The Call Flow Designer (CFD) feature allows you to set up different phone trees to route and manage calls efficiently.
User Level: Admin
Before You Start
To build your first call flow, you’ll need:
An active CloudTalk number.
Admin permissions.
Any audio recordings you plan to use (greetings, IVR menus).
Optional: Groups and agents already created in your account.
Open the Call Flow Designer
From the Dashboard, click Numbers.
In the My numbers tab, find the number you want to configure.
Click + Configure in the Call Flow column to open the designer.
If the number already has a flow, you'll see the flow name instead. Click it to edit.
The Flow Editor
The Call Flow Designer uses a top-to-bottom canvas. Every flow starts with a Call comes in node at the top and ends with a Call ends node at the bottom. You build the flow by adding steps between them. Click the + button between any two nodes to add a step. The panel on the right lets you browse steps by category or search by name.
Steps are grouped into categories:
Connect to agents (Ring to, Voice Agent, Redirect, Dial by Extension)
Routing logic (Day/Time Splitter, Condition Splitter, IVR Menu, Jump to)
Wrap up (Voicemail, Mark Call as Resolved)
Automation (Collect Input, HTTP Request)
Call settings (Change number, Recording)
You can also use Add saved flow at the top of the library to copy a configured step from another number's flow.
Saving your flow
The editor uses a Save / Discard model. Changes you make are not live until you click Save in the top-right corner. If you want to undo your changes, click Discard to revert to the last saved version.
Call Flow Actions
The Call Flow Designer uses a top-to-bottom canvas. Every flow starts with a Call comes in node at the top and ends with a Call ends node at the bottom. You build the flow by adding steps between them. Click the + button between any two nodes to add a step.
Greeting
Play a message to the caller: a greeting, announcement, or any audio prompt. In the step config, you can:
Click + Create new sound to record, upload (mp3, max 8 MB), or generate one with text-to-speech.
Search for a sound to pick from your existing sound library.
Click Show all to browse all available sounds.
For more on managing sounds, uploading files, and using text-to-speech, see: Configure Sounds and Greetings
Add saved flow
Copy a configured step from another number's flow. Found at the top of the step library.
Connect to Agents
Ring to
Route to a group, a specific agent, or the caller's favorite agent.
When you add a Ring to step, you choose a Ring target:
Agent: Route the call directly to one specific person.
Group: Route the call to a ring group. The call follows the group's ring strategy (round robin, ring all, etc.).
Favorite agent: Route the call to the agent listed as the caller's favorite on their contact record. If no favorite agent is set, the step is skipped.
You can also set the Ring for duration (how many seconds to ring before moving on).
Dynamic routing via variable
Instead of picking a target from the dropdown, you can click Route dynamically via variable to switch to a variable input mode. This lets you enter a variable (for example, {{request.4321.agentId}}) that resolves to an agent ID at call time. The value is typically set by a Collect Input or HTTP Request step earlier in the flow. To switch back, click Pick from list instead.
Voice Agent
Let a VoiceAgent handle the call in natural language. Resolves common queries and escalates to a human when needed.
Redirect
Forward the call to an external phone number or transfer to an internal CloudTalk extension. Useful for forwarding calls to a mobile phone after hours.
Set the number to redirect to and the Seconds to wait on this step. If the transferred call is not answered within the wait time, the flow continues to the next step. If there are no follow-up steps, the call drops.
A redirected call appears as a new outbound call in your data and is charged at outbound rates. These minutes are not counted toward agent call packages. CloudTalk will attempt to pass the original caller ID, which may conflict with country restrictions or CLIR.
Dial by Extension
Let callers dial an extension code to reach a specific agent directly. The step includes a sound picker (same as Greeting: create, upload, TTS, or search for an existing sound) so you can play a prompt telling callers which extensions are available. You can also set the Seconds to wait on this step before the flow moves on.
Routing Logic
Day/Time Splitter
Route calls differently based on day and time. Use this for after-hours routing, holidays, or businesses with multiple locations in different time zones.
Set a timezone per number or per branch, with the GMT offset or live time displayed.
Use the date picker to add holidays and exceptions. Holiday calendars cover national-level holidays for 58 countries. Regional holidays are not included. See Business Hours for the full list and details.
Branch names are editable so you can label them (e.g., "Weekdays 9-18" or "Holiday hours").
The failover branch covers any time not specified by other branches.
See: Time Router
Condition Splitter
Split the flow based on a contact property, call attribute, or HTTP response value. For example, route VIP contacts to a priority line, or split calls by country.
Conditions are configured inside the step itself.
Supports AND and OR operators, plus negation ("does not contain," "is not").
You can reference values collected earlier in the flow (from Collect Input or HTTP Request steps).
IVR Menu
Let callers choose with their keypad. Each key creates a separate branch in the flow.
