Why it matters
Call flows control the caller experience end-to-end: greetings, routing (menus or direct routing), timeouts, fallbacks, and after-hours handling. Setting these correctly reduces missed calls and ensures callers reach the right destination.
Key Concepts
Call Flow: The rules that determine what happens when an inbound call reaches a channel (greetings, routing, fallback, after-hours).
IVR Routes: The routing mode for inbound calls: either a menu-driven flow (Guided Call Flow) or a single destination (Direct Connection).
Stage Changes: A section-level save action. If you do not click Stage Changes in a section, edits in that section are not kept.
Save Changes: The page-level save action at the bottom of Call Flow Settings. Use this after staging changes to apply them.
Incoming call ring timeout: The number of seconds before an inbound call is considered missed.
Default fallback: The action used if the call goes unanswered or something unexpected happens during the call flow.
After business hours: The action used when calls arrive outside the channel’s configured business hours.
Step-by-Step: Configure Call Flow Settings
Go to Channels.
Under Organization Settings, find your Business Phone channel in the list.
Click Actions, then click More Options (three vertical dots).
Click Edit Channel.
Open Channel Settings.
Click the Call Flow tab.
Configure each section below and click Stage Changes in any section you edited.
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Tips and Best Practices
Click Stage Changes immediately after editing a section (Opening Greeting, Menu Greetings, IVR Menu, Default Fallback, Closing Greeting, and any other section that shows it).
Set a ring timeout that matches how quickly your team can realistically answer (too short increases “missed” calls).
Use Guided Call Flow if you need multiple destinations (sales, support, voicemail, call-to-text).
Use Direct Connection if all inbound calls should go to one destination.
Always configure Default fallback even if you think your menu/direct route covers every case.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Greeting or menu text/recording did not apply | Changes were not staged in that section | Return to the section and click Stage Changes, then click Save Changes |
Call flow changes still not active | Page-level save was not completed | Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes |
After-hours rules do not run | Business hours are not configured | Set Business Hours in the channel’s Business Hours tab, then enable After Business Hours in Call Flow |
Call routes to the wrong place | Incorrect IVR action or target selected | Edit the IVR option (pencil icon), correct the action/target, then Stage Changes and Save Changes |
Related Guides
Call Flow Settings Reference
1) Override Organization Settings
Use this to decide whether this channel uses the organization-level call settings or its own channel-specific call flow settings.
Override Organization Settings (toggle)
Disabled: The channel uses Organization Call Settings.
Enabled: The channel uses the settings configured in this channel’s Call Flow tab.
2) Call Features and Missed Call Timing
These settings control call capabilities and when a call is treated as missed.
Conferences (toggle): Enable or disable conference calling.
Recordings (toggle): Enable or disable call recording.
Transcriptions (toggle): Enable or disable call transcription.
Incoming call ring timeout (seconds): Set how long the call rings before it is considered missed.
3) Opening Greeting
Control the greeting played immediately when a call is received.
Opening Greeting (toggle): Enables the opening greeting.
Edit Opening Greeting: Choose one of the following:
Text
Enter greeting text (up to 255 characters).
The system reads this out using the configured business phone voice.
Recording
Click Record new greeting to open the recording modal.
Click Start recording to begin.
Click Stop recording to finish.
Use playback controls to review (play, download, playback speed, captions if available).
Click Save in the modal to keep the recording.
Close with X to exit without saving.
Stage Changes: Required to keep updates to the opening greeting.
4) IVR Routes
Choose how inbound calls route after the opening greeting. There are two options:
A) Guided Call Flow
Presents a menu to the caller and routes based on their selection.
When Guided Call Flow is selected, the following settings appear:
1. Menu Greetings
This is the message played before the IVR menu options.
Edit Menu Greeting: Choose one of the following:
Text
Enter greeting text (up to 1024 characters).
Recording
Click Record new greeting.
Use Start recording and Stop recording.
Review with the player and click Save to keep it.
Stage Changes: Required to keep updates to the menu greeting.
2. IVR Menu
Defines the menu options (press 1, press 2, etc.) and where they route.
Add Another Option
Adds a new menu row with three fields:
Index: The keypad number the caller presses (for example, 1 for “Press 1 for Sales”).
Action: What happens when the caller presses the index.
Target field: Changes depending on the action.
Maximum options: Up to 9 options in the IVR menu.
Editing and deleting options
After staging, each option shows:
Index and Action
A pencil icon to edit
A trashcan icon to delete
Deleting an option does not automatically renumber others. If you delete option 2 and then add a new option, the system will attempt to reuse the deleted index.
