Call Flow Example: Business Hours with IVR Menu

Overview

This guide shows you how to build a call flow that combines business hours routing with an IVR menu. Callers during business hours hear a menu to select a department, while after-hours and holiday callers hear an appropriate message and are forwarded to voicemail.

Scenario

A company wants the following call routing for its main number:

Prerequisites

• A configured Business Hours schedule under Call Control > Time Conditions > Business Hours.
• A configured Holidays list under Call Control > Time Conditions > Holidays.
• At least one ring group or queue for each department (e.g., Sales Queue, Support Queue).
• Voice prompts for the welcome message, after-hours announcement, and holiday greeting (upload under PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt).

Step 1. Create the call flow

1. Go to Call Flow Designer and click Add.
2. Enter a name (e.g., "Main Number — Business Hours + IVR").
3. Select Start from Scratch as the creation method.
4. Click Save.
5. Click the edit icon to open the visual flow editor.

Step 2. Configure the Initial Action

Click the Initial Action node on the canvas and configure it:

1. Under Incoming Call from, select the DID number(s) that should trigger this call flow (e.g., your main company number).
2. Optionally, set a welcome prompt that plays before routing begins.

Step 3. Add the Business Hours node

1. Drag an Office Hours node from the sidebar onto the canvas.
2. Connect the Initial Action output to the Office Hours node.
3. Select your business hours schedule. The node creates three branches: Business Hours, After Hours, and Holidays.

Step 4. Build the Business Hours branch (IVR menu)

1. Drag a Menu node onto the canvas and connect it to the Business Hours output of the Office Hours node.
2. Configure the menu:
   • Prompt: Select your IVR greeting (e.g., "Press 1 for Sales, press 2 for Support, press 0 for Reception").
   • Key 1: Add a Transfer node pointing to the Sales queue or ring group.
   • Key 2: Add a Transfer node pointing to the Support queue or ring group.
   • Key 0: Add a Transfer node pointing to the reception extension.
   • No match / Timeout: Add a Prompt node with an error message, then loop back to the menu or transfer to reception.

Step 5. Build the After Hours branch

1. Drag a Prompt node onto the canvas and connect it to the After Hours output.
2. Select the after-hours voice prompt (e.g., "Thank you for calling. Our office is currently closed. Please leave a message after the tone.").
3. Add a Transfer node after the prompt and set the destination to your general voicemail.

Step 6. Build the Holidays branch

1. Drag a Prompt node onto the canvas and connect it to the Holidays output.
2. Select the holiday greeting (e.g., "Happy holidays! Our office is closed. We will be back on January 2nd.").
3. Add a Hang Up node after the prompt, or optionally a Transfer to voicemail.

Step 7. Save and activate

1. Click Save to save the call flow.
2. Return to the call flow list and enable the call flow using the Status toggle.
3. Test the call flow by calling the assigned number during business hours and after hours.

Flow structure

The completed call flow follows this structure:

Initial Action (main number)
  └── Office Hours
        ├── Business Hours
        │     └── Menu (IVR)
        │           ├── Key 1 → Transfer (Sales Queue)
        │           ├── Key 2 → Transfer (Support Queue)
        │           ├── Key 0 → Transfer (Reception)
        │           └── No match → Prompt (error) → Menu (repeat)
        ├── After Hours
        │     └── Prompt (after-hours message) → Transfer (Voicemail)
        └── Holidays
              └── Prompt (holiday greeting) → Hang Up

Tips

• Test with Draft: Use Save as Draft to test your call flow without affecting live operations.
• Keep prompts short: Long IVR menus frustrate callers. Limit the menu to 3–4 options.
• Always set a fallback: Ensure every branch ends with a Transfer or Hang Up node so callers never get stuck in silence.
• Update holiday lists: Remember to update your holiday schedule at the beginning of each year.