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

# Answer and Route Inbound Calls

> Cover inbound calls, resolve approved requests, book appointments, and route exceptions with context.

# Give every inbound call a controlled path

Use this workflow when a RevDesk number or routed business number should answer routine inbound calls. The
coworker identifies the reason for the call, handles approved requests, and books, transfers, or records a
follow-up for the responsible person.

## Prerequisites

* An active RevDesk or ported number with the required registration completed
* Business hours, after-hours behavior, and emergency boundaries
* A knowledge base for common questions and prohibited answers
* Transfer destinations, booking calendars, and named follow-up owners

## Trigger and input

The trigger is an inbound call to the configured number. Caller identity, number configuration, prior
conversation context, and the dialed line can help select the right instructions, but the caller should still
be allowed to state the reason for the call.

## Controls

* List which requests may be completed without a person.
* Define warm-transfer destinations and what happens when nobody answers.
* Separate urgent escalation from routine after-hours intake.
* Require confirmation before creating or changing an appointment or important record.
* State what the coworker must not guess, promise, diagnose, quote, or authorize.

## Launch

1. Configure one number and one call purpose.
2. Add the minimum business knowledge and transfer destinations.
3. Connect the relevant calendar if the coworker may book.
4. Test during business hours, after hours, with unavailable destinations, and with an unsupported request.
5. Review recordings, transcripts, routing results, and created records before moving production traffic.

## Verify

Call from numbers with and without an existing customer record. Confirm the greeting, disclosure, request
handling, transfer context, fallback behavior, booking, and final inbox timeline. Verify that an urgent or
prohibited request reaches the intended human path.

## Measure

Track answered calls, containment, successful transfers, bookings, abandoned calls, after-hours follow-ups,
and routing corrections. Review outcome quality alongside call volume; a short call is not automatically a
successful one.

## Troubleshooting

* **Calls reach the wrong workflow:** review the dialed number and routing assignment.
* **Transfers fail:** verify the destination, schedule, timeout, and fallback owner.
* **Answers are too broad:** reduce the knowledge scope and add explicit escalation boundaries.
* **Bookings conflict:** confirm calendar connection, host rules, buffers, and timezone.

See [Phone Numbers](/getting-started/setup/phone-numbers) and
[Voice & Personality](/getting-started/setup/voice-personality).