Why it matters
Voicemail ensures callers can leave a message when no one answers, during after business hours, or when calls time out. Correct configuration helps teams capture missed calls, apply consistent routing, and ensure messages appear in the correct conversation thread.
Key Concepts
Whippy Business Phone channel: A voice channel where call routing, greetings, voicemail, and after-hours behavior are configured.
Voicemail: A call destination where callers can leave recorded messages that are stored in the conversation.
Voicemail greeting: The message callers hear before leaving a voicemail. This can be text-to-speech or a recorded greeting.
Business hours routing: Call behavior that applies when the channel is within configured business hours.
After business hours routing: Call behavior that applies outside configured business hours.
Call flow: The routing logic that determines when voicemail is triggered, either directly or through an IVR route.
Direct Connection: An IVR routes option that sends all calls to a single destination, with voicemail configured as a fallback.
Guided Call Flow: An IVR routes option that supports menu-based routing and conditional voicemail handling.
Step-by-Step: Set Up Voicemail on a Whippy Business Phone Channel
Go to Channels under Organization Settings.
Select the Whippy Business Phone channel you want to configure.
Click Actions, then More Options (three vertical dots).
Click Edit Channel.
Open Channel Settings and select the Call Flow tab.
Enable Override organization settings if the channel needs its own voicemail configuration.
Review the Incoming call ring timeout to control when calls are considered missed.
Under IVR Routes, choose one of the following:
Direct Connection if all calls should route to one destination.
Guided Call Flow if voicemail needs to be applied conditionally (for example, after business hours).
Configure voicemail based on the selected IVR route:
Direct Connection
Set the destination (agent, user, team, phone number, or call to text).
Configure Default fallback as Voicemail.
Guided Call Flow
Add a voicemail action in the IVR menu or submenu where appropriate (for example, after-hours or no-answer paths).
Choose the voicemail greeting type:
Text: Enter up to 255 characters for text-to-speech.
Recording: Record a voicemail greeting using the recording modal.
Click Stage Changes in any section you edited.
Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Tips and Best Practices
Keep voicemail greetings short and clear so callers know what to do next.
Use Guided Call Flow when voicemail behavior must differ between business hours and after business hours.
Use Direct Connection with a voicemail default fallback for simple setups.
Test voicemail by calling the channel and letting the call time out.
Review voicemail messages regularly to ensure timely follow-up.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Voicemail does not trigger | Ring timeout is too long or voicemail not set as fallback | Adjust the ring timeout or set Default Fallback to Voicemail |
Greeting does not play | Greeting not configured or not staged | Add a greeting and click Stage Changes |
After-hours voicemail not working | After Business Hours not enabled | Enable After Business Hours and select Voicemail |
Messages not visible | Voicemail not enabled in the call flow | Confirm voicemail is configured in IVR or fallback |
Calls forward instead of reaching voicemail | Forwarding action placed before voicemail | Update routing so voicemail triggers earlier |