User Input

The User Input component captures the DTMF digits (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency: the tones a phone sends when the caller presses keys) that a caller keys in and saves them for the rest of the flow to use. It works hand in hand with the Condition component: collect what the caller enters here, then branch on that value further down the flow. You decide when collection stops, after a digit or response timeout, or when the caller presses an end key, and you can play a prompt or a spoken message to tell them what to enter.

Prompt types you can play

You can front the input with any of three prompt types.

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)	A hold-music track already saved on the system.
Text to Speech (TTS)	Text you type, spoken back in the language and voice style you pick.

Note

Music on Hold has to exist before you can select it. Set it up under PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Music on Hold first.

Note

Text to Speech is only available once the feature is switched on. Turn it on under Integrations > AI.

End keys

An end key lets the caller signal that they have finished entering digits. You can use #, *, a numeric key, or no key at all. Set it under Call Flow Designer > Options.

Note

With no end key set, the caller only advances to the next component when their entry matches or when a timeout is reached.

Configure the component

1. Add the User Input component to your call flow, then click it to open its settings.

   

2. Optional: add a prompt or a spoken message to tell callers what to enter. Follow the section below that matches the prompt type you want.

Play a custom prompt

1. Click Custom Prompt.

2. Choose the prompt or prompts to play.

   Note

   You can add up to 5 custom prompts.

   • To reuse an existing prompt, pick it from the Prompt list.

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

     Note

     New prompts are saved under PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt.

3. Optional: to repeat the prompt(s) continuously, select Enable Loop Playback.

   Caution

   The loop is dropped if the next connected component carries its own prompt: that prompt overrides it. This is easy to miss when a downstream component seems to ignore the prompt you set to loop.

Play music on hold

1. Select Music on Hold.
2. Pick a saved track from the Music on Hold list.

Caution

The hold music is dropped if the next connected component carries its own prompt: that prompt overrides the hold music.

Play a text-to-speech message

1. Select Text to Speech.

2. Write the message and choose its voice style. Both static and dynamic text are supported.

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

   • Dynamic text: type the message and insert placeholders backed by variables, so the wording is assembled at call time. You can also set how long the system may take to generate the speech and where to route the caller if that limit is hit.

     Example:

     

   The generated speech is stored on the system and synced to PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt.

3. Optional: to control what happens when the speech takes too long to generate, select TTS Response Timeout, then attach the next components to the TTS Playback Success and TTS Response Timeout branches.

   Note

   Leave the timeout branch unset and a caller who hits the limit simply moves on to the next component without hearing anything.

Set the input timeouts

Tell the component how long to keep listening for digits.

• Digit Timeout(s): how long to wait for the caller to key in the next digit. Choose a value from the list, or type one between 1 and 9999.
• Component Response Timeout(s): how long to wait for the caller to do anything at all. Choose a value from the list, or type one between 1 and 9999.

Tip

Give callers enough time on both timeouts. If a timeout is reached before the caller finishes keying in their digits, the component ends with UserInputResult.Timeout and the call follows the timeout path instead of the option the caller was trying to reach.

Finish

Click Confirm in the bottom-right corner. The prompt you chose now shows on the component.

Component variables

Every User Input component stores the caller’s entry in variables. Expression-aware components such as Condition can read those values to decide where the call goes next.

Note

A single call flow can hold several User Input components, so each one is numbered in the order it was added (User Input 1, User Input 2, and so on). Include the matching index in the variable to read the component you actually mean.

Variable	Type	Description	Example
$UserInput{index}.result	String	How the component finished. UserInputResult.Timeout means the caller entered no digits before the timeout and was sent to the timeout destination; UserInputResult.ValidOption means the caller pressed a valid key and was sent to the matching destination.	$UserInput1.result(STRING)=UserInputResult.Timeout
$UserInput{index}.ttsResult	String	The text-to-speech outcome. UserInputTTSResult.Success means the text was converted and played to the caller; UserInputTTSResult.Timeout means it was not generated in time, so the caller moved straight on with no prompt.	$UserInput1.ttsResult(STRING)=UserInputTTSResult.Success
$UserInput{index}.userInput	String	The DTMF digits the caller pressed, not counting the end key (# or *).	"2"

Connect the component

A User Input component connects to one downstream component, or two when TTS Response Timeout is on (one for success, one for the timeout). You can connect any of the components below.

Component	What it does
Prompt	Plays an audio prompt or text-to-speech message to the caller.
Business Hours	Routes calls to different destinations based on the time of day.
Menu	Offers callers a set of options and routes on the DTMF digit they press.
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.