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Add an IVR

An IVR (Interactive Voice Response) plays a greeting and routes the caller based on the digit they press. "Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Service…"

Before You Start

  • The greeting is recorded as a System Recording (see Record a System Recording). You can fall back to the built-in please-enter-the-number-of... recording but custom is better.
  • Each destination you'll route digits to (queue, extension, ring group, voicemail) already exists.

Steps

  1. Go to System Attributes → IVR.
  2. Click Add IVR.
  3. Fill in the General Options:
    • IVR Name — e.g. Main IVR.
    • IVR Description — optional notes for techs.
    • Announcement — choose your System Recording (e.g. main-greeting).
    • Direct Dial — Disabled (default), or Enabled to let callers dial an extension directly during the greeting.
    • Timeout — seconds to wait for a digit. Default 10.
    • Invalid Retries / Timeout Retries — how many times to repeat before giving up. Default 3.
    • Invalid Recording / Timeout Recording — what plays on failed/no input. Defaults are fine.
    • Invalid Destination / Timeout Destination — where to send after retries are exhausted (commonly: voicemail or operator).
    • Return on Invalid / Return on Timeout — leave checked to repeat the greeting on bad input.
  4. Scroll to IVR Entries and add one row per option:
    • Ext — the digit, e.g. 1, 2, 0. You can use * and # too.
    • Destination — pick the queue / ring group / extension.
    • Description — optional label.
  5. Click Submit.
  6. Click Apply Config.

Verify

Point an inbound route or a test extension at the IVR (set the destination on an inbound route to IVR → Main IVR). Call in and try each digit option.

Common Issues

  • Greeting doesn't play. The Announcement field is blank or points to a deleted recording. Re-select.
  • Digit press does nothing. That digit isn't in IVR Entries, or Direct Dial is enabled and the digit looks like an extension prefix.
  • Caller hears the IVR but every press is "invalid." DTMF mode mismatch on the trunk — ask the carrier to switch between RFC2833 and inband.
  • Retries skip the greeting. Make sure Return on Invalid / Return on Timeout are checked.