Create a call flow and publish it to a phone number
Last updated: Aug 24, 2026
A call flow decides what happens when someone calls one of your numbers — play a greeting, offer a press-1 menu, ring your team, and fall back to voicemail. You build it visually in Phone System → Call Flows by dragging nodes onto a canvas, then press Publish and assign a phone number to it. A flow answers calls only when it is Published and has at least one number assigned.
Before you start
- You need a phone number in Dispatch Bros (buy a number or port one in).
- Call flows are edited on a desktop or tablet browser.
- You need an owner, admin, or dispatcher login.
Step 1 — Create the flow
- Open Phone System in the left sidebar, then the Call Flows tab.
- Click New Flow. The builder opens with an Incoming Call node — that is the entry point every call starts from.
- Click the flow name at the top to rename it (for example "Main Line").
Step 2 — Add nodes from the Node Palette
The left panel is the Node Palette ("Drag to canvas to add"). Drag any of these onto the canvas:
| Node | What it does |
|---|---|
| Greeting | Plays a message — typed text (text-to-speech) or an uploaded MP3/WAV |
| IVR Menu | "Press 1 for service, 2 for billing" keypad menu |
| Forward Call | Sends the call to a teammate or any outside phone number |
| Ring Group | Rings a group of team members at once |
| Voicemail | Takes a message and records it |
| Business Hours | Splits the call by open/closed hours |
| Send SMS | Texts the caller automatically |
Click a node to open its settings panel. For a Greeting, type your Message (TTS) and pick a Voice, or use Upload MP3 or WAV under Audio File (optional) — an uploaded audio file plays instead of the text-to-speech message. For an IVR Menu, add choices under Menu Options with Add Option, and optionally set Menu replays and Wait for keypress. Leave Prompt Script empty to auto-generate it from your options.
Step 3 — Wire the nodes together
Drag a line from the dot on the bottom of one node to the top of the next: Incoming Call → Greeting → IVR Menu, then from each numbered dot on the IVR node (1, 2, ...) to the step that answers that choice — for example dot 1 to your Ring Group and dot 2 to Voicemail.
The preflight checks above the canvas watch your wiring live. When they say "All checks passed — safe to publish." you're ready. The Routing preview panel walks the exact path a caller will take, step by step.
Step 4 — Publish
Click Publish (top right). The badge next to the flow name switches from the yellow Draft to the green Published.
- Save Draft stores your work without making it live.
- If publish is blocked you'll see "Not published — nothing was saved" with the exact things to fix. The canvas keeps your edits, but nothing went live until you fix the list and press Publish again.
Step 5 — Assign a phone number to the flow
- Go to Phone System → Numbers.
- Find your number's row and use the Call Flow column ("Assign flow...") to pick the flow you just published.
- Back on the Call Flows tab, the flow now shows a Live on 1 badge. Call the number to hear it live.
Troubleshooting
- The flow shows "Draft with live numbers" in red — the flow was demoted to draft while numbers still point at it, so those numbers are not routing. Open the flow and press Publish.
- "Remove assigned numbers first before deleting this flow" — a flow with numbers assigned can't be deleted. Reassign the numbers in Phone System → Numbers first.
- Saving a live flow as draft warns "Demote this live flow to draft?" — confirming stops call routing on every assigned number until you publish again. Use Save Draft on live flows only when you mean to take them offline.
FAQ
Why isn't my call flow answering calls?
A flow only routes calls when it shows the green Published badge AND at least one phone number is assigned to it. A Draft flow, or a published flow with no numbers assigned, will not answer anything.
I added an IVR menu, pressed Publish, and callers still don't hear it. Why?
Publish was blocked. Dispatch Bros shows a 'Not published — nothing was saved' message with the exact issues to fix — usually a node that isn't wired. Connect a line from each numbered dot on the IVR node (1, 2, ...) to the step that should answer that choice, then press Publish again.
Can I edit a call flow from my phone?
Call flows are edited on a desktop or tablet browser. Use a computer to build or change a flow.
Can I delete a call flow?
Only if no phone numbers are assigned to it. You'll see 'Remove assigned numbers first before deleting this flow' — reassign the numbers in Phone System → Numbers, then delete the flow.