Multi-location phone tree template for three branches
One main number that sends callers to the right branch, a settings table per location, and the few rules that stay the same everywhere.
- Greeting: “Thanks for calling Pinecrest Auto Service, with shops in Elmwood, Riverside and Northfield.”
- Menu: “For Elmwood on Route 9, press 1. For Riverside by the county fairgrounds, press 2. For Northfield on Main Street, press 3. If you’re not sure which shop has your car, press 4.”
- Press 1, Elmwood: play Elmwood’s own greeting and hours, then ring the Elmwood service desk for 25 seconds.
- Elmwood desk busy: ring Riverside’s desk, which covers Elmwood’s overflow on weekdays. Still no answer: take a message tagged Elmwood.
- Press 2, Riverside: play Riverside’s greeting, then ring its service desk. Riverside opens at 7am, an hour before the other two.
- Press 3, Northfield: play Northfield’s greeting, then ring its desk. On Saturdays Northfield is the only shop open, so this option says so.
- Press 4, not sure: “Please say or enter the phone number on your repair order.” The central desk looks the order up, then transfers the call.
- Caller dialled a branch’s own number: skip the menu and go straight to that branch’s greeting.
Settings per location
| Setting | Elmwood | Riverside | Northfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | Mon–Fri 8am–6pm | Mon–Fri 7am–6pm | Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8am–1pm |
| Greeting names | Route 9, next to the car wash | By the county fairgrounds | Main Street, behind the bank |
| First ring | Elmwood service desk | Riverside service desk | Northfield service desk |
| Overflow to | Riverside desk | Elmwood desk | Riverside desk (weekdays), message (Saturday) |
| Calendar | Elmwood bay schedule | Riverside bay schedule | Northfield bay schedule |
| Closed days | Shared holidays | Shared holidays + fair week | Shared holidays |
Rules every branch shares
- One brand greeting line, then the branch name within the first five seconds.
- Keep the same order of options in every branch’s menu, so your staff can move between shops without relearning it.
- Tag every message with the branch name, so nobody at Riverside returns an Elmwood call by mistake.
- Enter holidays once for all branches, then let each branch add its own closed days.
- Send a caller who asks for a person by name to that person’s branch, wherever they dialled.
Two layouts, and when each one fits
- Main number with a branch menu, as in the tree above. It fits when you print one number on vans, signs and ads. Your callers rarely know which shop they need.
- A separate number per branch, with the main number as a backup. It fits when each shop has its own regulars and map listing. Most of your calls then reach the right shop first time.
- Many groups run both. The branch numbers skip the menu, and the main number keeps the menu for new callers.
How to roll it out across your branches
Fill in the settings table before you touch the phone system. Each row is a decision a branch manager has to make: when they open, what the greeting calls the building, who covers their overflow. If two managers argue over a row, you’ve found the call that used to go missing.
Pair your branches for overflow by distance and by opening hours. Riverside opens first, so it covers early calls for the other two. Keep overflow to one hop, because a caller passed through three shops will hang up.
Describe each branch by a landmark in its greeting. “By the county fairgrounds” settles which shop a caller means faster than a street number does. Put the landmark in the menu too, because callers remember places before names.
Build one auto attendant per number in your phone system, plus the main-number menu that points at them. Most business VoIP systems let you copy a call flow, so build Elmwood, copy it twice, then change the rows the table says differ.
Test from a mobile outside each branch’s area code. Call the main number and each branch number, press every option, and ring during one branch’s closed hours to hear what it says. Repeat after any branch changes its hours for the season.
How GreetKeeper runs several locations under one account
Each GreetKeeper number can have its own hours, greeting and calendar under one account. Elmwood, Riverside and Northfield each keep their settings from the table, and you manage all three from a single login.
Every location gets a dedicated local number, with the area code you choose at signup. Forward each shop’s existing line to its own GreetKeeper number, for all calls or only the ones a desk misses. The ring count is set where the forwarding is set, and GreetKeeper answers the moment the call arrives.
Your main-number callers skip option 4 entirely. GreetKeeper routes by what the caller needs, so “my truck is at the Riverside shop” reaches Riverside, and a request for a person by name transfers to that person. If the first number doesn’t pick up, GreetKeeper tries a second number you nominate, such as the paired overflow desk.
Bookings land in the right bay schedule. GreetKeeper reads the name, number and time back before it books, then writes the visit into that branch’s Google Calendar or Microsoft 365 calendar.
Busy mornings across three shops are covered too. GreetKeeper answers calls that arrive together at the same time. Closure dates you set make one branch answer as closed on those days while the others stay open.
The Multi-location plan starts from $299 per location, with inclusions set per contract and the overage rate published in that contract. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, every feature on, and no card needed.
Questions people ask about this template
How do you set up a phone tree for multiple locations?
Give each location its own settings first: hours, greeting, first ring, overflow and closed days. Then build one main-number menu that sends callers to each branch by name and landmark. Let each branch’s own number skip the menu, so regulars reach their shop in one step.
Should each location have its own phone number?
Yes, if each shop has regulars or its own map listing, because most calls then arrive at the right place already. Keep one main number too, for vans and ads. Branch numbers skip the menu, and the main number sorts new callers.
Who should answer when one location is busy?
The nearest branch with the same hours, one hop only. In this template Riverside covers Elmwood and Elmwood covers Riverside. A second hop loses the caller, so after one overflow the call becomes a message tagged with the branch name.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for several locations?
GreetKeeper’s Multi-location plan starts from $299 per location a month, with inclusions and the overage rate set per contract. Each location gets its own dedicated local number, hours, greeting and calendar. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no card.
Hear each branch answer its own calls
Three shops, three greetings, one account.