Outbound routes: who calls from which number

By default an operator just picks a line when they dial. A route makes that choice predictable: sales always calls from the city number, a branch office from its own, and a rotation spares one WhatsApp line from dialling out on the same number every time. Here's how to create a route, assign operators and teams to it, and what an operator sees when a route blocks the call.

When you need this

If a company has one calling line, the question «which number do I call from» never comes up — you can skip routes entirely. They matter once there are several lines and it needs to be predictable who calls from which: sales from the city number, support from its own WhatsApp line, a branch office from its own number.

A company with no outbound routes, and an operator assigned to none, notice nothing: the call leaves on whichever line is available — exactly as before this feature existed.

At least two connected lines worth choosing between — a SIP trunk, WhatsApp Business, or a personal WhatsApp with call answering turned on. If there is only one, see Connecting SIP telephony first.
The company telephony management permission (company_telephony.manage) — the same one that opens the inbound scheme editor and the recording settings. Regular operators only use routes; they don't configure them.

The "Where we call from" section

Routes live under Telephony → Settings, the "Where we call from" tab — next to "Who answers", "Where a call goes" and "What we record". It mirrors "Where a call goes": there a number finds an operator for an inbound call, here an operator finds a number for an outbound one.

The route list has four columns: Route (name and status — a green dot for "Active" or "Draft"), Who calls (how many operators and teams are assigned), Default line (the number the first call will actually leave on) and Priority. The "Open editor" button opens the route's graph editor — the same tool inbound schemes use, just with a different set of blocks.

With no routes yet, the section explains why in plain words: "Operators pick a line themselves as they dial. A route is for where that choice has to be predictable: sales calls from the city number, a branch office from its own." The "Create route" button only asks for a name and opens the editor right away — a new route starts as a draft and affects no call until it is switched on.

Who calls through a route

A route's membership is edited in exactly one place — clicking the "Who calls" column opens a "Who calls through «Name»" dialog with two lists, operators and teams. A hint above them says plainly: "Calls from these operators and teams will leave on the route's line."

An operator can be on only one outbound route at a time. Adding them to a new route while they're already assigned to another one reassigns them automatically, with a toast saying they were "moved here from another route."
A personal assignment always beats a team one. If an operator is on team A's route but personally assigned to route B, they call through B — and route A's dialog shows a conflict warning: "is in a team on this route but calls through another one: there they are assigned personally, and a personal assignment beats a team one."
The "Priority" field settles disputes between TEAMS, when an operator is on several at once: lower wins. It matters only once an operator sits on more than one team with a route.

The line, a fallback, and number rotation

Inside the editor's graph, a route reads top to bottom: the "Who calls" node is the entry point (the assignment list is shown there read-only — edit it from the settings above), then, optionally, "Schedule" (the same block inbound schemes use — route through one line during business hours and another outside them), then the required "Call from a line" block.

"Call from a line" is a single line picked from the company's callable numbers, a dial timeout in seconds (after which the "line unavailable" branch fires), and a "Number rotation" toggle: switched on, it cycles calls round-robin through several chosen lines so one number doesn't get burned — this matters most for WhatsApp.

The "line unavailable" branch can point at another "Call from a line" block — that's a fallback: if the first line is busy, disconnected, or (for WhatsApp) the subscriber hasn't granted call permission yet, the route tries the next one. Several such blocks in a row act as a priority list; ending the chain with a "Hang up" block and a reason text turns "no line" into an explicit refusal instead.

What the operator sees

Nothing visibly changes for the operator: they dial a number or hit "Call" on a contact card, same as before. If a route applies to them, the default line is already picked — no "via route X" caption, the right number is simply first. Picking a different line by hand is always possible and always wins: a route is a default, not a lock, with one exception below.

The one real refusal is an explicit "Hang up" block in the route. Then the call button goes dim with "The route forbids this call" (or a specific reason, if the administrator set one), and there is no way to call that number on that line until the administrator changes the route.

Common issues