Geographic routing directs inbound calls to different destinations based on the caller's approximate location, so you can connect callers to their nearest office or a region-specific team.
You add geographic routing as a Geo Route step in a call route (see Call Routes). The step can be inserted anywhere in the call flow and combined with an IVR — for example, offering menu options first and then routing one branch geographically.
The detection method depends on the type of inbound number the caller dialled:
| Inbound number type | Detection method | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| Toll-free (1300, 13, 1800) | MOLI codes (Mobile Originated Location Identifier) | Precise — suburb/town-level |
| Standard landline/mobile (02, 03, 04, 07, 08) | Caller ID prefix | Broader — state-level |
MOLI codes are geographic identifiers used by Australian networks to indicate the area a mobile call originates from. There are hundreds of location areas covering:
| Area type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Major cities (split into multiple zones) | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide |
| Regional centres | Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Gold Coast, Townsville, and many more |
| Remote/outback areas | Various outback regions |
| Islands | Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands |
For calls to standard numbers, the caller's number prefix determines the state or territory:
| Number prefix | States/territories |
|---|---|
| 02 | NSW, ACT |
| 03 | VIC, TAS |
| 07 | QLD |
| 08 | SA, WA, NT |
Location-detection limitations: mobile calls provide the most accurate location; landline calls provide limited geographic information; international calls may not provide reliable location data; and VoIP calls may show an incorrect location.
Always configure a default route for calls that can't be geo-located — such as landline, international, or unknown callers — so no call is ever dropped. Destinations for the default route (and for each geographic area) can be phone numbers, IVRs, announcements, call queues, voicemail boxes, or other routing features.
| Scenario | How it works |
|---|---|
| Regional office routing | Sydney callers go to the Sydney office, Melbourne callers to the Melbourne office, and regional callers to their closest major office. |
| Service-specific routing with an IVR | Sales calls route to the local sales team, support calls to the main support centre, and billing calls to regional billing. |
| Overflow and peak-hour routing | Fan a high-volume area out to multiple destinations, and combine geographic routing with time-based routing to redirect overflow when local offices are busy or outside their hours. |
Geographic boundaries may not match your service areas exactly, so review your area selections against where your customers actually call from.