Voice Channel

Not every customer wants to book online. Some prefer to pick up the phone, especially for urgent repairs or when they have questions before committing. Driive's voice channel brings phone-based scheduling into your workflow so that appointments booked over the phone land in the same dashboard as your online bookings — no double-entry, no sticky notes.

Why offer voice scheduling

• Reach more customers. Older homeowners, emergency callers, and people who want to talk through their project before booking all prefer the phone. Giving them a path to schedule means fewer lost leads.

• One unified dashboard. Whether a customer books online or over the phone, the appointment appears on your kanban board and calendar. Your team sees everything in one place.

• Capture details consistently. The voice booking flow collects the same information as your online forms — name, contact info, service type, address — so nothing falls through the cracks.

How voice scheduling works

When a customer calls your voice-enabled number:

1. The caller is guided through a booking flow. They're prompted to select a service type, provide their contact information, and choose a preferred time.

2. Availability is checked in real time. Just like online booking, the voice channel checks your team's availability and only offers open slots.

3. The appointment is created in Driive. Once the caller confirms, a new booking request appears on your kanban board with all the details attached.

4. Notifications go out. The customer receives a confirmation via SMS or email, and your team is notified of the new appointment — just like any other booking.

Setting up the voice channel

Step 1: Navigate to voice settings

Go to Booking Channels in the left sidebar and click Voice. You'll see the voice channel configuration page.

Step 2: Configure your settings

Follow the on-screen setup steps to configure:

• Phone number — The number customers will call. Driive guides you through connecting or provisioning a number.

• Greeting — The welcome message callers hear when they connect.

• Service menu — Which appointment types are available for phone booking.

• Fallback behavior — What happens if the caller needs to speak to a person (e.g., transfer to your office line).

Step 3: Test the channel

Before going live, place a test call to walk through the booking experience from the customer's perspective. Verify that:

• The greeting sounds correct.

• Available services are listed accurately.

• Time slots reflect your current availability.

• The confirmation message includes the right details.

Step 4: Go live

Once you're satisfied with the setup, activate the channel. Its status on the Booking Channels page updates from Setup to Live.

Status tracking

You can deactivate the voice channel at any time from the Booking Channels page if you need to pause phone-based scheduling.

Tips

• Mention your phone number everywhere. Add it to your website, Google Business Profile, business cards, truck decals, and email signatures. The easier it is to find, the more bookings you'll get from it.

• Keep your availability up to date. The voice channel checks the same availability as your online booking page. If your team's hours change, update them in Availability and Service Area so the voice channel offers accurate slots.

• Use a recognizable number. If you already have a business phone number that customers know, connect that number to Driive rather than using a new one.

• Review voice bookings regularly. Phone bookings land on your kanban board with a voice channel indicator. Check them alongside your online bookings to keep your schedule complete.

What's next

• Website Widget — Add the "Book Now" button to your website for customers who prefer online booking.

• Sharing Booking Links — Share direct booking links via text, email, and social media.

• Troubleshooting Deployment — Having issues with the voice channel? Check the troubleshooting guide.