Call settings | ElevenLabs Documentation

Call settings control how inbound calls are handled — who answers first, when to transfer, and which numbers to block.

Answering mode

Answering mode determines who picks up the phone first when a call comes in.

AI agent first (default)

The AI receptionist answers immediately. Best for businesses that want 24/7 coverage without human involvement.

Staff first

Your staff’s phone rings first. If nobody answers within the configured ring time (5–60 seconds), the AI receptionist takes over.

When staff-first is enabled, you configure:

Setting	Description
Staff phone number	The number to ring first
Max ring time	How long to ring before AI takes over (5–60 seconds)
Hold music	What the caller hears while waiting (ambient, classical, electronica, guitars, rock, soft-rock)
Connecting message	Spoken to the caller while ringing staff
Agent fallback message	Spoken when staff doesn’t answer and AI takes over
Staff answering hours	Schedule when staff-first is active (outside these hours, AI answers directly)

Staff-first mode is useful during business hours when you prefer personal interaction, with AI as a safety net for missed calls.

Call transfer rules

Transfer rules let your receptionist route calls to specific people or departments based on what the caller says. You can create up to 10 transfer rules per receptionist.

Each rule has:

Label — Short name (1–200 characters)
Condition — When to trigger, in natural language (1–2000 characters)
Destination — Phone number to transfer to

Example transfer rules

Label	Condition	Destination
Owner	Caller asks to speak with the owner or manager	Owner’s mobile
Billing	Caller has questions about billing, payments, or invoices	Finance line
Emergency	Caller describes an emergency or urgent medical situation	Emergency contact
Specific person	Caller asks for Sarah by name	Sarah’s direct line

Blocked numbers

Block specific phone numbers from reaching your receptionist. Blocked callers are rejected immediately. Numbers can also be blocked directly from a conversation history or client profile.