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9bx user guide

PBX & Call Center

Call flows, IVR menus, office hours and audio library

Design what callers experience: a greeting, "press 1 for sales" menus, opening hours, hold music and the visual map that ties them together.

Contents

What it is for

These four pages build the "front door" of your phone system. The audio library holds your recordings, IVR menus use them, office hours decide when you are open, and Call flows shows the whole journey for each number on a canvas.

Who can use it

Administrators with the Call flows, IVR menus, Office hours (call settings) and Audio library permissions. Plans may limit the number of IVR menus and the audio storage ("N of M menus used", "N of M MB used").

Where to find it

Phone → Setup: Call flows, IVR menus, Office hours, Audio library.

Call flows

A call flow on the canvas: caller rules, office hours, an IVR menu and queues.

The list shows each inbound number with its Branch, Live version and whether there is an unpublished Draft. Press Open to see the flow. Press Open as flow from an inbound route for the same view.

Toolbar button What it does
Edit / Done Starts or ends editing. If a colleague is editing, you can look but not change it.
Undo / Redo, Tidy up, Fit Canvas helpers.
Problems Lists issues that block publishing.
Simulate Plays a test call: Caller, Time of the call, Keys pressed, Agents available, Caller waited too long. Shows Where the call ends. Use my unpublished draft tests before you publish.
History Every published version, with Roll back to before this.
Publish / Submit for approval Applies everything in one step; if anything fails, nothing changes. When approval is required, a second person presses Approve and publish or Send back.
Discard draft Throws the draft away.

The Node palette adds Logic nodes (caller rules, office hours), Menus and queues and Destinations (inbound number, IVR menu, call queue, AI receptionist, ring group, announcement). Select a node to edit it in the Node details panel. A note appears when other numbers share the node ("Changing it changes them too") or when it belongs to a branch you cannot access.

Editing the canvas is view-only on small screens.

IVR menus

What it does: callers hear a greeting and press a key to reach the right team.

Field Meaning
Name, Number Optional 2 to 10 digit number to dial the menu from an extension.
Menu is on Off: calls use the fallback for nobody pressing a key.
Greeting A recording from the audio library.
Keys Up to 12 keys. Each has a Key, a Label (only for you) and a Destination: extension, queue, ring group, voicemail, outside number, another menu, an AI receptionist, or back to the previous menu.
Press * to go back Adds a key that returns callers to the previous menu.
Wait for a key 1 to 60 seconds after the greeting.
Between keys 500 to 10,000 ms, for multi-digit extensions.
Tries 1 to 10 attempts before the fallback.
Let callers dial an extension directly Callers who know the extension can type it during the greeting.
When nobody presses a key / When a wrong key is pressed Fallback destinations; Wrong key message plays after an invalid key.
Languages Offer a choice of language: each language has its own key and greeting, and later prompts follow.
Outage announcements Announce open outages first: callers in an incident's area hear a recorded notice before the menu.
Skills this key asks for Route a key to agents with certain skills.

Office hours

Where: Phone setup → Office hours. Defines when your official numbers are open.

Item Meaning
Weekly schedule Add one or more opening ranges per day. A range that ends before it starts runs past midnight. Open 24/7, Open 24 hours and Copy to open days save time.
Time zone Hours are read in the office timezone.
Closed on holidays On an organisation-wide HR holiday, calls follow the after-hours action all day. Holidays come from HRM → Holidays (Manage holidays).
Organization default and branch hours Each branch follows its parent's hours until you save its Own hours. Use inherited hours resets a branch.

Numbers set to Custom schedule use these hours; otherwise a number may use its own work schedule.

Audio library

Where: Phone setup → Audio library. Recordings for IVR greetings, music on hold and announcements.

Item Meaning
New recording Choose a Category (IVR prompt, Music on hold, Announcement), then Upload a file or Record in browser (allow the microphone, press Start recording, Stop, listen, then save).
List Audio, Duration, Format, Listen, Used by, Uploaded. A recording in use cannot be deleted.
Storage meter "N of M MB used" for your plan.

Tasks

Create an IVR menu with 3 options

  1. Record or upload a greeting under Audio library, category IVR prompt: "Welcome to Padma Net. Press 1 for support, 2 for billing, 0 for the operator."
  2. Open IVR menus and press New IVR menu.
  3. Name it "Main menu" and pick the greeting.
  4. Under Keys press Add key three times: 1 to the Support queue, 2 to the Billing queue, 0 to extension 1000.
  5. Under Timing, Tries = 3. Under Fallbacks, set When nobody presses a key to the operator.
  6. Save. Point your inbound route's destination at "Main menu" (see Routes).
  7. Use the route's Test a call to check.

Set office hours with a lunch gap

  1. Open Office hours.
  2. For Sunday, add a range 09:00 to 13:00, then Add range 14:00 to 18:00.
  3. Press Copy to open days, switch off Friday and Saturday.
  4. Save.

Change routing safely with approval

  1. In Call flows, open the number, press Edit, change the flow.
  2. Press Simulate with your draft.
  3. Press Submit for approval. The approver presses Approve and publish.

Example scenario

Padma Net Support answers 9:00 to 18:00 Sunday to Thursday. Callers hear the main menu; the IVR's key 1 goes to the Support queue. On Eid holidays (from the HRM calendar) callers hear a closed message and are offered voicemail. During an area outage the menu first says "We know about a fault in Mirpur."

Tips

  • Keep greetings under 20 seconds and put the most common choice first.
  • Always set a fallback so no caller is left in silence.
  • Use Simulate before every publish.
  • Add an English language key if foreign customers call.

Troubleshooting

Problem Fix
"Pick the greeting" error Upload a recording first.
Cannot delete a recording It is in use. The tooltip names where; remove it there first.
"Your plan's audio storage is full." Delete recordings or upgrade.
Calls ring outside hours Check the inbound route's Work schedule, and Closed on holidays.
Flow shows "Not published yet" Nothing is live until you Publish.
"The live setup changed" Someone edited the same records while you edited; review the changes and choose what to keep.
"This draft is waiting for approval." A second person must approve.