Calls during a video session

You’re in the middle of a session. A client — a different client — calls your practice line. What happens next isn’t dramatic: it’s the same path every unanswered call takes.

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What the caller hears

The call rings to your device. Because you’re focused on the session, you don’t pick up. After the ring window, the caller hears your active greeting and lands in voicemail. They can leave a message or hang up. Either way:

• A voicemail row gets created with the audio, transcript, and category.
• They receive the auto-reply text matching what kind of call they left.
• A missed-call entry shows up in your Recents tab.

If they hang up without leaving a message, the same auto-reply still fires — the “Missed Call” category invites them to text you back.

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What you see — eventually

You won’t see anything during the session if you have your notifications quieted. After the session ends:

• The voicemail is at the top of your Voicemail tab — transcribed, tagged, ready to scan.
• The missed call is in Recents.
• If they replied to the auto-reply, the conversation is at the top of your Messages inbox.

You can decide in 10 seconds which of these need a callback today and which can wait until tomorrow. That’s the inbox-style triage the practice phone is built around.

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What if you DO want to be rung during sessions

Rivet doesn’t suppress incoming calls based on whether you’re in a video session today. If your phone is unsilenced and a call comes in, the lock-screen ring will appear over your video session the same way it would over any other app. In practice, most practitioners do one of two things:

• Silence the phone for the session. iOS Focus modes, Android Do Not Disturb, or the side switch — all of these keep the device quiet for the duration. Voicemails still process. The auto-reply still goes out. The caller is taken care of without anything ringing in your hand.
• Carry the device on silent with the screen face-down. Same outcome, less configuration.

Either way, the practice phone is not asking you to pick up live during a session. Its job is to make sure the caller is acknowledged immediately and shows up in your inbox afterward.

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What the caller doesn’t know

The caller doesn’t know you’re in a session. From their perspective, you didn’t pick up — the same as any unanswered call. The auto-reply they receive doesn’t mention sessions; it acknowledges the call and tells them what to do next. You can edit the reply text per category if you want it warmer or more specific (see Customizing auto-reply).

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What about a client who’s actively waiting

If a client is calling because they’re standing on the wrong side of your office door, or trying to find the video link for a session that just started, the auto-reply text is the channel that catches them. They get a text within seconds telling them you got the call. You can briefly excuse yourself from your current session, glance at the inbox, and reply by text — without needing to take a call. That single text — “I just got your message” — is what most calls during sessions actually need.

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