Callers reach the right team first time
Send Queensland landline callers to your Brisbane team and Victorian callers to Melbourne - automatically, before anyone has to transfer the call.
NEW
BETA
PREMIUM FEATURE
Crazytel Smart Routes Every call, to the right place - automatically
Smart Routes looks at who is calling, which of your numbers they rang and what time it is, then sends the call where it should go. Set up, configure and optimise your rules in MyAccount or via our REST API, test them without making a single call, and pay a flat $2.00 per route per month.
- Route by suburb, state, country or line type
- Different handling for each number you own
- Business hours, split shifts, after hours and holidays
- Free Test a Call simulator - no phones ring
National Inbound Router
NEW
BETA
Australia/Sydney
1
NSW & Western Sydney Branch
✓ Matched
IF Suburb: Parramatta, Blacktown (NSW)
AND Dialled: 1300 975 707
AND Mon-Fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
THEN Label “{suburb}:” → Sydney Ring Group
2
Mobile Callers National Split
Not reached
IF Line type: Mobile (04)
AND Mon-Fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
THEN Split 70% Sales Queue / 30% Overflow
3
After-Hours On-Call Mobile
Not reached
IF NOT Mon-Fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
THEN On-Call Mobile (20s, Press 1) → Voicemail
C
Destination If No Rules Match (Catch-All)
Standby safety net
Runs after Holidays if no rule matches
THEN National Reception Queue
Simulator Result: Matched Rule #1 (Valid AU landline, Parramatta, NSW)
Desk Phone CID: Parramatta:0298901234
A rulebook for your incoming calls
Smart Routes is a call router that sits between your Crazytel phone numbers and the people, teams and features that answer them. Instead of every call to a number going to the same place, a Smart Route checks each call against a short list of rules you write, in plain choices, such as:
-
Who is calling? A caller from a Sydney landline, a mobile caller, an overseas caller, a caller with a withheld number, or a specific customer's number.
-
Which number did they ring? Your 1300 sales line, your Melbourne office number or your support line can all point at one Smart Route and still be handled differently.
-
When are they calling? Weekdays 8:30 am to 5 pm, lunch breaks, overnight, a single date, a date range, the same day every year, or a holiday you've added.
The first rule that fits the call wins, and the call goes to the destination that rule names - a Ring Group, a Queue, an IVR menu, voicemail, a mobile, a CrazyPBX extension and more. If no rule fits, the call goes to your Catch-All destination, so no caller is left hanging.
How calls reach a Smart Route
You don't need to change your phone system. A Smart Route receives calls in two ways:
- From your Crazytel numbers. In Number Manager, choose Premium Features → Smart Route as the destination for a number, and pick your route by name. One Smart Route can look after many numbers at once.
- From other Crazytel features. Ring Groups, Queues, IVRs, Time Conditions and other Premium Features can pass a call on to a Smart Route, and a Smart Route can pass calls on to another Smart Route.
Up and running in five steps
Configure your rules in MyAccount, verify them in the free simulator, and point your numbers at your route.
1
Create a Smart Route
In MyAccount, go to Products → Premium Features → Smart Routes and click Create Smart Route. Give it a name, pick your timezone (Sydney is the default) and choose a Catch-All destination for calls that don't match any rule. The $2.00 monthly fee starts when the route is created.
2
Add your routing rules
Each rule reads like a sentence: “If the caller is a landline in NSW, and they rang our 1300 number, and it's a weekday between 8:30 am and 5 pm, then send them to the Sydney Ring Group.” Put rules in order - the list is checked from top to bottom and the first match wins. Drag rules, or use Move Up and Move Down, to change the order.
3
Test a call
Open Test a Call, enter a sample caller number, the number they dialled, a date and a time, and run it. You'll see which rule matched, why every other rule was skipped, where the call would go, and the caller ID your team would see. You can even test changes you haven't saved yet.
4
Point a number at it
In Number Manager, set your number's destination to Premium Features → Smart Route and choose your route. You can also see and connect numbers from the route's Phone Numbers tab. Repeat for as many numbers as you like.
