GoHighLevel IVR & Ring Groups: Call Routing (2026)

By Dr Priya Jaganathan, GoHighLevel Certified Admin · HL Growth Partner, Australia · Updated 2 September 2026 · 11 min read

A GoHighLevel IVR is built inside Workflows, not inside the phone settings. You create a workflow with the Inbound Call trigger on an LC Phone number, then chain IVR Say/Play, IVR Gather, IVR Connect Call, IVR Record Voicemail and IVR Hangup actions to decide who rings, for how long, and what happens when nobody picks up. Ring Groups and simple call forwarding live separately under Phone System, and for most Australian small businesses the right answer is a combination: forwarding or a Ring Group for the main line, and a Workflow IVR when you need a keypress menu, after-hours logic or automated missed-call recovery.

I have set this up across dozens of sub-accounts for trades, clinics, real estate offices and agencies, and the pattern of failure is almost always the same: someone configures forwarding on the number, then also builds an IVR workflow, and the two fight each other. This guide walks through the five routing builds I use most, the Australian compliance points that matter, and the testing and troubleshooting steps that stop calls silently dropping to voicemail.

How GoHighLevel IVR and ring group routing actually works

There are three layers, and you need to know which one is answering the call.

Layer 1: LC Phone number settings

Under Settings → Phone Numbers → select the number → Advanced Settings, each LC Phone (LeadConnector) number has its own forwarding configuration. You can set a forwarding number (an external mobile or landline), choose to ring users instead, set the ring timeout, add a whisper message (the short announcement the answering team member hears before the caller is connected, such as "Lead from the Google Ads number"), and switch call recording on or off. If you configure forwarding here and also attach an IVR workflow to the same number, the workflow wins, but only if the number has the Inbound Call trigger correctly assigned. If you are still deciding between LC Phone and bringing your own carrier, the GoHighLevel LC Phone vs Twilio comparison covers the trade-offs; everything in this post assumes LC Phone.

Layer 2: Ring Groups

A Ring Group is a list of users attached to a number. You choose ring-all (every phone rings at once, first to answer wins) or sequential / round-robin (ring user A, wait the timeout, then user B, and so on). Ring Groups are the fastest way to distribute a main line across a small team without any workflow logic, and the caller hears normal ringing throughout.

Layer 3: Workflow IVR actions

Create a new workflow, select the Inbound Call trigger, and filter it to the specific phone number. Once that trigger is on the workflow, the IVR actions appear in the action list:

• IVR Say/Play plays a text-to-speech message or an uploaded audio file.
• IVR Gather plays a prompt and waits for keypresses, then branches on the digit pressed.
• IVR Connect Call dials a user, multiple users (effectively a ring group with a timeout), or an external number.
• IVR Record Voicemail captures a message, with transcription available on the call record.
• IVR Hangup ends the call cleanly so the workflow does not leave the line open.

IVR actions are part of the workflow premium actions family in most agency plans, so they are billed per execution on top of call minutes. The GoHighLevel premium workflow actions guide explains how the rebilling works if you run client sub-accounts.

Routing options compared

Build 1: a simple three-option menu

This is the classic "Sales press 1, Support press 2, Accounts press 3" structure.

1. Create a workflow, name it "Main Line IVR", add the Inbound Call trigger and filter it to your main LC Phone number.
2. Add IVR Say/Play with your greeting. Include the recording notice here: "Thanks for calling Acme Plumbing. This call may be recorded for training and quality purposes."
3. Add IVR Gather. Set the prompt to "For sales press 1, for support press 2, for accounts press 3." Set number of digits to 1 and a timeout of 5 to 8 seconds. Enable repeat on no input, two attempts maximum.
4. The Gather action creates branches for each digit. On branch 1, add IVR Connect Call to the sales user or users. On branch 2, connect to your support user. On branch 3, connect to accounts.
5. On every Connect Call action, set a ring timeout (20 to 25 seconds works for mobiles) and a fallback path that leads to IVR Record Voicemail, then IVR Hangup.
6. On the "no input" branch, either repeat the menu once or connect directly to the ring group so the caller is never stranded.

Store the greeting text in a custom value so you can update it without touching the workflow. The GoHighLevel custom values guide shows how to structure those for multi-location clients.

