Smart Call Routing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome to the next level of business automation! In the "Getting Started" guide, you set up your personal AI agent. Now, it’s time to turn that agent into an intelligent front desk for your entire team. Smart Call Routing is a powerful feature that automatically connects callers to the right person or department based on what they say. No more manually transferring calls or taking messages. Let’s get started.

Written By Catherine Weir

Last updated 18 days ago

Part 1: What is Smart Call Routing?

Think of Smart Call Routing as an intelligent switchboard operator for your business. It listens to a caller’s needs and instantly transfers them to the right expert on your team.

•When a caller says, “I’d like to get a quote for a new project,” the AI can transfer them directly to your Sales line.

•When a caller says, “I’m having an issue with my last service,” the AI can route them to your Support team.

This ensures every customer gets to the right person on the first try, creating a seamless experience and freeing up your team from playing telephone.

Part 2: Setting Up Your Departments

Before you can create rules, you need to tell 365 Agents what your departments are and who is in them.

1.Navigate to Settings > Smart Call Routing in your dashboard.

2.Click the “Add Department” button.

3.Give the department a clear name (e.g., “Sales,” “Customer Support,” “Billing”).

4.In the “Phone Numbers” field, add the phone number(s) for the team members in that department. You can add multiple numbers!

[Screenshot of the "Add Department" modal, showing fields for Department Name and Phone Numbers.]

Repeat this process for all of your key departments. Even if you’re a small team, you can create departments for the different functions you handle (e.g., a “New Inquiries” department that routes to your cell, and a “Partner Support” department that routes to your business partner).

Part 3: Creating Your Routing Rules

Now for the magic. Let’s teach your agent how to route calls.

1.In the Smart Call Routing settings, click the “Add Rule” button.

2.In the “If caller says anything like…” field, enter the keywords or phrases that should trigger this rule. Be sure to include variations.

3.In the “Then transfer to…” dropdown, select the department you want the call to be routed to.

4.Click “Save Rule.”

[Screenshot of the "Add Rule" modal. The "If" field contains keywords like "quote, pricing, new project, estimate" and the "Then" field has the "Sales" department selected.]

Your first rule is now live! The AI will now listen for these keywords and automatically transfer the call.

Part 4: Best Practices & Real-World Examples

Here are a few tips and examples to help you build a powerful and reliable routing system.

⭐ Pro-Tip: Create a “General” Catch-All

Always create a final, default rule with no keywords that routes to a general voicemail or a primary team member. This ensures that if a caller’s request doesn’t match any of your rules, the call still gets handled and isn’t dropped.

Example Setups by Business Type

Business Type

Departments

Example Keywords for Rules

Home Services

Emergency Service, New Quotes, Billing

leak, burst pipe, no hot water → Emergency Service

(Plumber, HVAC)

new kitchen, estimate, project → New Quotes

invoice, pay my bill, question about a charge → Billing

Dental Clinic

New Patients, Existing Patients, Insurance

first time, new patient, sign up → New Patients

checkup, reschedule, follow-up, my appointment → Existing Patients

coverage, what insurance, do you take Cigna → Insurance

Real Estate Agency

Property Inquiries, Current Clients, Partners

see a house, property on Main St, interested in → Property Inquiries

my closing, question about my offer, status → Current Clients

vendor, title company, inspector → Partners

What You’ve Accomplished

You’ve now scaled your AI from a personal assistant to a powerful front desk for your entire team. Your routing system will now:

•Save your team hours of time by eliminating manual call transfers.

•Improve your customer experience by connecting them to the right person instantly.

•Ensure no lead or urgent request gets lost in the shuffle.