5
Watch it work
Real calls appear in Call Logs with the rule that matched and where the call ended up. Stats & Usage shows totals, how often each rule is used and whether your backup destinations are doing their job.
Call arrives
Rules checked top to bottom
First match wins
No match? Holiday plan, then Catch-All
Nobody answers? If Unanswered backup
Why Australian businesses use Smart Routes
Put callers straight through to the right branch, mobile or queue without manual transfers or complicated PBX dialplans.
One route for all your numbers
Point many numbers at a single Smart Route and still treat each one differently, so you manage one set of rules instead of dozens of separate settings.
Business hours, sorted
Set opening hours, split shifts, overnight cover, one-off closures and yearly dates. Times follow the timezone you choose for the route.
Holidays handled ahead of time
Add public holidays and shutdown days once. On those dates calls follow your holiday plan, with an optional recorded message.
Know which line is ringing
Add a short label like “Sales:” or the caller's suburb to the caller ID shown on your desk phones and softphones, so staff can answer the right way.
Never miss a call
Ring a mobile for 20 seconds, then try a second number, then voicemail. A Catch-All and an “If Unanswered” backup cover every gap.
Test before you go live
The Test a Call simulator shows exactly which rule a call would match, and why, without ringing a single phone or costing a cent.
See what really happened
Call Logs and Stats & Usage show where every call went, which rule matched it and whether the backup was used.
Inside Smart Routes: conditions, destinations & tools
Explore how rules evaluate callers, dialled numbers and schedules, where calls can go, and how you test and monitor every route.
Rule conditions - “Who is calling?”
Each rule can check the caller's number in one of these ways. Inside one condition, a call matches if it fits any of the values you list (for example, any of three suburbs). Up to 100 suburbs, numbers or patterns can be listed per rule.
| Condition | What it does | Real-life example |
|---|---|---|
| Any caller | Matches everyone. Useful when the rule only cares about the number dialled or the time. | “All calls to our support line after 6 pm go to the on-call mobile.” |
| Private / withheld | Matches callers who hide their number. | Send withheld callers to an IVR that asks them to choose a department. |
| Caller ID is known | Matches callers who show their number. | Only offer the “call me back” voicemail to callers who show a number. |
| Suburb | Matches Australian landline callers from the suburbs you pick (with an autocomplete search). | Parramatta and Blacktown landline callers go to the Western Sydney branch. |
| State or territory | Matches Australian landline callers by NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, QLD, WA, SA or NT. | WA landline callers go to the Perth team, who are in their timezone. |
| Country | Matches the country the call comes from. Pick Australia and tick NOT to catch every overseas caller. | International callers go to the export sales queue. |
| Line type | Matches mobile, landline, toll-free, shared-cost (local-rate) or internet (VoIP) callers. | Mobile callers go to a Queue; landline callers go to their local branch. |
| Exact number | Matches specific phone numbers. Works with 0412 345 678 or 61412345678 formats. | Your three biggest clients ring straight through to their account manager. |
| Starts with | Matches numbers beginning with the digits you enter. | Every caller from a number starting 08 9 goes to Perth. |
| Pattern | Matches numbers using simple wildcards for “any digits” or “one digit”. | Match a block of numbers from one large customer's phone system. |
| Advanced pattern (regular expression) | For technical users who need precise matching rules. | An IT team matching a complex range of partner numbers. |
Important note on Australian mobile numbers: Suburb and state matching works for Australian geographic landline numbers (02, 03, 07, 08). Mobile numbers (04) don't belong to a fixed suburb or state, so add a separate rule for mobile callers, or let your Catch-All handle them.
“Which number did they ring?”
