How to Set Up a Phone Menu for Small Business
A phone menu is an automated greeting that routes callers through options on the keypad. See how easy it is to set up a phone menu with Telzio.
Phone menus help small businesses handle calls efficiently and provide information to customers around the clock. Also known as IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems or automated attendants, they let callers reach the right department, employee, or information through a few simple keypad selections. By greeting every caller professionally and routing them automatically, your business can save time and deliver a better customer experience.
What is a Phone Menu?
A phone menu, or IVR system, is an automated greeting that allows callers to navigate through options on their keypad (for example, press 1 for sales, 2 for support). Businesses use phone menus to automate call routing and provide consistent information to customers. You can think of a phone menu as a flowchart that adapts to your business needs, from simple single-level menus to multi-level systems that change dynamically based on business hours or caller type.
Until recently, only large companies could afford the technology needed to set up custom phone menus. Thanks to cloud-based VoIP platforms like Telzio, small businesses can now create professional, automated phone menus in minutes, without any technical skills. Telzio’s system is designed for simplicity, so you can build, customize, and manage your call flow directly from your browser.
Through the Telzio website, you can create an automated phone system and call menu options such as this one.
How to Set up a Phone Menu with Telzio
Telzio provides automated phone systems that make it easy to create and manage phone menus. With Telzio, you can personalize your business phone system without any heavy lifting. Unlimited phone menus are included at no additional cost, and can be personalized and ready to go within a few minutes.
Once you’ve created a Telzio account and you’re logged into the Telzio website, setting up a phone menu is easy using Telzio Call Flows. Here's how it's done.
1. Choose a Business Phone Number
Start by selecting a local or toll-free number for your business. If you already have one, you can easily port your number to Telzio with zero downtime.
You can assign multiple numbers; local, toll-free, or international number to the same phone menu so customers can reach you through the most convenient channel. Telzio provides numbers from over 60 countries that you can register instantly, allowing you to start building your call flow right away.
Telzio offers local and toll free numbers from over 60 countries that you can browse and register instantly. Once you decide on your phone number, you can start designing your call flow menu.
2. Create Your Phone Menu Options
Plan the options your callers will hear, such as 'Press 1 for Sales' or 'Press 2 for Support,' and write a clear greeting that introduces your business and lists the choices. In the Telzio dashboard, you can easily customize your menu and greeting.
Choose from three recording options:
- Upload an audio file
- Record using your computer microphone
- Use Telzio’s built-in text-to-speech tool
Related: 3 Tips for Creating a Professional Phone Greeting
3. Set Your Call Routing Details
Next, define how incoming calls should be routed after a caller selects. Telzio’s Call Flows make this process visual and intuitive, you simply drag and drop elements to design the caller’s journey. You can set up filters for business hours, create hunt groups, add queues, voicemail boxes, conference lines, or even payment-by-phone options. The goal is to greet callers quickly and connect them to the right person or department every time, you can route callers using a number of different call routing features that Telzio provides.
Routing options could include:
- Business hours to filter calls based on schedule,
- Hunt groups for employees and departments,
- A call queue where callers hold for the next agent,
- A company or individual voicemail boxes,
- A conference call,
- And even a pay-by-phone option.
The purpose of the phone menu is to greet your callers and forward calls to the right place. Here are a few options on how to direct incoming calls:
Forward Calls to a Receptionist
If you have a receptionist or an auto attendant, you can offer your callers the option to bypass the phone menu and speak directly to an operator. You can do this by designating a number on the keypad for operator, (i.e. Press 0 at anytime to reach the operator) and forwarding calls from there to any phone number or team member.
Connect to the First Available Agent
Suppose you have a team of sales agents and you want incoming calls to a specific line or menu option to call those agents directly. You can set the incoming calls to dial each agent in sequential order, or dial them all at the same time for the first available agent to answer.
Set Opening Hours
Calls can be treated differently at certain times of the day by setting opening hours before or after a phone menu. If you have agents in different time zones or shifts, you can set up different phone menus with the appropriate call forwarding details.
Explore more automated calling features from Telzio.
Automated Phone Systems are Easy to Scale
Automated phone systems scale easily with your business. You can start with a simple menu and add features like business hours, hold music, caller ID, or advanced routing as you grow. Telzio includes all core features, no extra fees for expanding your setup. Every update can be made instantly through your web-based dashboard, keeping your system flexible, affordable, and future-ready.
With Telzio, you can start with a basic phone menu and incorporate business hours, hold music, call screening, caller ID, and other advanced features into your small business phone system as needed.
The key to choosing a phone menu solution is finding a provider that does not charge for additional features if you choose to add them later down the road, and will allow you to make changes to your phone menu anytime through a web-based DIY platform.
Have questions about setting up a phone menu? We're here to help.
