Phone script · Inbound
Phone tree script: what your menu should say
Ready-to-record menu wording, the rules that keep a phone tree short, and what the same call sounds like when an AI agent simply asks what the caller needs.
The short answer
What should a phone tree script say?
A phone tree script greets the caller with the business name, then lists the options in the order callers need them, with the action before the number: "For appointments, press 1. For billing, press 2. To speak with someone, press 0." Keep it to four or five options, say how to hear the menu again, and always offer a way to reach a person. An AI agent can replace the menu entirely by asking "How can I help?" and acting on the answer.
Main menu
Put your most common reason for calling first. Lines in square brackets are optional.
Menu: Thank you for calling [Business name].
Menu: [For clinics: If this is a medical emergency, hang up and call [your local emergency number].]
Menu: To book, change or cancel an appointment, press 1.
Menu: For our hours and address, press 2.
Menu: For billing and payments, press 3.
Menu: For [service or department], press 4.
Menu: To speak with someone, press 0.
Menu: To hear these options again, press 9.
Short menu and a sub-menu
For a small business with one main reason people call. The sub-menu sits behind option 1.
Menu: Thanks for calling [Business name]. For appointments, press 1. For anything else, press 0, or stay on the line.
Menu (after 1): To book a new appointment, press 1. To change or cancel an appointment, press 2. To go back to the main menu, press star.
After-hours menu
Menu: Thanks for calling [Business name]. We're closed now, and open [days] from [opening time] to [closing time].
Menu: [For urgent [repairs], press 1 to reach the person on call.]
Menu: To leave a message, press 2.
Menu: To hear our address, press 3.
The same call with an AI agent instead of a menu
No options to listen to: the caller says what they need, and the agent does it in the same call.
AI agent: Hi, you've reached [Business name]. How can I help?
Caller: I need to move my appointment on Thursday.
AI agent: Sure. Can I get your name?
Caller: [Name].
AI agent: Thanks, [Name]. I see your [service] on Thursday at [time]. I have [day] at [time] or [day] at [time]. Which works better?
Caller: [Day].
AI agent: Done. You're now booked for [day] at [time].
Caller: Also, how much is [another service]?
AI agent: [Another service] is [price]. Would you like to book that too?
Caller: No thanks. Can I talk to someone about my bill?
AI agent: Of course. I'll connect you to [billing / Name] now.
Why a question can replace the menu
A menu makes callers translate what they need into a number, and a need that isn't on the list ends in 0 or a hang-up. An AI agent asks one open question, understands the answer and acts on it: it answers from your knowledge base, books when a calendar is connected, takes a message or transfers to the right person. You don't have to replace your phone system to try it. You can start with a single branch of your existing menu, such as the after-hours option or the appointments line, and widen from there.
Tips for a phone menu callers can use
Every option is a few more seconds the caller waits before they get anywhere. Fewer, clearer options get people through.
- Put the most common reason for calling first.
- Say the action before the number ("For billing, press 2"), so callers don't have to hold a number in their head while they wait for the option.
- No more than four or five options per level, and no more than two levels.
- Always offer a way to a person, and say it out loud.
- Don't say "our options have changed" unless they really did.
- Record the whole menu in one session, in one voice, and test every key yourself.
How to build your menu
- 1Look at your recent calls and list the reasons people call, most common first.
- 2Turn the top four into options; send the rest to a person or a message.
- 3Write each option with the action first, then the number.
- 4Add an after-hours version with your hours and the urgent option, if you have one.
- 5Call your own line and press every key, including the wrong ones.
Turn this script into an AI call flow
Paste it into Daber AI and the assistant builds an agent that follows it on every call.
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What is the difference between a phone tree and an IVR?
People use the terms almost interchangeably. A phone tree is the menu structure: the options and where each one leads. IVR (interactive voice response) is the technology that plays the recorded prompts and reads the caller's key presses or spoken answers. Most business phone systems include a basic IVR for building a phone tree.
How many options should a phone menu have?
Four or five at most on each level, and ideally no more than two levels. Every extra option is a few more seconds of waiting, and a long menu sends more callers to 0.
Can an AI agent replace a phone tree?
Yes. Instead of a list of options, a Daber AI agent asks the caller what they need and acts on the answer: it answers questions, books appointments when a calendar is connected, takes messages and transfers to a person. You can keep your phone system and send calls to the agent by call forwarding, or over SIP where your provider offers a SIP trunk.
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