The Lines & Scheduling tab controls which phone lines an AloAi Voice Agent works on and when it is allowed to work.
What the tab shows depends on the agent’s direction. On an inbound agent, you choose the lines that send incoming calls to it. On an outbound agent, you set the line it calls from and decide whether it can call international numbers. Both types set working hours, holiday availability, and the time zone their schedule follows. This article covers each setting.
To get there, open the Agents menu, click the agent’s name, and click the Lines & Scheduling tab.
Open the agent from the Agents list.
The Lines & Scheduling tab for an outbound agent.
The Lines & Scheduling tab for an inbound agent, with Inbound lines.
Assigning lines to the agent
An agent needs at least one assigned line to take live calls. You can assign a line while creating the agent in Guided Agent Setup, or later. See Creating an AloAi Voice Agent.
The Inbound lines field for an inbound agent.
To assign a line to an existing agent:
Open the inbound agent and go to the Lines & Scheduling tab.
Under Inbound lines (optional), select one or more lines. Each selected line appears as a tag in the field.
If the line is already assigned to another agent, you are asked to confirm the reassignment.
Outbound agents do not have an Inbound lines field. They start calls from the line set under Default outbound line.
You can also assign an agent from the line’s settings:
Go to the Lines menu, find the line, and click Settings.
Open the Routing & IVR tab.
Under Who should handle incoming messages, turn on An AloAi Agent.
Select the agent from the dropdown.
To confirm the setup, place a test call to the line.
For more ways to assign lines, including to a newly created line, see Assigning inbound lines to an AloAi Agent.
Default outbound line
Default outbound line appears on outbound agents only. It sets which line the agent uses to start calls. Select one option:
Default outbound line and International engagement.
Last line used: the agent calls from the line the contact last talked to. Use it when the agent picks up after a person, such as mid-conversation or a warm handoff. This is the default.
A default line: every call starts from the line you select in Select a line. Use it when the agent starts its own conversations.
A default line with the line selector.
International calling
The International engagement toggle appears on outbound agents only. It controls whether the agent can contact international phone numbers. It is off by default for new agents.
The setting is per agent, so you can allow international calls for one agent without changing others. It applies only to AloAi agents. Your team’s own lines are not affected.
When the setting is off:
An attempt to call an international number is blocked, shows an error message explaining the restriction, and is logged for review.
Domestic calls continue as usual.
If you turn the setting on later, the call can be retried or the contact re-enrolled.
Working hours and holidays
Both inbound and outbound agents have a Schedule section. Under Schedule, Working hours set when the agent is active.
Each day has an Open toggle and an hours selector. On a new agent, every day is open for 24 hours. Setting hours keeps the agent from contacting customers when your team is not available to follow up.
The Schedule section with time zone, working hours, and holidays.
Work on US national holidays allows the agent to work during US holidays. It is off by default.
Time zone for working hours
Under Time zone, choose which time zone the schedule follows:
Account time zone applies the schedule in your account’s time zone. A 9am to 6pm window means 9am to 6pm where your account is based, so contacts in other time zones may be called outside their local business hours. This is the default.
Account time zone selected, with its helper text.
Contact time zone applies the schedule in each contact’s local time zone, so calls stay within permitted hours where the contact is. A 9am to 6pm window means 9am to 6pm where the contact is.
Contact time zone selected, with its helper text.
Contacts whose time zone is unknown use your account’s time zone instead. Helper text below the selector explains each option.
To set it:
Open the agent and go to the Lines & Scheduling tab.
Under Working hours, set the hours for each day, for example 9am to 6pm.
Under Time zone, choose Account time zone or Contact time zone.
Click Save. Changes on this tab are not saved until you click Save.
The setting is stored per agent and applies from the agent’s next call. Changing it on one agent does not affect other agents.
For example, an account based in Eastern time runs an outbound agent with a 9am to 6pm window. With Account time zone, the agent starts calling at 9am Eastern, which is 6am for contacts in California.
With Contact time zone, Eastern contacts are called from 9am Eastern and Pacific contacts from 9am Pacific.
The contact’s time zone is shown in the Timezone field of the contact’s details in Aloware Talk. Your account’s time zone is set under Account > General Settings > Timezone.