# Design a call sequence

Define the prompts, keypad choices, recording and ending of a call before configuring the application that handles it. Follow the [SIP trunk guide](/docs/guides/voice/sip-trunks) to connect that application to Bird.

## Define the caller’s outcome

Choose a small, observable result. A service-information menu can offer opening hours on one key and directions on another. Write the response for silence and an unmatched key as well as the main choices.

Keep external business actions in the application or conversational runtime that owns them. A spoken confirmation does not establish that another system booked an appointment or changed an order. Use the [AI voice integration guide](/docs/ai/voice-conversations) when the conversation depends on live tools and dialogue.

## Map the steps and dependencies

1. Name the entry point and each destination. List the phone numbers and external applications that depend on them.
2. Write the prompts and prepare the audio. Specify whether a key press should interrupt a prompt or wait until it finishes.
3. Define branches for complete keypad choices, silence and unmatched input. Give each branch a destination or an explicit end to the call.
4. If the application records a response, specify when capture starts and stops, which audio it captures and whether it needs transcription. Keep sensitive input outside the capture window.
5. Check that the connected application supports the required behavior. Verify its input handling, recording and transfer operations before configuring the workflow.

Keep recording, transcript processing and the telephone outcome separate. The [recordings guide](/docs/guides/voice/recordings) covers consent, access and review of the resulting artifacts.

## Connect the application

Create a trunk and enable the required calling direction. For incoming calls, enable inbound calling, configure a delivery gateway and point an eligible number at the trunk. The [receiving-calls guide](/docs/guides/voice/receiving-calls) covers number routing.

For outgoing calls, enable outbound calling and configure authentication, caller identity and destination access. Use the [SIP calling guide](/docs/guides/voice/placing-calls) to prepare the connection.

Configure prompts and menu behavior in the connected application. Discover the operations exposed by its API, CLI or management interface and read their current schemas or help before making changes. Bird’s call-record API documents reads; a read example is not a call-creation request.

## Test before changing the production route

Use a number you control and an isolated application configuration. The [first-call guide](/docs/guides/voice/first-call) covers connection preparation.

Test recognized input, silence, an unmatched key, interrupted prompts and clean hangup. Verify that each branch reaches its intended response. Check recording and transcript state separately when the workflow uses them.

Coordinate edits during the test and record the configuration tested. Keep the previous application configuration and number route available so you can restore them if the new workflow fails. Restoring routing does not undo a business action already performed.

## Verify the calling result

Use the [call log](/docs/guides/voice/call-log) to inspect the telephone outcome. An answered call, a completed menu and a completed business task are separate results. Reconcile [Voice events](/docs/guides/voice/events) against the call record when updates are missing or arrive out of order.

## Next steps

- [Route incoming calls](/docs/guides/voice/receiving-calls)
- [Recordings and transcripts](/docs/guides/voice/recordings)
- [AI voice conversations](/docs/ai/voice-conversations)

## Related resources

- [What is a voice API?](/explained/voice/what-is-a-voice-api) (answer)
- [Voice](/products/voice) (product)
- [Voice overview](/docs/guides/voice/overview) (docs)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=voice)