IVR Menu Actions and Their Settings
Below are all available actions and what you must configure for each.
Forward to phone number
Target phone number: Enter the destination number.
Click Stage Changes to save the option.
Forward to user
Target Whippy user: Select from a dropdown (scroll or type to search).
Forward to team
Team label/reference: Enter the team identifier.
Team configuration: Configure how the team is rung and what happens if no one answers:
Members/destinations: Add the team routing targets (phone number, user, channel, or agent).
Ring order: Choose one:
Sequential
Batch
Random
Fallback: Action when no team member answers:
Default voicemail
End call
Forward to agent
Target agent: Select the agent from a dropdown list.
Call to text
Label/reference: Enter a unique reference for this call-to-text route.
Call to text configuration: Choose how the caller experience is presented:
Text
Greeting text: Enter up to 255 characters (this is the message read/shown as the option’s content).
Recording
Record a new greeting (same recording flow as other greetings).
Sub-action: Choose what happens after the caller selects this option:
Send text message
Message body: Enter the SMS content.
Attachment (optional): Add an attachment.
If Message body is blank, no text is sent.
Add to sequence
Sequence: Select a sequence from the dropdown.
From channel: Select the channel that will send the sequence.
Voicemail
Greeting label/reference: Enter a reference name for the voicemail greeting.
Voicemail greeting: Choose one:
Text: Enter up to 255 characters (read out as voicemail prompt).
Recording: Record a voicemail greeting (same recording flow as other greetings).
Submenu: Creates a secondary IVR menu under a menu option.
Submenu label/reference: Enter a reference name.
Submenu greeting: Choose one:
Text: Enter up to 255 characters.
Recording: Record a greeting (same recording flow as other greetings).
IVR Submenu configuration: Configure submenu options the same way as the main IVR menu:
Click Add Another Option
Set Index, Action, and the action’s required target fields
Repeat
Repeats the IVR menu options to the caller.
No additional target fields.
End call
Ends the call immediately.
No additional target fields.
Stage Changes Button: Must be clicked to keep IVR menu changes (including adds/edits/deletes).
B) Direct Connection
Immediately sends all inbound calls to a single designated destination.
When Direct Connection is selected, the following settings appear:
1. Direct Connection Configuration
Defines the action performed as soon as the call is received (instead of presenting an IVR menu).
If it shows Not configured, click the pencil icon to configure it.
Select one action from:
Forward to phone number
Forward to agent
Forward to user
Forward to team
Ring channel user
Voicemail
Call to text
Configure the corresponding target fields the same way as described in the Guided Call Flow action descriptions (for example, target agent dropdown, target phone number field, call-to-text configuration).
2. Recording and Transcription
Controls whether forwarded calls through the direct connection route are recorded and transcribed.
Recording (toggle): Enable/disable recording for forwarded calls.
Transcription (toggle): Enable/disable transcription for forwarded calls.
5) Default Fallback
This section comes after IVR Routes (whether you use Guided Call Flow or Direct Connection).
Default fallback is used when:
A call goes unanswered, or
An unexpected issue occurs during the call flow.
Fallback action: Choose one:
Forward to phone number
Target phone number: Enter the destination number.
Forwarding caller ID: Choose which number appears as caller ID:
Original caller
This channel
Forward to agent
Target agent: Select from dropdown.
Ring channel user
Reference key: Enter the reference.
Ring order: Select:
Sequential
Batch
Random
Voicemail
Voicemail greeting: Set via:
Text (up to 255 characters), or
Recording (record a greeting)
End call
No additional fields.
Stage Changes: Required to keep default fallback updates.
6) Closing Greeting
Customize the end-of-call message played before disconnection.
Closing Greeting (toggle): Enable/disable the closing greeting.
Edit Closing Greeting (pencil icon): Choose one:
Text: Enter the message to be read out.
Recording: Record the closing greeting (same recording flow as other greetings).
Stage Changes: Required to keep closing greeting updates.
7) After Business Hours
Configure what happens when calls are received outside of business hours.
Prerequisite: Configure business hours in the channel’s Business Hours tab before enabling after-hours handling.
After business hours (toggle): Enable after-hours routing.
After-hours action: Choose one:
Forward to phone number
Forward to agent
Ring channel user
Voicemail
End call
For actions that require a target or greeting (phone number, agent selection, voicemail text/recording), configure them the same way as described in previous sections.
Click Stage Changes where available.
Final step: Save your changes
Click Stage Changes in each section you edited.
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the Call Flow settings page to apply everything.