# Phone Tree

Welkin's phone tree feature allows you to configure automated inbound call routing for your organization. When patients call your organization's phone number, the phone tree greets them with a recorded message and routes the call to the appropriate care team member or department based on their selection.

## What is the phone tree?

The phone tree is an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system configured in Welkin's Designer portal. It enables patients to navigate call routing using their phone keypad (e.g., "Press 1 for appointments, Press 2 for billing").

## Key capabilities

* **Multi-level menus** – create nested IVR menus with up to several levels of options
* **Role-based routing** – route calls to a Welkin user role (e.g., Care Coordinator) or a specific user
* **Queue management** – hold callers in a queue when all agents are busy
* **Voicemail** – direct callers to leave a voicemail if no one is available
* **Business hours routing** – route calls differently during and outside business hours
* **Greeting messages** – record or upload custom greeting audio

## Building a phone tree in Designer

### Step 1: Open Phone Tree configuration

1. Log in to the Welkin Designer portal
2. Navigate to **Communications → Phone Tree**
3. Click **Configure Phone Tree** or open an existing tree to edit

### Step 2: Set your main greeting

1. Under **Main Menu**, click **Edit Greeting**
2. Choose between:
   * **Text-to-speech** – type the greeting text; Welkin converts it to audio
   * **Audio upload** – upload a pre-recorded MP3 file
3. Write or record your greeting (e.g., "Thank you for calling \[Organization]. Press 1 for scheduling, Press 2 for clinical questions, Press 3 to reach the billing team.")

### Step 3: Configure menu options

For each keypad option (1–9, 0, \* , #):

1. Click **Add Option**
2. Set the key (e.g., "1")
3. Select the action:
   * **Route to role** – ring all users in a selected role simultaneously
   * **Route to user** – ring a specific team member
   * **Sub-menu** – branch to another set of IVR options
   * **Voicemail** – direct to voicemail box
   * **Callback request** – record the caller's number for a callback
4. Configure a **no-answer action** – what happens if the routed destination doesn't pick up (e.g., overflow to another role, go to voicemail)

### Step 4: Configure business hours

1. Under **Hours Settings**, set your organization's hours of operation (days and times)
2. Configure **after-hours routing** – typically voicemail or an emergency on-call number
3. Set holiday schedules if your hours change seasonally

### Step 5: Save and publish

Click **Publish** to make the phone tree configuration live. Changes take effect within a few minutes.

## Testing your phone tree

Before going live:

1. Call your organization's Welkin phone number from a personal phone
2. Navigate through each menu option to confirm routing works as expected
3. Test the after-hours message by temporarily setting hours to exclude the current time
4. Test voicemail by letting a routed call go unanswered

## Monitoring and audit

The [Phone Tree Audit](https://github.com/welkincloud-io/welkin-docs/blob/master/kb/admin/admin-phone-tree.md) in the Admin portal shows call logs, including:

* Calls received and their routing path
* Call duration and outcome (answered, voicemail, abandoned)
* Which team members answered calls

Review this log regularly to ensure call routing is functioning as intended.


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