changes

The tracking snippet is now active. Visit your website to verify the phone number dynamically swaps.

Configure Call Recording and Whisper Messages

Set up call recording and whisper messages for better tracking and agent context.

Enable Call Recording:

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers
Click on the phone number or number pool you want to configure
Enable the Call Recording toggle
Enter a Recording Disclaimer message (e.g., “This call may be recorded for quality assurance”)
Click Save

Set Up Whisper Messages:

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers > Number Pools
Click the three-dot menu and select Update Tracking Number
Set the Whisper Message content (e.g., “Call from Google Ads”)
Click Save

All calls will now be recorded and agents will hear the whisper message before answering.

Build an IVR Workflow

Create an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu to route calls based on caller input.

Using the IVR Recipe:

Navigate to Automation > Workflows
Click Create Workflow > Select a Recipe
Choose the IVR Workflow recipe
Customize the trigger phone number (select your purchased phone number)
Edit the greeting message (e.g., “Thank you for calling. Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support.”)
Configure call routing based on keypad input
Click Save and Publish

Building from Scratch:

Navigate to Automation > Workflows
Click Create Workflow > Start from Scratch
Add a Start IVR trigger and assign your phone number
Add a Say/Play Message action with your greeting
Add a Gather Input on Call action to collect keypad responses
Add If/Else conditions to route based on input (e.g., if input = 1, connect to Sales; if input = 2, connect to Support)
Add Connect Call actions to transfer callers to the appropriate team member or external number
Add a Record Voicemail action for when no one is available
Add an End Call action with an optional closing message
Click Save and Publish

Your IVR menu is now live. Test by calling your phone number and pressing keys to verify routing.

Set Up Voicemail Configuration

Configure voicemail greetings so callers can leave messages when no one answers.

Navigate to Settings > Phone Numbers > Voicemail
Upload a pre-recorded voicemail greeting (.wav recommended) or use text-to-speech
Set the number of rings before voicemail picks up (e.g., 5 rings)
Optionally configure User Voicemail for individual team members under their user profile settings
Click Save

Voicemail messages will now appear in the Conversations tab with a playback player.

Test Your Setup

Verify that your phone and call tracking system is working correctly.

Test Basic Calling:

Call your phone number from an external line
Verify the call rings through to your forwarding number
Verify the whisper message plays before you answer (if configured)
Test the call recording by speaking briefly, then hanging up
Navigate to Conversations and verify the call log appears with a recording link

Test Number Pool Swapping:

Open your website in an incognito or private browser window
Verify the phone number displayed on your site is a tracking number (different from your static business number)
Call the displayed tracking number
Verify the call rings through to your forwarding number
Navigate to Reporting > Call Reporting and verify the call source is tracked

Test IVR Menu:

Call your IVR-enabled phone number
Listen to the greeting message
Press a key to select a menu option
Verify the call routes to the correct destination
Test the voicemail option if no one answers

Test Voicemail:

Call your phone number and do not answer
Wait for the voicemail greeting to play
Leave a test voicemail message
Navigate to Conversations and verify the voicemail appears with a playback option

Next Steps

Now that your phone and call tracking system is configured, explore these related features:

Build advanced IVR workflows with the Workflow Builder
Set up missed call text back to recover lost leads
Configure Round-Robin call distribution for multi-agent teams
Track call performance with the Call Reporting dashboard
Enable Voice AI to handle inbound calls automatically
Review the complete Phone & Call Tracking Guide for advanced strategies