OpenPhone Integration
OpenPhone is Deal Run's first-class phone integration. Deal Run uses OpenPhone internally to send marketplace SMS notifications, and the same infrastructure is available to connect your own OpenPhone number for investor calls and texts. If you don't yet have a business phone number and you're trying to pick one, OpenPhone is what we recommend — modern UI, API-first, 10DLC-compliant SMS, and a free trial.
What you get with OpenPhone connected
- Click-to-call from any investor card — places the call through the OpenPhone desktop or mobile app using your business line.
- Click-to-text with an AI-drafted first message that references the actual deal you're selling. The text opens in OpenPhone pre-filled; you review and hit send.
- Inbound reply tracking — when an investor replies to a Deal Run-initiated text, the reply is captured in the deal's communication log.
- TCPA-safe delivery — 10DLC registration (handled by OpenPhone), automatic DNC scrub via Searchbug before any number is ever shown to you.
Step 1: Get your OpenPhone API key
- Log into my.openphone.co.
- Click your workspace name (top-left) and choose Workspace settings.
- In the left nav, click API.
- Click Generate API key. Copy the key — it will only be shown once.
OpenPhone API access is available on Business and Enterprise plans. Starter plans don't include it — if you're on Starter, you can still use the manual tel:// / sms:// flow below, it just won't auto-populate reply tracking.
Step 2: Connect in Deal Run
- In Deal Run, go to Account > Integrations.
- Find the OpenPhone card and click Connect.
- Paste your API key and click Save.
- Deal Run runs a test call against the OpenPhone API to confirm the key works. On success, the card flips to a green "Connected" state and shows your OpenPhone number.
Step 3: Send a text to an investor (from your phone)
Open the Deal Run mobile app on your phone and go to Sell > Outreach on any deal. Pick an investor and tap Text. A draft message modal opens with:
- A short, aggressive first-touch text drafted by Grok 4.1 Fast — references the property's address, beds/baths, and the investor's relevant recent purchase when we have one
- Your deal's public marketing page URL (short form —
dealrun.ai/r/[code]) so clicks are tracked - An editable textarea so you can adjust tone before sending
Tap Send. On your phone, this opens the OpenPhone app with the message pre-filled — you review and send. The text lands in the investor's inbox from your OpenPhone business number, and the send is logged in Deal Run's activity timeline. If you have the API integration configured, replies automatically appear in the deal's Communications tab when they come in.
Step 4: Replies come back automatically
When an investor replies, OpenPhone's webhook pings Deal Run's backend and the reply appears in the deal's Communications tab with the investor's name, timestamp, and message body. You'll also get a notification in the bell icon (and a push notification if you have the mobile app installed).
This means you don't have to check OpenPhone to see if someone replied — it shows up right next to the deal they replied about.
Using OpenPhone without the API (Starter plan)
If you're on an OpenPhone Starter plan, you don't need to do anything special — and honestly this is how we recommend most users work anyway. Deal Run's Call and Text buttons open standard tel:// and sms:// links, which the OpenPhone mobile app intercepts automatically on iPhone and Android. You lose the automatic reply-tracking piece, but the core flow (tap Call, call goes through OpenPhone, log the outcome) works perfectly.
To verify OpenPhone is intercepting: on iPhone, make sure the OpenPhone app is installed and logged in — iOS will prompt you which app to use the first time you tap a tel:// link, and you can set OpenPhone as the default. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Default apps > Calling app and pick OpenPhone.
What about desktop? OpenPhone has a Mac and Windows app that also intercepts tel:// links, but the experience is fiddly (macOS FaceTime hand-off has edge cases, Windows default-handler registration varies by OS version). If you want the cleanest workflow, keep Deal Run open on your laptop for reference and use your phone to actually call.
TCPA and 10DLC — already handled
OpenPhone handles 10DLC brand and campaign registration for you at the workspace level. Deal Run also runs every number through Searchbug for DNC and TCPA litigator status before you ever see it in the outreach queue. Red-flagged numbers are blocked from auto-send — you have to explicitly confirm, and we strongly recommend you don't.
For best deliverability, keep first-touch texts under 160 characters, avoid all-caps, and always identify yourself in the first message. Deal Run's default AI drafts already follow these rules.
Troubleshooting
"Invalid API key" when I click Save
OpenPhone API keys have the format op_live_.... Make sure you copied the full key with no trailing spaces. If it still fails, regenerate the key in OpenPhone (the old one is revoked immediately) and paste the new one.
Texts send from OpenPhone but don't show in Deal Run
This means OpenPhone's webhook isn't posting back to Deal Run. Go to Account > Integrations > OpenPhone > Reconnect — this re-registers the webhook URL with OpenPhone. You only need to do this if you've reset your Deal Run backend URL or migrated domains.
Click-to-call opens my personal cell instead of OpenPhone
On iPhone: make sure OpenPhone is installed and logged in — the first tap on a tel:// link prompts you to choose, then iOS remembers your choice. On Android: Settings > Apps > Default apps > Calling app > set OpenPhone. If you're trying to do this from a Mac: FaceTime > Settings > Calls from iPhone > uncheck the hand-off, then install OpenPhone for Mac — but we recommend just using your phone directly.