Build 2: after-hours branch with voicemail and text-back

Immediately after the Inbound Call trigger, add an If/Else condition on the current time. You can use the business hours setting on the sub-account, or build the condition explicitly: day of week is Monday to Friday and time is between 08:00 and 17:30 in Australia/Sydney (or your state's timezone, and remember Queensland does not observe daylight saving).

• Yes branch (open): proceed to the Gather menu from Build 1.
• No branch (closed): IVR Say/Play an after-hours message, then IVR Record Voicemail, then IVR Hangup.

Then add a second workflow using the Call Status trigger with the filter "missed" or "voicemail". Its first action is a Send SMS: "Hi {{contact.first_name}}, sorry we missed you. Reply here or book a time: {{custom_values.booking_link}}." Add a 2-minute wait before sending so a caller who is redialling does not receive it mid-attempt. Missed-call text-back on a plumber's line routinely recovers 20 to 30 per cent of after-hours calls that would otherwise go to a competitor.

Build 3: ring group to three team members with mobile fallback

Use IVR Connect Call and select multiple users. Set it to ring all three simultaneously with a 20-second timeout. On the "not answered" path, add a second IVR Connect Call to the owner's external mobile number with a 25-second timeout. Only after that fails do you land on IVR Record Voicemail.

Two practical points. First, if users take calls on the mobile app rather than a forwarded mobile number, make sure their app notifications are enabled and their user availability is set, otherwise ring-all silently skips them. Second, sequential ringing means a caller can wait 60 seconds or more before anyone answers; ring-all is almost always better for inbound sales.

Build 4: voicemail transcription to notification and opportunity

When IVR Record Voicemail completes, the transcription appears in the conversation thread. Build a workflow on the Call Status trigger (voicemail) with these actions:

1. Internal Notification to the relevant user, including {{call.transcription}} or the message body, by email and in-app.
2. Create/Update Opportunity in your "Inbound Leads" pipeline, stage "New Enquiry", source "Phone".
3. Add tag "voicemail-received" and, if it is after hours, "after-hours-caller".

Pair this with the call reporting covered in the GoHighLevel phone system and call tracking guide so you can see how many opportunities started as a voicemail versus an answered call.

Build 5: tagging callers by menu choice and triggering follow-ups

On each Gather branch, add an Add Tag action before the Connect Call: "ivr-sales", "ivr-support", "ivr-accounts". A separate workflow with the Contact Tag trigger then handles the follow-up: sales callers get a two-message SMS sequence and a task for the rep, support callers get a link to the help portal, accounts callers get an email with payment options. This also lets you filter smart lists by intent and report on which menu option produces revenue. If you run multiple tracking numbers per campaign, the GoHighLevel number pools setup lets you tag by source as well as by menu choice.

Australian considerations for HighLevel IVR and ring groups

Numbers, caller ID and verification

LC Phone provisions Australian local and mobile numbers, but Australian regulatory requirements mean you will be asked for a business address and ABN-related details before a number is fully active. Outbound caller ID must be a number you own or have verified; you cannot spoof a landline you do not control. Budget a few business days for verification on a new sub-account.

Calling costs

LC Phone per-minute rates for Australia are approximately USD 0.014 per minute inbound and a similar figure outbound to mobiles, with Ring Group and forwarded legs each counted as a separate outbound minute. These figures change; confirm the current rate card in your agency's LC Phone billing settings before quoting a client.

Recording consent

Recording rules differ by state, and several states require all parties to be informed. The safe practice is to include "this call may be recorded" in the greeting before any Gather step, and to keep recording off for numbers where you have not done so.

ACMA and Do Not Call

Inbound IVR does not trigger Do Not Call obligations, but any outbound calling or SMS you attach to it (missed-call text-back, follow-up sequences) does. Marketing SMS must identify the sender and include an opt-out, and outbound telemarketing must respect the ACMA Do Not Call Register. A service message replying to someone who just rang you is generally fine; a promotional drip is a different matter.

