What the agent hears and sees when a call arrives tells them how to answer it. This page shows how to add a whisper that plays to the agent on pick-up, and how to choose the caller ID the agent sees.

Add a whisper

Note

To use the templated setup instead, see: Start from a template.

A Whisper is a short audio message played only to the agent the moment they pick up, before the caller can hear anything. It gives the agent instant context so they can tailor their response before saying hello. For example, “Call from Christmas Radio Campaign”.

  1. Open the Call Flow Builder

    Go to Call handlingCall Flows and click Create, then From Scratch, to start a new call flow, or click an existing call flow to edit it.

  2. 1Add the Whisper action

    A new call flow starts with New Call and a Dial step, with a + button above Dial and one below it.

    • Click the + button below the Dial destination.
    • Select Whisper from the Add-ons menu.
    Select a call-flow action✕

    Enhance the call experience with call add-ons and features

    • Routing Options
    • Voicemail
    • Add-ons
    • Whisper1
    • Call Survey
    Click Whisper (1) under Add-ons.

  3. Configure the whisper message

    • Choose Text to speech (1) to type a Message and pick a Voice, or Tracking number whisper (2) to play a different audio file per tracking number from the Media Library. A new Whisper starts on Tracking number whisper.
    • Under Connect, choose how the call connects: Play whisper, then connect automatically, Connect immediately, whisper plays in background, or Repeat whisper until agent presses a key.
    • Optionally set how many seconds to Wait after the agent answers before the whisper plays, and click Preview to listen.
    Whisper✕
    Text to speech1Tracking number whisper2
    Preview
    Message
    Call from Google Ads
    Voice
    English (US)
    FemaleMale
    Connect
    Play whisper, then connect automatically

    The caller hears ringing while you hear the whisper. The call connects on its own once the whisper finishes.

    Wait0seconds after the agent answers before the whisper plays
    Type the message with Text to speech (1), or use each tracking number's own whisper (2).
    Main lineCall flow is valid. Assign to Tracking Number
    New Call
    Dial
    Main office(415) 555-0110
    Whisper
    Text to speechCall from Google Ads
    The Whisper sits below Dial, so it plays to the agent who answers.

  4. 1Assign per-number whispers in the Media Library (if using Tracking number whisper)

    • Go to Call handlingMedia Library and open the Whispers tab.
    • Click the + (1) next to each tracking number in the call flow.
    • Select the audio file to play for that number under Use Existing:, or add a new MP3 file or a text-to-speech whisper (2).
    GreetingsSurveysVoicemailsWhispers
    Tracking NumberFriendly NameWhisper
    (415) 555-0142Emergency Repairs-
    (415) 555-0157Website Visitors-
    (415) 555-0163Spring Tune-Upfacebook-ads.mp3
    Click the + (1) of a tracking number with no whisper.
    • Add New MP3 Audio
    • Add new Text-to-speech
    • Use Existing:
    • facebook-ads.mp3
    • google-ads.mp32
    Pick an existing file (2), or add a new one.

🎉 Done. Agents will now hear the whisper the moment they pick up, before speaking to the caller.

Detailed guide: Start from a template
Detailed guide: Manage audio files
Detailed guide: Assign a call flow

Start from a template

Note

To build this call flow manually using the full Call Flow Builder instead, see: Add a whisper.

A Whisper is a short audio message played only to the agent the moment they pick up, giving them instant context, such as which campaign or tracking number the call came from, before they speak to the caller.

  1. Open the template picker

    Go to Call handlingCall Flows, click Create, then select From Template.

  2. 1Choose the Simple with whisper template

    Hover over Simple with whisper and click Use template.

    Call Flow TemplatesStart with a call flow template, customize as you go.
    Simple Call Flow
    Route calls directly to a single number.BasicRouting
    Simple with recording
    Record the call before routing it to a single number.BasicRecording
    Simple with whisper
    Play a whisper message to the agent before connecting the call.BasicAgent Tools
    Click Use template (1) on Simple with whisper.

  3. 1Check the destination number and the whisper

    • The template is created and named automatically, and its Dial step is filled with your destination number. If the project has several destinations, the step rings them all (Multiple): to forward calls to one number only, click Dial in the step, then open Destination (1) and select the number.
    • The template’s whisper is a text to speech message, “This is a test whisper”. Replace it with the message your agents should hear.
    Dial✕
    Ring
    DialMultipleSequentialWeighted
    Instead
    Hang upVoicemail

    Rings a single destination.

    Destination
    Main office(415) 555-01101
    Main office(415) 555-0110
    Emergency line(415) 555-0119
    Add Destination
    Receive SMSAlso receive an SMS to your destination when supported by the tracking number.
    Open Destination (1) and select the number calls are forwarded to.

🎉 Your call flow with whisper is ready. Assign it to a tracking number under TrackingNumbers to go live.

Detailed guide: Assign a call flow
Detailed guide: Manage audio files

Mask the caller ID

Mask Caller ID controls what phone number appears on the agent’s screen when an inbound call arrives. Instead of always showing the caller’s real number, you can choose to display the tracking number, the destination number, or nothing at all (anonymous). Use it to help agents instantly identify which campaign a call came from, or to protect caller privacy when sending leads to third-party clients on a pay-per-call model.

  1. Open the Call Flow Builder

    Go to Call handlingCall Flows and click Create, then From Scratch, to start a new call flow, or click an existing call flow to add masking to it.

  2. 1Add the Mask Caller ID action

    • Click the + button under New Call.
    • Select Mask Caller ID from the Add-ons menu.
    Select a call-flow action✕

    Enhance the call experience with call add-ons and features

    • Add-ons
    • Mask Caller ID1
    • Record
    • Greeting
    • Filters
    • Caller ID Prefix
    • Keypad Entry
    • Day of Week
    • Time of Day
    Click Mask Caller ID (1) under Add-ons.

  3. 1Choose what to display on the agent's screen

    Select one of the three options:

    • Show Anonymous Caller ID: the agent sees no number (private/withheld).
    • Show Tracking Number as Caller ID: the agent sees the tracking number the caller dialed.
    • Show Destination Number as Caller ID: the agent sees their own destination number.

    If you don’t pick one, the action uses Show Anonymous Caller ID.

    Mask Caller ID✕
    Show Tracking Number as Caller ID
    Show Anonymous Caller ID
    Show Tracking Number as Caller ID1
    Show Destination Number as Caller ID
    Open the list and pick what the agent sees (1).

🎉 Done. Incoming calls on this flow will display the caller ID you selected.

Detailed guide: Assign a call flow