Prerequisites
Use voicemail-only only when every caller should leave a message.
Owned business number
The number must appear under the correct business in Call Routing before you edit its behavior.
Approved greeting
Decide what callers should hear. The custom greeting is optional; leaving it blank uses the standard greeting with the business name.
Notification destination
Confirm where voicemail and lead alerts should go so the test proves someone can act on the message.
Configuration
Put one number into Voicemail Only and save the greeting.
- 1
Open the number
Go to Dashboard → My Phone → Call Routing, find the intended number, and select Edit Call Routing. - 2
Choose Voicemail Only
The route summary should say that callers hear a greeting, leave a recorded message, and no AI answers. - 3
Write the optional greeting
Keep it under the 500-character field limit. Tell callers they reached the business, what to leave, and what happens next. - 4
Save Changes
Return to the number card and confirm its mode reads Voicemail Only before placing a test call.
Configuration proof is the saved routing mode and greeting. It is not proof that a caller can record a message or that the team receives it.
Live verification
Leave one identifiable message from an outside phone.
- Call the configured business number from an outside phone.
- Confirm the saved greeting plays, followed by the recording tone.
- Leave a short message with a recognizable test name, callback number, and request.
- End the call normally and open the caller’s lead or conversation history.
- Play the recording and compare the transcript with the words you actually said.
- Confirm the expected voicemail or lead notification reached the intended person or inbox.
Ongoing use
Keep the recording, transcript, and caller context together.
Caller history
Open the caller’s lead page to review the voicemail beside the existing contact and call history.
Call activity
Use Dashboard → Calls to find the call record and review the available transcript or recording.
Troubleshooting
When a voicemail is incomplete
Kai answers instead of voicemail
Open the exact dialed number in Call Routing. Confirm the saved mode is Voicemail Only under the same selected business.
The wrong greeting plays
Reopen Edit Call Routing, compare the custom greeting, save it again, and repeat the outside call.
No recording appears
Confirm the test reached the configured number and lasted through the tone. Refresh the caller’s lead and Call History before retrying.
Recording exists, but the transcript is wrong
Use the original audio when the transcript differs. Note names or terms it missed, and do not change the recording’s meaning.
No one received an alert
Check the business notification settings and recipient, then repeat with a new identifiable message after the setting is corrected.
The call belongs to the wrong business
Stop testing and verify number ownership and routing assignment before making another configuration change.
Honest limits
Voicemail is a capture route, not a live conversation.
Voicemail Only deliberately prevents the AI secretary from answering. It does not qualify the caller, transfer the call, or promise a response time. A saved greeting is not delivery proof, and a transcript can mishear names or specialized terms; review the source recording. The recording and notification also depend on the phone service finishing the call and on the business settings.