Menu

The Menu component plays a set of options to callers and routes each call according to the key the caller presses. It reads the tone a phone sends when a key is pressed, known as a DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) digit. Whatever the caller enters is saved in variables, so later components, or a Condition test, can reuse the value to decide where the call goes next.

You decide when the system stops gathering digits: it can stop once the digit or response timeout is reached, or as soon as the caller presses a configured end key. To prompt callers for input, attach one or more audio prompts or a text-to-speech message.

Prompt types

The component can play any of the following prompt types to guide the caller.

Prompt type	What it plays
Custom Prompt	An existing custom prompt, or a new one you record from an extension or upload as an audio file.
Music on Hold (MoH)	An existing Music on Hold playlist.
Text to Speech (TTS)	Text you supply, spoken in the language and voice style you choose.

Note

Before you can pick a Music on Hold prompt, the playlist must already exist under PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Music on Hold.

Note

Text to Speech only appears once you enable the feature under Integrations > AI.

End keys

An end key tells the system the caller has finished entering digits. You can use #, *, a numeric key, or no key at all, and you set it under Call Flow Designer > Options.

Note

When no end key is set, the caller only moves on to the next component once their input matches an option or the timeout is reached.

Configure the component

After you drop the Menu component onto a call flow, you can set the prompt and digit timeout, the retry behavior for invalid input and for response timeouts, and the keys that map to each menu option.

Set the prompt and digit timeout

1. Click the Menu component to open its settings.

   

2. Choose a prompt to instruct callers, then complete its fields.

   Custom Prompt

   

   1. Click Custom Prompt.

   2. Specify the prompt or prompts:

      • Select an existing prompt from the Prompt list.

      • Or add a new one: click Record New to record from an extension, or Upload to add an audio file.

        Note

        A new prompt is saved under PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt.

      Note

      You can add up to 5 custom prompts.

   3. Optional: select Enable Loop Playback to repeat the prompts.

      Note

      A looped prompt stops if the next connected component has its own prompt, which takes over.

   Music on Hold (MoH)

   

   1. Select Music on Hold.

   2. Choose a playlist from the Music on Hold list.

      Note

      The MoH stops if the next connected component has its own prompt, which takes over.

   Text to Speech (TTS)

   

   1. Select Text to Speech.

   2. Fill in the remaining fields so the system can turn your text into speech. You can use static or dynamic text:

      • Static text: type the wording straight into the Text field.

      • Dynamic text: type the wording and add placeholders backed by variables so the message is built on the fly. You can also set a prompt-generation timeout; if the speech is not ready in time, the caller moves to the next component without hearing a prompt.

        

      The generated speech is saved and synced to PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt.

3. In the Digit Timeout(s) field, set how long to wait for the caller’s next digit. Pick a value from the list or enter one between 1 and 9999.

4. Click Confirm in the bottom-right corner.

Set a retry strategy for no match

Give callers another chance at the menu when their input does not match any option.

1. Click the No Match branch.
2. Select Return to Menu.
3. In the Return Count list, choose how many times a caller can come back to the component after a no-match result.
4. Optional: add an audio prompt or text-to-speech message that tells the caller to try again.
5. Click Confirm in the bottom-right corner.

Set the response timeout and retry strategy

Adjust how long the component waits for the caller to act, and let them retry when that time runs out.

1. Click the Response Timeout branch.
2. In the Component Response Timeout(s) field, set how long to wait for the caller. Pick a value from the list or enter one between 1 and 9999.
3. Set the retry behavior for a timeout:
   1. Select Return to Menu.
   2. In the Return Count list, choose how many times a caller can come back to the component after a timeout.
   3. Optional: add an audio prompt or text-to-speech message that tells the caller to try again.
4. Click Confirm in the bottom-right corner.

Set keys for menu options

1. Click the add button on the component to create a branch for a key.

   Note

   You can add up to 100 branches, each tied to a different key.

   

2. Click the new branch and complete its settings.

   

   Setting	What to do
   Enter values to match	Enter the value that maps to this branch. Only digits and the characters * and # are allowed. Make sure the value does not clash with the end key set under Call Flow Designer > Options > End Key: if it does, the input is treated as invalid and sent to the No Match destination.
   Return to Menu	Select Return to Menu, then choose a Return Count for how many times the caller can come back to the component. Optionally add a prompt or text-to-speech message that asks the caller to try again. This is useful for replaying the menu when a caller fails to make a selection.

3. Click Confirm in the bottom-right corner.

Component variables

Each Menu component stores the caller’s input in variables. You can reference these in expression-aware components such as Condition to read the value and route the call accordingly.

Note

Because a call flow can contain more than one Menu component, each is numbered in the order it was added (Menu 1, Menu 2, and so on). Include the matching index in the variable name to pull data from the correct component.

Variable	Type	Description	Example
$Menu{index}.result	String	The outcome of the component: MenuResult.Timeout, no digit was pressed before the timeout, so the call went to the timeout destination. MenuResult.ValidOption, a valid key was pressed and the call went to its destination. MenuResult.InvalidOption, an invalid key was pressed and the call went to the no-match destination.	$Menu1.result(STRING)=MenuResult.InvalidOption
$Menu{index}.ttsResult	String	The text-to-speech outcome: MenuTTSResult.Success, the text became speech and was played to the caller. MenuTTSResult.Timeout, the text was not converted in time, so the caller moved to the next component without a prompt.	$Menu1.ttsResult(STRING)=MenuTTSResult.Success
$Menu{index}.userInput	String	The DTMF digits the caller pressed, excluding the end key set under Call Flow Designer > Options > End Key.	"2"

Connect the branches

The Menu component includes two built-in branches, No Match and Response Timeout, plus up to 100 more branches for DTMF keys. Each branch connects to exactly one downstream component, chosen from the list below.

Component	What it does
Prompt	Plays an audio prompt or a text-to-speech message to the caller.
Business Hours	Routes the call to different destinations based on the time of day.
Menu	Offers another set of options and routes on the DTMF digit the caller presses.
User Input	Collects DTMF digits from the caller, usually paired with Condition to route on what was entered.
Language	Switches the system-prompt language for the components that follow.
Record	Starts recording once the caller connects to another party, with optional notice prompts, or disables recording for a call that would otherwise be recorded.
Dial by Number	Lets callers dial a number directly to reach their destination.
Dial by Name	An end component that lets callers reach a user by typing the first three letters of their name.
Transfer	An end component that hands the caller to a set destination, with an optional prompt announcing the transfer.
Hang Up Call	An end component that disconnects the caller.
Condition	Routes calls according to logical expressions.
Loop	Repeats a group of components a set number of times or until a condition is met.
Internal Data Ops	Reads from and writes to the PBX’s built-in database. See Get Extension Presence Status, Set Extension Presence Status, Get Queue Agent, Get Queue Info, Get Agent Status, Set Agent Status, Get System Info, Get System Capacity, Get Extension Info, and Get Company Contact Info.
Email Sender	Sends email for real-time notifications, alerts, or user-specific information.
Database Access	Runs SQL against a database mid-call to read or update data.
HTTP Request	Sends HTTP requests to external servers to exchange data with third-party services.