Choose an industry
These are starting points, not fixed scripts. Replace each bracketed role with the person who actually owns that kind of call, then confirm the after-hours route before you publish it.
Why each guide cites its own rules
A phone menu looks like a design problem, but in several industries it touches a rule. Each guide above ends with a numbered source list for its sector. These are the kinds of rule they draw on, with one primary source each so you can see the pattern before you open a guide.
- Health and dental. The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets general rules for uses and disclosures of protected health information, including limits on what a practice may reveal.1 A greeting or voicemail prompt should not say anything about a patient that you would not say to the whole room.
- Recording calls. Federal wiretap law prohibits intercepting communications but contains an exception where one party consents,2 and state recording-consent rules differ, as the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press summarises.3 This product does not record calls; the point matters if you add recording elsewhere.
- Housing. The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing,4 which is why a property or brokerage menu should route every enquiry the same way rather than screening callers.
- Accessibility. The ADA requires businesses open to the public to communicate effectively with people who have disabilities.5 For a phone menu that means a path to a person and time to respond.
- Emergencies. Multi-line telephone systems in the United States must let a user dial 911 directly without a prefix.6 An "urgent" option on your menu is for your own on-call person and is never a substitute for 911.
These are general summaries of public rules, not legal advice. Confirm anything that affects your business with the source or an adviser.
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Sources
Every regulatory and pricing claim on this page links to the primary source it came from. Figures were checked on the date shown at the top of the page; rules and prices change, so verify before relying on one.
- 45 CFR § 164.502, Uses and disclosures of protected health information: general rules (incidental disclosures, minimum necessary). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/45/164.502 - 18 U.S.C. § 2511, Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibited (one-party consent exception). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2511 - Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporter’s Recording Guide (state-by-state recording consent laws). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/ - 42 U.S.C. § 3604, Discrimination in the sale or rental of housing and other prohibited practices (Fair Housing Act). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/3604 - ADA.gov, ADA Requirements: Effective Communication. Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.ada.gov/resources/effective-communication/ - 47 CFR § 9.16, Multi-line telephone systems: direct 911 dialing, notification, and dispatchable location. Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/9.16