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

# Route calls to the right team

> Send Brilo callers to the right person or department, either by what they ask for or by which number they dialled.

There are two ways to get callers to the right place: give your agent several transfer destinations and tell it
which to use, or give each department its own number and its own agent. The first keeps one agent and one set of
instructions. The second is more reliable when the departments behave differently.

## Which approach to use

|                            | Several transfers on one agent | A number and agent per department                   |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| How the caller is routed   | By what they say they want     | By the number they dialled                          |
| Greeting                   | The same for everybody         | Different per department                            |
| Instructions and knowledge | One set, shared                | Separate, can diverge                               |
| Best for                   | One business, several people   | Separate locations, or genuinely different services |
| Cost                       | One number                     | One number per department                           |

Start with the first. Move to the second when you find yourself writing contradictory instructions into one
agent.

## Routing by what the caller asks for

Add one transfer action per destination, then tell your agent which is which. The instructions do the routing,
so be specific about the words callers actually use rather than your internal department names.

```
Route callers as follows:
- Questions about an existing order or booking: transfer to [name or team one].
- New enquiries and quotes: transfer to [name or team two].
- Accounts and invoices: transfer to [name or team three].
- Anything urgent, meaning [your definition]: transfer to [the on call number] immediately.

If you are not sure which is right, ask one short question to find out. Never guess between two
departments.
```

Set each transfer up with [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person), and give each one a
fallback number so an unanswered department does not become a dead end.

That last line matters. An agent that guesses between two departments sends callers to the wrong person, which is
worse than asking one clarifying question.

## Routing by the number dialled

Give each department its own number, attach each to its own agent, and each agent gets a greeting and knowledge
of its own. See [Buy a phone number](/phone-numbers/buy-a-phone-number) and
[Assign a number to an agent](/phone-numbers/assign-a-number-to-an-agent).

This is the more predictable of the two, because nothing depends on the agent interpreting what the caller wants.
It costs an extra number per department and it means maintaining more than one agent.

## What to test

1. **Ask for each destination in turn**, in the words a customer would use, and check the right phone rings.
2. **Be deliberately vague.** Does your agent ask a clarifying question rather than guessing?
3. **Have one destination not answer.** Does the fallback work?
4. **Ask for something none of the routes cover.** Does it take a message rather than picking a route at random?

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can calls go to different teams?">
    Yes. Add a transfer action per destination and tell your agent in its instructions which situations go where.
    Alternatively give each team its own number and agent, which is more predictable.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I route by what the caller says?">
    Yes, and that is the point of the first approach. Describe the routes in the words your callers use rather
    than your internal team names, since your agent is matching what it hears.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I use one number per department instead?">
    Use separate numbers when the departments need different greetings, hours, or knowledge, or when the cost of
    misrouting is high. One agent with several transfers is simpler and enough for most businesses.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when the chosen team does not answer?">
    The fallback number on that transfer is tried, and then your agent returns to the caller and follows your
    instructions. Set a fallback on every transfer, because an unanswered department is the most likely failure.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change routing without rebuilding my agent?">
    Yes. Routing lives in your instructions and your transfer actions, so changing where a type of call goes is an
    edit rather than a rebuild. The next call uses the new routing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is my call going to the wrong place?">
    Usually the instructions describe the routes in your language rather than the caller's, so your agent matches
    the wrong one. Read the transcript to see what the caller actually said, then rewrite that route in their
    words.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person) to set up each destination
* [Assign a number to an agent](/phone-numbers/assign-a-number-to-an-agent) for the number per department approach
* [When a caller asks for a person](/calls/when-a-caller-asks-for-a-person) for the simplest case
* [Write what your agent says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says) where the routing rules live
* [Read a call transcript](/reports/read-a-call-transcript) to see why a call was routed wrongly