Ring Groups

Updated: July 24, 2024

A Ring Group is a grouping of numbers that distribute calls to various destinations, similar to queues, but in a much simpler set up. The main difference is that ring group members consist of phones and external phones while queue members consist of agents and teams. This distinction is important due to a feature that's tied to ring groups called "Follow Me Calling," which will be explained in this article.

Go to: PBX > Ring Groups

Click Create Ring Group to begin.



Name. Create a name for the ring group.

Ring Time. In seconds, indicate the amount of time before failing over to the next destination.

Extension (Optional). Create an extension if calls will be transferred to the ring group.

Call Confirmation. When enabled, this feature allows the agent to press 1 before connecting to the call. This is helps avoid answering machines or other destinations from "answering" the call.

Call Confirmation Announcement (Optional). A custom audio file can be created and added as a call confirmation. An example of this would be: "this is a ring group call."

Failover Destination (Optional). A failover destination is a back up destination that's used if the Ring Time elapses and there is no answer. For example, the failover can be another ring group, agent, phone, external phone, or queue, etc.

Call Recording. When enabled, calls will be recorded.



Click Save to finish or click Save & Manage Members to add members to the ring group.

Ring Group - Members

Just like campaigns and queues, assigning membership to ring groups is required. The "Available Destinations" column on the left displays which destinations are available. Click the + icon to add the destination to the "Member Destinations" column on the right.

Delay Seconds. In seconds, enter the amount of time before the next destination is attempted. This feature allows destinations to be staggered, which gives certain destinations priority. Setting delays can aid with issues with some routers in which sending two or more simultaneous calls from the same Caller ID can interfere with sending calls through.

To remove a destination from the "Member Destinations" column, click the trash icon.



After selections have been made, they're auto-saved.

Click Back to Ring Groups to finish and exit the page.



Follow Me Calling

"Follow Me Calling" is a user feature of ring groups. It overrides the standard agent routing that exists (ex: inbound call > agent webphone). In this case, a ring group allows for multiple phone number destinations to ring simultaneously such as a mobile number, a home number, and an office number. The system can then "follow" where ever you may be to take the call. This feature is located in Account > Users > Edit > Follow Me Calling.



Under "Follow Me Calling Option," select Follow Me Calling (Ring Group). This changes the routing from inbound call direct to > agent webphone to inbound call using follow me calling > destinations.



This opens a ring group form to be filled out like the one above.

Note: To clarify, follow me calling can still use "Phones" (agent webphone) as "Member Destinations."

After setting up the follow me calling's ring group form, click Save to finish.

Back under the Ring Groups page (PBX > Ring Groups), the follow me calling ring group will show an auto-generated name (ex: "agent userfollow me ring group 1" or "John Smithfollow me ring group 1"). The ring group can be edited from here as well.

Conclusion

Ring Groups are a great way to increase the probability for inbound calls to be answered by a live person, especially after hours or when out of the office. As with any set up, it's highly recommended to thoroughly test ring groups to avoid any call flow interruption and maintain connectivity. For any questions regarding ring groups, please reach out to our support team.