How to Call an Extension Directly (and Set It Up)
Tom Reed · Updated 13 November 2026
To call an extension directly, dial the company's number, add a pause (a comma on Android, Pause or Wait on iPhone) and then the extension, or save the whole string as one contact. The only truly direct route is a direct number (a DID, or DDI in the UK) pointed at that person. SessionPBX lets partners give each inbound number its own route to a person, group, queue or call flow, on a multi-tenant PBX they run on their own servers or have SessionTalk host.
This guide is for callers who want to reach someone without sitting through a menu, and for MSPs, ITSPs, VoIP providers and IT resellers who set up the phone system those callers use. It covers how to dial an extension from a mobile or a desk phone, when a direct number is the better option, and how to set that up so staff and customers know what to dial.
Is it possible to call an extension directly?
Yes. There are two ways.
The first is to dial the main number, then the extension, with pauses so the phone system has time to answer before the extension digits are sent. That works when the greeting or menu will accept those digits. The second, and the only truly direct route, is to call a direct number that the business has pointed at that person, group or queue. The call then rings them without going through the main menu at all.
If you are the partner who sets up the system, both options can live side by side: a main number for general callers, and direct numbers for the people customers ask for by name.
How do you dial an extension on iPhone and Android?
Save the full string as one contact so you are not typing pauses every time. The steps below are the usual ones on current phones; if a screen looks different, look for Pause, Wait or a two-second pause in the keypad menu.
On iPhone:
- Open the keypad or the contact, and enter the company's number.
- Hold the star key for Pause (a comma, which waits about two seconds) or hold the hash key for Wait (a semicolon, which holds until you tap to send the next digits).
- Type the extension after the pause or wait, then save the contact or place the call.
On Android:
- Enter the company's number on the keypad or in a contact.
- Open the three-dot menu and choose "Add 2-sec pause" (a comma) or "Add wait".
- Type the extension, then save the contact or place the call.
From a desk phone or a landline, dial the company's number, wait for the greeting, then key the extension. There is no pause character to store, so you send the digits once the system is ready for them.
If you reach a person and then need to move the call on, attended and blind transfer on a softphone is the next step after the call has landed.
How can I dial an extension without a prompt?
A pause only helps if the phone system will accept extension digits at the greeting. Some menus do; others play a recorded list of options and ignore extra digits until you choose one. If the greeting does not accept the extension, no amount of commas in the contact will take the caller straight through.
In that case the business needs a direct number for that person. The caller then dials one number and the call rings the right extension, with no prompt and no pause. That is the point at which this becomes a set-up question for the partner who runs the phone system, not a keypad trick for the caller.
Direct number vs main number and menu: which should a business give out?
A direct number is a DID, or direct inward dialling: a number that rings a specific extension, group or queue without going through the main menu. A main number can still be the right public number, with an auto-attendant that sends callers to the right place. Many businesses use both. The table compares the three ways a caller reaches a person.
| Main number + extension (pauses) | Main number + auto-attendant menu | Direct number (DID) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the caller dials | Number, pause, extension | Number, then a menu option | One number |
| Rings the person directly? | Only if the menu accepts digits | No, routes to a person, group or queue | Yes |
| Needs extra numbers from the carrier? | No | No | Yes, one per direct line |
| Best for | Repeat callers who know the extension | Sales and support lines | Account managers, senior staff, key contacts |
| SessionPBX | Extensions on all plans | Auto-attendant and IVR on the Teams Business plan | Each inbound number routed to a person, group, queue or call flow |
Teams Business is a SessionPBX plan, not Microsoft Teams. It adds the menu, ring-group and queue options in the table. If you are designing that menu, start with how to design an auto-attendant menu. For the queue and IVR choices behind a main sales or support line, see the call queues and IVR buyer guide.
How do you set up direct numbers to extensions on a hosted PBX?
The work is the same in outline on any hosted PBX, and SessionPBX follows that pattern. Customers bring their own SIP trunk from any SIP-compliant carrier. The carrier supplies the numbers and bills the calls; SessionPBX routes each inbound number, and calls between colleagues on the platform are included.
- Take the direct numbers from the customer's SIP carrier and add them to the phone system.
- Give each inbound number its own route to a person, a ring group, a queue or a call flow.
