Calls

Take and make voice calls from inside the CRM — browser softphone, inbound ring, click-to-call from any chat, per-call recording, and call-event cards inline in the conversation thread — without installing any other app.

TL;DR

• What it is — the agent-facing calling surface in the CRM. A call log, a softphone dialer, a click-to-call button inside every chat, and inline call-event cards in conversations. The telephony setup (phone numbers, voice menus, departments, queues, outbound dialer campaigns) is configured under Lodgestory Voice — this module is what agents see day-to-day.
• Who it's for — any agent or team lead who takes inbound calls, makes outbound follow-ups, or reviews call history. Admins go to the Voice admin to configure trunks and voice menus.
• Top outcome — a browser softphone inside the CRM so a support rep can answer, dial, and review calls without switching apps, with every call logged and attached to the right chat.

At a glance

How to find it

Sidebar → Calls.

Direct URL: https://lodgestory.com/crm/calls

From a chat (click-to-call): the chat header in Home has a Call button that opens the dialer pre-filled with the guest's number.

Softphone status indicator: a small dot in the status area shows connection state — green connected, amber registering, red offline. If offline, inbound calls can't ring the browser; outbound still works via the server-side adapter.

Admin and configuration: Settings → Calling. That area is the Lodgestory Voice admin — this module cross-links to it but doesn't own it.

📸 [SCREENSHOT: calls-nav.png — sidebar with Calls highlighted]

What is Calls?

The problem it solves

A support team on WhatsApp has almost always had a shadow phone line — the one agents personally give out when chat isn't enough, the one that rings on an ancient desk phone, the one that never makes it to the CRM. Missed calls become lost leads. Recorded calls live on the provider's portal if anywhere. The relationship between a phone conversation and the rest of the guest record gets severed the moment the handset is picked up.

Calls closes that gap by putting the phone in the same browser tab as the inbox. A call can be initiated from any chat. Rings come through in the agent's browser. Every call is logged. A call-event card appears inline in the related chat — so an agent reviewing a conversation weeks later sees the full arc: WhatsApp messages, a 4-minute call at 3:12 PM, follow-up email.

What you get

• Browser softphone, no desk phone. Calls ring and answer in the browser. Agents with extensions on multiple providers can register all of them simultaneously.
• Click-to-call from any chat. The chat header's Call button grabs the guest's number from the contact record, picks a caller-ID, and dials. Outgoing extension is per-agent.
• Multi-provider support. One CRM surface in front of any configured telephony provider. Different regions can use different providers.
• Call logs with filters. Direction (inbound / outbound), status (completed / missed / failed), agent, date range, search. Admins see the whole organisation; users see their own calls.
• Recording playback on demand. Recordings load when you click Load Recording — keeps the list page fast even with long histories.
• Real-time updates. Inbound rings, status changes, and hang-ups push to the CRM layout in real time — the dialer opens, the Calls list refreshes, the relevant chat thread gets the call-event card inline.
• Call-event cards inline in chats. When a call starts, completes, is missed, or fails, a structured card is posted to the associated chat's thread (visible in Home) so the conversation timeline is complete.

How it's different

• Not a voice-first product. Voice setup (voice menus, departments, queues, outbound campaigns) lives in the Lodgestory Voice admin; this module is the chat-adjacent view. Good news if you don't want contact-centre complexity; less good if you need one (then you'll spend time in Voice).
• Credentials stay on the server. Provider API keys and webhook secrets are never exposed to the browser. Agents reviewing configurations see redacted values; full credentials never leave the server.
• Every call is linked back to a chat where possible. Caller numbers are matched against contacts; when a contact has an active chat on a voice-capable channel, the call's event cards land in that thread automatically.

Customer scenarios

• Villa operator with a single India phone number. Agents answer inbound calls that ring through to their browser. When a ring comes in, the dialer pops up with the caller's number and — if matched to a contact — their name. After hang-up, the call-event card lands in the matching WhatsApp chat; a ticket is opened if the conversation needs structured follow-up.
• US-facing support adding India coverage. Existing US phone number; operator adds an India number. Agents who handle both register two extensions; the dialer picks the right provider and caller-ID automatically based on destination.
• Marketing follow-up on a campaign. Campaign replies flag 50 interested leads; a sales agent clicks each chat's Call button in turn; each call is auto-attached to the chat with a recording. Sales lead reviews the call-event cards across chats at end of week.

