The Platform Call node will form the basis for most if not all dial-plans you create, whilst starting off as a very basic node it can be put to further advanced use in more complex plans and this article will take you few a few examples of their use cases.

Overview

As you may know by now the Call node starts with two basic fields, a number, input in E.164 format and a friendly name. Further numbers can be added by either using the Add button or by adding another node following the original.

Under 'More Options' however there is a lot more advanced tools to be utilized.

Call Whisper

The call whisper is audio played back to the called party, meaning the person who answers the call will be the only one to hear the audio. Typical scenarios for a call whisper are when a business or organisation needs to separate and differentiate where the call is originating from. 

Take the below flow for example, as this stands the recipient will receive a call onto their mobile but won't necessarily know it's a business call and may answer the phone in a more casual manner. In order to maintain business professionalism for their clients, a call whisper can be added which will inform the called party that the call is from their business line.

Now that we've uploaded an audio file, the called party will be able to hear the audio and answer the call in a manner that suits their needs.

NOTE: Long whispers may cause issues on certain phone systems/concurrent dial setups so it is best to keep them as short as possible 1-2 seconds max.

Call Screen

Building on top of our knowledge of call whispers is the Call Screen. Call Screen gives a called party the whisper media but also with the ability to decline a call, this is useful when a single answer point is used in conjunction with multiple other nodes and fail-overs, don't want to take the call? Decline and have it fail-over to the next node or voicemail. Like the call whisper the same standards apply to call screens, it should be noted that when the media is being played, the caller will hear continuous ringing until the call is either answered or declined.

Ring Timers

By default the ring timer is set as 'keep ringing' this is to allow a call to continuously ring until someone answers the phone or the call is hung-up. The keep ringing node is mainly used as a final endpoint for the call, 'Set A Time' on the other hand is used for when the node is one of many possible stops in the call flow.