- Set a fallback for no answer, so an unanswered direct call goes to voicemail, a colleague or a group rather than ringing out.
- Configure outbound caller ID rules so callbacks reach the direct number the caller already has.
On SessionPBX, every plan lets you give each inbound number its own route to a person, group, queue or call flow, and set forwarding when a user is busy, does not answer, or needs all calls sent to an internal or external destination. Staff can ring their registered devices and answer where it suits them. The SessionPBX Teams Business plan adds an auto-attendant and IVR (a menu such as press one for sales or two for support), ring groups, call queues with overflow, business-hours routing and a visual call flow designer. When you change a flow, draft, test and publish the call flow rather than editing the live path in place.
Do not assume the main menu will accept extension digits or look someone up by name. If a caller must reach someone without a prompt, give that person a direct number and tell people what it is. For outbound dialling from the apps themselves, dial plans and number rewriting cover how staff can place calls in the format they already use.
What should you tell staff and customers?
A direct number only helps if the people who should use it can find it, and if unanswered calls and callbacks are planned for. Use this checklist with each customer.
- Publish each person's direct number (if they have one) in their email signature and on quotes.
- Give the extension next to the main number, written as "number, ext. 204", and tell callers they can save it with a pause.
- Set the outbound caller ID for that number so callbacks come straight back.
- Decide where unanswered direct calls go: voicemail, a colleague or a ring group.
- Record the extension list with the numbering plan.
- Tell staff they can answer on any registered device in the softphone apps your customers' staff answer on.
- Review direct numbers when people join, leave or change role.
When you package this for a customer, keep the story simple: a main number for general callers, direct numbers for key people, and clear instructions in signatures and on the website. Packaging hosted PBX for MSPs and telecom resellers has more on how to present that as part of a wider voice offer.
Should you host the platform yourself or have SessionTalk host it?
SessionPBX is multi-tenant, and you can self-host it on your own servers or have SessionTalk host it. For most partners with their own infrastructure, self-hosted multi-tenant on your own servers is the stronger choice. You run one tenant per customer. Self-hosted is for approved partners on annual licences, and server, hosting and network costs are yours.
The alternative is to let SessionTalk host it. Hosted regions are London, New York and Singapore, and each customer is its own project under your partner account. Either way you keep the customer relationship, you connect the customer's SIP trunk, and you decide which people get a direct number and which callers should use the main menu. The detail is in self-hosting a PBX for VoIP resellers.
FAQ
What does the comma mean in a phone number?
A comma is a two-second pause before the next digits are sent. On iPhone, add it by holding the star key for Pause. On Android, use the keypad menu option labelled "Add 2-sec pause". Save the company number, the comma and the extension as one contact so you do not have to add the pause each time you call.
What is the difference between a pause and a wait?
A pause dials the extension automatically after about two seconds. A wait holds when the call connects and only sends the extension when you tap to release it. Use a pause for a system that is ready for digits at the greeting. Use a wait if you prefer to hear the prompt and then send the extension yourself.
What is a DID number?
A DID number is direct inward dialling: a phone number that rings a specific extension, group or queue without going through the main menu. The caller dials one number and reaches the person or team you routed it to. It is the reliable way to let someone be reached directly when a pause at the main greeting is not enough.
Do I need a separate number for every employee?
No. Give direct numbers to the people callers ask for by name, such as account managers and other key contacts. Everyone else can sit behind the main number and an auto-attendant or queue. You only need extra numbers from the SIP carrier for the direct lines you actually publish.
Where do direct numbers come from on SessionPBX?
Your SIP carrier supplies the numbers and bills the calls. SessionPBX connects to any SIP-compliant carrier you choose and routes each inbound number to a person, group, queue or call flow. Calls between colleagues on the platform are internal and included, so the trunk is for calls to and from the outside world.
Can partners run this for many customers?
Yes. SessionPBX is multi-tenant. Self-host it on your own servers, one tenant per customer, or let SessionTalk host it in London, New York or Singapore, each customer a project under your partner account. Self-hosted is for approved partners on annual licences.
Ready to set up direct numbers and menus for your customers? Apply to the SessionPBX Partner Programme, or See SessionPBX call handling.
