Departments and call routing

Departments tell your AI receptionist which parts of your business callers might need, how to tell which one a caller wants, and whether the AI helps them itself or transfers the call to a person. Use it when calls come in for different teams, such as sales, support or billing.

Where to find it

Open Departments in the sidebar, under Phone & Routing. This page is the one place to edit call transfers. The Call Transfers (Departments) section in Workspace Settings only lists your transfer routes, with a link back here.

How the AI routes a caller

Early in the call, your receptionist works out which department the caller needs — from what they say or, when it’s genuinely unclear, by offering a short spoken menu such as “Are you calling about sales, support or billing?” If a caller names a department or its extension, the AI goes straight there without the menu.

Each department is handled in one of two ways:

• AI handles it — the receptionist helps the caller itself, focusing on that department and using the department info you give it.
• Transfer to a person — the receptionist transfers the call to the phone number you set for that department.

Add a department

1. 1
   Open Departments and select Add department.
2. 2
   Type the department name, for example Sales.
3. 3
   Describe what this department handles. A clear description helps the AI route correctly.
4. 4
   Optionally fill in When to route a caller here (optional), for example “Caller asks about pricing, quotes, upgrades, or wants to buy.”
5. 5
   Choose AI handles it or Transfer to a person, then fill in the fields for that choice (below).
6. 6
   Select Save. The button shows Saved when your changes are stored.

Fields for “AI handles it”

• Handled by agent (optional) — pick one of your agents, or leave it on The main receptionist handles it. The call stays with the agent that answered; choosing an agent tells it to match that agent’s focus for this department.
• Department info the AI uses (hours, pricing, policies, how to handle it) — anything the AI should know when helping with this department, such as what to ask for and what you charge.

Fields for “Transfer to a person”

• Forward calls to this number — enter the number in full international format, starting with + and the country code. Under the box, Will dial: shows exactly the number the AI will call.
• Extension (optional) — a short extension callers can ask for, for example 2.

Good to know

• Transfer routes that already existed show up here as Transfer to a person departments, so saving never drops them.
• If you see “Departments saved, but syncing transfer routing failed. Please save again.”, select Save once more so transfers use your latest numbers.
• Only workspace owners and admins can change departments.
• Your opening hours and after-hours behavior are set separately. See Call handling.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from Call Transfers in Settings?

They show the same routes. You edit them on Departments; the Call Transfers (Departments) section in Workspace Settings is a read-only list with a link to this page.

Does “Handled by agent” move the call to another agent?

No. The agent that answered keeps the call. Picking an agent tells it to handle this department the way that agent would.

Do I need departments?

No. If you don’t add any, your receptionist simply doesn’t offer a department menu. Departments help most when different people or topics need different handling.

Can a department use information only that team needs?

Yes. For an AI handles it department, put that team’s hours, prices and rules in the department info box. For general facts about your business, use your knowledge base.