TL;DR

• If you currently use an answering service or third-party call center for overflow or after-hours calls, you can simply replace that number with your Lace AI CSR number.
  No additional phone queue changes are required, as long as human transfers route to an internal CSR-only number.

• Configure your main line to overflow to the Lace-provided overflow number when call volume is high.

• Route after-hours calls to the Lace-provided after-hours number based on your business hours.

• Create a separate, internal transfer number for live agents and share it with Lace.

• Do not use your main phone number as the transfer number to avoid transfer loops.

To ensure Lace’s AI CSR integrates cleanly with your phone system, you’ll need to configure a few high-level routing rules in your dialer. The exact steps vary by provider, but the concepts below apply across most phone systems.

Configuring Overflow, After-Hours, and Transfer Numbers

This article explains, at a high level, how to configure your phone system (dialer) to work correctly with Lace’s AI CSR. The exact steps will vary depending on the dialer or phone provider you use, but the concepts below apply universally.

Overview of Phone Numbers

You will configure three different call flows in your dialer, each serving a distinct purpose. Ownership of the phone numbers differs by use case:

1. Overflow Number – provided by Lace

2. After-Hours Number – provided by Lace

3. Transfer Number – defined and owned by you

Keeping these roles separate helps ensure a smooth caller experience and prevents routing issues.

Replacing an Existing Answering Service with Lace

If you already route overflow or after-hours calls to an answering service or third-party call center, Lace can act as a direct replacement.

In this setup, you simply update your phone system so that:

• Any calls previously routed to your answering service

• Are now routed to your Lace AI CSR phone number

From there, Lace will handle calls exactly as your answering service did — answering, qualifying, booking, or transferring calls when needed.

The only requirement is that AI CSR transfers go to a CSR-only internal number, not back into a customer-facing queue.

1. Overflow Number Configuration

Overflow Number:
(Provided by Lace)

Purpose

The overflow number is used when your main CSR line is experiencing high call volume and cannot accept additional calls in real time.

High-Level Setup Steps

• Identify your main inbound line (the number customers normally call and where CSRs answer).

• In your dialer, locate the call routing, queue, or overflow settings for that main line.

• Configure the system so that when:

  • The call queue is full, or

  • Wait time exceeds your threshold, or

  • No agents are available

  …calls are automatically routed to the overflow number

• Set the overflow destination to the number provided by Lace

2. After-Hours Routing

After-Hours Number:
(Provided by Lace)

Purpose

This number is used when customers call outside of your defined business hours, based on time-based routing in your dialer.

High-Level Setup Steps

• Define your official business hours in your dialer.

• Configure your main inbound line to:

  • Route calls during business hours using your normal call flow

  • Route calls outside business hours to the after-hours number

• Use the after-hours number provided to you by Lace.

Notes

• This setup depends heavily on how your dialer handles schedules or time-based routing.

• If you support on-call or emergency workflows, those can still be layered on top of this routing.

3. Transfer Number Configuration (Critical)

Transfer Number:
(Defined and provided by you to Lace)

Purpose

The transfer number is used only when the AI CSR needs to hand a call off to one of your live representatives.

How This Number Should Be Used

• This number must:

  • Be created and owned by you in your dialer

  • Route internally to your CSRs

  • Not be customer-facing

  • Not be the same as your main inbound line

Why This Matters

If the transfer number is the same as (or routes back to) your main line:

• The AI CSR may attempt to transfer a call to a human

• The call is routed back through the main line

• Overflow or routing rules send the call back to the AI CSR

This creates a transfer loop, which results in a poor and confusing caller experience.

High-Level Setup Steps

• Create or identify a non-public internal number in your dialer.

• Configure that number to ring your CSRs (similar to your main line).

• Ensure this number does not route to the overflow or AI entry point.

• Share this transfer number with Lace so it can be used for live handoffs.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using the Same Number for Transfers and the Main Line

One of the most common (and critical) mistakes is configuring the transfer phone number to be the same as your main inbound phone number.

Why this is a problem:

• The AI CSR transfers a call to what it believes is a human queue

• The call re-enters the main line

• Overflow or routing rules send the call back to the AI CSR

This results in a transfer loop, where the AI CSR unintentionally transfers the call to itself.

Always ensure the transfer number is a separate, non-customer-facing number that routes directly to your CSRs.

Before You’re Done: Quick Checklist

Before considering your setup complete, we recommend confirming the following:

• Calls overflow to the Lace-provided number only when agents are unavailable or queues are full

• Calls outside business hours consistently route to the Lace-provided after-hours flow

• Transfer calls always reach a live CSR

• Transfer calls never route back to the AI CSR

Questions or Help

If you have any questions, concerns, or want us to sanity-check your setup, reach out to us at support@lace.ai — we’re happy to help.