Call routing determines what happens to an inbound call after it enters your phone system. Voice lets you control routing through a combination of business hours, IVR menus, hunt groups, call queues, and skills-based routing. Understanding how these pieces fit together helps you build a routing setup that matches how your team actually works.
This article focuses on hunt groups and the overall routing cascade. For IVR configuration, see IVR Menus. For business hours, see Business Hours.
The Routing Cascade
Inbound calls are evaluated in this order:
- Business hours — If outside open hours, the call goes to the after-hours action and routing stops.
- IVR menu — If an IVR is enabled, the caller gets the menu. The caller's selection determines the next destination.
- Call queue or hunt group — The destination from the IVR (or the number's direct assignment) determines how agents are rung.
- Extension — If the destination is a single extension, it rings directly.
- Voicemail fallback — If no answer, the call goes to voicemail.
Hunt Groups
A hunt group rings a list of extensions when a call comes in. Hunt groups are simpler than call queues — there is no hold music, no position announcement, and no callback option. Callers hear ringing until someone answers or the group times out.
How to Create a Hunt Group
- Go to Hunt Groups and click Create Hunt Group.
- Give the group a name.
- Add the extensions that should ring. You can order them (sequential) or have them all ring at once (simultaneous).
- Set the ring timeout — how long to ring the group before moving to the next destination.
- Set the overflow destination: another hunt group, an extension, a queue, or voicemail.
- Save the hunt group.
- Assign the hunt group as the destination for a phone number or an IVR menu option.
Call Queues
Call queues hold callers with music and distribute calls to available agents. They support multiple ring strategies:
- Round-robin — Distribute calls evenly across agents in rotation.
- Longest-idle — Route to the agent who has been waiting the longest since their last call.
- Ring-all — Ring every available agent at once.
- Skills-based — Route to agents who have a specific skill assigned. See the skills documentation for setup.
For full queue setup instructions, see the How To section in the Voice overview.
Paging Groups
Paging groups broadcast a one-way audio announcement to a set of extensions or devices at once. They are used for overhead paging or announcements to a room or floor. Paging groups are configured under Paging Groups in the admin panel.
Shared Lines
A shared-line group lets multiple extensions share a single phone number appearance. When the line is active, all members can see its status and pick it up. Configure shared-line groups under Shared Lines.
Assigning a Number to a Routing Destination
A phone number's inbound destination controls where calls go first:
- Go to Numbers and select the number you want to configure.
- Set the destination: an IVR, a hunt group, a call queue, or a specific extension.
- Save.
FAQ
What is the difference between a hunt group and a call queue? Hunt groups ring extensions directly with no hold experience — callers hear ringing and either reach someone or time out. Call queues hold callers with music, can announce position, support callback requests, and support more agent-distribution strategies.
Can I route different numbers to different departments? Yes. Each phone number can have its own destination. Assign one number to Sales (a hunt group or queue) and another to Support (a different queue) independently.
What happens if all agents in a queue are busy? The caller continues to wait in queue. When the queue's overflow threshold is reached, the call is sent to the overflow destination — another queue, voicemail, or an external number — depending on how the queue is configured.