# Call Flow Components & Basics

> **Module 3 Study Guide** | Source: Lecture + Verified against Genesys Cloud Resource Center (2025–2026)

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## 1. What Is a Call Flow?

A **call flow** is a structured, visual representation of the sequence of events and actions that occur within a telephony or contact center system when handling incoming or outgoing calls.

- Determines **how** calls are handled, processed, and routed
- Ensures efficient operations and high-quality customer experiences
- Replaces simple "call goes to a phone" routing with intelligent, rule-based logic
- Enables: schedule-based routing, self-service options, queue management, voicemail, and more

> 📌 **Key Concept:** Architect matches incoming interactions to flows based on criteria like the phone number dialed, then routes based on time, calendar, and logic rules.

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## 2. Call Flow Components

Call flow components are **pre-built, drag-and-drop elements** used in Genesys Cloud Architect to build call flow logic.

They are organized in the **Toolbox** (right-side panel) into expandable categories:

| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Audio | Play prompts or TTS to callers |
| Bot | Integrate conversational AI bots |
| Common | Shared/reusable utility actions |
| Data | Retrieve or update data from APIs/tables |
| Disconnect | End the call or interaction |
| Find | Dynamically locate queues, users, schedules at runtime |
| Flow | Callbacks, screen pops, wrap-up codes |
| Logical | Decision, Switch, Schedule evaluation |
| Loops | Repeat sections of flow logic |
| Menus | IVR menus for caller DTMF or speech input |
| Tasks | Group logic into reusable routines |
| Transfer | Route callers to queues, agents, numbers, voicemail, other flows |

> 📌 **Note (Current as of 2026):** Action availability in the Toolbox varies by your Genesys Cloud **license plan**. The maximum number of actions Architect can run per flow invocation is **10,000** — exceeding this triggers error handling (default: disconnect).

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## 3. Common Call Flow Components

These are the most frequently used components when building a basic call flow:
[![](https://wiki.tinod.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/scaled-1680-/TVvGVmqHvzoDdmVO-image-1773347323240.png)](https://wiki.tinod.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/TVvGVmqHvzoDdmVO-image-1773347323240.png)

### 🔊 Play Audio
- Plays a pre-recorded prompt or text-to-speech (TTS) message to the caller
- Output: a prompt file uploaded to Genesys Cloud, or a TTS string
- **Drag from Toolbox → Audio → Play Audio**

### 📋 Menu
- Creates an IVR menu where callers select options via DTMF keypress or speech
- Each menu choice has an output path for routing logic
- Can be **reusable** (stored and referenced multiple times in a flow)

### ➡️ Transfer to ACD
- Sends the interaction to a **queue** (group of agents) for routing
- Available in: call flow menus, inbound flows, in-queue flows, chat, email, bot flows
- Supports: priority settings, preferred agents (up to 100), language skills, ACD skills
- Has **Success** and **Failure** output paths

> ⚠️ **Current Doc Note:** In **secure flows**, Genesys Cloud overrides the failure path and **disconnects the call** using blind transfers instead of consultation transfers.

### 📞 Transfer to User
- Sends the call directly to a **specific agent**
- The selected user must have logged into Genesys Cloud at least once

### 🔢 Transfer to Number
- Routes the call to an **external phone number** (e.g., after-hours vendor, third-party support)
- Flow author presets the number; callers cannot change it
- Architect tries to use the same trunk/site as the inbound call

### 📬 Transfer to Voicemail
- Sends caller directly to a **user's, queue's, or group's voicemail**
- Voicemail interactions retain the original call priority and route to the next available agent
- Maximum voicemail length: **3 minutes**
- Callers can: Send, Review, Re-record, or Cancel via DTMF or speech
- Voicemail must be enabled for the org; grayed-out users have no voicemail configured

### ❌ Disconnect
- Ends the call/interaction
- Used for: emergency closures, no-routing scenarios, end of flow logic

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## 4. Connecting Components

### How to Connect
- **Click and drag** components from the Toolbox onto the canvas
- **Reposition** by clicking and dragging to a new location
- **Right-click an arrowhead** on a component to select the next step from a context menu

