Voice AI + Call Center Transition Guide

How to think about the shift, what you need to know, and what to expect when moving to swivl.

Things to Think Through Before the Shift

When moving your call handling into swivl Voice AI, it’s helpful to clarify some decisions upfront. This ensures the rollout is smooth, meets your goals, and avoids surprises.

• Scope of AI vs Human:
  • Decide which types of calls you want AI to handle from day one (common questions like gate codes, account balances, or unit availability, plus outbound tasks like abandoned cart or collections).
  • Then identify calls you always want a person to handle (billing disputes, move-outs, pay-by-phone, etc).
• Escalation Strategy:
  • How do you want AI to hand off when needed? Options include in-platform Call Routing and notification for an Agent to pick up the call, Call Forward to an external number or Email receipt with follow up task and summary of conversation.
• Coverage Goals:
  • Are you aiming for swivl to handle every inbound call, or cover specific workflows (after-hours coverage, overflow calls, sales, outbound follow-ups)?

  • Each approach has different setup implications and pacing.

• Rollout Plan
  • Do you want to start small with one call type, prove success, then expand, or go broader from the beginning?
    
• Voice + Messaging Alignment

  • You have two ways to activate swivl Voice AI:

    • Forward calls to swivl from your current call provider (fastest path to value; no porting needed).

    • Transfer (port) your numbers into swivl for complete ownership and advanced routing.

    Using swivl vs. Owning Your Twilio Account

    You can either use a Twilio subaccount under swivl’s parent account or set up your own Twilio account. Both work, but owning your account offers extra benefits:

    Using swivl as the Parent Account

    • Quick setup with minimal initial configuration.

    • Twilio assets (numbers, messaging, and compliance) are managed under swivl’s account.

    • Ideal if you want to get started fast without managing a separate Twilio account.

    Owning Your Twilio Account

    • Full control & portability: Your numbers are tied to your business and can be moved to other platforms anytime.

    • Brand consistency: Customers always see your number, not a shared or temporary one.

    • Compliance & A2P registration: Messaging is linked to your brand and EIN, keeping texts reliable and compliant.

    • Data ownership & transparency: Message history, delivery reports, and consent records stay with you for reporting, audits, and customer service.

    • Flexibility & future-proofing: Configure settings, webhooks, routing, and integrations directly, and scale easily as your business grows.

    Both approaches work with swivl Voice AI — it’s just a matter of how much control, independence, and long-term flexibility you want over your numbers and messaging setup.

    Team Preparation

• • What will change for your staff? Less time on repetitive questions, more time for high-value tenant interactions, and better insights into what’s happening across all properties
  • Think about how you want to communicate these changes internally. Make sure the team understands that swivl isn’t replacing people - it’s removing the repetitive, low-value work so they can focus on tenants and operations.
• Tenant Experience
  • How do you want this to feel for tenants?
    • Always instant answers, 24/7 (no missed calls)
    • Clear, professional escalation to a human when needed
    • Consistent responses across phone, text, and chat

What We Need to Start

These requirements only apply if you plan to transfer (port) your phone numbers to swivl.
If you’re starting by simply forwarding calls to swivl, you can skip this section and begin immediately.

If you’re porting your numbers, we’ll need:

Letter of Authorization (LOA)

A signed form that authorizes swivl to request the porting of your phone numbers on your behalf. Think of it like a permission slip. Reference: Twilio+1

Telephone Numbers (TN list)

The list of phone numbers you want to move into swivl Voice AI. 

Billing Telephone Number (BTN)

The main “anchor” number on your account with your current call provider, used to validate ownership of your numbers. 

Customer Service Record (CSR)

A document your provider keeps on file that shows your account details (service address, BTN, numbers, etc). The information you provide must match this record. 

Recent Invoice

A copy of a bill from your Current Call Provider, used to prove ownership and avoid rejections.

A2P 10DLC Registration (SMS Compliance)

As part of carrier compliance, every operator using SMS through swivl must complete A2P 10DLC registration. This is a one-time process that keeps your text messages delivering reliably and at full capacity.

Porting Process (If You’re Transferring Numbers) | What to Expect

Timeline & Cutover

• We’ll submit the order and get a Firm Order Commitment (FOC) date/time from carriers
  • Once your order is submitted, carriers provide a scheduled date/time window (called FOC) when the numbers will officially move.
  • Reference: Twilio Help Center
    
• Local US ports usually complete in 2–4 weeks (dependent on losing carrier response times)
  • Downtime is minimal if FOC is scheduled cleanly
  • Many teams set temporary call forwarding with their Current Call Provider during cutover for extra protection
  • Reference: Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Voice + Messaging Options

• Option 1: Enable Hosted SMS first (messaging flows through swivl while voice stays with your Current Call Provider). When ready, voice ports later.
• Option 2: Move voice + SMS together during the port.
• Reference: Twilio Help Center+1

Post-Port Configuration

Once porting completes, swivl helps you set up:

• CNAM (Caller Name): what shows up when you call tenants
• E911: making sure emergency services have the correct address linked to your numbers

• Reference: Reddit+1

Batching for Multi-Site Operators

• If you’re moving many numbers, we can process a bulk port (up to ~1,000 TNs per request)
• We’ll coordinate staged FOC windows if needed to roll out in phases
• Reference: Twilio Help Center

Next Steps with swivl