> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.whatstool.business/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.whatstool.business/bots/ask-questions/ask-phone.md).
# Ask Phone
### Understanding "Ask Phone"
"**Ask Phone**" card in Gallabox lets the bots ask your customers their alternate mobile number.
You can ask the customer a question as a **Text** or as a **Voice**.
### **Ask as Text Essentials**
Before we start using Ask Phone Card, here are some things you need to know:
#### **Question Text**
This is the question you want to ask your customers. Make it clear and short so users know what you're asking.
The **Question text** can be made **Bold**, *Italic*, or ~~strikethrough~~ using the options provided. The text will add the asterisk(\*) for **Bold**, Underscore(\_) for **Italic text**, and Tilde(\~) for **Strikethrough** around the text.
### **Implementation Example:**
Imagine you are asking your customers for their **Alternate contact number** to reach out in case their primary number is not available. The Ask Phone question type with validation settings will make sure users give helpful responses within a specific character limit.
For the **Question Text** you can enter: *"Kindly share your alternate contact number with us."*
You have the option to **store the user response** in the variable. You can create a variable - `user_alternate_contact` for example to store the user response.
Now for the **validation settings**, you could provide the **attempt** limit as 1, Validation Error Message is optional. Provide the **Action on Invalid Response**, and turn on the Additional Validation Settings.
In the additional validation settings, provide the **Regex** - **^(+\[0-9]{1,3}\[- ]\*)?\[0-9]{10}$** to make sure that the user enters a valid phone number which matches the following criteria:
* The contact number can start with a country code, which is a plus sign followed by one to three digits.
* The contact number must be 10 digits long.
* The contact number cannot contain any special characters.
#### Publish & Test the Card
To publish the flow, connect the card with the starting button and then click on Publish Button. To test the flow, click on Test Bot button to test on a WhatsApp Web Application or on your device.
#### In WhatsApp
This is how "**Ask Phone**" card would be on the WhatsApp Platform.
The above sample flow is for you to understand how "**Ask Phone**" Card works and it's usage. It is not a representation of what can be achieved with Gallabox.
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# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:
```
GET https://docs.whatstool.business/bots/ask-questions/ask-phone.md?ask=&goal=
```
`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.