Create an incoming call trigger in a few steps
If you just need the essentials, follow this:
- Confirm a voice-enabled channel/number is connected and enabled
- Go to Triggers, click + New Trigger, and select Start a flow after receiving a call
- Choose the call behavior: answer & start voice flow or hang up & start messaging flow
- Select the flow and optionally restrict by voice channel/number and groups
- Save, then test by placing a real call and checking logs
You’re done. Calls to your voice number can now launch the correct flow automatically.
Step-by-Step Process
When Voice (IVR) is set up, this trigger starts a flow when RapidPro.app receives an incoming phone call from a contact. You can route callers into an IVR experience,
or hang up and start a messaging flow as a follow-up.
- Go to the Triggers tab.
- Click + New Trigger.
- Scroll to Start a flow after receiving a call and select it.
[CAPTURE: Triggers page with “+ New Trigger” button.]
[CAPTURE: New Trigger list with “Start a flow after receiving a call” highlighted.]
Select one of the following behaviors:
- Answer the call and start a voice flow (IVR / Phone Call flow)
- Hang up and start a messaging flow
[CAPTURE: Option A showing “Answer & start voice flow” vs “Hang up & start messaging flow”.]
- Select the flow to start (a voice flow or messaging flow depending on your call behavior).
- Optional: Restrict the trigger to a specific voice channel/number, or leave it blank to apply to any eligible voice channel.
- Optional: Add include/exclude group rules to control who can trigger the flow.
[CAPTURE: Flow dropdown showing an IVR/Phone Call flow selected.]
[CAPTURE: Channel dropdown showing “None” vs a selected voice channel.]
[CAPTURE: Include/Exclude group selectors.]
- Click New Trigger to save.
- Confirm it appears in your Active Triggers list.
- Place a real call to the number and confirm the flow starts.
- If it doesn’t start, review logs to identify what prevented the trigger from firing.
[CAPTURE: Active triggers list showing the “Start after receiving a call” trigger.]
Common Issues & Quick Fixes
Problem: Calls don’t start the flow.
Fix: Confirm the channel/number is voice-enabled and enabled, check the trigger is active, verify you called the selected number if the trigger is channel-restricted, and review include/exclude group filters.
Problem: The caller hears nothing or the call drops.
Fix: Ensure you selected Answer the call and start a voice flow, and verify the chosen flow is a Phone Call / IVR flow (not a messaging flow).
Problem: The wrong flow starts for calls.
Fix: Check for multiple incoming call triggers on the same channel, and restrict triggers by channel/number to avoid conflicts.