Call Flow Templates: Opening Hours, Holidays and AI

A call flow is the path a call takes from the first ring to whoever answers it. Phone systems call it an IVR or call tree. It sounds technical, but the idea is simple: decide in advance what happens to every call based on the time, the day and what the caller needs.

Here’s how to think about it, plus three templates you can adapt.

The building blocks

Every call flow is built from four kinds of block:

Block	What it does	Example
Opening hours check	Checks whether you’re open	Monday to Friday, 9 am to 8 pm
Holiday check	Checks whether today is special	Public holidays and your own closures
Caller option	Lets the caller choose	“If it’s urgent, say so”
Destination	Who handles it	Front desk, your mobile, the AI or a message

The golden rule: no branch should end in plain voicemail. Every path must end with someone who resolves the call or a clear next step.

Template 1: hair or beauty salon

1. Open?
   • Yes → ring the front desk for 20 seconds.
     • No answer → the AI answers: books, moves or cancels appointments and answers price questions.
   • No → the AI answers straight away.
2. Holiday or closure? → the AI answers, says when you reopen and offers to book for your return.

Why it works: almost every salon call is about appointments. The AI can resolve them on its own, day and night.

Template 2: repair shop

1. Open?
   • Yes → ring the workshop manager’s mobile for 15 seconds.
     • No answer → the AI answers.
       • Booking or question → the AI resolves it.
       • Asking about a car in for repair → the AI takes a note and alerts whoever is working on that car.
   • No → the AI answers and books the next available slot.
2. Roadside breakdown? → if you offer recovery, transfer to the on-call phone. If not, the AI says so and gives a towing number.

Why it works: it separates what can be handled alone (bookings) from what needs someone in the shop (repair status, emergencies).

Template 3: clinic or practice

1. Open?
   • Yes → ring the front desk for 20 seconds.
     • Busy or no answer → the AI answers: books, moves or cancels appointments and answers common questions.
   • No → the AI answers.
2. Medical emergency? → the AI gives no medical advice. It tells the caller to contact the local emergency number and, if you’ve set it up, alerts the on-call practitioner.
3. Holiday? → the AI answers and offers the first available appointment.

Why it works: the AI takes repetitive work off the front desk and draws a very clear line on medical matters.

Handling holidays

Holidays are the most common mistake in call flows. Keep in mind:

• Several layers of holidays: national, regional and local ones can all apply. Review them every year.
• Your own closures: add them as closed days with a start and end date.
• Seasonal hours: summer, Christmas or sales periods. Set them up ahead of time.
• The message: say when you reopen and offer something useful, like booking for your return.

When to hand a call to a person

Keep the rules few and clear. These usually work:

• Emergencies you define: a leak, a patient in pain, a key customer.
• Complaints: the AI takes a note and alerts you right away, but lets you respond.
• When the caller asks twice.
• Big deals: a quote above a certain amount deserves your call.

Each transfer to a phone can carry a cost, depending on your service. Hand the call to a person when they add something the AI can’t.

Designing it without configuration files

At RingParrot we’re building a visual editor: your phone at the top and the rules below, like a tree. Drag in an opening-hours check, add your local holidays and decide which branch the parrot answers. Join the waitlist to try it first.

See also how the parrot handles calls in each industry and everything it can do for your business.