How Message Routing Works
Both Live and AI Receptionists use your Call Handling setup and Contact settings to determine where messages should go.
When a call comes in, Abby checks:
The type of call (for example, Sales, Support, Billing, etc.).
The contact or department assigned to handle that call type.
The availability status of that contact or department.
If the designated contact is available, Abby transfers the call.
If the contact is unavailable, Abby takes a message and sends it to the person or group assigned to handle those calls.
💡 Benefit: Message routing ensures that important details always reach the right person without delay or confusion.
Live Receptionist Message Routing
For human receptionist accounts, message routing is determined during your onboarding process.
Your Onboarding Manager will ask how you’d like specific call types handled and who should receive those messages.
Receptionists follow these instructions when routing messages.
If the person or department assigned to a call type is unavailable, the receptionist takes a message and sends it to the contact designated to receive those messages.
💬 Example:
If all calls about new leads go to Sarah, but she’s unavailable, your receptionist will take a detailed message and send it to Sarah via email or text — exactly as set in your account.
AI Receptionist Message Routing
The AI Receptionist follows the same structure as your Live Receptionist — just automated.
You set up your Call Types in the Abby Portal.
Each call type has one or more assigned contacts to handle those calls.
If the contact for that call type is unavailable, Abby AI automatically sends the message by email or text to the contact(s) associated with that call type.
💡 Benefit: Abby AI mirrors the same smart routing logic as a human receptionist, ensuring accuracy and consistency in how messages are delivered.
Handling Misrouted Messages
If you notice a message was sent to the wrong person, department, or inbox, follow these steps:
Check your Call Handling setup:
Confirm that the call type is correctly assigned to the intended contact or department.
Verify message recipients:
Make sure the right person is listed to receive messages for that specific call type.
If everything looks correct:
Email [email protected] so our team can investigate and resolve the issue.
💡 Tip: Misrouted messages are most often caused by incorrect call type or contact assignments. Reviewing your setup usually resolves the issue quickly.
Best Practices
Review your Call Handling and Contact assignments quarterly or whenever roles change.
Confirm that all message recipients have accurate email addresses and phone numbers.
For departments, assign a backup recipient to avoid missed messages.
Report recurring routing issues to [email protected] so we can double-check your setup.