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Sela supports human phone-style calls between your operators and customers, from the browser and from WhatsApp and Telegram. This page explains how calls start, how to route them, what administrators must configure so audio connects, and the honest state of AI voice.

Plan and where to find it#

• Open Calls in the sidebar or sela Calls in the channel catalog. A ready Our Partner connection or an active link code connection opens call history without an Enterprise plan. Workspaces without either connection keep the existing Enterprise platform or legacy Lite AI plan requirement. See Plans and billing.
• You need permission to read conversations to view call history.
• Expand Call settings to see Call routing and WhatsApp call queue. Admins only can change these settings. The queue applies to Our Partner connections.

Recent call history#

The Calls page shows the latest 100 calls across WhatsApp, Telegram and web chat, newest first. Each entry shows the caller, channel, direction when available, date and time, outcome and duration. WhatsApp entries include incoming calls on a link code connection and incoming or outgoing calls on Our Partner.

Search by caller name or number, or filter by channel and outcome. Outcomes include Completed, Missed, Declined, Failed, In progress and Waiting. Older unanswered calls may appear as missed if a more specific outcome was not saved.

Duration uses the saved provider duration when available, otherwise the time between answering and ending the call. Ringing does not count. A queued WhatsApp call starts when Sela answers, so its duration includes time hearing hold music. A dash means no completed duration was saved yet. If a call already has a saved summary, expand Call summary to read it.

WhatsApp recordings and automatic call summaries are not currently captured. Call history does not backfill calls that happened before Sela received their call events.

Incoming WhatsApp calls on mobile#

With app version 1.1.0 or later, operators can answer incoming WhatsApp calls from the Sela app, including calls on a link code connection. Enable Incoming customer calls in More, Notifications and allow microphone access. Compatible builds provide native incoming-call controls while the app is backgrounded or the phone is locked. Operators must remain available for calls; device permissions and network connectivity apply. See Mobile app for setup and limitations.

Kinds of calls#

The "Call us" number is set under Widget settings, Phone Contact Settings. It is a plain dialing number.

Operator and customer calls in the browser#

1. An operator opens a conversation and starts the call.
2. The customer's chat widget shows a ringing call. Ringing lasts up to 60 seconds before it is marked missed.
3. The customer accepts. Their browser asks for microphone permission, so the site must be served over HTTPS. The widget frame already allows microphone use.
4. Both sides exchange connection details and audio flows directly between browsers, or through a relay if a direct path is blocked.
5. Either side can end the call. The call log keeps the call record and duration. A summary appears only when one has been saved.

React Native apps that show the widget in a WebView must grant microphone access to the WebView. See Web chat widget.

STUN and TURN for administrators#

Audio between two browsers or phones needs a network path. On most mobile carriers and many office networks a relay is needed to carry the audio.

Sela configures the relay for you. If calls stay on "connecting" or have no audio, ask Sela support to confirm the relay is active for your workspace.

Call routing#

The Call routing card on the Calls page uses one workspace policy for Telegram call requests and incoming WhatsApp calls, including callers waiting in the WhatsApp queue. Browser, Telegram and WhatsApp calls share agent availability and the same call panel.

Choose what happens If nobody on the list answers: Ring everyone, or Mark it as missed and notify the first agent and admins. Choose Save.

One agent can handle one active call across all channels. An agent on a Telegram or browser call is skipped for WhatsApp calls, and an agent on WhatsApp cannot start another Telegram or browser call. An unanswered offer to a specific agent also reserves that agent for routing, so simultaneous callers can go to different available teammates.

The assigned agent can choose Can't take it to ring the next available agent, or Forward to to choose an available teammate before answering. Other agents see who is being rung. Supervisors and administrators can forward the offer or choose Take over. Changing agents does not extend the channel's call deadline. For link code WhatsApp calls, the entire incoming offer lasts at most 30 seconds; a 45-second routing setting cannot keep it open longer.

Telegram and browser media support hold and live transfers. Link code WhatsApp supports routing before answering, answer, mute and hang-up; its provider does not expose hold or live transfer. The WhatsApp hold-music queue below applies to the Our Partner connection. Who can change routing is covered in Team, roles and permissions.

Telegram calls#

1. In the Telegram settings, turn on Call requests. See Telegram.
2. A customer sends /call or presses the call button. They see "Got it. A member of our team will call you here on Telegram shortly." and a Wait on the line button.
3. Operators are notified and choose Call customer on Telegram in the inbox.
4. The Mini App verifies the customer through Telegram, and joins them when an operator answers.

The Mini App uses the same network relay as browser calls.

WhatsApp calls#

Outbound WhatsApp calling is available on the Our Partner connection, when the connection is ready and the conversation belongs to it. See WhatsApp.

