--- description: Configure Voice AI Agent to route inbound calls through natural conversation based on the caller's language, reason for calling, or the team they need. This provides an IVR-like routing experience without keypad-based menus. title: Route Calls by Language, Department or Intent with Voice AI Agent image: https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F3f43c48b21b24f4e8b02b100c0c8fab0 --- [NeuđŸ€– AI-Agenten sind jetzt live auf respond.io! Lerne deinen neuen KI-Rezeptionisten, Vertriebs- oder Support-Agenten kennen. Mehr erfahren.![arrow-icon](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2Fe43213a7a9314673bd8d2060c25f9b87)](https://respond.io/blog/respond-io-raises-62-million-series-b) Hilf mir mit... ⌘ 1. [All Collections >](/de/help) 2. [ Produkt >](/de/help/product) 3. [ KI-Agenten >](/de/help/ai-agents) 4. [ LeitfĂ€den fĂŒr KI-Agenten >](/de/help/ai-agent-guides) 5. Route Calls by Language, Department or Intent with Voice AI Agent # Route Calls by Language, Department or Intent with Voice AI Agent > Plan eligibility: All users can test call routing in the AI Agent panel, but only Workspaces on the Advanced plan and above can publish and use it in live conversations. [Upgrade now](https://app.respond.io/organization/billing). Voice AI Agent routes inbound calls to the right language, department or team by detecting what the caller needs during a live conversation. Configure call instructions that transfer the call conditionally — by spoken language, requested department or stated reason for calling — instead of building a dedicated IVR menu. Callers get a guided experience without pressing keys or waiting on a menu. ## Before you begin * Enable the **Handle calls** action on your AI Agent. See [AI Agent Action: Handle Calls](https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-actions/ai-agent-action-handle-calls) for setup. * Connect a Channel that supports calling — WhatsApp or Telnyx VoIP. See [Calls](https://respond.io/de/help/workspace-settings/calls) to enable calling for a Channel. * Set up the teams or agents each routing path transfers to (for example, Sales, Billing, Support). ## How to route calls by language Voice AI Agent detects the caller's spoken language automatically and switches to it, provided the language is one of the [32 supported](https://help.elevenlabs.io/hc/en-us/articles/13313366263441-What-languages-do-you-support#:~:text=UKR%20Ukrainian-,Flash%20v2.5,-%2D%20our%20latest%2C%20ultra) by the platform. Call instructions only need to define what happens after the language is set — not the detection itself. 1. Go to your AI Agent's **Configuration** page > **Actions** \> **Handle calls**. 2. Turn on the **Handle calls** toggle. 3. Add an instruction naming the outcome for each language, for example: ```html If the caller requests a human agent and is speaking Spanish, transfer to the Spanish Support team. If the caller requests a human agent and is speaking English, transfer to the English Support team. ``` > Note: The instructions above only need to define who to transfer to. Voice AI Agent already detects and switches the caller's language automatically mid-call — you don't need to instruct it to do that. ## How to route calls by department or intent Define **when** to transfer and **who** to transfer to, the same way as any other call transfer. See [Transferring calls to a human agent](https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-actions/ai-agent-action-handle-calls#transferring-calls-to-a-human-agent) for the full Scenario A/B setup, including how to use the [Assign to agent or team](https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-actions/ai-agent-action-assign-to-agent-or-team) action when the target agent has Contact restrictions. 1. Open your AI Agent's **Configuration** page > **Actions** \> **Handle calls**. 2. Add a department or intent condition to the **Handle calls** instruction field for each team, for example: 3. Add the **Assign to agent or team** action if a target team has Contact restrictions, and define **who** to assign to there instead of in the call instruction. 4. Click **Test AI Agent** and use the phone icon to confirm each routing condition transfers correctly. 5. Publish the AI Agent once test calls route as expected. ```html # CALL CONTEXT You are handling an inbound call for a business with Sales, Billing and Support departments. # AGENT ROLE Greet the caller and identify what they need before transferring. # WHAT YOU MUST DO - Ask what the caller needs help with if it isn't clear from their first message. - If the caller mentions a purchase, pricing or product question, transfer to the Sales team. - If the caller mentions an invoice, payment or refund, transfer to the Billing team. - If the caller mentions a delivery issue, account problem or general question, transfer to the Support team. # WHAT YOU MUST NOT DO - Do not ask the caller to press a number or use their keypad. - Do not transfer before identifying which department the caller needs. ``` > Tip: Combine language, department and intent conditions in the same instruction to cover multilingual routing and department routing together. ## What's not supported * **Keypad-based (DTMF) IVR** — callers cannot navigate a menu by pressing keys. Routing happens through spoken conversation only. * **Call queuing** — calls cannot be held in a queue, given a queue position or hold music, or reported on for wait time. Each call transfers immediately based on the AI Agent's instructions. For other call handling limitations, such as transfer types, call duration and human takeover, see [Limitations](https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-actions/ai-agent-action-handle-calls#limitations) in the Handle calls article. ## FAQ and troubleshooting ### Can callers press a number on their phone to choose a department? No. Voice AI Agent routes calls through natural conversation, not keypad input. Keypad-based IVR is not supported. ### Does respond.io support call queuing? No. Calls aren't held in a queue or given a queue position. Each call transfers immediately based on the call instructions. ### What happens if the caller's request doesn't match any routing condition? The AI Agent continues the conversation using its general instructions and transfers only when a defined condition is met. Add a fallback instruction, such as transferring to a default team, to avoid calls with no clear match. ### Can the AI Agent route calls in multiple languages at once? Yes. It detects the caller's spoken language automatically and applies the same department or intent routing regardless of language, provided the language is one of the 32 supported. ## What's next? * [Configure the Handle calls action](https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-actions/ai-agent-action-handle-calls) * [Enable calling for a Channel](https://respond.io/de/help/workspace-settings/calls) * [Manage calls in Inbox](https://respond.io/de/help/inbox/managing-calls-in-inbox) Diesen Artikel teilen [![Telegram](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F44daca77a4844f0c8fd29040ddeba057?width=22)](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=https://respond.io/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent)[![Facebook](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets/11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5/fff57eeb01160bc604392f519b4f3461ca16f0fa1b6a587b20b142cdf1ad0ba7?placeholderIfAbsent=true&width=22)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://respond.io/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent)[![Linkedin](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets/11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5/7aaf8d87b5410844d83e06a4ed663e4f551b8c5ef51dbb20a8ff064a1eed9a0f?placeholderIfAbsent=true&width=22)](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://respond.io/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent)[![Twitter](https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F4e03e02422a94e8eab9b8b41457c2371?width=22)](http://twitter.com/share?url=https://respond.io/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent) ## Verwandte Artikel đŸ‘©â€đŸ’» * [How to Use AI Agent with Workflow Menu OptionsPair Workflow menu buttons with AI Agent to guide customer intent first, then handle open-ended replies, answer questions and route each conversation. ](/de/help/ai-agent-guides/how-to-use-ai-agent-with-workflow-menu-options) * [Wie du KI‑Agenten im Automotive‑Vertrieb einsetztLerne, wie du einen KI‑Agenten einrichtest, der Leads qualifiziert, Probefahrten terminiert und Kunden an dein Verkaufsteam weiterleitet — damit du keinen KĂ€ufer verpasst. ](/de/help/ai-agent-guides/how-to-use-ai-agents-for-automotive-sales) Sie können nicht finden, was Sie suchen? 🔎 [Support kontaktieren](/de/contact-us) 2026-07-24T06:30:51.658Z help ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","articleBody":"Configure Voice AI Agent to route inbound calls through natural conversation based on the caller's language, reason for calling, or the team they need. This provides an IVR-like routing experience without keypad-based menus.","author":{"@type":"Person","image":"https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/4GvzCieeTBRY4TRJUbIr4y/b92428e6b049d23f546269180534f7ea/Ryan_Tan_Avatar.svg","name":"Joshua Lim","url":"https://respond.io/de/author"},"dateCreated":"2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-15T14:43:19.812Z","datePublished":"2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z","headline":"Route Calls by Language, Department or Intent with Voice AI Agent","mainEntityOfPage":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides","publisher":{"@id":"https://respond.io/#organization"},"url":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent"},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@id":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent#breadcrumb","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Help","item":"https://respond.io/de/help"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Produkt","item":"https://respond.io/de/help/product"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"KI-Agenten","item":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agents"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"LeitfĂ€den fĂŒr KI-Agenten","item":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Route Calls by Language, Department or Intent with Voice AI Agent","item":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent"}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://respond.io/#organization","name":"Respond.io","alternateName":"respond.io","url":"https://respond.io/","image":["https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F3f43c48b21b24f4e8b02b100c0c8fab0"],"logo":"https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F4045649d540241d398c39ab07b2b62bb","description":"Respond.io is an AI-powered customer communication platform that helps businesses manage conversations, automate workflows and scale sales, marketing and support operations. Trusted by 10,000+ B2C brands, it unifies WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook in a single AI-powered team inbox for chats, calls and campaigns.","email":"success@respond.io","telephone":"+6011-54211197","foundingDate":"2017-02-17","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Level 41, Permata Sapura Tower, Jalan Pinang","addressLocality":"Kuala Lumpur","addressRegion":"Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur","postalCode":"50088","addressCountry":"MY"},"areaServed":"Worldwide","contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"Customer Service","url":"https://respond.io/contact"},"sameAs":["https://respond.io/","https://www.facebook.com/getrespondio/","https://www.linkedin.com/company/respondio/","https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.respond.inbox.io","https://www.youtube.com/@respondio","https://twitter.com/respond_io","https://apps.apple.com/my/app/respond-io-inbox/id1667772955","https://www.g2.com/products/respond-io/reviews","https://www.producthunt.com/products/respond-io","https://zapier.com/apps/respondio/integrations","https://www.capterra.com/p/179311/Rocketbots/","https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/respondio","https://builtin.com/company/respondio","https://respond-io.en.softonic.com/web-apps","https://my.jobstreet.com/companies/respondio-168558101085004","https://brandfetch.com/respond.io","https://webcatalog.io/en/apps/respond-io"],"knowsAbout":["WhatsApp API","WhatsApp Business API","WhatsApp CRM","WhatsApp automation","omnichannel communication platform","WhatsApp Business Multiple Users","WhatsApp BSP","WhatsApp Business Solution Provider","WhatsApp automation tool","WhatsApp team inbox","WhatsApp AI agent","WhatsApp Business AI chatbot","WhatsApp marketing software","conversational sales platform","WhatsApp appointment booking"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent#webpage","url":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent","name":"Respond.io | #1 AI-Powered Customer Conversation Management Software","description":"Respond.io is an AI-powered customer communication platform that helps businesses manage conversations, automate workflows and scale sales, marketing and support operations. Trusted by 10,000+ B2C brands, it unifies WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook in a single AI-powered team inbox for chats, calls and campaigns.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://respond.io/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F3f43c48b21b24f4e8b02b100c0c8fab0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://respond.io/de/help/ai-agent-guides/route-calls-by-language-department-or-intent-with-voice-ai-agent#breadcrumb"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://respond.io/#website","name":"Respond.io","url":"https://respond.io/","potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","query-input":"required name=search_term_string","target":"https://respond.io/search?query={search_term_string}"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://respond.io/#organization"}}]} ```