Multi-Step Detours: Because One Thing Always Leads to Another

Most AI call systems fall apart when conversations go off script. They either repeat themselves or hallucinate answers. OpenCall’s new Multi-Step Detours fix that by handling natural side questions and returning to the task without losing context.

Before diving into what we’ve built, it’s worth asking: why hasn’t this been solved already?

The truth is, most AI call systems today are brittle. They expect conversations to follow a script, but real calls don’t work like that. People ask follow-up questions, change their minds, or bring up something unexpected—and that’s where things break.

When callers go even slightly off-script, two things usually happen:

The AI can’t handle the sidetrack, so it just repeats the last question—again and again.

• • Caller: “Do you validate parking?”
• • AI: “What time would you like your appointment?”
• • Caller: “I just want to know about parking first.”
• • AI: “To proceed, I need to know: what time would you like your appointment?”
• • (Repeat until the caller gets frustrated or hangs up.)

The system is stuck. The conversation grinds to a halt.

If the system isn’t tightly guardrailed, it tries to wing it, and often makes things up!

• • Caller: “Is parking free?”
• • AI: “Yes, all downtown parking is free after 3pm.”

Even if that’s completely false.

Sometimes it answers a different question entirely. Sometimes it forgets what you asked in the first place. But in every case, the AI’s making guesses instead of following logic.

And worst of all: No Recovery

Once things go off-course, most systems have no way to return to the original task. Whether it got stuck or drifted, the thread is lost—and the experience falls apart.

No current AI can reliably handle callers

1. 1. Switching topics
2. 2. Getting answers,
3. 3. Then returning to where they left off, without dropping context, repeating steps, or getting lost.

Last week we released Smart Detours, to let conversations take short sidesteps. Now, Multi-Step Detours go further, letting callers follow a natural chain of related questions—no matter how many levels deep—without breaking the conversation or losing track of the original goal.

In human conversations, one question often sparks another. Someone asking about your location might then ask about parking, which leads to questions about validation, which prompts a question about nearby restaurants... before finally returning to the original topic.

Our data shows 13% of calls already utilize detours. In 95% of those cases, these detours prevented confusing or frustrating caller experiences. With Multi-Step Detours, we're making these interactions even more natural.

Here's a real conversation showcasing how Multi-Step Detours enable natural, layered conversation flows:

Caller: "I need to schedule a follow-up appointment."

Agent: "I'd be happy to help you schedule that follow-up. What type of appointment do you need?"

Caller: "It's for Dr. Reynolds. Not sure what department that is."

Agent: "Let me look up Dr. Reynolds for you. We have two doctors with that name. Are you looking for Dr. James Reynolds in Cardiology or Dr. Sarah Reynolds in Neurology?"

Caller: "Sarah Reynolds."

Agent: "Great. Dr. Sarah Reynolds works at both our downtown and west side locations. Which would you prefer?"

Caller: "What are the hours for the west side office?"

Agent: "The west side office is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. They also have Saturday hours from 9am to noon. Would you like to schedule at the west side location?"

Caller: "Is parking free there?"

Agent: "Yes, the west side location has a free parking garage for patients. Do you need directions to the garage?"

Caller: "No, that's fine. Let's go with west side."

Agent: "Great choice. Now, returning to scheduling your follow-up with Dr. Sarah Reynolds at our west side location. She has availability next Tuesday at 10am or Thursday at 2pm. Which would work better for you?"

Notice how the agent navigated through multiple levels of questions - from appointment scheduling to doctor lookup to location details to parking information - all while maintaining context at each level and naturally returning to the original task.

Multi-Step Detours represent a fundamental shift in conversational AI. Rather than simple state transitions, our system now maintains a precise map of conversation paths, allowing it to navigate complex detours while remembering exactly where to return.

This advancement means:

• • The agent actively asks relevant follow-up questions within each detour
• • Context is preserved at every level of the conversation
• • Nested intents unfold naturally without artificially forcing the conversation back on track
• • No more repeated steps that break the illusion of natural conversation

Multi Step Detours are rolling out now to all customers as part of our ongoing commitment to making AI conversations as pleasant as human ones. By solving the problem of layered, nested threads, we’ve removed a major barrier to natural, productive interactions.

If you’re already using OpenCall, your agent will automatically start using this feature in the coming weeks at no additional charge. If you’d like to be prioritized, just let us know.

Not using OpenCall yet? 👉 Reach out and we’ll get your AI agent set up. 👈