Greeting (IVR – Interactive Voice Response)

The Greeting feature allows you to manage how incoming calls are handled for your organization using a customizable call flow.

Unlike regular numbers, a Greeting number is designed for call routing and automation, not for individual users.

What is a Greeting number?

A Greeting number is:

• A dedicated number for your organization
• Not assigned to a specific user
• Used to control how incoming calls are handled

You can purchase Greeting licenses.
Each license allows you to assign one Greeting number.

How Greeting works

Once you purchase a Greeting number, you can configure a call flow that defines what happens when someone calls that number.

• The flow starts when a call is received
• You can design the flow based on time, actions, and conditions
• Calls are handled automatically according to your setup

If the Greeting flow is inactive, incoming calls will not follow any configured logic.

Important: Flow flexibility

The Greeting flow is fully customizable.

• You can arrange actions in any order
• You can configure different flows for each shift
• You can adapt the setup to match your business needs

In this guide, we describe a common example flow to help you understand how each block works — but your setup does not need to follow the same order.

Timezone and call scheduling

You can define the timezone for your Greeting number.

All configured schedules (shifts) will follow this timezone.

Shifts (Working hours)

Shifts allow you to define when specific call flows should apply.

Key details:

• You can create multiple shifts based on days and time ranges
• Minimum shift duration: 15 minutes
• Maximum number of shifts: 10
• Each shift can be:
• Renamed
• Edited
• Deleted

Main Flow (outside working hours)

In addition to shifts, there is always a Main Flow that applies when no shift is active.

This is typically used to define what happens:

• Outside working hours
• When no shift conditions are met

Call flow structure

Each shift (and the Main Flow) contains a sequence of actions that define how the call is handled.

You can build your flow by adding and arranging these actions based on your needs.

Greeting message (first step in the flow)

One of the most common first steps is a Greeting message.

This is the message the caller hears when they call your number.

Example:

“Welcome to Onoff Business. Someone will be with you shortly.”

Greeting message options

You can choose how your greeting message is created:

1. Pre-recorded messages

• Select from available predefined messages

2. Custom audio upload

• Upload your own audio files

3. Text-to-speech (Max plan only)

• Write your message as text
• Convert it into audio
• Choose voice and language

Limits for custom messages

• Up to 10 uploaded audio files
• Up to 10 text-to-speech messages

These limits are independent.

All messages are shared across the organization and can be reused.

Keypad actions (menu options)

After the greeting message, the next common step is Keypad actions.

This block allows callers to interact with your system using their phone keypad (for example: “Press 1 for Sales, press 2 for Support”).

You can edit or delete this block.

Keypad action settings

The Keypad actions block includes two main settings:

Timeout

Defines how long the system waits before repeating the menu options.

Available options:

• 3 seconds
• 5 seconds
• 8 seconds
• 10 seconds

Repeat sequence

Defines how many times the system repeats the available options.

Available range:

• From 1 to 5 times

How it works together

For example:

• Timeout = 5 seconds
• Repeat sequence = 2

The system will:

1. Play the menu options
2. Wait 5 seconds
3. Repeat the menu options
4. Wait again
5. If no input is received → move to the next step (No key)

Key actions (individual options)

Inside the Keypad actions block, you define what each key does.

Default option: No key

There is always a “No key” path.

This defines what happens if the caller:

• Does not press any key
• Waits until all repeats are completed

Available keys

You can configure up to 10 keys:

• From 0 to 9

Each key represents an action (for example: routing to a team).

Managing key actions

Each key can be:

• Renamed (e.g. “Customer Care”, “IT”)
• Edited
• Deleted
• Activated or deactivated

Messages in key actions

Each key can have its own message, just like the greeting message.

Available options:

• Pre-recorded message
• Custom audio upload
• Text-to-speech (Max plan only)

Message limits for key actions

• Up to 10 custom audio files
• Up to 10 text-to-speech messages

These are:

• Separate from Greeting message limits
• Specific to keypad/key actions
• Shared across the organization

Example flow

A typical flow could look like this:

1. Caller hears greeting message
2. Then hears options:

• “Press 1 for Customer Care”
• “Press 2 for IT”

1. System waits (e.g. 5 seconds)
2. Repeats options (based on repeat setting)
3. If no key is pressed → follows No key path
4. If a key is pressed → follows that key’s configured action

Forward to (call routing)

After a caller selects an option (for example, presses a key), the next step is usually to forward the call to a person or a team.

The Forward to block defines who should receive the call and how the call should be distributed.

This is one of the most commonly used blocks in a Greeting flow, because it allows you to route incoming calls to the right people in your organization.

You can place a Forward to block:

• directly after a Greeting message
• after a Key action
• or anywhere else in the flow where it makes sense

As with the other Greeting blocks, this is fully flexible.

