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

# Calls Channel

> Robyn picks up your clinic phone 24/7 — books, reschedules, cancels, answers questions, escalates to your team when needed. Real-time voice, your existing number.

<Info>
  **Why this matters.** 49% of patient enquiries happen after hours.
  80% of callers won't leave a voicemail — they call the next clinic
  on the list. The calls channel is the highest-leverage thing you can
  switch on with Routiq, because every missed call you recover is
  patient revenue you would have lost.
</Info>

## How it works

You keep your existing clinic phone number. Routiq provisions a new AI number for Robyn. You set call forwarding from your clinic number to the AI number — full-time, after-hours only, or only when no one answers within N seconds.

When a call comes in:

1. Robyn answers in your clinic's voice (configurable accent, pitch, speed)
2. Caller ID is matched against your PMS — returning patients are recognised instantly
3. Robyn handles the conversation: bookings, reschedules, cancellations, knowledge-base questions
4. If the patient needs a human, Robyn either transfers the call or emails your team with the details
5. Every call is recorded and transcript-logged in the dashboard

## How Robyn handles a call

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Returning patient books in" icon="calendar-check">
    Caller ID matches a PMS record → Robyn skips intake, jumps straight to "What can I help you with today?" and books in seconds.
  </Card>

  <Card title="New patient books in" icon="user-plus">
    No match on caller ID → Robyn captures full name, DOB, email, referral source (configurable), creates the patient record in your PMS, then books.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Patient asks a question" icon="circle-question">
    Robyn answers from your [knowledge base](/features/knowledge-base). If she can't, the question is logged as a knowledge gap and the patient is offered an escalation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Patient needs a human" icon="user-headset">
    Robyn transfers the call to your team line OR emails the team with the conversation summary — your choice (see [Human Escalations](/features/human-escalations)).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Patient is running late" icon="clock">
    Robyn captures the message, marks the appointment with a "running late" flag in your PMS, and notifies the practitioner.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Patient calls about an invoice" icon="file-invoice-dollar">
    Robyn looks up outstanding invoices, can take payment if [Appointment Payments](/features/appointment-payments) is enabled, or transfers to billing.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What your patient hears

> *(Phone rings. Robyn answers within two rings.)*
>
> **Robyn:** Hi, you've reached Bondi Physio. This is Robyn, the reception assistant. How can I help?
>
> **Patient:** Yeah, I want to book an appointment with Dr Lin for next week.
>
> **Robyn:** Of course — is this a follow-up or a new visit?
>
> **Patient:** Follow-up. My knee.
>
> **Robyn:** Right. I can see your last visit was on the 14th. Looking at Dr Lin's diary — there's a slot Tuesday at 9am or Thursday at 2pm. Which works for you?
>
> **Patient:** Thursday 2pm.
>
> **Robyn:** Done. You're booked in for Thursday 8th May at 2pm with Dr Lin. I'll send you a confirmation text in a moment. Anything else?

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Provision your AI number">
    During onboarding (or **Settings** → **Call Handling** → **Provision Number**), enter your business name, address, and country. Routiq provisions a number from a carrier in your region.

    | Region  | Typical wait                         |
    | ------- | ------------------------------------ |
    | AU / NZ | \< 5 minutes                         |
    | UK / IE | 1–4 hours (carrier compliance check) |
    | US / CA | \< 30 minutes                        |

    You'll be notified by email when the number is live and you can test-call it from your mobile.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up call forwarding from your clinic number">
    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Mobile / VoIP">
        In your phone provider's settings, find **Call Forwarding** or **Divert Calls**. Set the destination to your Routiq AI number. Choose your forwarding rule: 24/7, after-hours only, or only-when-busy.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Landline">
        Dial **`*21*`** followed by your Routiq AI number, then `#` to activate. To deactivate, dial **`#21#`**.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="PBX / business phone system">
        Log into your PBX admin panel and configure call forwarding (or SIP routing) to your Routiq AI number. Common providers (3CX, RingCentral, Aircall, Dialpad) all support this in their admin UI.
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    <Tip>
      Test the forward by calling your clinic number from your mobile — if Robyn picks up, you're live.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Customise voice and opening message">
    **Settings** → **Call Handling** → **Voice**:

    * **Accent:** AU, UK, US, NZ, IE
    * **Voice:** male, female, neutral
    * **Speed:** slow, normal, fast
    * **Opening message:** customise the greeting (default: *"Hi, you've reached \[clinic]. This is Robyn, the reception assistant. How can I help?"*)
    * **Optional:** rename Robyn (e.g. *"This is Sam, the reception assistant."*)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure escalation routing">
    **Settings** → **Call Handling** → **Escalation**:

    * **Call transfer number** — instant handoff to a team line
    * **Notification email(s)** — multiple addresses, comma-separated, for after-hours emails
    * **Hybrid:** transfer in business hours, email out of hours

    See [Human Escalations](/features/human-escalations) for the full options.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set patient intake fields">
    **Settings** → **Account Setup** → **Patient Fields**:

    Toggle which fields Robyn captures when creating a new patient record. Defaults: full name, DOB, mobile, email. Optional: referral source, address, GP, Medicare/insurance number.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Monitoring calls

Every call appears in **Dashboard** → **Calls** with:

* **Caller** — patient name (if matched) or phone number
* **Duration** — total length of the call
* **Outcome** — booked / rescheduled / cancelled / question answered / escalated / hung up
* **Transcript** — full conversation, searchable
* **Recording** — playback for review (toggleable per region for compliance)

You can filter by date range, channel, outcome, and escalation status.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I keep my existing clinic number?">
    Yes — that's the design. Patients keep dialling the number they know. The forward is invisible to them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I want Robyn to answer only out of hours?">
    Set call forwarding to "after-hours only" in your phone provider's settings. Combine with the **Office Hours** setting in Routiq so Robyn knows when to email vs. transfer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are calls recorded by default?">
    Yes, but recording is region-aware. In jurisdictions that require two-party consent (e.g. some US states), Robyn announces the recording at the start of the call. You can disable recording per account if needed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if a patient hangs up mid-conversation?">
    Robyn marks the call as "hung up" with the partial transcript. If a patient record was being created or a booking was in progress, the partial data is captured for your team to follow up.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Robyn handle multiple calls at the same time?">
    Yes — concurrency is unlimited on standard plans. Robyn can be on dozens of calls simultaneously.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does it sound like to the patient?">
    Robyn uses a high-quality neural voice (configurable accent). Most patients perceive her as a friendly receptionist — she introduces herself by name so there's no confusion that they're speaking to an assistant.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Knowledge base" icon="book" href="/features/knowledge-base">
    Train Robyn on your clinic's information so she can answer patient questions on the call.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Human escalations" icon="user-headset" href="/features/human-escalations">
    Configure how and when Robyn hands off to your team.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>