1. In the conversation menu choose Call customer on WhatsApp.
2. If the customer has already permitted calls, Sela dials ("Dialing customer on WhatsApp...").
3. Otherwise Sela sends a call-permission request ("Call permission request sent to the customer on WhatsApp"). Dialing starts only after the customer agrees. If they decline you see "Customer declined call permission on WhatsApp."
4. If the 24-hour window has ended, you are told to send a template first.
5. If Calling is off for the number, you see "WhatsApp Calling is not enabled for this phone number in Meta WhatsApp Manager. Please enable Calling in WhatsApp Manager." Sela tries to enable it once, but you may need to do it in Meta.

Rules: one active call per operator and per customer. An offered call expires after 60 seconds, and an incoming call rings for 60 seconds unless the call queue below is on. If an agent's browser closes or loses its connection during a call, the call ends about 45 seconds later. If another agent answers first you see "This call has ended or another agent answered it." Permission request messages are billed as service messages; call sessions themselves are not charged from the WhatsApp balance.

Incoming calls on a link code connection#

A customer can call your linked number after calling has been activated for it. Agents with permission to reply to conversations see the caller in the call panel. Choose Answer and allow microphone access, or decline the call. The same Call routing policy used for Telegram decides which agent receives the offer. The first authorized agent to answer owns the call. Hang up from the panel when finished; the panel also closes when the customer hangs up.

Simultaneous callers appear as separate cards in the same movable call panel used for Telegram. Answer or decline the specific caller's card. Each agent can handle one call across channels; other available agents can answer the remaining callers. Minimizing or expanding the panel keeps each caller's controls available.

Answer within the incoming offer's deadline, at most 30 seconds after the customer calls. A delayed offer may leave less time. Expired offers cannot be answered. If the browser closes or stops renewing an answered call, Sela ends it about 45 seconds later.

Calling activation and eligibility depend on the linked number. Contact Sela support if calls do not arrive. This connection supports incoming calls only. The hold-music queue below applies to the Our Partner connection.

WhatsApp call queue and hold music#

Without the queue, an incoming WhatsApp call rings agents for 60 seconds and then WhatsApp gives up. With the queue on, Sela answers the call at once and the caller hears hold music until an agent picks up or the wait limit is reached.

Admins set it up on the Calls page, in the WhatsApp call queue card:

Choose Save.

How agents handle queued calls:

1. The call panel shows the waiting caller: "On hold", how long they have waited, and how many callers are waiting. It chimes while someone is waiting.
2. Choose Pick up. The longest-waiting caller comes first. The music stops as soon as your audio connects.
3. If your browser closes or your audio drops, the caller goes back on hold for another agent, with a fresh wait limit, instead of being hung up on.
4. Hang up ends the call for the customer.

If nobody picks up in time, the call ends and is logged as "Nobody picked up before the call queue timed out."

A queued call counts as answered for WhatsApp once Sela picks it up, so the customer's call timer starts while they hear the music.

Take an order during a call#

In Restaurant and Standard Store workspaces, the call window shows Take order once you are on the call (WhatsApp, web chat and Telegram calls). It opens the Order desk with the caller's number and name filled in, and links the order to the call and to the caller's conversation. The call keeps going: the call window stays on top of the desk, so you can mute or hang up while you type the order. The order appears on Store, Orders as a Phone order, with who took it. You need the permission to create work items, see Order desk.

Voice status: AI voice and voice notes#

What works today:

• Voice notes. Customers can send audio messages on channels that carry them. The assistant transcribes the audio and answers as if it were typed, when Media Understanding is on. In the web widget, the microphone button appears only after a conversation is escalated to a human.
• Human calls as described above.
• Manual phone number in the widget.

Older phone-assistant settings are kept only for migration and no longer power anything. See Voice assistant for the current status.

Troubleshooting#

Move and expand the call window#

While you are in the dashboard, the call window floats over the page. Drag its handle to move it, or focus the handle and use the arrow keys. Choose compact, normal or expanded size. Double-click the handle to reset its position. Your browser remembers the position and size.

Keep the dashboard tab open during a call. You can move between the inbox, Calls and settings pages without leaving the call. Switching workspaces or closing the tab releases the local microphone and media session. To control the photo customers see on Telegram calls, use Show my photo to customers on calls in My preferences, Calls from your account menu.

Incoming ringtone and hold#

Incoming call requests and transfers in the dashboard play Sela's ringtone until you answer, decline, or the request ends. A new call stays silent while you are already on a call. If the browser blocks sound, click or press a key in the dashboard to allow it.

During a connected WhatsApp call in the dashboard, select Hold. The caller hears a repeating waiting tone, and neither side hears the other's speech. Select Resume to continue. Your previous microphone mute setting is kept. Only the browser tab carrying the call can hold or resume it; keep that tab open.

Browser and Telegram calls also have Hold and Resume. The customer's call screen plays the waiting tone while held, including when the operator uses the mobile app. Holding an active call keeps it assigned to you. The WhatsApp call queue's hold music still plays before an agent picks up.