Holiday closures
A shop closes for two weeks in August. You upload a recording with the reopening date and hang up after it plays, so callers know right away when to call back.
Phone system
Play your own recorded message to callers, then send the call where it needs to go
Upload an MP3 or WAV file, the phone system converts it to telephone format and plays it to the caller. The same file can be the hold music of your queues.
August closure
0:16
“Thank you for calling Bellini Opticians. We are closed for the summer from 10 to 24 August and reopen on Monday 25 at 9 am. For urgent contact lens issues, stay on the line and we will put you through to the lab.”
What it is for
With the Audio module you upload a recording of your own, such as a holiday closure notice, a welcome read by a voice artist or your company jingle, and use it in your cloud phone system as the destination of a call.
When a call reaches an Audio module, the phone system answers, plays the message once from start to finish, then sends the call to the destination you chose in "After playing": a queue, an IVR menu, an operator, another recording, or simply hanging up.
The same recordings appear among a queue's "Music on hold" choices, so people waiting for an operator hear your music or your promotional messages instead of the default music.
You can listen to the file right in the portal before putting it live, and try it with a test call from your browser, which is not billed and is left out of reports.
Use cases
A notice before the queue
A medical practice has to tell callers that calls may be recorded. The number leads to an audio with the notice, and after it plays the call joins the reception queue.
Branded hold music
An online shop wants waiting customers to hear its jingle and this month's offers. You upload the file and pick it as the hold music of the "Orders" queue.
A professionally voiced welcome
An agency had its greeting recorded by a voice artist. You upload it as an audio and make it the first step, before the IVR menu that routes the calls.
A temporary outage notice
A service provider has a fault in one area. You record a short explanation and, after it plays, still send the call to support for people with other questions.
How it works
Create the module and name it
In Phone modules open Hold music, click "New audio" and give it a name you will recognise, such as "August closure".
Upload the file
Click "Choose file" and pick an MP3 or WAV of up to 25 MB and 30 minutes. The phone system converts it to telephone format and shows its length; you can play it straight away in the page.
Choose what happens next
In "After playing" set where the call goes once the message ends: a queue, an operator, an answerer, a transfer, or Hang up.
Link it to a number or another module
Pick the audio as the destination of a phone number, an IVR key, a queue exit or a switch. Or pick it as the hold music of a queue.
Try it with a test call
The test button places a call from your browser straight into this audio: you hear the message and check where the call goes, with no charge and nothing in the reports.
What you can set
The message
- Name
- How you find the audio in the list and when choosing destinations.
- Audio file
- The file played to the caller: MP3 or WAV, up to 25 MB and 30 minutes, converted to telephone format.
- Replace file
- Upload a new version of the message; calls already playing the old one finish it.
- Listen in the portal
- A player in the page lets you hear the saved file exactly as callers will.
After playing
- Destination
- Where the call continues once the message has played: Operator, Queue, IVR menu, AI answerer, On/Off switch, Audio, Transfer, Callback, WhatsApp redirect, Feedback, Hang up or Busy.
Where it is used
- Call destination
- Phone numbers, IVR keys, queue exits and other modules can send the call to this audio, which plays once.
- Queue hold music
- In a queue you choose between "None", "Default music" and your own recordings: the chosen file loops while the caller waits.
- Recordings list
- For each file you see its length and how many queues use it as hold music; an audio used by a queue cannot be deleted until you pick another one.
- Test call
- Places a call from your browser straight into this audio: not billed and left out of reports.
Frequently asked questions
Which audio formats can I upload to the phone system?
MP3 or WAV files of up to 25 MB and 30 minutes. The portal converts them to the format phone lines use, so you do not need to prepare the file yourself.
Can the same file be both hold music and a message?
Yes. Every uploaded audio can be a call destination and, at the same time, the hold music of one or more queues.
What happens to the call when the audio message ends?
It goes to the destination set in "After playing": a queue, an operator, an IVR menu, another module, or it ends with Hang up or Busy.
Can I type the text and have a voice read it instead of uploading a file?
The Audio module plays a file you upload. Written messages read by a synthetic voice are set directly in the modules that use them, such as the IVR menu, queues, Callback and Feedback.
If I replace the file, are calls in progress cut off?
No. Calls already listening to the message finish it; new calls hear the new file.
What do waiting callers hear if the hold music file is removed?
An audio used as hold music cannot be deleted while a queue uses it. If an audio has no file, the queue plays the default music rather than silence.
Related features
Try it on your own phone lines
Sign up free and try this feature with your numbers, or message us on WhatsApp and we’ll show it to you.