Call Flows

Use Call Flow with Tracking Number

A Call Flow does nothing on its own. It only runs when a tracking number is pointed at it. Point a Tracker at a Call Flow Open the tracker from your Trackers page, set Inbound Call Handling to Call Flow, choose your flow, and press Update Tracker Settings. The alternative, Number, forwards every call straight to one destination with no greeting, no menu and no voicemail. Switching to Call Flow is what unlocks all of that. One Flow, Many Numbers The same call flow can handle as many tracking numbers as you like. Most businesses want identical handling everywhere — same greeting, same voicemail, same recording setting — and maintaining that once is far easier than repeating it per tracker. The consequence is worth understanding: editing a shared flow changes every number using it. If your billboard number and your paid search number both point at "Main Line", changing the greeting changes it for both. The call flow builder shows you this before you save. The Trackers panel on the right lists every tracker currently using the flow, so you can see the blast radius of a change while you're making it. When you want different handling for one campaign, build a second flow rather than editing the shared one. Changing or Removing It Switch Inbound Call Handling back to Number and calls go straight to the destination again. The call flow itself is untouched and still available to other trackers. Deleting a call flow that trackers are still using would leave those numbers with nothing to run, so move them to another flow first.

Simulring Step

A Simulring step rings several numbers at the same time and connects whoever answers first. It's the difference between hunting for someone and just reaching the first person free. Use it when a call could reasonably be taken by any one of a group — a sales team, two shop phones and a mobile, or an owner plus an office line. Add a Simulring Step In your Call Flow, press Add Flow Step and choose Simulring, then add the numbers to ring. - Add 2 or more numbers, up to 10. - Press Add Dial Number for each extra number, and the × beside a row to remove it. - All of them ring at once — this is not a hunt list that tries one after another. Ring Time and Caller ID Two settings sit at the bottom of the step: - Wait for controls how long the numbers ring before the call moves on. If nobody answers within that time, the call continues to the next step — usually a Voicemail step, as above. Each ring takes roughly 5 seconds, so 20 seconds is about four rings. - Use Tracking Number as Caller ID, ticked above, shows the tracking number rather than the caller's number to whoever answers. That tells your team which campaign produced the call before they pick up. Leave it off if you'd rather see the customer's real number on the handset. Simulring or a Menu? Both send calls to more than one place, but they answer different questions: - Simulring - anyone in this group can take the call, ring them all. - Menu - the caller knows who they need, let them choose. They combine well: a Menu option for Sales can lead to a Simulring across the whole sales team.

Call Flows Overview

A Call Flow decides what happens when someone rings one of your tracking numbers. You build it from steps, and the call works through them in order — greet the caller, ring the shop, take a voicemail if nobody answers. One call flow can be used by as many trackers as you like, so you set your call handling up once and point every number at it. The Step Types Press Add Flow Step and you're asked what should happen next. There are five step types to choose from: | Step | What it does | |---|---| | Greeting | Plays a message to the caller. Most often used to tell them the call may be recorded. Either typed text we read out, or an audio file you upload. See Greeting Step. | | Forward Call | Forwards the call to one number, and waits a set time before moving on. See Dial Step. | | Simulring | Rings 2 to 10 numbers at once and connects whoever answers first. See Simulring Step. | | Menu | Plays a keypad menu — "For Service, press 1" — and each option branches into its own steps. See Menu Step (IVR). | | Voicemail | Sends the caller to voicemail, with an optional transcription. See Voicemail Step. | Menu and Voicemail must be the last step in their chain. Both end the caller's journey — a menu hands off to a branch, and a voicemail ends with the caller hanging up — so nothing can follow them. The builder stops offering Add Flow Step once you add one. Use the + Add Step pill between two cards to insert a step in the middle of an existing flow, and drag a card by its handle to reorder. Building a Flow A common setup is just two steps: 1. Forward Call to your main line, waiting 20 seconds. 2. Voicemail if nobody answers, so the caller can leave a message rather than hitting a dead line. Add a Greeting before the Forward Call if you want callers to hear something first. Call Flow Settings The panel on the right of the screenshot above applies to the whole flow, not to one step: - Record Call Audio - records answered calls on this flow. We recommend telling callers with a Greeting step; see Call Recording and the Law. - Transcribe Call Recordings - turns every recorded call into a searchable transcript, so you can skim a conversation instead of replaying it. Needs recording switched on. - Pre-Call Whisper Message - a short message played to whoever answers, which the caller cannot hear. In the screenshot it's set to "Call from the Summit website." so the team knows which campaign produced the call before they speak. Press Save Call Flow to apply any of these. Use the Call Flow for Inbound Call Handling A call flow does nothing until a tracking number points at it. Go to a tracker's settings, set Inbound Call Handling to Call Flow, and pick your flow. See Use a Call Flow with a Tracking Number. The Trackers panel on the builder page lists every tracker currently using the flow, so you can see what a change will affect before you save it.