[![](https://wiki.tinod.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/scaled-1680-/x6SIv59BZnMlyAeh-image-1773348046326.png)](https://wiki.tinod.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/x6SIv59BZnMlyAeh-image-1773348046326.png)

### Component Outputs
Each component has one or more **output circles** on its right side representing possible outcomes:

| Component | Output Example |
|---|---|
| Play Audio | TTS string or uploaded prompt file |
| Transfer to ACD | Queue name |
| Transfer to Number | External phone number |
| Menu | One output path per DTMF key or speech option |
| Decision | True / False paths |

### Connection Properties
- Some components have **connection properties** (configured in the Properties Panel)
- Others (like Play Audio) have no connection properties — just an output
- **Properties Panel** shows on the right when a component is selected

### Building the Flow
1. Drag a component to the canvas
2. Configure it in the Properties Panel
3. Connect its output arrow(s) to the next component
4. Continue until the flow ends with a Disconnect or Transfer
5. Repeat as needed

---

## 5. Schedule-Based Routing Example

A common pattern using the **Evaluate Schedule** or **Evaluate Schedule Group** action:

```
Schedule Group
├── Open     → Play Greeting Prompt → Transfer to ACD (Support Queue)
├── Closed   → Transfer to Voicemail (Support Queue)
└── Holiday  → Transfer to External Number (Third-party vendor)
└── Emergency → Disconnect
```

> 📌 Each branch is a separate output path from the schedule component, connecting to different actions.

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## 6. Best Practices for Designing Call Flows

| Practice | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| **Keep it simple** | Easier to troubleshoot, maintain, and hand off |
| **Use Reusable Tasks** | Isolate logic (schedule checks, data actions) for independent editing |
| **Use Reusable Menus** | Avoid duplicating menus used in multiple places |
| **Use meaningful names** | Allows quick review without drilling into every component |
| **Test before deploying** | Use Architect's built-in Debug Tool before go-live |
| **Consolidate Update Data actions** | Reduces flow size — multiple updates in one action vs. many single-update actions |
| **Avoid duplicating Data Actions** | Call Data Action, Create Callback, and Set Screen Pop are resource-heavy |

> 📌 **Current Doc Addition (2026):** Genesys now includes a **Flow Size indicator** under *Insights & Optimizations* to help you track resource usage and optimize before publishing. Common module flows have a **lower size limit** than other flow types.

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## 7. Key UI Components (Canvas)

| UI Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| **Toolbox** | Source of all drag-and-drop actions |
| **Canvas** | Visual workspace where flow is built |
| **Properties Panel** | Configure selected component's settings |
| **Output Circles** | Connection points on right side of each component |
| **Arrows/Connections** | Visual paths between components |
| **Debug Tool** | Test flow internally without a real phone |
| **Validation** | Check for errors before publishing |
| **Flow Insights** | View execution frequency overlay (read-only mode, up to 7 days of history) |

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## 8. Additional Current Features 

> These are confirmed-current Genesys Cloud Architect features you may encounter:

- **Flow Insights** — Visual overlay showing how often each component executes; helps identify drop-off points and optimization opportunities
- **Flow Size Indicator** — Shows % of maximum flow size used; warns when approaching limits
- **AI-Powered Slots** — Bot flows now support special characters, customizable continuation prompts, and multi-turn test widget conversations
- **Virtual Agent Performance Dashboard** — Track bot containment rates, transfers, and ROI
- **Preferred Agents (Transfer to ACD)** — Supports up to 100 preferred agents with scoring

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## 9. Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

| I want to... | Use this component |
|---|---|
| Play a message to the caller | Play Audio |
| Let callers press 1 for Sales | Menu |
| Route to a group of agents | Transfer to ACD |
| Route to a specific agent | Transfer to User |
| Route to an outside number | Transfer to Number |
| Send to voicemail | Transfer to Voicemail |
| Check if office is open | Evaluate Schedule / Evaluate Schedule Group |
| Make a True/False decision | Decision |
| Look up data from an API | Call Data Action |
| End the call | Disconnect |
| Reuse logic across the flow | Reusable Task / Call Task |

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*Last verified against [Genesys Cloud Resource Center](https://help.genesys.cloud) — January/February 2026*