Number pools are a feature you can use to track and analyze data about your callers. The term "number pools" refers both to the JavaScript snippet you use on your landing page to show a different number to each user as well as to the group of numbers that the JavaScript snippet pulls from.
This article explains the number pool solution and includes steps for setting up your number pool, adding it to a campaign, and adding the JavaScript snippet to your landing page. For information on the Manage Pools screen and the tasks you can perform there, see Managing Number Pools.
This article contains the following sections:
Number Pools
To set up number pools, you add a JavaScript snippet to your landing page. When the landing page loads in a visitor’s browser, the JavaScript snippet sends a request to Ringba that does two things:
- Sends the visitor’s browser session information to Ringba
- Requests a visitor-specific phone number
Ringba responds to this request as follows:
- Stores the browser session information in an impression
- Starts a timer
- Returns a visitor-specific number for the landing page to show
When the visitor calls the number, Ringba recognizes the visitor-specific number and links the impression to the call.
The data in the impression is available in Reporting for detailed grouping and sorting to uncover specific details that are driving caller behavior and call conversions. You can also use it to decide how to route the call.
Reusing numbers and retaining impressions
Visitors to your landing page might not call the number-pool number right away, so Ringba must decide how long to keep the number associated with the impression as well as how long to keep the impression active.
Ringba keeps the number associated with the impression for at least as long as:
- The amount of time you allow a browser to be idle (Idle Limit field), plus
- The amount of time you allow after the visitor closes the browser (Closed Browser Delay field).
You configure both time periods when you set up the number pool.
Ringba may reissue the number after that amount of time, but depending on visitor volume, the number might not be needed that soon. If the number is not needed, it stays linked to the impression for up to 6 hours. After 6 hours, the impression is archived.
If a visitor calls after a number was already assigned to a different session but before their own session expired, Ringba uses "last impression attribution" to determine which call to associate with the impression. Last impression attribution means when a call arrives, Ringba associates it with the most recent impression received for that number.
All the data Ringba captures about your callers is available in Reporting for detailed grouping and sorting to uncover specific details that are driving caller behavior and call conversions.
Ringba rejects calls to number-pool numbers that are not linked to an active impression.
Number Pools Setup Guide
Use the following steps to set up your number pool.
Step 1: Create a number pool
- Navigate to Numbers > Manage Pools to open the Manage Pools page.
- Click the + CREATE NUMBER POOL button at the top of the screen.
Tip: If you want to use an already existing pool, you can skip this step and instead click the number pool to open it.
Step 2: Configure the number pool settings
- Complete the required fields in the number pool.
Tip: For details about each field, hover your mouse over the tooltip (? icon) for extra info.
Important: Your account must have special configuration to create number pools for countries other than the United States and Canada. If you do not see the country you want in the drop-down list, or if you have created the non-U.S./Canada number pool and are ready to allocate numbers to it, you must contact support to continue. From inside Ringba, click the Support button in the top toolbar to open a chat window, or you can email support@ringba.com.
Step 3: Attach the number pool to a campaign
Now that you have created the number pool, you must attach it to a campaign by adding a Call Tracking Tag associated with a publisher number.
Important: Both the campaign and the publisher number must be active for the JavaScript snippet to successfully return a number-pool number. If the campaign or the publisher number is paused or deleted, the JavaScript snippet returns a 404 error.
- Open your campaign and scroll to the Call Tracking Tags section (it appears right below the Publishers heading). Click the + ADD CALL TRACKING TAG button.
A panel appears with fields for you to configure the call tracking tag. - Complete the fields:
- Name: The text Ringba uses for you to identify which call tracking tag is attached to the number when looking at the Publishers section.
- Primary Number: The number Ringba attaches the pool to, and it appears on your landing page once all the available numbers in the pool are exhausted. For example, if your pool has 5 numbers that are already being displayed and a 6th person accesses your page, then the primary number appears. When a primary number appears, the number pool loses the tracking capabilities, and your dashboard shows this as a Pool Miss.
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Number to Replace: The number the script searches on the page and replaces with a number from the number pool.
Tip: Ringba recommends you use the Primary Number as the Number to Replace. That way, if there is an issue loading the script, you can still route calls to the appropriate campaign, just without the tracking capabilities. - Capture User Data: Toggle on this switch to show the Number Pool field, then choose the number pool you created in step 1.
After adding the pool, your campaign should look like the following image:
Step 4: Place the JavaScript snippet
Now that you have the number pool and the call tracking tag set up, you must place the JavaScript snippet on your landing page so it can replace the Number to Replace.
Important: Add only one JavaScript snippet to each landing page. If you try to add snippets for multiple campaigns to the same landing page, only one will load, and your results will be unpredictable.
You can find the code you need to add by clicking the <> icon that appears in the Actions column in the Call Tracking Tags section of your campaign. The Install Call Tracking Tag window appears:
Choose Option 1. It shows that you need to add the following code to the <HEAD> of your page.
<script src=//b-js.ringba.com/{Your campaign ID} async></script>Replace {Your campaign ID} with the campaign ID of the campaign where you set up the number pool. It will look something like the following:
<script src=//b-js.ringba.com/CA6e9fc732b2824bca934d0012345b9eww async></script>Tip: If you use the Install Call Tracking Tag window, the code snippet already contains your campaign ID. If you don't, you can get the campaign ID in the campaign's General Info section. You can copy it from there by clicking the copy icon shown below.
Now that you have added the script, when the page loads, the script pulls a number from the pool and automatically replaces every instance of the number you set as the Number to Replace. The script replaces all instances of the number in the page, regardless of the pattern used (888-888-8888 or 8888888888, etc.) It formats the number from the pool using the same pattern as the number being replaced.
Tip: With some small modifications, you can pass even more data from your landing page into Ringba. See How to Pass User Data from Your Landing Page into Ringba for more information.
Step 5: Check Your Page
Check your page to ensure it is working and test your pool. The number you see in the HTML code should be replaced by the number pool once the script loads, and the potential caller sees the Pool Number.
Number Pools FAQ
Where can I find answers to frequent questions about number pools?
The list of questions in the FAQ became long enough to move to its own article. See Number Pools FAQ.
What should I do if I need help with number pools?
If you have any questions or need additional help, please reach out to our support team via chat or email at support@ringba.com.