Is there a way to set the mobile number as the default for contacts when using iMessage?

Sorry for the confusion.

I manage about 45 iPhone users and for the last couple of weeks I have got complaints from them that when they are sending a text to one of their contacts it may not use the mobile number associated with that contact. It uses one of the other numbers the contacts are associated with like awork or home landline. When trying to recreate the issue on my phone, if I start typing a contact it may or may not choose the mobile number 1st. If it is not the mobile number, I will hit the circle with > symbol and choose the correct number for the message. It appears that it uses whatever the last number was chosen, so if it was the landline previously it uses that number the next time you compose a message. If I type a contact that I may not have texted before it may or may not choose the mobile number. Users were wondering if they can set the iPhone to always just choose the mobile number when texting without having to manually choose it.

This contact used the mobile number without having to choose it, but it was also the last number I used to text this person. If I chose the work number, the next time I start a message it uses the work number and I have to pick the mobile to get make it work. It will then use the mobile number the next time I message him. Is this the normal behavior for messages? Are the other users just imagining that it worked differently before?

So, there is no way to set your iPhone to automatically default to the mobile number when texting someone who you have deleted the text thread with or new text thread whether using Siri or not? We have had a lot of users complain about this recently, that they used to text contact without issues, but now it seems that it is defaulting to number other than mobile. Did something change recently?

Thanks,

Todd

I will keep eye out for the shortcut.