---
title: "Set Call Routing Rules for Departments"
slug: "set-call-routing-rules-for-departments"
description: "Create a call routing system in your department, ensuring all calls are directed to the right place. "
tags: ["department hold queue", "operator routing", "call routing", "department fallback options", "call routing for departments", "Edit Call Routing", "shared line voicemail", "ivr ", "Department Call", "department welcome greeting"]
updated: 2026-02-20T23:38:15Z
published: 2026-02-20T23:38:15Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.dialpad.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set Call Routing Rules for Departments

Once you've [set your business hours](/v1/docs/set-business-hours) for a department, set call routing rules for when it’s open and closed.

To access your department's call routing rules, go to your Dialpad **Admin Settings**.

1. Navigate to**Departments**
2. Select the desired department
3. Navigate to**Business hours & call routing**
4. Select**Edit Call Routing** ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/department-call-routing(1).png)

If you've set specific business hours for a department, you'll need to go through these steps twice, once for open hours and once for closed hours.

## Route calls to operators

If you choose to send calls to operators, you'll see these operator routing types:

| **Longest idle** | Agents are rung individually in order of who has been idle the longest. |
| --- | --- |
| **Fixed order** | Agents are rung individually in the same fixed order. |
| **Round robin** | Agents are rung individually in a fixed, rotating order. |
| **Simultaneous** | All Agents are rung at once. |

![View of the Call Routing settings page for a department. The option for call routing to operators is highlighted.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/Department Operator Call Routing Options.png)

By choosing to send calls to operators, you can also [change how long calls ring out](/v1/docs/set-a-custom-ring-duration#department-lines) to them before defaulting to your second option, such as a hold queue. Calls that go unanswered by any operators will get routed to your fallback option.

> [!NOTE]
> Notes
> 
> Callers first hear a ringing sound, and all following attempts to ring out to an available operator play hold music. To make this change, please contact our [Customer Care Team](https://dialpad.com/contact-support). Enterprise plan users can also update ringtone preferences through the Enterprise Support Portal. If you select Round Robin routing, whenever the operators are re-ordered, or an operator is added or removed, the routing is reset so that the next incoming call goes to the operator with rank 1.

## No operator options

If you choose No operator, you'll see these general routing types:

| **Directly to voicemail** | Operators receive notifications when voicemails are left. |
| --- | --- |
| **To a message (no voicemail)** | Default or custom message. |
| **To another Department** | Choose another department to send calls to. |
| **To a team member / room phone / number** | Choose another team member, room, phone, or number to send calls to. - Contact our [Customer Care Team](https://dialpad.com/contact-support) to enable this functionality. |
| **To an automated response menu** | Options include dial by name directory (Office), dial by extension directory, dial by name directory (Company), forward to a department/contact center/office, forward to a person or number, leave a voicemail, recorded message, operator, and disabled. - If you forward to another department or contact center using an automated response menu, you may choose one that is located in another office within the entire company. - Calls will end by default if the caller doesn't choose an option after the menu repeats twice, but you're able to set one of the options as the default instead; this also applies if you've set one of the options to ring operators and the operators do not answer. - When using the automated response menu, the recorded message that plays is uninterruptible; all DTMF entries will be ignored. When the recorded message is complete, the call will return to the same automated response, which will play the initial greeting. |
| **To a workflow(voice)** | Choose a voice workflow to send the call to. |
| **To Google Conversational Agents** | Choose a Google Conversational Agent to send the call to. |
| **To an AI agent** | Choose an AI agent to send the call to. |

![View of the Call Routing settings page for a department. The options for when no operators are available are highlighted.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/Department Call No Routing No Operator.png)

Only one general routing type per department is allowed. To customize, set up an automated response menu to offer greater flexibility to customers.

## Dial by directory

Using an automated response menu with 'dial by' directories? Dial-by-name, whether for 'This Office' or 'Company-Wide,' and dial-by-extension directories prompt callers to enter the appropriate name or extension.

If dialing by name, they'll use the keypad number corresponding to the intended recipient's first name. If dialing by extension, they'll use the keypad to enter the exact extension.

## Welcome greeting

Set a welcome greeting for callers during open or closed hours. It defaults to no greeting, and upon activation, you can record or upload an audio file to use.

![Settings for open hours welcome greeting with options to record or upload greetings.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/Dept_welcome_greeting.png)

## Ring duration

Set how long department phones and devices ring before Dialpad assumes an operator is not available. Operators can also set their ring duration to a length shorter than what's chosen here.

![Settings for ring duration of department phones, adjustable between 10 to 45 seconds.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/Ring_duration.png)

## Hold queue

Set a [hold queue](/v1/docs/manage-a-department-hold-queue) for when all operators in the department are busy on other calls. As operators become available, calls are routed to them.

Customize the hold queue's size, wait time, greeting, and hold music.

![Settings for enabling hold queue, including size and wait time options.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/Hold_queue.png)

Use the default hold greeting, or upload your custom greeting.

If you're using our default greeting, be aware that your department name will be read to the caller. If your department has an unusual name, such as 'Calm Down Angry Clients,' we recommend recording or uploading a custom greeting so that the department name does not play.

## Fallback options

Set fallback options to determine what happens to calls when no operators are available during business hours.

> [!NOTE]
> Note
> 
> Fallback options are only visible when you select **Operators** as the routing option.

Fallback options are:

| **Directly to voicemail** | Operators receive notifications when voicemails are left. |
| --- | --- |
| **To a message (no voicemail)** | Default or custom message. |
| **To another Department** | Choose another Department to send calls to. |
| **To a team member / room phone / number** | Choose another team member, room, phone, or number (including outside Dialpad; contact our [Customer Care Team](https://dialpad.com/contact-support) first) to send calls to. |
| **To an automated response menu** | Options include dial by name directory (Office), dial by extension directory, dial by name directory (Company), forward to a Department, forward to a person or number, leave a voicemail, recorded message, Operator, and disabled. - Calls will end by default if the caller doesn't choose an option after the menu repeats twice, but you're able to set one of the options as the default instead. |
| **To a workflow(voice)** | Choose a voice workflow to send calls to. |
| **To Google Conversational Agents** | Choose a Google Conversational Agent to send calls to. |
| **To an AI agent** | Choose an AI agent to send calls to. |

![Call routing fallback options when no operators are available to take the call during business hours.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/Call Routing Fallback Options(1).png)

Only one general routing type per department is allowed. To customize, set up an automated response menu to offer greater flexibility to customers.

## Voicemail greeting

Set a voicemail greeting if your fallback option is 'directly to voicemail' or 'leave a voicemail' as in an automated response menu. You can record or upload an audio file to use in addition to the default greeting.

![Voicemail greeting settings with options to record or upload a greeting.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/voicemail_greeting.png)

## Related

- [Create a Department](/create-a-department.md)
- [Department FAQs](/departments-faqs.md)
- [Manage a Department Hold Queue](/manage-a-department-hold-queue.md)
- [Differences Between Departments & Contact Centers](/differences-between-departments-contact-centers.md)
- [Working as a Department Administrator](/working-as-a-department-administrator.md)
- [Assign Operators to Departments](/assign-operators-to-departments.md)
- [Working as an Operator](/working-as-an-operator.md)