Phone calls can trigger background automations while they’re live, actions like tagging a conversation, reassigning it, or adding an internal note, all running silently without interrupting the caller. This article explains which triggers and actions are available, what can’t be done during a live call, and how to set one up.
How it works
While a phone call is in progress, specific live-call triggers are available in the Workflows builder. Workflows built on these triggers can only use background actions that affect the conversation or assignment behind the scenes, not the caller’s experience.
Note:
When you configure a phone workflow with a live-call trigger, the builder displays a banner: "Phone Call workflows support a reduced set of actions." This is expected as customer-facing actions are intentionally unavailable during a live call.
Workflows are configured by teammates with Workflows access — check with your workspace owner if you don’t see this option.
How to set up a live-call workflow
Live-call triggers are available in the Workflows builder alongside all other workflow triggers. To create one:
Go to Fin AI Agent > Workflows.
Click + New workflow and select Create from scratch.
Choose a live-call trigger: Teammate changes the conversation state, Conversation is reassigned to another team, Teammate sends a message, Teammate adds a note, or Conversation attribute changes.
Select the channels and audience you want the workflow to trigger for.
Add your background actions — only background actions are available for live-call triggers (tagging, reassigning, snoozing, or adding an internal note).
Click Set live when you’re ready.
Which triggers are available during a live call?
The following triggers can fire while a phone call is in progress:
Teammate changes the conversation state
Conversation is reassigned to another team
Teammate sends a message
Teammate adds a note
Conversation attribute changes
Which background actions can I use during a live call?
When a live-call trigger fires during an active phone call, you can use these background actions:
Tag conversation
Apply rules
Reassign to a teammate or team
Snooze the conversation
Add an internal note
What’s not available during a live call?
Customer-facing actions cannot be used in live-call workflows. This includes:
Sending a message to the customer
Collecting customer data via reply buttons or forms
Other customer-facing steps, such as expected reply time messages and customer data collection forms
Note:
Converting a phone call to a ticket is also not available during a live call. The convert-to-ticket option becomes available in the conversation header only after the call ends.
For any customer-facing actions or ticket conversion, set up a separate workflow that triggers after the call ends.
How ticket triggers work with phone calls
Ticket workflow triggers support phone-originated tickets after a call ends. These are separate from live-call triggers and only fire if a teammate manually converts the call to a ticket once it’s ended.
Once a teammate converts the ended call to a ticket, the following triggers can fire:
A ticket is created — use this to route, apply service-level agreements (SLAs), set priority, or change state when a phone call becomes a ticket.
Teammate changes the state of a ticket — use this to trigger downstream actions, such as syncing to Jira when a phone ticket is resolved.
Tip:
You can build a single ticket trigger workflow that handles chat, email, and phone tickets in one automation — no separate workflows needed.
To automate actions based on how a call ended — such as triaging abandoned calls, auto-closing answered conversations, or following up on outbound no-answers — use the When a phone call ends trigger instead. This is a separate, dedicated post-call trigger that doesn’t require converting the call to a ticket first. See Automate actions when a phone call ends for setup steps, the full list of call states, and example workflows.
Need more help? Get support from our Community Forum
Find answers and get help from Intercom Support and Community Experts