Overview: Ring groups (Console)
Console > Account > Ring Groups > Overview: Ring groups (Console)
This article provides an overview of ring groups in Console.
In this article
Overview
A ring group is a group of users and/or phone numbers that all ring at the same time. You can create ring groups in the ring groups workspace of the Console.
A ring group can consist of a mixture of:
User extensions
External phone numbers
Desk phones
Ring groups are helpful when you need multiple users to monitor a phone number without needing them to manage the call through a wrap up process (like defining the results of a call).
You can also configure ring groups to handle timeouts, when someone calls a ring group and the call isn’t answered after a specific amount of time.
Visual breakdown
There are three places where you can make configurations to ring groups:
Ring Group Settings
External Numbers
Users
Ring Group Settings container
The Ring Group Settings container gives you the ability to define the name of the group, its extension, the caller ID details, and timeout information if a call rings for too long.
Name: The Name field is where you define or modify the name of the ring group. You can modify this field at any time.
Extension: The Extension field is where you assign or modify an extension number for the ring group. This extension number can be found within the softphone directory, which is helpful if someone needs to transfer the call to the ring group.
Caller ID Override: The Caller ID Override menu is where you define which of the phone numbers on your account is displayed as the caller ID for the ring group users as they receive inbound calls made to the Ring Group.
Caller ID Prefix: The Caller ID Prefix field is where you assign a prefix to appear on the caller ID of calls made to this ring group. This can be used to help identify and organize calls.
Caller ID Suffix: The Caller ID Suffix field is where you assign a suffix to appear on the caller ID of calls made to this ring group. This can be used to help identify and organize calls.
Timeout (Seconds): The Timeout (Seconds) field is where you define how long the inbound phone call rings the ring group until the phone call is automatically directed down the timeout experience.
Tip: To ensure the best customer experience, it is recommended that you configure both the Timeout Route To menu and Timeout Route Data menu in addition to setting the Timeout (Seconds) field.
Timeout Route To: The Timeout Route To menu is where you define the type of destination for unanswered calls, made to the selected ring group, that have elapsed the time set in the Timeout (Seconds) field. The menu options here are listed and defined below. The option selected from this menu impacts the menu options presented in the Timeout Route Data menu.
Extension: The Extension menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the ring group to any user on your account that has an assigned extension number. If you have selected this option, then you can either select to send the call to ring the extension of another user or to go directly to a user’s voicemail box by selecting the destination location from the Timeout Route Data menu.
External Number: The External Number menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the ring group to any external number of your choosing. If you have selected this option, then you can enter the destination phone number in the Timeout Route Data field.
Queue: The Queue menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the ring group to any queue on your account. If you have selected this option, then you can select the specific queue from the Timeout Route Data menu.
Ring Group: The Ring Group menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the selected Ring Group to any other active ring group on your account. If you have selected this option, then you can select the specific ring group from the Timeout Route Data menu.
Workflows: The Workflows menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the selected ring group to any published workflow on your account. If you have selected this option, then you can select the specific workflow version from the Timeout Route Data menu.
Line Group: The Line Group menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the selected ring group to a line group provisioned to your account. If you have selected this option, then you can select the specific line group from the Timeout Route Data menu. The selected line group can then manage the call by “parking” it on a specific phone line for another user on your account to answer when available. For example, when you call a grocery store in an attempt to contact a pharmacist and for whatever reason, you end up connected to someone in the deli. The deli worker can “park” the call on line one, then page the pharmacy over the store’s PA system to pick up the call on line one.
Conference: The Conference menu option gives you the ability to forward the call made to the selected ring group to another channel of users. If you have selected this option, then you can select the specific channel of users from the Timeout Route Data menu. The menu options in the Timeout Route Data menu populates based on the existing chat channels and direct messages lists. For example, if you plan to have users available regularly within a chat channel’s conference ‘room’, then you can route missed ring group calls to a specific channel.
Timeout Route Data: The Timeout Route Data either populates as a drop-down menu or a field depending on the selection made in the Timeout Route To menu. This area gives you the ability to define the exact destination location to forward a ring group call that has reached the time set in the Timeout (Seconds) field.
Status: The Status access toggle is green when enabled and red when disable. When enabled, the ring group is active and rings the assigned users/external numbers when an inbound call is received to any phone number configured to route to the selected ring group. When disabled, the assigned users/external numbers do not receive these calls regardless of a phone number’s configurations.
External Numbers container
The External Numbers container gives you the ability to add and remove external phone numbers to the ring group.
Number field: The Number field gives you the ability to enter an external number to the list of numbers/users assigned to the selected ring group.
Name field: The Name field gives you the ability to define a name for the external phone number to easily identify who is being contacted when inbound calls are made to the selected ring group’s phone number.
Search field: The Search field gives you the ability to search for a specific name or number within the list of added external numbers.
Remove number: The Remove Number button (to the right of every number item) gives you the ability to remove an external number from the numbers assigned to the selected ring group.
Add: The Add button gives you the ability to add an additional external number to the list of numbers assigned to the selected ring group. Clicking this button adds another external number line item to the list including an additional Number field and Name field.
Users container
The Users container gives you the ability to add and remove users from the ring group.
Search field: The Search field gives you the ability to search for a specific user from the assigned users list only.
Unassigned users list: The unassigned users list at the top of the container displays all of the users who are not currently assigned to the selected ring group. Clicking a user on this list automatically adds them to the assigned users list and removes them from the unassigned users list.
Assigned users list: The assigned users list at the bottom of the container displays all of the users who are currently assigned to the selected ring group.
Remove user: The remove user button (to the right of every user item) gives you the ability to remove a user from the assigned users List. Clicking this button causes the selected user to not only be removed from the assigned users list, but also adds them back into the unassigned users list.