Call flows determine what happens when someone calls your office. With PbN Voice, you can build a call flow that reflects how your practice handles calls throughout the day—from your initial greeting to business-hour routing, phone menus, team extensions, and voicemail.

Each step in a call flow is called a node. A node performs one specific action, such as checking whether your office is open, playing a greeting, ringing the front desk, or sending a caller to voicemail.

This guide explains the available Call Flow Nodes and how you can use them to create a call experience that works for your office.

When someone calls your office:

For example, a typical office might create a flow like: Check Business Hours → Play Welcome Greeting → Phone Menu → Ring Front Desk → Voicemail if Unanswered

Some nodes simply perform an action and continue. Others create different paths based on the date, time, or caller's selection. Transfer nodes hand the call over to another destination and end that branch of the current flow.

Scheduling nodes help make sure callers reach the right place depending on when they call.

These are especially useful for offices that need different routing during regular hours, after hours, holidays, or temporary closures.

The Holidays node checks whether the current day matches a holiday you've configured.

If it is a configured holiday, the caller follows the Schedule Matches path. Otherwise, the caller follows the Otherwise path.

Use this node when your office should handle calls differently on holidays.

For example: Holiday: Play a "Our office is closed today" greeting → Send to voicemail

Otherwise: Continue to your normal office-hours flow

The Override node checks for a one-time date and time window and routes calls according to whether that window is currently active.

This can be helpful when your normal schedule needs to change temporarily, rather than permanently changing your regular office hours.

The Custom Schedule node checks a recurring weekly schedule that you define.

For example, you might configure: Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM–5:00 PM

When a call comes in during those hours, it follows the Schedule Matches path. Calls outside those hours follow Otherwise.

Use a Custom Schedule to separate your open-hours and after-hours call handling.

For example:

These nodes change what the person answering the call sees on their phone. They do not change what the caller hears.

Set Caller Info replaces the caller name—and optionally the caller number—with information you choose.

For example, you could display: New Patient

This can be useful when you want your team to immediately know the purpose or source of a call rather than seeing only the caller's original information.

The new information is used from that point forward.

Set Caller Prefix adds a short label before the caller's existing name instead of replacing it.

For example: Billing – Jane Smith or New – John Smith

Use this when your team needs additional context while still being able to see the caller's original name.

For example, different menu selections could add different prefixes so your team knows whether someone selected Billing, New Patient, or another option.

Use Set Caller Info when you want to replace the caller name. Use Set Caller Prefix when you want to keep the original caller name and simply add more context.

The Play a Greeting node plays an audio message to the caller. Once the message finishes, the call continues to the next step.

You can use greetings for:

The Ring nodes give someone an opportunity to answer while keeping the caller within the current call flow.

If nobody answers within the amount of time you select, PbN Voice moves to the next node.

This allows you to create flows such as: Ring Front Desk → Ring Whole Office → Voicemail

Ring an Extension rings one person's extension for the amount of time you select, from 5 to 60 seconds.

If they don't answer, the call moves to the next node.

Use this when you want one person to have the first opportunity to answer but still want the call to go somewhere else if they are unavailable.

Ring a Call Group rings everyone in the selected call group at the same time for the duration you choose.

If nobody answers, the call moves to the next node.

This is useful when multiple people should have the opportunity to answer a call.

For example, you could ring your Front Office group for 30 seconds and then send the caller to voicemail if nobody answers.

Important: Do Not Disturb on the destination phone is still respected. Other personal rules, such as the person's own forwarding, are skipped while the Ring node is attempting to reach them.

Transfer nodes work differently from Ring nodes. When a call reaches a Transfer node, the current branch of the call flow ends. The destination's own settings determine what happens next.

This means you should use Ring when you want to try a destination and then continue your flow if no one answers. Use Transfer when you're ready for that destination to take over the call.

Sends the call to a specific person's extension. Once transferred, that extension's normal settings apply, including its ringing, forwarding, and voicemail behavior.

Use this when the call should now belong to a particular team member and you want their normal extension settings to determine what happens next.

Sends the call to a selected call group. The call group's own rules then determine how the call is handled, including how members ring and what happens if nobody answers.

Use this when you want the selected team or department to take over the call.

Transfers the call to a 10-digit phone number outside of PbN Voice.

This can be useful for:

Once the transfer occurs, that destination takes over the call.