When several of your numbers point at the same Smart Route, a rule can check which one the caller dialled.
| Condition | What it does & example |
|---|---|
| Any dialled number | Ignores which number was rung. One set of rules for every number. |
| Exact numbers | Pick from your own Crazytel numbers. Calls to 1300 975 707 go to Sales; calls to 1800 160 401 go to Support. |
| Starts with | Matches dialled numbers beginning with certain digits. All of your 03 numbers get the Melbourne treatment. |
| Pattern / advanced pattern | Wildcard or regular-expression matching for large number ranges (e.g. a franchise group with a block per region). |
| Suburb / state / country of dialled number | Matches based on where your dialled number is located. Every local number you own in Queensland routes to the Brisbane office. |
| Dialled number is present / missing | Checks whether the call carried a dialled number at all (for technical edge cases when passed from another feature). |
“When are they calling?”
Schedules, holiday dates and the simulator all follow the timezone you pick for the route.
| Schedule | What it does & example |
|---|---|
| Always | No time limit. A VIP rule that applies around the clock. |
| Days of the week | Pick days, then all day, one time window, or several windows (split shifts). If end time is earlier than start time, it runs overnight. E.g. Mon-Fri 8:30 am - 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm; overnight 5:00 pm - 8:00 am. |
| A specific date | One date, with optional times. Stocktake day: Saturday 14 March, 9 am - 1 pm, calls go to voicemail. |
| Date range | A first and last date (both included), with optional days and times. Christmas shutdown, 24 December to 5 January. |
| Every year on... | The same month and day every year, with optional times. Your business's own annual closure day. |
| On this route's holidays | Matches the dates in the route's Holidays calendar. Sends calls to a recorded “we're closed” message. |
NOT Invert any condition & ALL-3-pass logic
Any condition can be flipped so it matches when something is not true - for example “callers who are not in NSW” or “any time that is not business hours”. A rule matches only when all three checks pass (caller and dialled number and schedule). Checks left on “Any” or “Always” always pass.
Holidays calendar & safety net
Add each holiday date with a name (e.g. “Christmas Day”), optional destination and optional recorded greeting (one holiday per date). Use holidays either as a rule schedule (“On this route's holidays” for top priority) or as a safety net when no rule matches (using the holiday's destination or your Holiday default).
Time zones & business hours
Every Smart Route has its own timezone (Sydney is default; choose Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Melbourne, Hobart and more). A Perth-based team sets its route to Perth time, so “8:30 am to 5:00 pm” means Perth hours even if head office is in Sydney.
Where calls can go (destinations)
| Destination group | Options |
|---|---|
| Premium Features | Ring Group, Queue, IVR, Time Condition, Voicemail, Announcement, Recording Box, AI Bridge, or another Smart Route |
| Phone numbers | Any Australian mobile or landline (for example 0491 570 156), or an international number |
| Your phone system | A CrazyPBX extension, a Crazytel SIP Trunk, or a SIP Trunk device |
| Advanced | A SIP address on another phone system |
| End the call | Hang up, Busy or Congestion |
Rule order & matching (up to 100 rules)
- Rules are checked from top to bottom. The first rule that matches wins, and no further rules are checked.
- Put specific rules at the top (VIP customer, holiday rule) and broad rules lower down (all mobiles, all NSW callers).
- Reorder by dragging or with Move Up / Move Down buttons. Switch a rule off to skip it without deleting it.
- Each route holds up to 100 rules (shown as e.g. “12 / 100 rules”) and generates a plain-English summary as you build it.
Ways to ring more than one destination from a rule
| Routing style | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single destination | Every matching call goes to one place. | All Melbourne callers go to the Melbourne Ring Group. |
| Try in order | Ring the first destination, then the next, then the next. Each can have its own ring time. | Ring the owner's mobile for 15 seconds, then the office manager for 20 seconds. |
| Weighted split | Share calls by percentage. | Send 70% of new-enquiry calls to the in-house team and 30% to an overflow answering service. |
| Take turns | Share calls evenly in rotation. | Rotate leads between four sales reps' mobiles. |
Chaining Smart Routes safely
A Smart Route can hand calls to another Smart Route - for example, a national router that hands Victorian callers to a Victoria-only router. A route cannot send calls to itself, and the portal warns you if two routes could send calls back and forth to each other.