Selecting users and numbers

In the Forward to block, you choose which users and numbers will participate in the call routing.

You will see the list of available users in your organization, along with their assigned numbers.

Important:

If a user has multiple numbers, you do not need to include all of them.

You can choose:

• a specific user
• and only the specific number you want to use in that flow

This gives you more control over where calls should go.

Important limitation

You can add up to 15 numbers in a Forward to block.

This limit ensures stable and smooth call routing performance.

Call distribution methods

Once you select the users and numbers, you need to define how the call should be distributed.

There are two available methods:

• Cascading
• Simultaneous

Cascading

With Cascading, the system calls the selected numbers one after another, in the order you define.

You can drag and reorder the users to decide the exact sequence.

Example:

1. Mary
2. Jacob
3. Angela

This means:

• the system first calls Mary
• if Mary does not answer, it calls Jacob
• if Jacob does not answer, it calls Angela

If no one answers after the full sequence, the flow continues to the next block.

Switch users after

When using Cascading, you can choose how long each number should ring before moving to the next one.

Available options range from 5 to 40 seconds.

Example:

If you set 15 seconds:

• Mary’s number rings for 15 seconds
• if unanswered, the call moves to Jacob
• if Jacob does not answer after 15 seconds, it moves to Angela

This helps make sure the call is picked up as quickly as possible.

Repeat sequence in Cascading

You can also define whether the full sequence should be repeated.

Available options:

• Don’t repeat
• 1 time
• 2 times
• 3 times
• 4 times
• 5 times

Example:

If your order is:

1. Mary
2. Jacob
3. Angela

and repeat sequence is set to 2 times, the system will do this:

• Mary → Jacob → Angela
• then again Mary → Jacob → Angela

If no one answers after that, the flow continues to the next block.

Simultaneous

With Simultaneous, all selected numbers are called at the same time.

The first person who answers gets the call.

For the others, the call will appear as a missed call.

This method is useful when you want the fastest possible response and do not want callers to wait while numbers are tried one by one.

Skip call if agent is busy

The Forward to block also includes a toggle called Skip call if agent is busy.

When this option is enabled, users who are already on another call will not be included in that forwarding attempt.

Example:

If Mary, Jacob, and Angela are part of the flow, but Angela is already busy on another call:

• Angela will be skipped
• only Mary and Jacob will receive the call

This helps avoid disturbing busy users and improves call routing efficiency.

Example use case

A common example would be:

• caller hears a Greeting message
• then presses 1 for Customer Care
• then the call is forwarded to:
• Mary
• Jacob
• Angela

If the Forward to method is Cascading, the call goes one by one in the configured order.

If the method is Simultaneous, all selected users receive the call at the same time.

Good to know

• You can add a Forward to block after any other block in the flow
• You do not need to use Keypad actions before Forward to
• You can use different Forward to blocks in different branches of the same Greeting flow
• Each branch can have its own users, numbers, and routing logic

Redirect to (fallback routing)

The Redirect to block allows you to reroute a call when it is not answered within the current flow.

This helps you avoid dead ends and ensures the caller is always guided to the next possible step.

When to use Redirect to

You typically use this block when:

• a team or user does not answer the call
• you want to offer an alternative path
• you want to keep the caller in the loop instead of ending the call

How it works

When a call reaches the Redirect to block, you can choose how the flow should continue.

There are two redirection options:

1. Beginning of the shift

• Restarts the flow from the beginning of the current shift
• The caller will hear the Greeting message again
• Useful for creating a loop and giving the caller another chance to choose

2. Keypad action

• Redirects the call to a specific key (0–9) within the same shift
• The flow continues as if the caller pressed that key

⚠️ Important:

• You can only redirect to keys within the same shift
• You cannot redirect to another shift

Example use case

Let’s say:

1. Caller presses 2 (IT department)
2. Call is forwarded to IT team
3. No one answers

Now you can:

Option A — Redirect to another team

• Redirect to Key 1 (Customer Care)
• Customer Care may be able to assist instead

Option B — Restart the flow

• Redirect to Beginning of the shift
• Caller hears:
  “Welcome to onoff business…”
• Caller can choose a different option

Combined scenario (loop)

You can also combine both approaches:

1. Caller presses 2 (IT)
2. IT does not answer → redirect to Customer Care
3. Customer Care does not answer → redirect to Beginning of the shift

This creates a loop, ensuring:

• the caller is not dropped
• the system keeps trying to route the call

Good to know

• Redirect to improves call handling reliability
• Helps avoid hanging up on customers too early
• Can be used after Forward to blocks
• Works only within the current shift configuration

Hang up (ending the call)

The Hang up block is used to end the call flow.

You can place this block anywhere in your Greeting flow where you want the call to stop.

