Call Flow Designer

Overview

The Call Flow Designer is a visual drag-and-drop tool that lets you create and manage intelligent call flows for your Virtual-Call Cloud PBX. Using a graphical interface, you connect various building blocks (nodes) to define exactly how incoming calls are handled—from greeting prompts and menu options to time-based routing, database queries, and external API calls.

Prerequisites

• Virtual-Call Cloud PBX with Ultimate Plan
• Administrator access to the PBX Management Portal
• At least one configured extension or queue (as a forwarding target)

System Limits

Page Overview

Navigate to Call Control → Call Flow Designer.

The overview shows all existing call flows with the following columns:

Above the table, the buttons Add, Export, Options, and Delete, as well as a Search field, are available.

Add a Call Flow

Click Add to create a new call flow.

Creation Method — Options

The Creation Method dropdown offers three options:

Method: Built-in Templates

Method: Import from File

Available Templates

Options

Click Options to configure global settings for the Call Flow Designer.

Visual Flow Editor

In the Operations column, click the Edit icon to open the visual flow editor.

The editor consists of a canvas in the center and a sidebar on the left with the available nodes (building blocks). At the top, you will find the buttons Back, Open in a new tab, Save as Draft, and Save.

Building Blocks (Nodes)

Drag nodes from the sidebar onto the canvas to build your call flow. The building blocks are divided into five categories:

Entry Component

Call Control Nodes

Call Flow Nodes

Internal Data Operations

These nodes query or update data from the internal PBX database during a call. In the sidebar, they appear under the collective entry Internal Data Operations:

External Integration Nodes

Use the Collapse option at the bottom of the sidebar to show or hide the node list.

Canvas

At the bottom of the canvas, you will find view controls: overview map, zoom (−/+), center, horizontal alignment, and vertical alignment.

Managing Call Flows

Enabling or Disabling a Call Flow

A call flow only processes calls when it is enabled. To change the status:

1. On the Call Flow Designer overview page, locate the desired call flow.
2. Click the Status toggle.
3. Confirm with OK.

Exporting and Importing Call Flows

You can export call flows as files—for backup or transfer between systems:

• Export: Select one or more call flows and click Export. The file can later be restored via Import from File or transferred to another system.
• Import: Click Add, select Import from File as the creation method, and upload the file.

Copying a Call Flow

To duplicate an existing call flow, click the Copy icon in the Operations column. Adjust the name and save.

Deleting a Call Flow

Select one or more call flows and click Delete. Confirm the deletion in the pop-up dialog.

Using the Call Flow Designer

1. Navigate to Call Control → Call Flow Designer.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter a name and select the desired Creation Method.
4. Click Save. The new call flow appears in the overview.
5. Click the Edit icon to open the visual flow editor.
6. Drag the desired nodes from the sidebar onto the canvas and connect them.
7. Configure each node by clicking on it (e.g. prompts, destinations, conditions).
8. Click Save or Save as Draft.
9. Return to the call flow list and enable the call flow via the Status toggle.

Example: Time-based Routing with Business Hours

A common use case is routing calls differently during and outside business hours. Here's how to set it up:

1. Create a new call flow using the time-based call flow template.
2. Configure the Initial Action component with your company's main phone number.
3. In the Business Hours component, select or define your business hours schedule.
4. In the Business Hours branch: Add a Transfer component pointing to your main queue or ring group.
5. In the After Hours branch: Add a Prompt component with an after-hours message, followed by a transfer to voicemail.
6. In the Holidays branch: Add a Prompt component with a holiday greeting, followed by Hang Up.
7. Save and enable the call flow.

Example: Menu-based Call Routing

Another common scenario uses a menu to route callers to different departments:

1. Create a new call flow using the Linear Call Flow template.
2. Configure the initial action with your main phone number.
3. Set up the greeting prompt in the Menu component (e.g. "Press 1 for Sales, press 2 for Support").
4. Assign a transfer component to each key:
   • Key 1 → Transfer to the Sales queue
   • Key 2 → Transfer to the support queue
   • No match → Play an error prompt and repeat the menu or hang up
5. Save and enable the call flow.

Best Practices

• Keep call flows simple: Avoid deeply nested branches. Simpler call flows are easier to maintain and debug.
• Test before enabling: Use the Save as Draft option to test your call flow without affecting live operations.
• Use templates as a starting point: Use the built-in templates to create productive call flows faster.
• Use descriptive names: Name your call flows and components descriptively so other administrators can understand the routing logic at a glance.
• Prepare prompts in advance: Record professional audio prompts ahead of time. Text-to-speech is useful for testing, but custom recordings sound more professional.
• Set up fallback routes: Always define a "No match" or timeout path so callers never end up in a dead end.
• Export regularly: Back up working call flows by exporting them before making major changes.
• Use the copy function: Use existing call flows as templates for new, similar flows.
• Respect system limits: Stay within the system limits (80 call flows, 200 components per call flow, 50 steps per call flow) to avoid configuration issues.

Troubleshooting