Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions
Every answer from the product, solution and pricing pages in one place, grouped by topic.
Questions about the process
How long does setup take?
A standard setup without porting is usually usable within a few working days. Where porting is involved, the date depends on the losing provider.
Can we keep our existing PBX?
Yes. Connection is by SIP trunk. The cloud PBX is an option, not a prerequisite.
Do we need an office in every region?
No, but a defensible connection to the local network is required. What suffices in a given case is settled before assignment.
What happens if a number gets flagged as spam?
We track the answer rate per number and swap affected numbers out. In parallel we look for the cause, because swapping alone does not change the pattern.
Does XETEL handle consent for our contacts?
No. Obtaining, documenting and evidencing consent under § 7 UWG sits with you. We say so explicitly, because it is the point where providers tend to stay vague.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't this just caller-ID spoofing?
No. You only present numbers assigned to your account that you are reachable on. There are no third-party numbers and no way to display a number you do not control.
Will my answer rate definitely go up?
No, and nobody should promise you that. The number decides whether the call is picked up. Whether the conversation is worth anything depends on your audience, your reason for calling, and how you run the call. We measure answer rate per number so you can separate the two.
Does XETEL check whether I am allowed to call my contacts?
No. Obtaining and documenting consent under § 7 UWG is your responsibility. We provide the platform and the evidence of the calls that were actually made.
How quickly can we start?
New numbers are usually active the same day. If you port existing numbers, the date depends on your losing provider; § 59 TKG caps the service interruption at one working day.
How long am I committed for?
The platform licence runs month to month. Only voice-volume commitments are agreed commercially, because they reduce your per-minute rate.
Frequently asked questions
Is presenting a local number legal?
Yes, if the number is assigned to you and you are reachable on it. It becomes unlawful when local presence is merely simulated or when a third-party number is displayed. XETEL only offers the first model.
How many numbers do I need?
It depends on your dialling volume and regional spread. As a starting point: one number per region you call regularly, plus reserve for numbers that need to rest. We work it through against your volume on the demo call.
What happens if one of my numbers gets flagged?
It is pulled from outbound rotation and rested. Inbound calls keep working so people you already contacted can reach you. Once the health score recovers, the number returns to rotation.
Can I present a different number per campaign?
Yes. Numbers can be assigned to campaigns, queues, or individual seats. Answer-rate reporting follows the same assignment.
Does this work in Austria and Switzerland?
German geographic numbers are available now. Austrian and Swiss numbers are planned; the call flows and the platform already accommodate them.
Do I lose my existing main number?
No. You can port your existing number under § 59 TKG and keep using it as your central inbound number, while local numbers serve outbound campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need our own hardware?
No. The softphone runs in the browser. If you want to keep existing SIP desk phones, register them with the credentials from the portal.
Can we change call flows ourselves?
Yes. Call flows are edited and published in the portal. Changing business hours or queues does not require a ticket with us.
What happens if our internet connection fails?
The platform keeps running. Each number can carry a failover target — a mobile number, for instance — that applies as soon as your seats are no longer registered.
Are we allowed to record calls?
Technically yes, enabled per queue. Legally it depends on the purpose, on informing the parties, and on your internal policy. We provide the feature and the retention settings, not the legal assessment.
How many queues and extensions are included?
Queues, call flows, and extensions are not licensed separately. You pay the per-agent platform licence, the numbers, and the voice minutes.
Can we run XETEL alongside an existing phone system?
Yes. A common route is to run outbound campaigns on XETEL first and leave your existing system on the main line. Porting further numbers can follow later.
Frequently asked questions
Do supervisor seats cost extra?
No. XETEL Operations and XETEL Workspace are included in the €29 per agent per month platform licence. There is no separate supervisor licence.
How quickly can we ramp up for a campaign?
New seats are usable the same day. New numbers are usually active the same day too. Only porting existing numbers from another provider takes longer.
Does XETEL check whether our calls are lawful?
No. Obtaining and documenting consent under § 7 UWG sits with you. We supply the call records that let you evidence what was actually dialled if a complaint arrives.
Can we report per campaign?
Yes. Answer rate, talk time, wrap-up time, and number health can be reported and exported per campaign, per queue, and per agent.
What happens to a flagged number mid-shift?
It is pulled from outbound rotation automatically. The shift continues on the remaining clean numbers, and inbound calls on the resting number keep working.
Do you support multiple sites and time zones?
Yes. Business hours, holidays, and queues are defined per site. Agents can be assigned to the same queues regardless of where they sit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you commit to a specific answer rate?
No. The number influences whether a call is picked up; so do your audience, your reason for calling, and the time of day. What we commit to is that you see the answer rate per number and that flagged numbers rest automatically.
How fast do you detect a flag?
We check spam databases continuously and additionally score the observed answer rate. A drop in answer rate is often the earlier signal, because it does not depend on a database having listed the number yet.
Can a flag be removed?
Sometimes. Where a flag is clearly wrong, we pursue removal with the database concerned. There is no entitlement, because operators apply their own criteria. Resting the number and fixing the cause is more reliable.
Does adding more numbers solve it?
Only partly. More numbers spread the load and reduce the volume signal per number. If calls stay very short or the audience is wrong, many numbers will age out quickly too.
