> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jelou.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Request phone before routing

> Ask WhatsApp users who arrive without a phone number for it before their message enters any workflow.

With WhatsApp usernames, some people write to you without sharing their number: Jelou identifies them by their [BSUID](/en/connect/getting-started/bsuid) and `{{$user.phone}}` arrives empty. If your workflows need the phone (to look up the customer, verify their identity, or send them a template), turn on **Request phone before routing** and the project will ask for it before handling them.

## How it works

When someone without a number writes on WhatsApp, their message doesn't go to [AI Routing](/en/guides/getting-started/ai-routing) right away:

<Steps>
  <Step title="The number is requested">
    Jelou replies with the **Request message** and a button to share their contact. The person's first message is held.
  </Step>

  <Step title="It asks again if they reply with something else">
    If they write text, send audio, or anything other than their contact, they receive the **Retry message** with the same button.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The original message is handled">
    As soon as they share their contact, the held message goes to routing as if they had just sent it. The workflow that handles it already receives the number in `{{$user.phone}}`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once the person has shared their number, Jelou remembers it and doesn't ask again on that WhatsApp number.

<Note>
  It only applies to WhatsApp and only to people who arrive without a number. People who write with a visible phone, groups, and every other channel still go straight to routing.
</Note>

## Turn it on

You can set it up in any of these places:

| Where | How to get there |
| - | - |
| When creating the project | **Create project** → **From scratch** → **Advanced settings** |
| When editing the project | **Projects** → project menu → **Edit** → **Advanced settings** |
| In the project settings | **Project settings** → **General** → **Request phone before routing** card |

<Steps>
  <Step title="Turn on the switch">
    Turn on **Request phone before routing**. The two messages the person receives appear.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the messages">
    Fill in the **Request message**, sent the first time, and the **Retry message**, sent if they reply with something else. Both are required while the step is on and accept up to 1024 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**, **Update**, or **Create project**, depending on where you are. The change applies to the next messages that reach the project.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Explain in the message why you need the number and that tapping the button is enough. For example: *To continue, share your number with the button.*
</Tip>

## Turn it off

Turn off the switch and save. The request and retry messages you wrote are deleted: if you turn it on again, you'll need to write them again.

<Note>
  If you only turn off the switch without saving, the messages stay in the form and come back when you turn it on again.
</Note>

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How long does it wait for the person to share their number?">
    Up to 24 hours from the first request; retries don't restart the countdown. After that, the held message is discarded: if the person writes again without having shared their number, they're asked again and their latest message is held.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if an agent takes the conversation while the number is pending?">
    The held message is discarded and the conversation continues with the agent in the Inbox.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I send the person a campaign or a workflow while the number is pending?">
    The workflow you start takes priority: the number request is canceled and the person stays in that workflow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is it copied when cloning a project?">
    Yes. The cloned project inherits the original's setting, including its messages. That's why the modal doesn't show it when you choose **Clone existing**; if you want to change it, do it afterwards in the new project's settings, under **General**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Business Scoped User ID (BSUID)" icon="fingerprint" href="/en/connect/getting-started/bsuid">
    Understand why some people arrive without a number.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Request contact" icon="address-book" href="/en/guides/nodos/solicitud-contacto">
    Ask for the contact at a specific point of a workflow.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>