Call Flow Step Types
Detailed guide to all 10 call flow step types: Greeting, Forward, Voicemail, IVR, Multi-Ring, Schedule, Round Robin, Zip Code, Tag-Based, and Webhook.
Greeting
The Greeting step plays an audio message to the caller before proceeding to the next step. Use it to welcome callers, set expectations, or provide important information. You can upload a custom audio file (MP3 or WAV) or use text-to-speech to generate a greeting from text.
Keep greetings short — under 10 seconds. Long greetings cause callers to hang up.
Forward Call
The Forward Call step routes the incoming call to a destination phone number. This is the most common step type — it connects your caller to your real business line, cell phone, or receptionist. Configure a ring timeout (how long to ring before moving to the next step). Default is 30 seconds.
Voicemail
The Voicemail step lets callers leave a message when nobody answers. Configure a custom voicemail greeting (upload audio or use text-to-speech). Voicemail recordings appear in the Voicemails section of your dashboard and can be emailed to you automatically.
IVR / Phone Menu
The IVR (Interactive Voice Response) step creates a phone menu: "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support, Press 3 for Billing." Each option can route to a different phone number or trigger another call flow step. You can configure a timeout for when the caller doesn't press anything and a default action for invalid inputs.
Keep IVR menus to 3–4 options maximum. Too many choices overwhelm callers and increase hang-ups.
Multi-Ring (Simultaneous Ring)
The Multi-Ring step calls multiple phone numbers at the same time. The first person to pick up gets connected to the caller. This is perfect for sales teams where you want the fastest response. Add up to 10 numbers to ring simultaneously.
Schedule-Based Routing
Route calls differently based on the time of day and day of the week. For example:
• Monday–Friday 9am–5pm → Forward to office
• Monday–Friday 5pm–9pm → Forward to after-hours answering service
• Weekends → Send to voicemail
Set up multiple time-based rules with different destinations for each window.
Round Robin
Distribute calls evenly across a team. Enter a list of phone numbers and CallScaler will rotate through them with each incoming call. Person A gets call 1, Person B gets call 2, Person C gets call 3, then back to Person A. Great for fair lead distribution among sales reps.
Zip Code Routing
Route calls based on the caller's area code or zip code. Define rules like: "If the caller is in the 305 area code, forward to the Miami office. If they're in 212, forward to the New York office." This is especially useful for businesses with multiple locations.
Tag-Based Routing
Route calls based on custom tags applied to the call. Tags can be set by previous call flow steps, webhook responses, or manual assignment. This allows for complex routing logic based on caller history, lead quality, or custom business rules.
Webhook
The Webhook step sends an HTTP POST request to a URL you specify whenever a call reaches this step. The webhook payload includes all call details (caller number, tracking number, source attribution, etc.). Use webhooks to integrate with your CRM, trigger automations in Zapier, or log calls in your own systems.
// Webhook payload example
{
"call_id": "abc-123",
"caller_number": "+13055551234",
"tracking_number": "+13055559876",
"call_flow_name": "Google Ads",
"duration_seconds": 145,
"utm_source": "google",
"utm_campaign": "plumbing",
"recording_url": "https://..."
}