> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voxhealth.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Call routing

> Where a call goes when it needs a person.

Routing rules decide who receives a transferred call. A rule matches on **reason** and **time window**, optionally scoped to a **location**, and sends the call to a destination number.

**Settings → Call Routing.** Requires the **Call Transfer** [capability](/agents/capabilities) on the assistant.

## What a rule contains

| Field               | What it does                                                                                                                                                                        |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Call reason**     | What the caller wants. Suggested reasons: Appointments, Prescription refills, Clinical questions, Billing, Insurance & prior auth, Medical records, General. You can type your own. |
| **Time window**     | `Any time`, `Business hours`, or `After hours`. Business hours come from that location's [opening hours](/practice/locations).                                                      |
| **Destination**     | The phone number that rings. Pick one of your location numbers or enter a custom one.                                                                                               |
| **Extension**       | Dialled after the call connects, for systems behind an auto-attendant.                                                                                                              |
| **Warm transfer**   | Announce the call to the person before connecting, rather than transferring blind.                                                                                                  |
| **Whisper message** | What that person hears before the patient is connected, for example "Billing call from a verified patient."                                                                         |
| **Notify emails**   | Who gets emailed that the transfer happened.                                                                                                                                        |
| **Priority**        | Lower numbers are evaluated first. The first matching rule wins.                                                                                                                    |
| **Enabled**         | Turn a rule off without deleting it.                                                                                                                                                |

## Building a routing table that holds up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start with one catch-all">
    Reason `General`, time window `Any time`, pointing at your front desk. Nothing falls on the floor while you work out the rest.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Split out the reasons that go elsewhere">
    Billing to the billing extension, clinical questions to the nurse line, records to whoever handles them. Give each a lower priority number than the catch-all so it is evaluated first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the after-hours row">
    Duplicate your important rules with time window `After hours` and a destination that is actually staffed: an answering service, an on-call mobile, or nothing at all.

    A rule pointing at an unstaffed desk after hours is worse than no rule: the agent transfers, nobody answers, and the caller thinks you hung up on them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Scope per location if you need to">
    Rules can be set org-wide or for a specific office. A location's rules override the org-wide ones for calls to that office.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Every destination number should be tested by calling it. The most common routing bug is a digit typo in a number nobody ever dialled.
</Warning>

## Warm vs blind transfer

**Warm** gives the receiving person a few seconds of context before the patient is connected. Use it for anything clinical or billing-related, where being handed a cold call is disorienting.

**Blind** is faster and fine for the front desk, where whoever picks up expects patients.

## When no rule matches

The agent takes a message rather than transferring into silence. The message appears in [Follow-ups](/front-desk/follow-ups) and, if you configured them, goes out by email.

## Related

* [Phone numbers](/channels/phone-numbers)
* [Follow-ups](/front-desk/follow-ups): where untransferred calls land