IVR (Interactive Menu) - Allo

Building a phone menu as a visual flow in Allo, with each key press routed to its own step

What is IVR

IVR (Interactive Voice Response) lets callers choose where to route their call using their phone keypad. Perfect for departments, multiple services, or professional call routing. Example:
“Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support, Press 3 for Billing” Benefits:

Professional image
Efficient call routing
Reduce misdirected calls
Self-service options

Open settings

Go to Settings in Allo app

Access Interactive Menu

Tap “Interactive Menu” at the top

Activate IVR

Toggle “Activate Interactive Menu” in top left corner

Create welcome message

Write the message callers hear first.Example: “Thank you for calling [Company].”

Add menu options

For each option:

Tap “Add option”
Write what AI should say
Choose destination
Save option

Set default action

Choose what happens if caller doesn’t press anything:

Repeat menu
Send to voicemail
Forward to number

Test your menu

Call your Allo number to test the experience

How it works

Caller experience

Call connects - Hears your welcome message
Menu plays - AI lists all options
Caller chooses - Presses number on keypad
Call routes - Connects to chosen destination

Example flow:

“Thank you for calling ABC Company. Press 1 to reach our Sales team, Press 2 for Customer Support, Press 3 for Billing questions.” Caller presses 2 Call routes to Support team.

What callers hear

The AI voice announces each option automatically: You write:
“reach our sales team” AI says:
“Press 1 to reach our sales team”

AI automatically adds “Press [number]” before each option. Just write what comes after.

IVR types

Standard IVR
Voice IVR

Callers press numbers on their phone keypad.How it works:

AI announces options
Caller presses 1-8
Routes to destination
Simple and reliable

Available to:

All Allo users
Starter and Business plans
Setup in-app anytime

Best for:

Clear department routing
Multiple teams
Professional businesses
Consistent routing needs

Every menu option is a pair: the message callers hear, and the action that runs when they press the key.

The action picker for an IVR menu option in Allo settings

Available actions

Play announcement Plays a message to the caller. Use it for self-service information: office hours, address, directions. Ring this line Rings the people who normally answer this number, following its call routing settings (simultaneous or cascade). Forward to a number Forwards the call to a phone number outside your workspace: an external service, a call center, a partner. Include the country code.

The forwarded leg is a new outbound call from your Allo number, billed at your calling rates based on the destination of the external number. Forwarding abroad is billed as an international call, whatever the origin of the incoming call. The recipient sees your Allo number as the caller.

Forward to another line Pick another of your Allo lines from a list, by its name. The call is redirected to that line and behaves like a normal incoming call on it: that line’s routing, business hours, and voicemail apply. No need to type the line’s phone number. Ring a team member Rings one specific person. Only their phone rings, the rest of the team is not disturbed. Best for options that should always reach the same person, like billing or management. AI Receptionist Hands the call to your AI Receptionist, which answers, handles inquiries, and routes intelligently. Available on the Business plan. Learn about AI Receptionist

Which action should I use?

The caller should reach	Use
A department with its own Allo number (Sales line, Support line)	Forward to another line
One specific person on the team	Ring a team member
The team behind this same number	Ring this line
Someone outside Allo (external service, call center)	Forward to a number
Information only, no human (hours, address)	Play announcement
An assistant that answers and routes by itself	AI Receptionist

Allo currently supports one level of menu options. Structure:

Main menu
├── Press 1: Sales
├── Press 2: Support
├── Press 3: Billing
└── Press 4: Other

Limit: 8 options maximum

Multi-level menus (sub-menus) are not currently supported. Keep your menu simple with one level.

Best practices

Recommended:

3-5 options for best experience
Clear, specific destinations
Logical order (Sales first, etc.)

Avoid:

More than 6 options
Vague categories
Overlapping choices

Voice and tone

Customize AI voice

Choose voice characteristics: Voice type:

Male or female voice
Different accents available
Natural conversational tone

Speaking pace:

Normal (recommended)
Slower for clarity
Faster for efficiency

Professional or friendly:

Professional for business
Friendly for service
Match your brand voice

Access:
Settings > AI Voice

Writing clear options

Good examples: ✅ “Press 1 to reach our Sales team”
✅ “Press 2 for Customer Support”
✅ “Press 3 to hear our office hours and location” Bad examples: ❌ “Press 1 for Department A”
❌ “Press 2 if you have questions”
❌ “Press 3 for other stuff”

Keep it short

Ideal menu:

3-5 options maximum
Under 30 seconds total
Clear, specific destinations

Too long:

8 options
Over 60 seconds
Vague or overlapping choices

Professional scripting

Welcome message: Good: “Thank you for calling ABC Consulting.”
Better: “Thank you for calling ABC Consulting. To help us direct your call…” Option wording: Good: “reach Sales”
Better: “speak with our Sales team”
Best: “speak with our Sales team about new projects”

Small business (3 options)

"Thank you for calling [Company]."