IVR vs Voice AI: which to use

A keypress IVR is deterministic, cheap and predictable. Voice AI answers in natural language, can book appointments and qualify leads, and never puts a caller on hold, but it costs more per minute and needs a well-tested prompt. My rule: if callers mostly need to reach a person, use IVR plus a ring group. If callers mostly need information or a booking and your team cannot answer reliably, use a Voice AI agent as the first responder with IVR Connect Call as the transfer path. You can also combine them: a Gather option 4 "to speak with our assistant" that hands off to Voice AI. The GoHighLevel Voice AI vs Conversation AI comparison goes deeper on when each is worth the spend.

Testing checklist before go-live

• Call from a mobile that is not a contact in the sub-account and confirm the greeting plays within two rings.
• Press each digit and confirm the correct user's phone rings, including the whisper message if configured.
• Let a Connect Call time out and confirm the fallback path reaches voicemail, not silence.
• Leave a voicemail and check the transcription, the notification and the opportunity appear within two minutes.
• Call outside business hours (or temporarily edit the condition) and confirm the after-hours message and text-back SMS fire.
• Confirm the call recording is attached to the contact record when recording is on.
• Test on a Sunday and on a public holiday if your condition depends on business hours.

Troubleshooting common call routing problems

Calls dropping straight to voicemail

Usually the Connect Call timeout is shorter than the user's mobile voicemail pickup (many carriers pick up at 15 to 20 seconds). Set the GHL timeout to 20 seconds and the user's own voicemail to 30 seconds, or route to the app instead of the mobile number. Also check user availability and that the user is not marked away.

Keypress not registering

Check the Gather digit count is 1, the timeout is at least 5 seconds, and the greeting does not overlap the Gather prompt. Callers on VoIP desk phones sometimes send tones that do not register; ask them to press slowly. Also make sure the digit branch labels match the digits spoken in the prompt.

Forwarding loops

If the number's Advanced Settings forward to a mobile that itself forwards back to the same LC Phone number, or if an IVR Connect Call targets the trigger number, the call loops until it drops. Remove forwarding from the number settings when a workflow IVR is attached, and never connect to a number that belongs to the same sub-account.

Recording missing

Recording must be enabled on the number and, for IVR calls, on the Connect Call action. If either is off, no file is stored. Confirm the consent greeting is in place before switching it on. See the HighLevel help centre for the current location of the recording toggle, which has moved between releases.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Configuring forwarding on the number and an IVR workflow at the same time, which produces unpredictable routing.
• Leaving no fallback on a Connect Call, so unanswered calls end in silence rather than voicemail.
• Building the menu with more than four options; callers forget the first option by the time they hear the fifth.
• Forgetting the recording notice in the greeting and turning recording on anyway.
• Using sequential ringing for a sales line, which adds a minute of dead time before anyone answers.
• Not saving the finished build into a snapshot, so every new client sub-account is rebuilt by hand.

If you want inbound call routing, IVR menus and missed-call recovery configured properly across your GoHighLevel sub-accounts, book a strategy call with the HL Growth Partner team.

Book Your Strategy Call →

Frequently asked questions

Does GoHighLevel IVR work with Twilio numbers or only LC Phone?

The workflow IVR actions are built for LC Phone numbers. If your sub-account still uses a Twilio integration, migrate the number to LC Phone first; most agencies have already done this because LC Phone is required for the newer phone features.

Can I use a Ring Group and an IVR menu on the same number?

Yes, but do it inside the workflow. Use IVR Gather for the menu and IVR Connect Call with multiple users selected as the ring group step. Do not also set ring users in the number's Advanced Settings, or the two will conflict.

How much does an IVR call cost in Australia?

Approximately USD 0.014 per minute for the inbound leg on LC Phone, plus a similar outbound rate for each user leg that rings, plus premium workflow action executions. Check the current LC Phone rate card because these figures are approximate and change.

Can the IVR play a recorded audio file instead of text-to-speech?

Yes. IVR Say/Play accepts an uploaded MP3 or WAV. Professionally recorded greetings sound better than the default voices, though the text-to-speech is acceptable for after-hours messages that change often.

What happens if the caller is not an existing contact?

The Inbound Call trigger creates a new contact from the caller ID automatically, so tags, opportunities and text-back messages still work. Callers with a blocked number are created with no phone number, and the text-back step will fail for those, which is expected.

Related articles

• GoHighLevel LC Phone vs Twilio
• GoHighLevel phone system and call tracking
• GoHighLevel number pools
• GoHighLevel Voice AI vs Conversation AI