A common use case is handling situations where:

• the caller does not press any key
• the flow reaches an endpoint
• or no further action is required

What happens when Hang up is used

When the flow reaches a Hang up block:

• the call is terminated
• no further actions are executed

However, before ending the call, you can decide whether to:

• play a message
• or end the call immediately

Play message before hanging up

There is a toggle called “Play message”.

If enabled, the caller will hear a message before the call ends.

This is recommended, as it provides a better experience instead of abruptly disconnecting the call.

Example message:

“We did not receive any input. Please call us again if you need assistance. Goodbye.”

Message types

Just like in other blocks, you can choose how the message is created:

• Pre-recorded message (system-provided)
• Custom message (uploaded audio)
• Text-to-speech (available on Max plan only)

Limits:

• Up to 10 custom audio messages
• Up to 10 text-to-speech messages
• Limits are separate per block type

Example use case

A common scenario:

1. Caller hears Greeting message
2. Caller hears Keypad options
3. System repeats options (based on your configuration)
4. Caller does not press any key
5. Flow goes to No key branch
6. Hang up block is triggered
7. Caller hears a final message and the call ends

Good to know

• You can place Hang up blocks in multiple places in your flow
• It is commonly used as a fallback (e.g. after “No key”)
• It helps ensure every flow path ends clearly
• Using a message before hanging up improves caller experience

Voicemail (collecting missed calls)

The Voicemail block allows callers to leave a message when no one is available to answer.

This is commonly used:

• Outside working hours
• As a fallback when calls are not answered

How voicemail works

When a caller reaches this block:

• They hear a message asking them to leave a voicemail
• Their message is recorded
• The recording is sent to selected users

Configuring voicemail

You can define:

Message type

• Pre-recorded message
• Custom audio upload
• Text-to-speech

Receiver list

You can select one or multiple users who will receive and manage the voicemails.

These users will be able to:

• Listen to recordings
• Follow up with the caller

Example message

“You’ve reached us outside working hours. Please leave a message and we will get back to you.”

Using Main Flow with voicemail

The Main Flow is typically used for scenarios outside working hours.

A common setup is:

• During working hours → calls follow shift logic
• Outside working hours → calls go to voicemail

This ensures that callers are always handled, even when your team is unavailable.

Greeting logs (call tracking)

The Greeting logs section allows you to track all calls that go through your Greeting number.

This provides visibility into how your call flow is performing and how callers interact with it.

What you can see

For each call, you can view:

• Caller number
• Greeting number
• Date and time
• Call duration
• Call status

Call statuses

Calls can be marked as:

• Answered
• Missed
• Voicemail

Detailed call logs

Each call includes a detailed breakdown of what happened during the interaction.

This allows you to understand exactly how the caller moved through your flow.

Example of call steps

• Call started
• Greeting message played
• Keypad menu played
• Caller pressed a key
• Call forwarded to agents
• Call answered or ended
• …etc.

This level of detail is especially useful for troubleshooting and optimizing your flow.

Voicemail playback in logs

If a caller leaves a voicemail, you can listen to it directly from the logs.

This feature is available to:

• Admins
• Owners

It allows you to quickly review messages and respond to callers.

Filtering logs

You can filter logs to find specific calls.

Available filters include:

• Date range
• Greeting number

This helps you focus on relevant data.

Downloading reports

You can download reports from the Greeting logs page.

Important

Reports are generated based on the filters you apply.

This means:

• If you filter by date or greeting number
• Only the filtered data will be included in the report

Available formats

You can download reports in:

• CSV
• Excel (.xlsx)
• PDF

This makes it easy to analyze or share call data.

Calls and History

The logs section includes two views: Calls and History.

Calls

The Calls view shows recent activity.

You can access data from the last 6 months, including full call details.

History

The History section contains archived data.

You can:

• Browse logs by month and year
• Download reports for specific periods

This is useful for long-term analysis and reporting.

Inactive greeting behavior

If a Greeting is set to inactive, the configured flow will not be applied.

What happens instead

• Calls will not follow IVR logic
• Calls will appear as missed
• Logs will still record incoming attempts

This allows you to monitor activity even when a Greeting is disabled.

Roles and permissions

Access to Greeting features depends on the user role.

Admin and Owner

Admins and Owners have full access.

They can:

• Create and configure greetings
• Manage call flows
• Rename and delete greetings
• Assign numbers
• Access logs and reports
• Listen to voicemails

Regular user

Regular users have view-only access.

They can:

• See the list of greetings
• View names, numbers, and status

They cannot:

• Configure greetings
• Access logs
• Rename or delete greetings
• Assign numbers

Summary

The Greeting feature gives you full control over how incoming calls are handled.

You can:

• Define working hours and fallback behavior
• Guide callers with messages and keypad options
• Route calls to the right teams
• Handle missed calls with voicemail
• Track and analyze all interactions

The flow is fully flexible and can be adapted to match your organization’s needs.