If you’re a software developer or a business needing a flexible solution for phone verification or customer communication, you might benefit from using temporary non-VoIP numbers in your workflows. These are available to buy online for short-term use (typically less than an hour) and are tied to real SIMs, so you can use them exactly as you’d use a regular number. 

To use temporary numbers effectively, you'll need to know how to integrate them into your systems in a way that's easy to manage and delivers reliable results. The good news is that the process is pretty simple once you know what you’re doing. Follow this four-step guide to get started.

Determine Whether You Need Temporary Numbers

A good starting point is to define your use case and determine whether you actually need temporary numbers.  

If your job involves testing apps and systems, running promotions, or creating disposable verification systems, you can make it easier by using temporary numbers. They’re also beneficial for providing privacy for anyone who doesn’t want to share their personal phone number. 

Once you’ve clarified whether or not you need temporary numbers, and if so, how, you’ll be able to design your integration with the right workflows in mind.

Choose a Reliable Provider

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that not all temporary number providers operate at the same level of quality, and some are frankly not worth your money. 

When you’re choosing a provider, look for one that offers non-VoIP numbers with strong uptime, like SMSPool. Depending on your needs, you might also need to find a provider who offers wide country coverage, or even numbers based globally. The best way to learn about the reliability of a particular provider is by reading impartial customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot.

You should also check whether the provider has an API, because this will make it much easier to integrate into your software systems.

Use APIs for Automation

If you're scaling your operations, you’re not taking the most efficient route by manually buying temporary numbers. The good news is that many temporary number providers offer APIs, or application programming interfaces, which let you buy and allocate numbers programmatically.
 

As an example, you could configure your system so that each time a new user signs up, the platform automatically requests a temporary number from your provider and assigns it, then retires it after a set period. You basically have a digital assistant that works for you round-the-clock.

Scale When You’re Ready

As your business grows, you may need to scale your use of temporary numbers. Depending on the direction you’re heading in, this might mean adding more countries, creating a system that lets you automate your renewals, or implementing custom routing rules. 
 

The great thing about temporary non-VoIP numbers is that they’re flexible when it comes to usage, so you can expand in one area without having to completely overhaul your existing system. Instead, you can just keep refining the automation and monitoring you've already built.