How it fits with the rest of Lodgestory

Upstream: every call logs against a contact and — when possible — a chat. The Contacts module owns the duplicate handling that lets inbound caller numbers resolve to a known guest. Cross: Home surfaces the call-event cards inline. Downstream: all telephony setup — Lodgestory Voice admin.

📸 [SCREENSHOT: calls-landing.png — calls list with dialer popover]

Core concepts

Quick Start — make your first call in 2 minutes

Step 1 — Confirm your softphone is connected

Look at the softphone status dot. Green = connected, amber = connecting, red = offline. If red, ask your admin — you likely need an agent mapping or the account credentials need refreshing.

Step 2 — Open a chat

Sidebar → Home, click any guest with a phone number.

Step 3 — Click the Call button

In the chat header. The dialer opens with the guest's number pre-filled; the caller-ID selector picks an appropriate outbound number.

📸 [SCREENSHOT: calls-qs-3-dialer.png — dialer popover]

Step 4 — Click Dial

The call connects through your telephony provider. You'll see ringing in the dialer.

Step 5 — Converse, then hang up

Audio connects automatically on answer. Click Hang up to end the call. The call-log row updates; a Call completed card appears in the chat thread.

Step 6 — Review the log

Sidebar → Calls — your call is at the top of the list. Click the row to open the detail; click Load Recording to fetch the audio.

📸 [SCREENSHOT: calls-qs-6-detail.png — call detail sheet with recording player]

How it works

Inbound call

A call rings your phone number. Lodgestory:

1. Creates a call-log record with status Ringing.
2. Resolves the number to an agent mapping.
3. Rings the agent's browser softphone.
4. Updates the call log as the call progresses (answered, ended).
5. If the caller matches a contact with an active chat, posts a call-event card to that chat's thread.

Outbound click-to-call

You click the Call button in a chat or enter a number in the dialer. Lodgestory:

1. Loads your agent mapping and picks a caller-ID number.
2. Asks your telephony provider to place the call.
3. Creates the call-log record.
4. Tracks status through to hang-up.
5. Posts a call-event card to the linked chat.

Real-time updates

Inbound rings, status changes, and hang-ups push to the CRM layout instantly — the dialer opens, the Calls list refreshes, the relevant chat thread gets the call-event card inline. The system is designed so an agent on a different page still sees an incoming call ring.

Multi-provider support

Lodgestory supports multiple telephony providers through a common interface. Different regions of your organisation can use different providers for regional cost and routing. The dialer picks the right provider and caller-ID for the destination automatically; you can override in one click when needed.

Features in depth

Calls list

Columns: direction icon, counter-party number, guest name (if matched), agent, start time, duration, status, recording status.

Filters:

• Direction — inbound, outbound, all.
• Status — completed, missed, failed, all.
• Agent — admins see a picker; users see their own only.
• Date range — today, last 7 days, last 30 days, custom.
• Search — free text across counter-party number and guest name.

Admins see the whole organisation; users see only their own calls.

Dialer (softphone popover)

• Number pad for manual dial.
• Caller-ID selector — pick which number the customer sees on the other end.
• Provider selector when you have multiple mappings.
• In-call controls: mute, hold, keypad, hang up.
• Status line — registering, registered, calling, ringing, in call, ended, failed.

Click-to-call from a chat — two call modes + caller-ID picker

The Call button in the chat header is the primary way to dial a guest from a conversation. Clicking it opens a popover with — depending on your organisation's configuration — up to four elements:

1. The destination phone number (extracted from the chat).
2. A provider selector if your organisation has more than one telephony account.
3. A call-mode toggle if the selected provider supports browser softphone — two buttons: Browser and Phone.
4. A caller-ID selector listing the numbers assigned to you on the selected account, with (Default) marked where applicable.

The Call button label flips between Call via Browser and Call depending on mode.

For the simple case — one account, one caller-ID, no browser-softphone support — the popover is skipped and clicking dials directly.

Call modes — Browser vs Phone

• Browser mode — the call rings and answers in your current browser tab. Lowest-latency path; only available when your provider supports browser softphone and your registration is active. This is also the only mode that supports internal extension-to-extension calls within your organisation.
• Phone mode — your telephony provider rings your agent phone number first, you pick up, and the provider bridges the customer. Useful when you're away from the browser, on a train, or on a device without microphone access. The customer sees the same caller-ID either way, and the resulting call log looks identical to a Browser-mode call.