Greetings, whispers & “press 1”
Upload WAV or MP3 recordings (up to 10 MB each) and use them as:
- Caller greeting: played to the caller before the call is routed (on each rule, Catch-All and each holiday).
- Whisper: a short message played only to the person answering before connecting (e.g. “Call from the Sydney sales line”).
- Press 1 to accept: the person answering must press 1 before connecting - stops a mobile's voicemail from accidentally “answering” a business call.
Whisper, press 1 and ring times apply when ringing a phone number, SIP Trunk, device or CrazyPBX extension. Ring Groups, Queues, IVRs and Voicemail manage their own ringing.
Caller ID text labels (prefixes)
Add short text (up to 64 characters) in front of the caller's number on SIP desk phones, softphones, CrazyPBX extensions, Ring Groups and Queues:
{suburb} {state} {country} {did} {did_last4} {rule}
- Set a label for the whole route, then let each rule keep it, replace it, add to it, or remove it.
- Labels carry through to the next feature (e.g. BrandA:Sales:).
- Note: mobile and landline networks only show digits, so text labels appear on SIP phones and Crazytel features, not on a forwarded mobile.
Outbound caller ID on forwarded calls
When forwarding a call out to a mobile or external number, control what number the person answering sees:
- Pass the caller's number through (on by default), so on-call staff see who is really calling.
- Or show a fixed number of your own (must be a Crazytel number on your account or a verified caller ID). 1300, 1800, six-digit 13 numbers and 000 can't be used - choose a geographic (02, 03, 07, 08) or mobile (04) number.
- Privacy options for SIP Trunks, devices and CrazyPBX: always show, keep caller's privacy if withheld, or always hide. Every rule can override.
Test a Call simulator (100% free)
Verify your rules in MyAccount before a single live customer rings:
- Enter any test scenario: caller number (or tick “private caller”), the number they dialled, a date and a time.
- Instant outcome: see whether it matched a Rule, a Holiday or the Catch-All, where the call goes, where it goes if unanswered, the caller ID label your team will see, and the number a forwarded mobile will see.
- Rule-by-rule checklist: shows a tick or cross for the caller, dialled-number and schedule checks on every rule, with the exact reason why each rule did or didn't match.
- Live number lookup: number details appear as you type, e.g. “Valid AU landline, Parramatta, NSW” or “Valid AU mobile, no suburb or state”.
- Test unsaved changes: try edits before you commit them. Available from every route's Test a Call tab, from the rule editor (“Test this rule”), and as a standalone page.
- Completely free: no call is placed, nothing is saved, no alerts are sent, and there is no charge.
Visual Call Flow step ladder
The Call Flow tab draws your Smart Route as a step-by-step ladder and highlights the path your last simulator run took:
1. Call Arrives · Route enabled & under call limit
✓ Pass
2. Rule #1: NSW Landlines · Suburb = Parramatta
✓ Matched → Sydney Ring Group
3. Rule #2: Mobile Callers (Skipped after match)
Skipped
4. Holidays Calendar Check (Christmas, Boxing Day)
Standby
5. Catch-All Destination → National Queue
Standby
6. If Unanswered Backup (30s) → Voicemail
Safety net
Call Logs & step-by-step timeline
- Every call handled by your Smart Routes, newest first: time, caller, suburb/state and line type, number dialled, what it matched (rule, holiday or Catch-All), destination, whether backup was used, outcome and duration.
- Open any call for the full story: why it matched, caller ID label shown, greeting/whisper details, and a step-by-step activity timeline (greeting, rule match, ringing, backup, connected, hang-up).
- Filter by date, outcome, match type, rule, caller state, caller number, number dialled and backup usage. Available per route and across all routes.
- Withheld callers always show as “Private” and are never unmasked.
Rejected calls visibility
Calls turned away before any rule is checked - for example when a Smart Route is switched off or deleted, or has reached the simultaneous-call limit you set - are listed under Rejections in Stats & Usage with the time, reason and number dialled, so you can quickly spot a number still pointing at a switched-off route.