The step includes a sound picker for the menu prompt (the message telling callers which keys to press). You can create a new sound, upload one, use text-to-speech, or search your existing library. Set the Seconds to wait on this step to control how long callers have to respond.
Jump to
Jump to a specific step in any number's flow. Useful for shared sequences you want to reuse across multiple numbers, or for looping back to an earlier point in the same flow.
Wrap Up
Voicemail
Take a message and get notified by email. Assign the voicemail to an agent or group mailbox.
The greeting message is configured inside the Voicemail step itself, so you don't need to add a separate Greeting step before it. You can create a new sound, search existing sounds, or use text-to-speech directly from the step config panel.
Voicemails assigned to a group send a notification email to the group email address when Send voicemails is set to Yes.
For more on mailbox assignment, notification settings, and accessing recordings, see: Configure Voicemail Settings
Mark Call as Resolved
Close a branch so the call isn't counted as missed. Typically placed on the answered branch of a Ring to step, or at the end of any path where the caller's need was handled.
Automation
Collect Input
Ask the caller to enter digits on their keypad, like an order number, a PIN, or an account ID.
Set the expected input length (replaces the old regex pattern).
Configure a timeout for callers who need more time.
The entered value can be used in downstream steps (Condition Splitter, HTTP Request, or dynamic routing on a Ring to step).
HTTP Request
Call an external API as part of the flow. Use this to fetch or send customer data from another system before routing.
Endpoint: the URL to call.
Method: choose GET, POST, or another HTTP method.
Request Headers: add custom headers (collapsible section).
Request Body: add key-value pairs or click Add contact custom field to insert contact data like caller number, name, or tags.
Parse response: check this to make the API response available to downstream steps (Condition Splitter, dynamic routing).
Retain data after call: keep the response data after the call ends.
Call Settings
Change of caller
Change the caller ID on outbound calls, for example before a Redirect step so forwarded calls show your business number instead of the original caller's number.
This action results in the loss of the caller's number info.
Call recording
Record a specific branch of the call flow for training, compliance, or quality monitoring. If this step is not added, the default recording options from your account Settings apply.
Editing and Deleting Steps
Edit a step
Click the step card on the canvas to open its configuration panel on the right side.
Delete a step
Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the step card.
Select Remove step.
For non-branching steps, the step is removed and the flow reconnects around it.
For branching steps (Ring to with answered branch, IVR Menu, Day/Time Splitter, Condition Splitter), you can't remove just the step itself. The confirmation dialog will ask you to type "DELETE" and click Remove subsequent actions as well to delete the step and everything inside its branches.
Example Call Flow Designs
Now that you have a basic grasp of how the designer works, let's look at some traditional routing practices.
The main aim of the Call Flow Designer is to avoid missed calls and to ensure your customers efficiently reach the agents who can be most helpful to them. Below are some straightforward examples of how to achieve that.
Personal Line with Voicemail Fallback
A simple flow where calls ring one agent. If the agent doesn't answer, the caller leaves a voicemail.
Steps: Greeting → Ring to (Agent) → If unanswered: Voicemail
How it works:
The caller hears a welcome message (Greeting step).
The call rings the assigned agent (Ring to step, target: Agent).
If the agent doesn't pick up, the caller is routed to Voicemail.
Team Line with Answered Branch
Calls go to a group. Answered calls are marked as resolved. Unanswered calls fall back to voicemail.
Steps: Greeting → Ring to (Group) → Answered: Mark Call as Resolved / If unanswered: Voicemail
How it works:
The caller hears a welcome message (Greeting step).
The call rings the selected group (Ring to step, target: Group).
If answered, the call is marked as resolved on the Answered branch.
If unanswered, the caller is routed to Voicemail.
IVR Menu with Department Routing
Callers hear a welcome message, then choose a department by pressing a number. Each department has its own team and voicemail fallback.
Steps: Greeting → IVR Menu → Key 1: Ring to (Sales group) → Voicemail / Key 2: Ring to (Support group) → Voicemail / Key 3: Voicemail (Billing)
How it works:
The caller hears a welcome message listing the options.
The IVR Menu step prompts the caller to press 1, 2, or 3.
Each key routes to the appropriate team. If nobody answers, the caller reaches that team's voicemail. Tips:
Match the key numbers in your recorded prompt to the IVR keyboard numbers you assign to each branch.
Check Failover for no key pressed on one branch to handle callers who don't press anything.
Give callers at least 20 seconds to listen and respond.
Tips:
Match the key numbers in your recorded prompt to the branches in your flow.
Use the "no input / any other key" fallback to handle callers who don't press anything.
Give callers at least 20 seconds to listen and respond.
Need help or have a question? Just reach out through our Support portal — we’re here for you.