You'll sometimes hear Phone mode described as "Follow Me" because the call follows you to whatever number is on your agent extension. In the UI it's labelled Phone.

Caller-ID picker — aggregated across providers

On sign-in, Lodgestory pulls every calling account you have access to — across every configured provider — plus the per-account agent mapping and assigned caller-IDs. The popover's provider selector lists them all; switching provider re-loads that account's caller-IDs. A caller-ID marked as your default shows with a (Default) badge.

Lodgestory picks a sensible default (first account with caller-IDs; else first account overall), but you can override in one click when calling internationally — pick a US number for a US call, a +91 number for an India call, and so on.

Disabled states — three distinct reasons

The Call button is disabled with a specific tooltip in each case:

Only the first tooltip means the whole organisation has nothing configured. The other two are per-chat or per-agent setup gaps.

Chat linkage

When you call from a chat, the chat ID goes along with the call request. The call log records the chat link, which is how the post-call event card ends up in the right thread.

Dialer button vs the Call button

The dedicated Dialer button (separate from the chat's Call button) opens a similar popover but for manual outbound — not tied to a chat. It adds a number pad, a free-text phone input, and (when your provider supports browser softphone) an External / Internal toggle with a teammate picker for internal extension-to-extension calls.

Use the chat Call button to call from a chat; use the Dialer for numbers the CRM doesn't know or for internal handoffs.

Call detail sheet

Opens on row click. Shows all call-log fields, a Load Recording button (fetches the audio player on click), the matched contact (link to the contact drawer), the matched chat (link to open in Home), and timeline annotations.

Live calls view

A top-bar indicator and an optional Live filter on the list show calls currently in flight — ringing, answered, or in progress. Updates in real time.

Call-event cards inline in chats

When Lodgestory can link a call to a chat, it posts a call-event card to that chat. The card shows direction, duration, status, and a link back to the call detail.

Roles and permissions

Admin operations live in Settings → Calling under the Lodgestory Voice admin.

Cross-module workflows

Inbound missed call → callback scheduled

Caller rings after hours; no agent available → call logged as Missed; voicemail module captures a greeting → the assigned bot journey triggers a WhatsApp message ("We'll call you back — when works?"); the journey's prompt captures the time; an outbound campaign in the Voice admin queues the callback.

Modules involved: Calls → Voicemail → Bot Journeys → Outbound Campaigns → Calls.

Click-to-call from a broadcast reply

Campaign reply enters Home → agent opens the chat → clicks Call → dialer fires → call completes → Call completed card appears inline → agent creates a ticket for follow-up.

Modules involved: Campaigns → Home → Calls → Tickets.

Limits a user will run into

Provider-imposed limits (rate per second, concurrent channels per line) live with each telephony provider's configuration.

Errors & FAQ

Frequently asked

Why does my softphone go red for a few seconds every so often?
Registration cycle; expected as long as it reconnects within a few seconds. Persistent red means a credentials issue or network problem — check the account status in the Voice admin.

Why did an inbound call ring but no call-event card appeared in the chat?
Lodgestory couldn't match the counter-party number to a contact with an active chat on a voice-capable channel. The call log still exists; only the inline card can't be created.

Why can I see a colleague's call in the list when I expected my own only?
You have Admin or Account Owner role; that unlocks the full organisation view.

Why isn't the recording URL playing?
Recordings are produced asynchronously after hang-up — sometimes several minutes later. Refresh and click Load Recording again. If it still fails after 30 minutes, your telephony provider may have retention limits.

Why does my outbound call fail on an India destination but work on US?
The caller-ID picker probably selected a non-India-routable account. Verify your provider has India termination enabled, or add a provider that does.

Can I transfer a live call?
Not yet in the dialer. Transfer and conference are on the Lodgestory Voice roadmap.

Related modules & next steps

• Lodgestory Voice — phone numbers, voice menus, departments, queues, outbound dialer campaigns.
• Home (Unified Inbox) — where call-event cards appear inline.
• Contacts — number-to-contact resolution for caller ID and chat linking.
• Bot Journeys — can trigger outbound and react to missed-call events.
• Reports — call-log CSV export.