# Rules: who gets which treatment

> A rule tells your assistant: when a certain caller or request comes in, then put them through, take a message, refer them to e-mail or decline.

https://scoco.ai/en/docs/rules/

Rules decide how your assistant deals with particular callers: whom it puts through, whom it takes a message from and whom it politely turns away. Without rules it treats every caller the same. This page explains how a rule is built and in which order rules apply, with three examples.

## How a rule is built

Every rule has a **Rule name**, a condition under **When** and an action under **Then**.

| Condition | Matches when … |
|---|---|
| **Reason for calling (AI detection)** | the caller's request fits your **Description of the request** |
| **A VIP contact calls** | the number belongs to a contact you marked as VIP |
| **A known contact calls** | the number is in your **Contacts** |
| **An unknown caller** | the number is not in your contacts, including withheld numbers |
| **Number withheld** | the caller withholds their number |
| **Specific phone numbers** | the number is on the rule's list |
| **Time window** | the call comes in on one of the chosen **Weekdays** within the set times |

| Action | What your assistant does |
|---|---|
| **Transfer straight through** | puts the caller through; if that is not possible, it takes a message |
| **Qualify, then transfer or book** | asks for name, company and request, then puts them through; if nobody answers, it notes a callback number or offers an appointment if booking is set up |
| **Take a message** | asks for name, request and callback number |
| **Politely refer to e-mail** | gives the rule's **E-mail address** for offers in writing and takes no callback number |
| **Politely decline** | says politely that there is no interest and ends the conversation without a callback number |
| **Block and end immediately** | ends the call |
| **Continue normally** | handles the call as if there were no rule |

For a transfer you choose under **Transfer target** whose phone rings, see [Transfers](https://scoco.ai/en/docs/transfers/).

## The order in which rules apply

The card says **Order = priority**. In practice:

- **Before the greeting**, your assistant checks every rule that can be decided from the number or the time, top to bottom. The first one that matches applies to the whole call. A rule with **Block and end immediately** then ends the call before the greeting, and the call does not count towards your minutes.
- **During the call**, it checks the rules with **Reason for calling (AI detection)** as soon as the caller has said who they are and what they want. It picks the rule that clearly fits. If none does, it carries on normally. If a rule with an action other than **Continue normally** already matched before the greeting, this check is skipped.
- Time windows use the time zone of your [business hours](https://scoco.ai/en/docs/business-hours/).
- Rules switched to **Off** are not checked.

Two rules marked **Managed from Contacts** can appear at the top: **Blocklist (contacts)** and **Always put through (contacts)**. They are created when you block someone, or have someone always put through, under **Contacts**, or mark a call as spam in the **Inbox**. You change them only there. Your own rules sit below them.

## Create a rule

1. Open **Assistants**, choose your assistant and stay on the **Behaviour** tab.
2. In the **Rules** card, click **Rule**.
3. Enter a **Rule name**.
4. Choose the condition under **When** and fill in the fields below it.
5. Choose the action under **Then**.
6. Click **Apply**. The rule is saved at once and applies from the next call.
7. A new rule goes to the end of the list. Use **Move up** to move it into place.

**Open** lets you edit or delete a rule. The switch in its row turns it off and on again.

## Describe a rule in your own words

Instead of choosing the condition and the action yourself, you can also describe a rule in one sentence. The field sits at the top of the **Rules** card when [Ask scoco](https://scoco.ai/en/docs/ask-scoco/) can propose changes.

1. Type a sentence into the **Describe a rule** field, for example "Refer sales reps politely to info@example.com".
2. Click **Propose**.
3. Ask scoco shows the proposal as a card right below, with **When** and **Then**. Check both.
4. Click **Apply**, or **Open in the form** to adjust the rule first.

Nothing changes until you apply it. The new rule goes to the end of the list, and **Undo** takes it out again. **Continue in Ask scoco** lets you test the proposal or ask more; the conversation is in your history there.

## Three examples

**Refer sales calls to e-mail.** **When**: **Reason for calling (AI detection)** with the description "an unsolicited sales or insurance offer". **Then**: **Politely refer to e-mail** to info@example.com. When a caller offers you software, your assistant gives them the address and ends the call. When someone asks whether *you* offer something, the rule does not apply.

**Put VIP customers through.** **When**: **A VIP contact calls**. **Then**: **Transfer straight through** to the transfer target "Workshop". The rule matches before the greeting. Your assistant greets the caller and puts them through. If nobody answers, it takes a message.

**Messages only in the evening and at night.** A time window cannot cross midnight, so this takes two rules with a **Time window** on every weekday and **Take a message**: 20:00 to 00:00 and 00:00 to 07:00. **To** 00:00 means the end of the day.

## Common problems

**“From” must be before “To”.** For a window over midnight, create two rules, as in the example above.

**A rule never applies.** If a rule further up matches the same call, that one applies. Also check that the switch is set to **On**.

**Your assistant does not put the caller through despite the rule.** If no transfer target is set, or your status is **Messages only**, it takes a message instead.

_Last checked: 26 October 2026_