Menu Step (IVR)

A Menu step turns your tracking number into a phone menu — "For Service, press 1. For Parts, press 2." This is what's usually called an IVR, and it lets one number serve several teams instead of everything landing on the same phone. Each option branches into its own set of steps, so pressing 1 can ring the shop and fall through to voicemail, while pressing 2 rings a different number entirely. Add a Menu Step In your Call Flow, press Add Flow Step and choose Menu. A menu has to be the last step in its chain. Everything that happens after the caller presses a key lives inside that option's branch, not after the menu. Add Your Options Under Menu Options, add a row per key you want to offer: - Presses - the key the caller presses, 0 to 9. - Label - what that option is for, such as Service or Parts. This is the wording callers hear. - Edit Steps - opens that option's branch so you can build what happens next. Press Add Menu Option for each extra key, and the red × to remove one. Adding an option saves the flow and creates that key's branch straight away. What the Caller Hears With Text to Speech selected, we generate the prompt from your option labels: For Service, press 1. For Parts, press 2. For Sales, press 3. You do not type the menu message yourself. It's built from the options, so the words callers hear can never drift out of step with the keys that actually work — rename an option and the prompt renames with it. To say something before the menu, add a Greeting step before the Menu step. In the screenshot above, the greeting "Thanks for calling Summit Auto Repair." plays first, then the menu reads out the options. Choosing Play Audio instead lets you upload a recording of your own menu prompt. In that case the recording is what plays, so make sure it matches your options. Building Each Branch Press Edit Steps on an option and that key's branch opens below the menu, headed Caller pressed "1" — Service. From there it's an ordinary call flow. The Service branch above is: 1. Forward Call to the workshop line, waiting 20 seconds. 2. Voicemail if nobody picks up. Branches are built on the same page as the menu itself, so the whole tree stays in one place. They don't appear as separate entries in your Call Flows list. Note A branch can use Greeting, Forward Call, Simulring and Voicemail steps, but not another Menu — menus cannot be nested inside one another. If the Caller Doesn't Choose The menu waits 5 seconds for a keypress. If the caller presses nothing, or presses a key you haven't configured, the menu is repeated. After 3 attempts we stop asking, play "Sorry, we were unable to complete your call. Goodbye." and end the call. Keep menus short for that reason — three or four options is usually plenty. A long menu is harder to remember than it is to record, and callers who lose track end up hearing the goodbye message instead of reaching anyone. Using the Menu on a Tracking Number A Menu step is part of a Call Flow, so you point a tracker at the flow the same way as any other. See Use a Call Flow with a Tracking Number.

Voicemail Step

Use the Voicemail Step to allow the caller to leave a voicemail if no one answers the call. The voicemail step supports two types of greetings as well as transcriptions. - Text to Speech - Converted text to speech audio to "say" your message to the caller. - Audio - Play an uploaded audio file to the caller. MP3 and Wav audio files supported. Note A "beep" will be played to the caller after your greeting to indicate to the caller to leave their message. Voicemail Text Greeting Example voicemail greeting text that will be spoken to the caller before they leave a message. Voicemail Audio Greeting Example voicemail greeting audio that will be played to the caller before they leave a message. Voicemail Transcription Transcription is a Call Flow setting, not a setting on the voicemail step. Tick Transcribe Call Recordings in the Call Flow Settings panel — on the right of the screenshot above — and every voicemail left on this flow is transcribed to text automatically. The transcription appears on the voicemail's details and is included in the email notification, so you can read a message instead of listening to it. See Voicemail Transcriptions.

Dial Step

A Forward Call step sends the caller to a real phone. In most call flows it's the step that actually connects the conversation. Set the Destination Enter the Destination Number — the phone that should ring. Usually your main business line, a mobile, or a department's direct number. This is separate from the tracking number. Callers dial the tracking number; we forward to the destination. That indirection is what makes the tracking work, and it means you can change where calls land without changing anything you've advertised. Ring Time Wait for controls how long the destination rings before the flow moves on, from 10 to 60 seconds. A ring takes roughly 5 seconds, so 20 seconds is about four rings. Two things to balance: - Too short and you cut off people who were about to pick up. - Too long and the caller gives up before your voicemail ever plays. 20 to 30 seconds suits most businesses. Use less if a Voicemail step follows and you'd rather capture a message than keep people waiting. If nobody answers, the call continues to the next step. With no next step, the call simply ends — which is why a Forward Call step is usually followed by a voicemail. Use Tracking Number as Caller ID Tick this and whoever answers sees the tracking number instead of the caller's number. That tells your team which campaign produced the call before they say hello, which is useful when one phone answers for several trackers. The trade-off is that you lose the caller's real number on the handset, so you can't return the call from your recent-calls list — it's in Call Tracker, but not on the phone. Leave it off if returning calls straight from the handset matters more than knowing the source. For source context without losing caller ID, use a Pre-Call Whisper Message instead — see Updating Tracker Settings.

Greeting Step

A Greeting step plays a message to the caller before anything else happens. It's the first thing most call flows do. The commonest reason to use one is call recording: if you record calls, you should tell callers, and a greeting is how. See Call Recording and the Law. It's also where you set expectations — opening hours, a busy period, or simply confirming they've reached the right business. Text to Speech Type what you want said and we read it aloud. Nothing to record, and changing it later takes seconds. Keep it short. Callers are waiting to be connected, and every second of greeting is a second before their call is answered. One or two sentences is plenty: Thanks for calling Summit Auto Repair. This call may be recorded for quality assurance. Write it as it should be spoken. Spell out anything you want read a particular way, and use full punctuation — it drives the pacing. Play Audio Select Play Audio and upload a file to use a recording of your own instead: a professional voiceover, music, or a message in a specific voice. Files must be .mp3 or .wav. Once uploaded, a small player appears so you can check what callers will hear without placing a test call. Audio is the right choice when the greeting is part of your brand. Text to speech is the right choice when you'll want to change it — a seasonal message written as text takes a moment to update, where audio means recording again. Where the Greeting Goes A greeting is normally the first step, before a Forward Call, Simulring or Menu step. The caller hears it, then the flow continues. You can use more than one in a flow — for example a greeting before a menu, and another inside a branch.