Stats & Usage (with live auto-refresh)
See totals, outcomes, backup usage, and a breakdown of calls matched by rules, holidays and the Catch-All, plus alert usage shown separately from the $2.00 monthly fee:
Alerts, webhooks, call limits & REST API
- Set up, configure & optimise via API: create Smart Routes, manage and reorder routing rules, update holiday calendars, run simulator checks, and pull analytics programmatically via our REST API at https://crazytel.io/docs#/.
- Alerts: send an email and/or SMS when the Smart Route routes a call. SMS alerts are charged per message segment, separately from the route fee.
- Webhooks: send call events to your own HTTPS web address, signed with a secret so your system can verify they came from Crazytel (the secret can be replaced or removed any time).
- Simultaneous call limit: optionally cap how many calls the route handles at once.
Two built-in safety nets: Catch-All vs If Unanswered
These two backups answer two different questions and work together so callers never hit a dead end.
| Safety net aspect | Destination If No Rules Match (Catch-All) | If Unanswered |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | “Where do calls go that none of my rules cover?” | “What happens if the phone I'm ringing doesn't pick up?” |
| When it runs | Before anything rings, when no rule (and no holiday) matched | After ringing, when a phone number, SIP Trunk, device or CrazyPBX extension didn't answer, was busy or failed |
| Settings | Destination, optional label, optional greeting | Ring time of 5 to 120 seconds (30 by default) and a backup destination; each rule can override |
| Applies to Ring Groups, Queues, IVRs, Voicemail? | Yes - it's just a destination | No - those features handle their own no-answer |
Example in action: A plumber's rules cover business hours and after hours. The Catch-All sends anything unexpected to the office Ring Group. The after-hours rule rings the on-call mobile for 25 seconds; If Unanswered sends the caller to voicemail.
Real-world setups by business type
See how Australian tradies, clinics, IT desks, national sales teams and multi-brand offices configure their rules.
1. The tradie who can't always pick up
On-Call & Press 1Jess runs a three-van electrical business on the Central Coast. During the day she's on the tools; after hours she wants only genuine emergencies. Her 1300 number points at one Smart Route.
- Business hours: Mon-Fri 7:00 am - 4:30 pm → Try in order: Jess's mobile (20s), then office manager's mobile (20s). If Unanswered: Voicemail.
- Saturday mornings: Sat 8:00 am - 12:00 pm → On-call apprentice's mobile, with Press 1 to accept switched on.
- Catch-All: Greeting: “You've reached Jess Electrical after hours. For emergencies, stay on the line.” → IVR with emergency option.
2. The multi-location clinic
Suburb RoutingA physiotherapy group has clinics in Parramatta, Chatswood and Penrith, and one 1300 number on its website. Patients kept getting the wrong front desk.
- Western Sydney landlines: Suburb = Parramatta, Westmead, Merrylands → Parramatta Ring Group. Label: {suburb}:.
- North Shore landlines: Suburb = Chatswood, Lane Cove, Willoughby → Chatswood Ring Group.
- Penrith area landlines: Suburb = Penrith, St Marys, Emu Plains → Penrith Ring Group.
- Mobiles: Line type = Mobile → IVR “Press 1 for Parramatta, 2 for Chatswood, 3 for Penrith”. Catch-All: Central bookings Queue.
3. After-hours support desk
Brisbane TimezoneA Brisbane IT managed-service provider offers 24/7 support to contract clients, but business-hours-only support to everyone else (Route timezone: Australia/Brisbane).
- Contract clients after hours: Caller = Exact client numbers, Schedule = NOT 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Mon-Fri → Take turns between 3 on-call engineers' mobiles. Whisper: “After-hours contract client”. If Unanswered: Voicemail.
- Business hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am - 6:00 pm → Support Queue.
- Catch-All: Greeting: “Our support desk is open 8 am to 6 pm weekdays.” → Voicemail.
4. National sales team, routed by state
State + Weighted SplitA solar retailer advertises one 1800 number nationally with sales teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Stats & Usage shows which states call most to guide staffing.
