Company Admins can use the IVR External Number Company Setting to let teams route callers from an automated response or IVR menu to an external phone number, enabling a self-serve company setting in the Admin Portal. Once enabled, company admins who manage automated response menus for departments, contact centers, or mainlines can configure menu options to route callers to an external number.
When a caller reaches your IVR menu and selects the key you mapped to an external number, Dialpad places an outbound call to that external destination and bridges it with the inbound caller.
Who can use this
Company Admins can enable or disable IVR external forwarding at the company level in the web admin experience.
Let’s dive into the details.
Before you begin
Keep these important limitations in mind before enabling IVR external forwarding:
External IVR forwarding behaves like a bridge transfer. Calls forwarded to external numbers may incur outbound usage or per-minute charges depending on your plan or contract.
IVR external forwarding is currently intended for domestic US numbers only.
International-formatted numbers may save in the UI, but live calls to those numbers can fail and loop the caller back to the start of the IVR menu.
Note
This is a company-level setting. It acts as the master on/off switch for external IVR forwarding across your company.
Enable IVR forwarding to external numbers
To enable IVR forwarding to external numbers, go to your Dialpad Admin Settings.
Select My Company
Select Company Settings
Navigate to IVR Forwarding to External Numbers
Select the Enable IVR forwarding to external numbers option
After you enable the setting, eligible group admins can use external phone numbers as destinations in supported IVR or automated response menus.
Configure an IVR menu option to forward to an external number
Once the company setting is enabled, open the automated response menu or IVR menu for the department, contact center, or mainline you want to update.
To configure an IVR to forward to an external number, go to your Dialpad Admin Settings.
Select the Department, Contact Center, or mainline you want to configure the IVR
Select Business hours and call routing
Navigate to Call Routing and select Edit Call Routing
Under Routing Options > Fallback Options, select To an automated response menu
For any available number, select Forward to a person / # — HIT ENTER
Enter the external destination number
Press Enter to save the number in the destination field
Note
You must press Enter after typing the destination number.
The option has been saved and is ready to use in your IVR.
Frequently asked questions
Does this change manual transfers by agents or operators?
No. This setting only affects automated IVR and response-menu routing. Agent and operator transfer workflows do not change.
Is this a company-wide setting?
Yes. This is a company-level setting, and once enabled, eligible admins can configure supported group IVR menus to route calls to external numbers.
Will I be charged for calls forwarded to external numbers?
External IVR forwarding may incur outbound usage or per-minute charges because Dialpad places an outbound call leg to the external number and bridges it to the inbound caller.