Sales and new customer inquiries
Customer support
Billing and account questions

Service business (4 options)

"Thank you for calling [Company]."

Schedule an appointment
Check appointment status
Billing questions
All other inquiries

Professional services (5 options)

"Thank you for calling [Company]."

Speak with an advisor
Check account status
Make a payment
Office hours and locations
All other questions

Department routing (4 options)

"Thank you for calling [Company]."

Sales
Technical Support
Customer Success
Administration

Setup bypass:

IVR settings
Scroll to “Who can skip the menu”
Choose option:
- All contacts
- Favorites only
- No one

Mark favorites:

Open contact profile
Tap star icon
They now skip IVR and ring you directly

Emergency bypass

Add emergency option: “If this is an emergency, press 9 now.” Route press 9 to:

On-call team member
Emergency line
Direct to key person

Troubleshooting

IVR not playing

Check:

IVR is activated (toggle on)
At least one option is configured
Welcome message is not blank
Not bypassed by business hours settings

Test: Call your number and verify menu plays.

Callers can't hear options

Verify:

Options are saved (not drafted)
Each option has text
Voice settings are configured
No special characters in text

Try: Re-save each option one by one.

Wrong destination routing

Check each option:

Destination is set correctly
Phone number includes country code
Team member has active Allo number
External number can receive calls

Test: Press each option and verify routing.

Favorites still hearing IVR

Verify:

Contact is marked with star (favorite)
Bypass setting is enabled
Contact is saved in Allo
Using correct phone number

Refresh: Remove and re-add favorite status.

Menu plays but doesn't route

Want Voice IVR

Voice IVR is in beta:

Available on request only
Contact our sales team
May require Business plan
Currently limited availability

Contact:
Email [email protected] or reach out via WhatsApp

Examples by industry

Real estate

"Thank you for calling [Agency]."

Schedule a property showing
Speak with an agent
Property information
Office hours and location

Medical office

"Thank you for calling [Practice]."

Schedule or change appointment
Prescription refills
Billing questions
Medical emergency - press 9

Law firm

"Thank you for calling [Firm]."

New client consultations
Existing client matters
Office administration
After-hours urgent matters

E-commerce

"Thank you for calling [Store]."

Order status
Returns and exchanges
Product information
Customer service

Call routing

Route calls to team members

Business hours

Set availability schedule

AI Receptionist

Intelligent call handling

​What is IVR

​Setup IVR menu

​How it works

​Caller experience

​What callers hear

​IVR types

​Keypad-based menu (default)

​Natural language routing (Beta)

​Menu option actions

​Available actions

​Which action should I use?

​Menu structure

​Single-level menu (current)

​Best practices

​Voice and tone

​Customize AI voice

​Menu best practices

​Writing clear options

​Keep it short

​Professional scripting

​Common menu structures

​Small business (3 options)

​Service business (4 options)

​Professional services (5 options)

​Department routing (4 options)

​Bypass IVR menu

​Let important contacts skip menu

​Emergency bypass

​Troubleshooting

​Examples by industry

​Real estate

​Medical office

​Law firm

​E-commerce

​Related features

Call routing

Business hours

AI Receptionist

What is IVR

Setup IVR menu

How it works

Caller experience

What callers hear

IVR types

Keypad-based menu (default)

Natural language routing (Beta)

Menu option actions

Available actions

Which action should I use?

Menu structure

Single-level menu (current)

Best practices

Voice and tone

Customize AI voice

Menu best practices

Writing clear options

Keep it short

Professional scripting

Common menu structures

Small business (3 options)

Service business (4 options)

Professional services (5 options)

Department routing (4 options)

Bypass IVR menu

Let important contacts skip menu

Emergency bypass

Troubleshooting

Examples by industry

Real estate

Medical office

Law firm

E-commerce

Related features