Connect Plivo (full guide)

When to pick Plivo over Twilio

Plivo and Twilio cover the same global footprint, but Plivo's per-minute rates are typically 20-40% lower on APAC, LATAM, and MENA routes. The trade-off: smaller ecosystem, fewer integrations, and slightly more variable call-quality outside their tier-1 corridors.

Use Plivo if international call-cost is your biggest line item and you can tolerate a slightly less polished console. Use Twilio if you want the global standard and don't want to think about it. Use Exotel for India outbound.

Prerequisites

• An email address Plivo can verify
• A phone number Plivo can SMS for verification
• Credit card for the $25 minimum top-up

Step 1 — Create a Plivo account

1. Sign up at console.plivo.com/accounts/register
2. Verify your email (link in inbox) and phone number (SMS code)
3. Plivo's onboarding asks "What are you building?" — pick Voice. Choose your billing currency (USD recommended).
4. Open Billing → Add Funds and top up at least $25 (Plivo's minimum). Exits trial mode immediately.

Trial mode caveat: Like Twilio, Plivo trial accounts can only call sandbox-verified numbers and prepend a trial preamble. Top up to remove both restrictions.

Step 2 — Rent a phone number

1. Plivo console → Phone Numbers → Buy Numbers
2. Filter by Country (where you'll mostly dial out from) and check Voice capability
3. Pick a number — local US numbers run ~$0.80/mo, mobile/vanity higher
4. Click Buy. Active within seconds.

Step 3 — Get Auth ID + Auth Token

1. Plivo console Overview page (loads by default after sign-in)
2. Top-right Account card shows Auth ID (starts with MA, ~20 chars) and Auth Token (40-char string, masked — click reveal)
3. Copy both somewhere safe

Security note: Plivo's Auth Token is full-access. Cualify stores it AES-256 encrypted and never logs it. Rotate the token after initial setup if you want a fresh secret (Plivo Console → Account → Auth Token → Generate new).

Step 4 — Connect Plivo in Cualify

1. In Cualify, go to /integrations/telephony
2. Click the Plivo tile
3. Paste your Auth ID + Auth Token
4. Click Verify & connect — we hit Plivo's Account API (GET /v1/Account/<authId>/) to confirm. Nothing persisted if Plivo rejects.

Step 5 — Configure Bolna's Plivo provider

1. Sign in at platform.bolna.ai
2. Open Providers → + Add Provider → pick Plivo
3. Paste the same Auth ID + Auth Token from Step 3
4. Save. Bolna handles the XML application wiring server-side.

Step 6 — Add your number to Bolna's My Numbers

1. Bolna sidebar → My Numbers
2. Your Plivo number should auto-appear. If it doesn't, click + Add Phone Number → pick Plivo → enter the number in E.164 format (e.g. +14155552671)

Test the full chain

1. Back in Cualify, open any playbook
2. Open the Test call to me panel
3. Type any phone number (no verification needed in pay-as-you-go mode)
4. Click Dispatch test call
5. The recipient's phone rings, showing your Plivo number as caller ID

Troubleshooting

Error: "Plivo rejected those credentials"

Either the Auth ID/Token combo is wrong (re-fetch from the Plivo console Overview) or your account is suspended. Plivo returns 403 on suspended accounts, which Cualify surfaces with this same error message — log into the Plivo console to check account status.

Calls fail with "Number not authorised for destination"

Plivo blocks high-risk destinations by default to prevent toll fraud. Open Plivo console → Phone Numbers → International Permissions and enable the destination country for Voice calls.

Call quality dips on India destinations

Plivo's India routing is fine but Exotel is purpose-built for it and handles DLT registration smoothly. For India-heavy outbound, switch the campaign to Exotel — Cualify lets you run multiple providers concurrently and route per campaign.

What's next?

• Connect Exotel for India outbound (cheaper + DLT-friendly)
• Connect Twilio too if you want the broader country coverage as a fallback
• Wire Cualify into your CRM