Ring Groups

A Ring Group lets one phone number or extension ring several phones at once — for example, a "Sales" number that rings every salesperson's desk phone, or a receptionist line that rings two front-desk phones together. You decide how the phones ring (all together, one after another, etc.), how long to try before giving up, and where the call goes if nobody answers.

Overview#

You manage Ring Groups from Applications > Media Settings > Ring Groups. A Ring Group has:

• Its own extension number, so it can be dialed directly or pointed to from a Destination, IVR Menu, or Time Condition.
• A Strategy that controls the order the member phones ring in.
• A list of Destinations (members) — the extensions, numbers, or other targets that ring.
• A Call Timeout and a Forward destination for when nobody answers in time.

The Ring Groups list

Screenshot needed · ring-groups-list

How to Create a Ring Group#

1. Go to Applications > Media Settings > Ring Groups and click Add.
2. Enter a Name and an Extension for the group.
3. Choose a Ring Back sound — what the caller hears while the group is ringing.
4. Choose a Strategy:
   • Simultaneous — every member rings at the same time; whoever answers first gets the call.
   • Sequence — members ring one at a time, in order, moving to the next after each one's own delay/timeout.
   • Rollover — similar to Sequence, but rotates the starting member each time so the same person isn't always rung first.
   • Random — members ring one at a time in a random order.
   • Enterprise — rings members with their own individual delay settings honored together, closer to how a traditional PBX hunt group behaves.
5. Set the Call Timeout — the total number of seconds the Ring Group will try before giving up and moving to the Timeout/Forward destination.
6. Add each Destination (member) — see "Adding/Removing Members" below.
7. Optionally set Caller ID Name / Caller ID Number overrides for outbound-looking calls placed through this group, a Distinctive Ring sound, and an Exit Key a caller can press to leave the group early.
8. Optionally turn on Call Forward and set a Forward Destination (with an accompanying toll-allow setting) so the whole group's calls can be redirected elsewhere.
9. Save the group.

Adding/Removing Members#

In the Destinations grid on the Ring Group's edit page:

1. Click into a blank row's Destination field and enter/select the extension (or other destination) that should ring.
2. Set that row's Delay (how many seconds to wait before this member starts ringing — used by Simultaneous/Enterprise/Random strategies) or Order (the position this member rings in — used by Sequence/Rollover).
3. Set Timeout — how long this specific member rings before moving on.
4. Optionally set Prompt to Confirm, which asks the person answering to press a key to accept the call (useful for cell phones, so voicemail doesn't accidentally "answer" the ring group call).
5. Add a Description if you want a note on that row, and make sure Enabled is set to true.
6. A new blank row appears automatically as you fill in the last one — keep going until every member is listed.
7. To remove a member, check the Delete box on their row and save.

How to Edit a Ring Group#

1. Go to Applications > Media Settings > Ring Groups.
2. Click the group's name in the list.
3. Change any settings or the member list, then Save.
4. Use the Enabled toggle directly in the list to quickly turn the whole group on or off.

How to Delete a Ring Group#

1. Go to Applications > Media Settings > Ring Groups.
2. Check the box next to the group(s) to remove.
3. Click Delete and confirm.

Field Reference#

Tips & Common Issues#

• Simultaneous is the usual choice for "ring everyone at once" department lines; Sequence or Rollover are better when you want calls to try one specific person first before moving on.
• If a member's cell phone keeps "answering" calls that actually went to their voicemail, turn on the Confirm prompt for that member's row so a real person has to press a key to pick up.
• Make sure the Call Timeout is long enough to get through every member's individual Delay/Timeout under a Sequence or Rollover strategy — otherwise later members in the list may never get a chance to ring before the group gives up.
• If nobody should ever be left with "no answer," always set a Timeout/Forward destination (e.g., to voicemail or a Ring Group member's own cell) rather than leaving it blank.