IVR menu node

Build a phone menu that routes callers based on the key they press using the IVR menu node in an ilert call flow.

The IVR menu node plays a menu to the caller and routes them based on the key they press (DTMF input) — for example "Press 1 for production incidents, press 2 for billing." It adds one branch per key you enable — the digits 0–9, *, and # (up to 12) — plus a No input branch.

Select the menu keys

1. (Optional) In the Optional title field, enter a name to label the node on the canvas.
2. Under Select menu items, tap the keys the caller is allowed to press (1–9, 0, *, #). Each key you select becomes its own branch in the flow.

Record the menu prompt

1. Under Message type, choose how the prompt is delivered:

   • Text to speech – type the prompt in the IVR instructions field and it is spoken using the call flow's selected voice.
   • Sound file – upload your own audio recording.
2. Use the Preview player to listen to the prompt before saving.

IVR menu node configuration — keypad, message type, instructions and retries

Set retries

Use the Retries setting to control how many times the menu prompt is replayed if the caller provides no input or an invalid key before the flow follows the No input branch (default: 1, maximum 3).

Branches

The IVR menu node adds one branch per selected key, plus a fallback branch. Click the + icon under each branch to define what happens next.

Branch	Taken when
One branch per selected key (1, 2, *, …)	The caller presses that key.
No input	The caller presses nothing valid within the allowed retries.

Each selected key becomes a branch, plus a "No input" branch

Example

A first-level menu that splits by team:

• 1 → Route call to the infrastructure on-call schedule.
• 2 → Route call to the billing schedule.
• No input → Audio message ("We didn't receive a selection") → Voicemail.

FAQ

How many options can one menu have? Up to 12 — the digits 0–9, plus * and #.

Can I build multi-level menus? Yes. Add another IVR menu node on any key's branch to create a sub-menu.

What happens if the caller doesn't press anything? The prompt is replayed according to the Retries setting; once retries are exhausted, the call follows the No input branch.