- State rules (#1-#4): NSW/ACT → Sydney Sales Queue; VIC/TAS → Melbourne Sales Queue; QLD → Brisbane Sales Queue; WA/SA/NT → Perth Sales Queue.
- Mobiles (#5): Line type = Mobile → Weighted split: 40% Sydney, 30% Melbourne, 30% Brisbane.
- Catch-All: National Sales Ring Group.
5. Holiday and shutdown closures
Holidays CalendarA Hobart wholesaler closes between Christmas and New Year and on Tasmanian public holidays, and used to forget to change its call forwarding.
- Holidays calendar: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and Tasmanian public holidays added once with greeting “We're closed today for the public holiday”.
- Shutdown rule (top of list): Date range 24 December - 5 January → Greeting “We're on our annual break and back on 6 January” → Voicemail.
- Holiday default: Voicemail, with normal business-hours rules below.
6. One Smart Route, many brands
Dialled Number LabelsA Gold Coast property-management company runs three brands, each with its own phone number, but one reception team answers them all.
- Brand A line: Dialled number = Brand A → Label: Coastal: → Reception Ring Group.
- Brand B line: Dialled number = Brand B → Label: Hinterland: → Reception Ring Group.
- Brand C line: Dialled number = Brand C → Label: Holiday Lets: → Reception Ring Group.
7. Overseas and withheld callers
Privacy & Country NOTA Melbourne online retailer gets calls from overseas customers and nuisance withheld calls.
- Withheld numbers: Caller = Private / withheld → IVR asking the caller to choose a department.
- Overseas callers: Caller = Country AU with NOT ticked → Label: Intl: → International Orders Queue.
- Catch-All: Customer Service Queue.
8. Key accounts get the VIP line
VIP PriorityA Perth logistics company wants its top 20 customers to skip the main queue and reach their account manager directly.
- VIP customers (top of list): Caller = Exact number (20 customer numbers), Label: VIP: → Try in order: account manager's CrazyPBX extension (15s), then their mobile (20s). If Unanswered: Operations Ring Group.
- Everyone else (Catch-All): Main Queue.
Simple, flat pricing
One flat monthly fee per Smart Route. Point as many of your Crazytel numbers at a route as you like.
PREPAID MONTHLY
See full pricing & billing
Premium Smart Route
$2.00
per Smart Route, per month (AUD)
Charged from your prepaid Crazytel balance. Part-month (pro-rata) charge when you create the route, then renews monthly. Turn it off any time.
What's included in the $2.00
- Up to 100 routing rules per route
- Every rule condition: suburb, state, country, line type, number patterns, dialled number and schedules
- Holidays calendar and holiday default
- Catch-All and If Unanswered backup destinations
- Caller greetings, whispers and press 1 to accept (WAV/MP3 uploads up to 10 MB)
- Caller ID labels and outbound caller ID controls
- Test a Call simulator (unlimited free test runs, no calls placed)
- Visual Call Flow, Call Logs, Rejections and Stats & Usage
- Webhooks & full REST API setup, configuration and optimisation (crazytel.io/docs)
- As many of your numbers pointed at the route as you like
What's charged separately
- SMS alerts - per message segment (shown under Stats & Usage, separate from the $2.00).
- Calls forwarded to external phone numbers - at your normal outbound call rates.
- The features you send calls to (for example a Ring Group or Queue) are billed under their own pricing.
Example monthly costs (route fees only)
| Setup | Smart Routes | Monthly route fee |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader, one router for all numbers | 1 | $2.00 |
| Business with a sales router and a support router | 2 | $4.00 |
| Three-clinic group, one router per clinic plus a national router | 4 | $8.00 |
| Franchise with ten regional routers | 10 | $20.00 |
How billing works
- Creating a route starts the subscription and takes a part-month (pro-rata) charge from your balance straight away. The amount depends on where you are in the billing cycle and will be between $0.00 and $2.00. After that, it renews monthly on the day you created it (Sydney time).
- Editing rules, holidays, recordings or settings never changes your bill.
