Allow Callers to Dial Outbound Calls via IVR

An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu is the automated greeting that answers inbound callers and lets them press keys to reach a person, a department, or an option. By default, an IVR can only connect callers to destinations inside your own system. You can also allow callers who reach the IVR to place calls back out through one or more outbound routes, so the IVR acts as a bridge to numbers beyond the local system.

Note

An outbound route is the rule that decides which trunk (outside line) a call leaves through, based on the number that was dialed. Turning on Dial Outbound Routes lets IVR callers use those same rules to reach external numbers, instead of being limited to internal extensions.

When to use this

This is most helpful when two systems are linked together, such as a headquarters system and a branch system, with the IVR configured only on the headquarters side. Each system is a PBX (Private Branch Exchange), the phone system that manages your extensions and routes calls internally and to outside lines. By granting the headquarters IVR access to an outbound route, a caller can dial a headquarters extension and be connected straight through to the matching employee or department at the branch, without you having to build a separate menu on each system.

Before you begin

• On both linked systems, configure the matching outbound route and inbound route so calls can pass between them.
• Prepare an IVR prompt (the recorded greeting) that tells callers how to dial the outbound number they want to reach.

Caution

The routes on the two systems must line up: the outbound route on one PBX has to reach an inbound route on the other, or calls between them will not connect. Set up and confirm both routes on each PBX before you enable outbound dialing in the IVR.

Set up the IVR

1. Sign in to the PBX web portal and go to Call Features > IVR, then open the IVR you want to change for editing.

2. From the Prompt drop-down list, choose the prompt you prepared for outbound dialing.

3. Turn on the Dial Outbound Routes checkbox.

4. Move the outbound route you want callers to use from the Available box into the Selected box.

   Danger

   Once outbound dialing is enabled, anyone who reaches this IVR can place calls through the routes you add here, including long-distance or international calls that are billed to your account. This is a common toll-fraud target. Add only the specific outbound route the caller genuinely needs, and keep any route that can reach premium or international numbers off the Selected list.

5. Click Save, then Apply to put the change into effect. The change is not live until you click Apply: saving alone stores the settings without reloading the system.

Tip

After you apply the change, call the IVR yourself and dial a branch extension to confirm the connection works before you rely on it in production.