### Answer There are a few approaches to speed up phone number capture: ## 1. Enable DTMF Input (Keypad Entry) Instead of relying solely on voice, allow users to enter their phone number via keypad. This eliminates transcription delays and errors. [(1) ]() DTMF input supports three completion methods: - Digit Limit (

user_dtmf_options.digit_limit

) – Input completes after a set number of digits - Termination Key (

user_dtmf_options.termination_key

) – User presses a key like

#

to finish - Timeout (

user_dtmf_options.timeout_ms

) – Waits a set time after the last digit You can configure these in Call Settings and prompt the agent like:

Please enter your phone number using the keypad. You can finish by pressing the pound key.

## 2. Use 2-Way SMS for Info Capture For complex data like phone numbers, you can use Poku Labs' MCP tool to let customers text in their information for perfect capture. [(2) ]() ## 3. Adjust STT Mode When creating your agent, you can set

stt_mode

to

"fast"

for quicker speech-to-text processing. [(3) ]() ## 4. Known ASR Issue There was a reported issue where the AI was adding extra digits (like "0") in front of phone numbers during transcription. An unformatted ASR version was deployed to address this. [(4) ]() The DTMF approach is likely your best bet for reliable, fast phone number capture.

​ To learn more, see the sources I considered: [[1] Capture DTMF input from user](https://docs.retellai.com/build/user-dtmf) [[2] Perfect Info Capture - Enable 2 Way SMS with Poku Labs. Workshop Replay]() [[3] Create Voice Agent](https://docs.retellai.com/api-references/create-agent) [[4] Cell Phone Capture Over Phone](https://discord.com/channels/1186424376300679209/1286700281652056115) ​

Feel free to tag @AI Evy with additional questions. I also appreciate feedback, it helps me improve.