You can transfer a caller to a mailbox in two ways.

This sends the caller to the selected mailbox. The caller hears the mailbox's normal greeting and can then leave a message.

Use this when the mailbox greeting contains the message you want callers to hear.

For example: Ring Front Desk → Transfer to Front Desk Mailbox

This sends the caller to the selected mailbox but does not play the mailbox's normal greeting. The caller proceeds directly to leaving a message.

This is useful when you've already played a message using Play a Greeting and don't want callers to hear another greeting immediately afterward.

For example: Play After-Hours Greeting → Transfer to Mailbox (Skip Greeting)

This creates a smoother experience by preventing callers from hearing two greetings back-to-back.

Play List of Options lets you create a phone menu that asks callers to make a selection using their keypad.

For example:

Each number can have its own call path.

Give your menu a clear name, such as: Main Office Menu or After-Hours Options

Next, select or create the greeting callers will hear. Make sure the recording clearly explains which number corresponds to each option.

You can upload a recording, record a new message, or create one from text.

For every number mentioned in your greeting:

Your menu options can contain multiple steps.

For example:

Your menu also includes a Fallback path. This determines what happens when a caller does not make a valid selection.

Always configure a Fallback so callers who don't press a key—or press an option that isn't available—still have somewhere to go.

Your menu includes additional settings that control how long PbN Voice waits for caller input and how many opportunities callers receive to make a valid selection.

Controls how long PbN Voice waits after the caller stops entering digits before treating the entry as complete.

A typical starting point is 2 seconds.

This is especially important when callers are allowed to enter full extensions, such as 100, rather than a single menu option.

Controls how long PbN Voice waits after the menu greeting finishes for the caller to begin entering a selection.

A typical starting point is 2 seconds.

Controls how many times the menu is replayed when the caller selects an option that isn't valid.

A typical starting point is 5 attempts.

Controls how many times the menu is replayed when the caller doesn't make a selection.

A typical starting point is 5 attempts.

When enabled, callers can enter a valid extension directly instead of choosing one of the menu options.

Leave this turned off unless you want callers to have this option.

Transfer to IVR sends the caller to another phone menu you've already created.

For example, your main menu could include:

Once transferred, the other menu takes over the call.

Repeat Menu plays the current menu again and waits for another selection.

For example, you could configure: Press 9 to repeat these options.

You can also use Repeat Menu in your Fallback path to give callers another chance to choose.

Dial by Name allows callers to search your company directory for the person they want to reach.

For example: Press 8 to dial by name.

The caller can then look up a person using the directory associated with your PbN Voice account.

Choosing between Ring and Transfer is important when building your call flow.

For example: Ring Front Desk → Ring Whole Office → Voicemail

You decide how long each destination rings and what should happen next.

For example: Transfer to Front Desk

The Front Desk extension or group's own ringing, forwarding, and voicemail settings now determine what happens. Nothing else in that branch of your original call flow runs after the transfer.

Here's one way an office could combine these nodes.

Start with Holidays. If today is a holiday: Play Holiday Greeting → Transfer to After-Hours Mailbox

If it isn't a holiday, continue to your normal schedule.

Add a Custom Schedule for your normal business hours. During open hours, continue to your main phone menu.

After hours: Play After-Hours Greeting → Transfer to Mailbox (Skip Greeting)

Add Play List of Options:

Then build each path.

Option 1: Set Caller Prefix → Ring Front Desk → Transfer to Mailbox

Option 2: Ring Whole Office → Transfer to Mailbox

Option 3: Transfer to Mailbox

Add a Fallback so callers who don't make a selection still have a clear next step.

Build your call flow from top to bottom. Start by deciding when different routing should apply, then determine what callers should hear, who should ring, and finally where unanswered calls should go.

Use clear names for your schedules and menus, such as Regular Office Hours, Main Office Menu, or After-Hours Call Flow. This makes your call flow easier to understand and update later.

When using a phone menu, make sure the options in your recording match the options you've configured in the call flow.

Always configure a Fallback for your phone menus so callers who don't make a valid selection still reach an appropriate destination.

Finally, remember the difference between Ring and Transfer. If you want PbN Voice to try another destination when nobody answers, use a Ring node. If you want an extension, group, mailbox, external number, or another menu to take over the call, use a Transfer node.