Key Terms
Key Terms
Required to know for this article specifically:
Business = Business/Law Firm who invested in Hona
Hona (Business) Org = Hona Account owned by the Business
Business User = An individual account within a Hona Business Org
Just like there are many employees at 1 Business, there are many Users in 1 Hona Org. Which Hona features and settings are accessible to each User is determined by their User Role.
Client = Client of the Businessa
End-user of Hona Client and its features
Lead = potential Client of the Business
Hona Client = Hona Client Portal interface where Clients can interact with Hona features
Business Users build Hona Client features in their Hona Business Org
Important to know in general:
"Project" is used interchangeably with "case" and "matter"
CMS = Case Management Software (often used interchangeably with CRM)
Messages = 2-way messages sent through Hona's 2-Way Messaging feature (typically sent via text)
Notifications = messages sent to the Client to notify them of Hona features you have configured (Project Type case updates, Forms, E-Signature requests, Review requests, etc). These are sent based on the Client's Notification Preferences.
Goal
The final step required to activate your Hona Voice AI Agent is to route your Hona number to your existing Business phone system. Before you can complete this step, your Agent must be fully configured within your Hona Business Org. This support article will provide the steps for adding your Hona phone number to your phone provider's call routing or IVR (phone tree). If your Business's phone provider is not included in this article, please send an email to [email protected] of who your provider is.
Overview of Steps
1. Define When Agent Handles Incoming Calls
When do you want your AI Agent to handle incoming calls for your Business? There is no right or wrong answer to this, as the answer is completely up to the Business's needs. That being said, the answer to this question will determine how you set up your phone routing with your carrier, so some helpful examples of popular setups are below:
24/7 Receptionist: The Agent answers all incoming calls as the first point of contact.
Call Overflow: The Agent handles calls when other employees are unavailable or lines are busy.
After-Hours Response: The Agent only answers calls outside of normal business hours.
2. Update Business Phone System
Once you’ve determined your preferred setup, configure your current phone system to route calls to the Hona number based on your chosen rules.
For your convenience, here are setup guides for common phone providers:
RingCentral
RingCentral
To create a new IVR menu using the Visual IVR Editor:
Sign in to the Admin Portal.
Click the Phone System tab.
Click Auto-Receptionist, then IVR Editor.
In the Visual IVR Editor section, click Launch IVR Visual Editor. A new tab will open.
Note: If you’re accessing this menu for the first time, a short interactive demo will guide you through using the Visual Editor.Click the phone icon to generate a new IVR menu with a preset extension that you can customize.
Hover over the menu, then click the plus (+) icon.
Select one of the following:
New Menu: Click to create a new IVR menu in your IVR tree. The auto-generated extension and name can be edited later.
Existing Menu: Click to add an existing IVR menu to your IVR tree. When you select this option, the list of existing IVR menus will appear at the left. Click a menu to preview it, then click Use to add it to your IVR tree.
External Transfer: Click to route the caller to a specified phone number. Click the phone number field to enter the desired area code and number.
Directory: Click to connect callers to the Dial-by-Name Directory.
Voicemail: Click to route the caller directly to an extension’s voicemail box.
Extension: Select this action to route the caller to an extension. Click Name or Extension to select the extension from a list.
Click each IVR Menu option you added in the previous step to create IVR extensions and phone numbers.
To add a prompt to your IVR menu, hover over the menu and click the three-dot More icon (a), then select Settings (b).
In the Menu Settings popup, click Prompt (a) to add or update the audio file or text-to-speech played to callers (b).
Click Done.
AT&T
AT&T
To preview Existing Menus, click the Folder icon on the top left corner of the Visual IVR Editor interface. This will bring up a list of existing menus.
Note: Clicking on an IVR Menu on the list will show you its preview on the right pane. To edit your selected menu, click on Open.
To add links to your IVR Menu, hover your mouse over the Menu and click on the Plus icon.
This will expand to show a list of links that you can add. The following links can be added to an IVR Menu:
New Menu – create a new menu. The extension and name will be auto-generated but can be edited.
Existing Menu – use an existing menu. The list of menus will open on the left-hand part of the page. Click on the desired menu to preview it then click the Use button to link it.
External Transfer – transfer the caller to an external number. Specify the phone number where you want the calls to be transferred to.
Directory – transfers the call to the Dial-by-Name Directory menu.
Voicemail – sends callers to an extension’s voicemail where they can leave a message.
Extension – sends callers to a specified extension. This can be for a group or a user.
Verizon
Verizon
From the One Talk screen in the My Verizon for Business app, scroll to the 'Call Routing Setup' section.
Tap each number on the screen to assign that key to a function.
Tap an option to assign that function to the key you pressed in the previous step (e.g., Transfer With Prompt, Extension Dialing, etc.) then tap Done.
The Automated Receptionist can be managed via the One Talk portal or the My Verizon for Business mobile app.
Incoming callers are presented with a greeting and a set of options to choose from (e.g., Press 1 for Sales, etc.) then routed to the selection made. Different options can be made available depending on the Schedule (Business Hours, After Hours, Holiday).
The # key is hard set to 'Transfer to Operator' to allow non-HD Voice calls to be routed correctly. When configuring One Talk Automated Receptionist call routing, the 0 key must be changed to a different option other than 'Transfer to Operator' (Example: You want 0 to transfer to an agent in the office. Change this key to 'Transfer without Prompt' and have the recording state "Press 0 for an operator").
3CX
3CX
Step 1: Configure Office hours
To configure your office hours:
From the 3CX Web Client go the “Admin” section and then to “Office hours”:
3CX FREE/SMB - Your office hours will apply to the whole team.
Dedicated - You will see an extra column listing the groups you have created, with at least one group call “Default”. The office hours will be applied to the members of that group only.
Click on the days and specify your opening hours.
Add any breaks you might take.
Use the “Add” and “Clear” button for each section to add or remove times for every day of the week in one single bulk action.
If this group is in a different time zone, you can set the time zone at the bottom of the page.
If you have multiple groups then repeat this process for each group.
Step 2: Assign a DID and route calls
After you have configured your office hours you have to route all your calls to an assigned number and then select what the system should do based on the time the call is received:
In the “Assigned DID numbers” section, select a DID that has not been assigned. If you have just one number, then select this number.
Now select a destination for calls received during office hours, out of office hours and break:
Another “User”
Someone’s “Voicemail box”
“Ring Group”
“Digital receptionist”
“Queue”
Why This Matters
Routing your Hona Voice AI Agent correctly ensures it can function as an effective extension of your Business—whether as a 24/7 receptionist, an overflow handler, or an after-hours solution. By setting clear rules in your existing phone system and directing calls to your Hona number, you unlock the Agent’s full ability to greet callers, gather information, and support your intake process without disrupting your current workflows. Taking the time to configure this routing carefully ensures callers reach the right place at the right time, keeps your operations running smoothly, and completes the final step required to activate your Hona Voice AI Agent. For any questions or concerns, please chat with our support team or email us directly at [email protected].