Does XETEL help evade spam filters?
No, and we do not offer it. We remove the technical signals that make a lawful campaign look suspicious. Whether the call itself is lawful is governed by § 7 UWG and remains your responsibility.
How long does a flagged number have to rest?
It depends on the database and on the number's history, and cannot be stated as a fixed period. That is why we hold a reserve of clean numbers so the campaign keeps running during the rest period.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to be based in the city whose area code I use?
You need a genuine nexus to the local network area and you must be reachable on the number. Display-only use without reachability is exactly the case regulators pursue as simulated local presence. We clarify the permissible arrangement with you before assignment.
How quickly is a new number active?
New numbers are usually active the same day, once an inbound call flow is attached. Only porting existing numbers takes longer.
What does a number cost?
€50 one-time activation and €50 per month per number. The price is the same for every customer and does not depend on company size.
Can I give numbers back?
Yes. Numbers are billed monthly and can be released at the end of a month. Note that a released number is not held in reserve for you.
Can I get Austrian and Swiss numbers?
German geographic numbers are available now. Austrian and Swiss numbers are planned. Please ask for the current status for your target region.
Can I use numbers for inbound only?
Yes. A number can be inbound only — as a main line or a service number — without taking part in outbound rotation.
Questions about porting
Do we have to terminate with our old provider?
No — and you should not do so in advance. The porting order to us triggers the switch. Terminating early can cause the number to lapse.
How long are we unreachable?
Interruption may not exceed one working day. In practice it is usually a short window on the switching day.
Can we move geographic numbers to a different local network?
No. Geographic numbers stay tied to their local network. A new site needs a number from that local network.
What does porting cost?
We do not charge separately for porting to XETEL. What your current provider charges follows your contract with them.
Can we port only some of our numbers?
For individual numbers, yes. For number blocks it depends on whether the block can be split — we settle that before the order.
Pricing questions
What counts as an agent?
Any user who can make calls — that is, anyone with a seat using the softphone or a SIP registration. Team leads and supervisors count as agents if they take calls; there is no separate supervisor licence. Purely administrative portal users who do not call are not counted.
Is there a minimum?
Yes, 10 agents. That is €290 per month for the platform licence. Voice-volume commitments also require a minimum of 10 agents.
What happens if I exceed my commitment?
The excess is billed per the agreement in place. The commitment sets your per-minute rate; it is not a balance that expires or cuts you off.
And if I fall short of it?
The commitment is a commercial agreement on a monthly volume and the basis for the reduced rate. How a sustained shortfall is handled is set out in the contract — before you sign it.
How do I cancel?
The platform licence runs monthly and can be cancelled to the end of a month. There are no annual contracts. Voice commitments run for the term agreed in the contract, because they lower your rate.
Are there setup fees?
Not for the platform. Each number carries a one-time €50 activation. Onboarding, porting, custom routing, and training are professional services and are quoted separately.
Are CRM integrations included?
The documented REST API and webhooks are included. Ready-made connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, or Zoho, and custom systems, are delivered as a project and quoted individually.
Frequently asked questions
Are there ready-made CRM connectors?
The API and webhooks are included in the platform licence. Ready-made connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho, and custom systems are professional services and are quoted individually.
Do I need an SDK?
No. The API is REST with JSON. Any HTTP client will do. A single curl call is enough to get started.
How do I secure webhooks?
Every delivery is signed. Verify the signature before processing the body, and process events idempotently using the event identifier, since a delivery can repeat.
What is the rate limit?
The limit applies per API key and is documented per resource. Beyond it the API returns status 429 together with the earliest permitted retry.
Can I load call records into our data warehouse?
Yes. Call detail records are retrievable per period with pagination and include timestamp, direction, presented number, destination, duration, and outcome.
What happens if our webhook endpoint goes down?
If your endpoint does not return a 2xx status, we retry with increasing intervals. For longer outages you can backfill the affected records through the API.
Questions procurement and IT ask most
Where is the data held?
We run the telephony platform on our own servers in a German data centre. The application database sits in Cloudflare's Western Europe region. Personal data held by the application is processed in the EU. Static website content is delivered through Cloudflare's global network for speed.
Is a data processing agreement available?
Yes. We provide a DPA under Article 28 GDPR on request; it is concluded before production use. Details of technical and organisational measures are supplied as an annex.
Who has access to our data?
Named accounts only. Administrative interfaces are protected by Cloudflare Access with a one-time passcode sent by email. The management interface of the switching platform is not reachable from the internet, SSH is restricted to allowlisted networks, and password authentication is disabled.
How is traffic encrypted?
The website, portal, and API run over TLS. SIP signalling uses TLS on port 5061 and voice media is carried over SRTP; media encryption is mandatory for XETEL endpoints.
Are calls recorded?
Only where you enable the feature for the line in question. In Germany, recording a call generally requires the consent of all participants (§ 201 StGB); where employees are involved, the works council must also be involved. Lawful use is your responsibility.
Which sub-processors do you use?
We use Cloudflare for hosting, delivery, and attack protection of the web layer. The telephony platform runs on our own infrastructure in Germany. You receive the full current list together with the DPA.