- Testing with the simulator, and viewing call logs and stats, are free.
- Switching a route off stops calls to it and stops billing straight away. There's no refund for the rest of the month.
- Switching it back on starts a new subscription and takes a new part-month charge. Each off/on cycle is charged.
- Deleting a route ends its subscription with no refund for the rest of the month. Move any numbers pointing at it first, because calls to a deleted route will fail.
- Low balance: Crazytel is prepaid. If the charge can't be taken when you create a route, the route is saved switched off so you don't lose your setup - top up and switch it on. If your balance goes below zero, services stop until you top up.
Which feature do I need?
These features work together. Many customers use a Smart Route to decide where a call goes, then send it to a Ring Group, Queue or IVR to ring the people.
| Capability | Smart Routes | Time Conditions | IVR | Ring Groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Automatically decides where each call goes using rules | Sends a number one way in business hours and another way after hours | Plays a menu so callers choose (“Press 1 for Sales”) | Rings several phones or people for one call |
| Who decides | Your rules, automatically | The clock | The caller | - (rings the group you set up) |
| Can decide by caller location or line type | Yes - suburb, state, country, mobile/landline and more | No | No | No |
| Can treat each dialled number differently | Yes, within one route | - | - | - |
| Can decide by time and date | Yes - weekdays, split shifts, overnight, dates, ranges, yearly dates, holidays | Yes - business hours vs after hours | - | - |
| Rings phones itself | Yes - phone numbers, trunks, devices, CrazyPBX, with try-in-order, weighted split or take-turns | No - hands the call on | No - hands the call on | Yes |
| Built-in free simulator | Yes | - | - | - |
| Monthly price | $2.00 per route | See Time Conditions pricing | See IVR pricing | See Ring Groups pricing |
| Best for | Multi-location, multi-number and “different callers, different handling” setups | Simple open / closed switching | Letting callers pick a department | Making sure a team answers |
Quick plain-English guide
- Only need open vs closed? A Time Condition may be all you need.
- Want callers to choose? Use an IVR.
- Need a team to answer? Use a Ring Group or Queue.
- Need the call to go somewhere different depending on who's calling, which number they rang or when? Use a Smart Route - and point its rules at your Ring Groups, Queues and IVRs.
Why the Beta badge?
Smart Routes is live in MyAccount with a New and Beta badge. It is fully working and billed as normal ($2.00/month per route), and we are continuing to refine the experience based on customer feedback.
Works with your entire Crazytel setup
Connect Smart Routes with your numbers, voice features, AI agents and phone system:
Number Manager
Point local, mobile, 1300, 1800 & 13xxxx numbers at a Smart Route.
Premium Ring Groups
Ring the right team after Smart Routes picks the branch.
Premium Queues
Send matched callers straight into the right waiting queue.
Premium IVR
Offer a menu to callers that rules can't place (e.g. mobiles).
Premium Time Conditions
Use alongside, or hand calls seamlessly between the two.
Premium Voicemail
A reliable Catch-All, holiday and If Unanswered destination.
Premium Announcements
Play a recorded message, such as a closure or holiday notice.
Premium Recording Box
Send callers to leave a compliant recorded message.
AI Bridge
Hand calls to an AI voice assistant when rules match.
CrazyPBX
Ring a CrazyPBX extension directly with caller ID labels.
SIP Trunks
Ring a Crazytel SIP Trunk or a specific trunk device.
Other Smart Routes
Chain a national router to state or regional routers.
Crazytel REST API
Set up, configure & optimise Smart Routes via crazytel.io/docs#/.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Smart Routes pricing, Beta status, rules, mobile callers and fallbacks.
1. How much does Smart Routes cost?
$2.00 per Smart Route per month, charged from your prepaid Crazytel balance. You pay a part-month amount when you create a route, then it renews monthly. Rules, holidays and settings are included. SMS alerts and calls forwarded to outside phone numbers are charged separately.
2. What does “Beta” mean?
Smart Routes is new. It's fully working and billed as normal, and we're still adding improvements based on customer feedback. The “Beta” badge in MyAccount lets you know the product is still being refined.
