Twilio IVR Setup, Call Queue and AI Receptionist in 10 Minutes

Search Twilio IVR setup today and you mostly get Twilio's own Studio and Flex DIY docs, plus keep-your-number guides aimed at Telnyx buyers. TelBuddy almost never shows up on those buyer how-tos (only on branded searches). This post is the ranking-shaped answer we want instead: a faster path than free Studio, the same keep Twilio or Telnyx / no porting promise, and one recorded path that finishes IVR, call queue, and an optional AI receptionist in about ten minutes. Product model in one page: how it works.

Watch the walkthrough first, then follow the same order below.

Video proof: Build an AI Receptionist, IVR and Call Queue in 10 Mins (no porting). YouTube id rCaUwCX5UYc.

What usually ranks for this search (and what we are beating)

First beat: Twilio Studio / Flex DIY. Official docs teach you to drag Gather widgets, Split Based On digits, and Connect Call To destinations, or to build larger contact-center flows in Flex. That path is free and powerful if you want to own every widget. It is also a project. This walkthrough is the product alternative: visual IVR, hours, voicemail, queue, and optional AI in one dashboard, timed on video, without writing TwiML.

Second beat: keep-number / no-port narratives (especially Telnyx). Buyers already care that the number, rates, and A2P registration stay with the carrier. TelBuddy matches that story on both Twilio and Telnyx: sync the number, change webhooks, never port. If you cancel, the number is still in the carrier account.

Third beat: other AI receptionist layers that keep Twilio. Tools in that lane (for example My AI Front Desk, Wiro, Flozic) compete on "AI on your Twilio number." We do not invent their feature lists here. The differentiator for this post is narrower and provable on the recording: IVR + call queue + optional AI receptionist in one ten-minute path, with Telnyx parity, not AI alone.

What you will build

By the end of this path you have:

• An IVR / phone menu ("Press 1…") on a number you already own. Feature page: visual IVR builder.
• Business hours and voicemail fallback so after-hours calls do not ring forever.
• A call queue so callers wait for the next free teammate instead of dumping to a single busy cell.
• Optional AI receptionist with a knowledge URL and transfer rules, only if you want voice answered automatically.

Core voice tools (IVR, hours, voicemail, queues, forwarding, shared inbox) sit on the core plan. The AI receptionist is a separate optional add-on. It is not included in core plans and it is not in the 7-day free trial.

Prerequisites

• A Twilio account (Account SID + Auth Token) or a Telnyx account (API key), with at least one voice-capable number you want to keep.
• A TelBuddy account on any core plan. Starter is $19.00/mo for 2 numbers and 2 seats. See pricing for Growth, Commercial, and Enterprise limits.
• About ten minutes once credentials are handy. First-time carrier connect: connect Twilio or connect Telnyx.

Step-by-step (matches the video)

1. Connect Twilio or Telnyx and sync the number.

   Paste your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token, or your Telnyx API key, then sync numbers so messaging and voice webhooks point at TelBuddy. Nothing is ported. The number stays in the carrier account. This is the keep-number step Studio tutorials assume you already solved in the Console. (Video: opening setup.)

2. Build the IVR / phone menu.

   Open the visual IVR builder. Add a greeting, then map keypresses (and speech options if you use them) to destinations: a person, a queue, voicemail, or another menu. Save and attach the menu to the number. No Studio canvas and no hand-written TwiML. (Video ~1:15.)

3. Set business-hours routing.

   Define open hours per weekday. During open hours, calls follow your normal path (IVR, queue, or forward). After hours, send callers to a closed message and/or voicemail. (Video ~3:36.)

4. Add voicemail fallback.

   Record or type a greeting, and make sure unanswered paths land in voicemail with a transcript emailed to the team so the call does not die on a ring-out. (Video ~3:52.)

5. Create a call queue for the team.

   Add the teammates who should take overflow, set ring behavior, and point an IVR option or open-hours path at that queue so callers hold for the next free person. Docs: call queues. (Video ~5:16.)

6. Optional: deploy the AI receptionist.

   Only after core routing works. Turn on the AI add-on for that number, set a greeting, and place it where you want coverage (for example after hours, or as a menu option). AI is billed separately and is not in the free trial. (Video ~7:19.)

7. Optional: add knowledge and transfer rules.

   Paste a URL (pricing or FAQ page is usually best) into the knowledge base so answers come from your content. Add transfer triggers (for example "agent" or "offer") so the AI hands off to a human. On Twilio, an AI transfer can ring a team at once; on Telnyx it dials one destination at a time. See AI knowledge and voice transfer logic. (Video ~8:06.)

8. Call yourself and listen.

   Dial the number from a personal phone. Walk every menu option, wait in the queue, test after-hours, and interrupt the AI if you enabled it. Fix greetings before customers hear them.

Why no porting matters (Twilio and Telnyx)

Porting is where small phone projects stall: LOAs, windows, temporary dual-ring, and the fear of downtime. A BYO Twilio or Telnyx setup skips that. Connecting a number only changes notification webhooks for that number. A2P Brand and Campaign registration stay with the carrier and your legal entity. TelBuddy does not register A2P for you.

Telnyx buyers already shop on that keep-number story. Twilio buyers should get the same clarity: if you cancel later, the number is still in your carrier account. That exit story is the opposite of most all-in-one phone vendors.

Who this path is for (and not for)

For you if you already have (or want) Twilio or Telnyx, you need a phone menu and a fair way to share inbound calls, and you may want an AI receptionist later without rebuilding the stack in Studio or Flex.

Stay on Studio/Flex if you are a developer who wants every widget under your own repo and you are happy maintaining that Flow.

Not the first buy if you need a full UCaaS suite with meetings softphones sold per user, or a compliance capture product for regulated mobile field teams. Those are different categories.

Next step

Ready to build: see plans, connect Twilio, or compare carriers on Twilio vs Telnyx. Deep dives: IVR feature, call queues docs, Twilio AI receptionist.