Every caller to the right person, first time
Line does the switchboard's job without the switchboard. A phone menu sorts callers by what they need, ring groups share the load, known customers go straight to their contact, and Molly covers the front desk when everyone is busy. You change any of it yourself, in minutes.
From £4 a month. Pay only for the calls and texts you use. No minimum term.
Sorry to keep you waiting. Priya at Northgate Dental will call you back by 2pm. Reply here if another time suits you better.
Quick answers
- What is call routing?
- The rules that decide where a call goes before anyone answers: which person, which team, which message. In Line you build them as a workflow on your number.
- Do I need a phone menu?
- Only if callers want different things from different people. With two or three staff, a ring group is often enough. Add 'press 1 for...' when your calls genuinely split.
- Can calls reach staff who aren't in the office?
- Yes. Everyone answers the business number in the Line app on their own phone or in a browser. Line can also forward calls to any UK mobile or landline.
The switchboard job, done by rules
A good receptionist knows who does what, who's free and who is calling. Line applies the same judgement to every call, including the ones at lunchtime.
A menu that sorts callers
Press 1 for appointments, 2 for billing, 0 for reception. Each option goes to a person, a group, Molly or a message. Callers who know an extension can dial it.
Ring groups that share the load
Ring the whole front desk at once. If nobody picks up, the call moves to the next step you chose instead of ringing out.
Known callers go to their contact
Routing via CRM looks the caller up in your connected CRM and rings the person who owns that account.
Staff answer wherever they are
At a desk, at home or on the road, the call reaches them in the Line app on the business number. No desk phone needed.
Molly on the front desk
Put Molly first instead of a menu. She asks what the caller needs in plain words, then puts them through or deals with it herself.
Nobody left ringing
A Team Available check sees whether anyone is free. If not, the caller waits in a queue with a message, or Molly picks up.
Set up in an afternoon
No engineer, no hardware, no contract. Three steps from sign-up to your first call.
- 1
List who takes what
Write down the reasons people call and who should answer each one. That list becomes your menu options and ring groups.
- 2
Build the route
Add a phone menu, ring groups and a fallback for each step in the workflow builder. Record the greeting, or let Line read your script.
- 3
Ring it and adjust
Call your own number and try every option. Change anything that feels slow, then save. The next call takes the new route.
- Incoming call · Tue 12:52Phone menu
Caller pressed 3
Billing and payments. Rang the billing group: Priya and Mark.
Ring group
Priya was on another call. Mark answered on the web app.
Hi, I think I've been charged twice for my check-up last week.
I can see both payments. I'll refund the second one today and text you when it's done.
Mark · billingNext caller pressed 1
Reception group busy. Molly answered and moved Mrs Okafor's hygiene appointment to Friday.
Where each call ends up
One number for the whole business. A different route for each caller.
| When this happens | Line does this | So you get |
|---|---|---|
| A patient presses 1 to move an appointment | The reception group rings. If nobody picks up, Molly answers and rebooks it in the practice calendar. | The appointment moves without a callback. |
| A long-standing client rings the main number | Routing via CRM finds their record and rings their account manager first. | They reach the person who knows them without asking for anyone by name. |
| Billing calls during the lunch hour | The Team Available check finds nobody free. The caller hears a short message and gets a call-back text. | A promised call-back, not an engaged tone. |
| A caller presses 0 because no option fits | The front desk group rings, then Molly if they're all on calls. | Every caller reaches a person or Molly. |
A receptionist, an office switchboard, or Line
The three ways a small business gets callers to the right person, and what each one does on a busy Tuesday lunchtime.
| Receptionist on a desk phone | On-site switchboard | Line | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting callers to the right person | Asks, then transfers by hand | Menu and extensions, set up by an engineer | Menu, ring groups and caller lookup, set up by you |
| Lunch, holidays and sick days | Calls go unanswered | The menu runs, but calls ring empty desks | Molly covers when nobody is free |
| Staff away from the office | Takes a message | Only if the system forwards off-site | Answer in the Line app, anywhere |
| Recognising the caller | If the receptionist remembers them | A number on a display | Looks them up in your CRM and rings the owner |
| Changing the routing | Brief the person again | An engineer visit or a support ticket | Edit the workflow and save |
| After the call | A note on a pad | A line in the call log | The call, notes and messages in one thread per customer |
| Hardware | A desk phone | A cabinet in the comms cupboard and handsets | None. The phones and browsers you already have |
Worth knowing
Questions people ask
Straight answers on setup, limits, and what it costs.
Related
Virtual PBX
The hosted phone system the routes run on.
Call forwarding
Send calls on to mobiles and outside numbers.
Virtual receptionist
Molly on the front desk, answering and transferring.
After-hours answering
What happens to the route once you close.
Last reviewed . Sources: Ofcom, Your landline is going digital.
Never miss another customer
Pick a UK number, add your team, and choose what happens when you can't answer. Live in minutes, on the phone already in your pocket.