3. Can I send calls to a Smart Route from my own PBX or SIP phone system?
No. Calls reach a Smart Route through your Crazytel phone numbers or from other Crazytel features. If your own phone system currently answers a number, change that number's destination in Number Manager to your Smart Route, then add a rule (or Catch-All) that sends calls on to your SIP Trunk, device or phone system. You get Smart Routes' decisions and your phone system still rings.
4. How do I connect a phone number?
In MyAccount, open Number Manager, choose the number, set its destination to Premium Features → Smart Route, and pick your route by name. You can also see and connect numbers from the route's Phone Numbers tab. Make sure the route is switched on.
5. Can one Smart Route look after more than one number?
Yes. Point as many of your numbers at one route as you like for the same $2.00 a month, and use the “number dialled” condition to treat each one differently.
6. What happens if no rule matches a call?
If it's a holiday on that route, the call follows the holiday's destination (or your Holiday default). Otherwise it goes to your Catch-All destination. Every route has a Catch-All, so callers are never left without somewhere to go. Until you choose one, the Catch-All is set to hang up, so pick a destination when you create the route.
7. What happens if nobody answers?
When a rule rings a phone number, SIP Trunk, device or CrazyPBX extension, it rings for the time you set (5 to 120 seconds, 30 by default), then sends the caller to your If Unanswered backup. Ring Groups, Queues, IVRs and Voicemail handle their own no-answer.
8. How do holidays work?
Add each date to the route's Holidays calendar, with an optional destination and greeting. If no rule matches on that date, calls follow the holiday plan. You can also write rules that only apply on your holidays. One holiday can be set for each date.
9. Why don't mobile callers match my suburb or state rules?
Australian mobile numbers (04) aren't tied to a location. Suburb and state matching works for geographic landlines (02, 03, 07, 08). Add a rule for mobile callers, or let your Catch-All handle them.
10. Can I test my rules without making real calls?
Yes. Test a Call lets you enter any caller number, dialled number, date and time and shows which rule would match and why. It places no calls, sends no alerts and costs nothing. You can even test changes before you save them.
11. Can my staff see why a call was sent somewhere?
Yes. Call Logs shows every call, the rule (or holiday, or Catch-All) it matched, where it went and whether the backup was used. Open a call to see a step-by-step timeline.
12. What's the difference between switching a route off and deleting it?
Both stop billing straight away with no refund for the rest of the month. Switching off keeps your rules and settings, and calls to the route are rejected until you switch it back on (which takes a new part-month charge). Deleting removes the route; any numbers or features still pointing at it will stop working, so move them first.
13. Are there limits?
Up to 100 rules per route. Each rule can list up to 100 suburbs, numbers or patterns. Recordings must be WAV or MP3, up to 10 MB. Caller ID labels can be up to 64 characters. Ring times are 5 to 120 seconds. 1300, 1800, six-digit 13 numbers and 000 can't be used as the outbound caller ID on forwarded calls.
14. Will the caller ID label show on my mobile?
No. Labels such as “Sales:” show on SIP desk phones, softphones, CrazyPBX, Ring Groups and Queues. Mobile and landline networks only carry phone digits. When forwarding to a mobile, you can still choose to show the caller's number or one of your own numbers.
15. Where can I get help?
Open How Smart Routes work at the top of the Smart Routes page in MyAccount for a step-by-step guide, or contact Crazytel support on 1800 272 998.
16. Can I set up, configure and optimise Smart Routes using the Crazytel API?
Yes. Every Smart Route can be set up, configured, tested and optimised programmatically through our REST API - making it easy to automate rule updates, holiday schedules, number routing and call analytics from your own software or AI workflows. View the full API reference at https://crazytel.io/docs#/.
NEW
BETA
$2.00 / ROUTE / MONTH
Create your first Smart Route
Build your rules in plain English in MyAccount or configure and optimise them via our REST API, test any caller scenario for free in the simulator, and send every call to the right place automatically.