> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kallin.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Build and Manage IVR Menus for Your Kallin Numbers
> Create interactive voice response (IVR) menus in Kallin to greet callers and route them to the right team or option with keypad selections.
An IVR (Interactive Voice Response) menu answers incoming calls with a recorded or synthesised greeting and presents callers with a set of options they select using their phone's keypad. Rather than every call ringing a single number and relying on someone to manually redirect it, an IVR handles the sorting automatically — routing callers to Sales, Support, Accounts, or any other destination without any manual intervention. This reduces wait times, improves the caller experience, and frees your team to focus on the calls that are relevant to them.
## Creating an IVR Menu
Log in to your Kallin dashboard and select **IVR Menus** from the left-hand menu. You'll see a list of any menus you've already created.
Click the **Create IVR Menu** button in the top-right corner to open the menu builder.
Enter a descriptive internal name for the menu, such as **"Main Menu"** or **"Out-of-Hours Menu"**. This name is only visible to you in the dashboard — callers do not hear it.
Add the audio your callers will hear when the menu answers. Your greeting should clearly list all the options available, for example: *"Thank you for calling Kallin. Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support, or Press 0 to speak with reception."* See Greeting Messages below for the full range of options.
For each key you want to assign (digits **0–9**, **\***, and **#**), click **Add Option**, select the key, and choose a destination. You do not need to assign every key — only the ones you announce in your greeting. See Menu Option Destinations below for the full list of available destinations.
Choose what happens if a caller does not press any key within a set number of seconds after the greeting finishes. Common choices are to replay the greeting, transfer to a default destination, or send the caller to voicemail.
Choose what happens if a caller presses a key that has no assigned option. You can play a short message such as *"Sorry, that option wasn't recognised"* and replay the greeting, or redirect them to a default destination.
Click **Save Menu**. To activate it, either assign the IVR as a destination in a **Call Routing** rule, or navigate to your number settings and set this IVR as the direct answer destination.
## Greeting Messages
Your IVR greeting is the first thing callers hear, so it should be clear, professional, and concise. Kallin supports three methods for providing a greeting:
| Method | How It Works |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Upload a file** | Upload a pre-recorded audio file in **MP3** or **WAV** format. This gives you the most control over production quality — you can record and edit the audio in your preferred tool before uploading. |
| **Text-to-speech** | Type your greeting text directly into the dashboard and select a UK voice. Kallin generates the audio automatically. Ideal for quick setup or frequent greeting changes without re-recording. |
| **Record via phone call** | Dial the Kallin recording line shown in the dashboard, follow the prompts, and your recording is saved directly to the menu. Useful if you want a personal, human voice without using external recording software. |
Text-to-speech greetings use UK English voices. Both male and female voice options are available in the dashboard. You can preview any voice before saving your selection.
## Menu Option Destinations
Each key press in your IVR can route to any of the following destinations:
| Destination | Description |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Phone Number** | Forwards the call to any valid UK landline or mobile number. |
| **Ring Group** | Rings a group of phones simultaneously or in sequence — ideal for directing callers to a team. |
| **Another IVR Menu** | Sends the caller into a sub-menu. Use this to create nested options (see Nested IVR Menus below). |
| **Voicemail** | Sends the caller directly to a voicemail box where they can leave a message. |
| **Hang Up** | Ends the call immediately. Useful for options like "Press 9 to hear this message again" combined with a replay action, or for routing unwanted calls. |
## Nested IVR Menus
You can build multi-level menu structures by routing a key press to another IVR menu. This is useful when a single top-level option needs further sub-options.
For example:
* **Main Menu**: *"Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support"*
* **Key 1 → Sales Sub-Menu**: *"Press 1 for New Enquiries, Press 2 for Existing Customers"*
* **Key 2 → Support Sub-Menu**: *"Press 1 for Technical Support, Press 2 for Billing"*
To set this up, create each sub-menu first, then return to the parent menu and assign the relevant key to the sub-menu as its destination. You can nest menus as many levels deep as needed, though we recommend keeping the overall structure simple to avoid confusing callers.
Keep your top-level menu to **five options or fewer**. Research consistently shows that callers stop listening after the fourth option — if your menu runs longer, callers either hang up or press a random key. If you need more than five options, use nested sub-menus to group related choices rather than listing everything at the top level.
## Related Guides
Create time-based and condition-based routing rules that send calls to your IVR menus at the right moment.
Set up voicemail boxes to use as IVR destinations when callers reach you outside of hours.