Ring Groups

Ring groups distribute incoming calls to multiple extensions. They ensure calls reach available agents and provide coverage for departments.

What Is a Ring Group

A ring group is a collection of extensions that ring simultaneously or sequentially when a call comes in. Ring groups are used to:

• Distribute calls across a team
• Ensure coverage during busy periods
• Provide backup when primary agents are unavailable

Ring Strategies

OPBX supports three ring strategies:

Strategy	Behavior	Best For
Simultaneous	All members ring at once	Small teams, urgent calls
Round Robin	Distributes calls evenly	Load balancing
Sequential	Tries members one by one	Priority-based routing

Simultaneous

All members of the ring group receive the call at the same time. The first person to answer takes the call.

Best for: Small teams where any member can handle the call, urgent situations where speed matters.

Round Robin

Calls rotate through members in a fixed order. Each new call goes to the next member in the sequence.

Best for: Balancing workload across a team, ensuring equal distribution.

Sequential

Calls ring the first member. If they do not answer, the call moves to the next member, and so on.

Best for: Priority-based routing (manager first, then team), escalations.

Creating a Ring Group

To create a new ring group:

1. Navigate to Ring Groups in the sidebar
2. Click Create Ring Group
3. Enter a descriptive name
4. Select the ring strategy
5. Add member extensions
6. Configure timeout settings
7. Set fallback actions
8. Save the ring group

Timeout Configuration

Setting	Description
Timeout	Seconds to ring before considering unanswered (1-300)
Ring Turns	For sequential strategy, how many times to cycle through members

Fallback Actions

When nobody in the ring group answers, the call can route to a fallback destination:

Fallback	Description
Extension	Route to specific extension
Ring Group	Route to another ring group
IVR Menu	Route to IVR
AI Assistant	Route to AI agent
AI Load Balancer	Route to AI balancer
Hangup	End the call

tip

Always configure a fallback to prevent callers from hanging up in voicemail limbo. A common pattern is to route to an IVR with a "leave a message" option.

Managing Members

Adding Members

1. Open the ring group details
2. Click Add Member
3. Select an extension
4. Set priority (for sequential strategy)
5. Save

Member Priority

Priority determines the order for sequential ringing. Lower numbers ring first.

Priority	Order
1	Rings first
2	Rings second
3	Rings third

Removing Members

Click the delete icon next to a member to remove them from the group. This does not delete the extension, only its membership in this group.

Ring Group Status

Status	Behavior
Active	Accepts and routes calls
Inactive	Calls skip this group and go to fallback

Set a ring group to Inactive during:

• Department meetings
• After-hours when no one is available
• System maintenance

Ring Group Examples

Sales Department

• Name: Sales Team
• Strategy: Simultaneous
• Members: Extensions 1001, 1002, 1003
• Timeout: 20 seconds
• Fallback: Sales IVR

Result: All three sales agents' phones ring. If no one answers, the caller hears the sales menu.

Support Escalation

• Name: Support L1
• Strategy: Sequential
• Members: Extension 2001 (Priority 1), 2002 (Priority 2), 2003 (Priority 3)
• Timeout: 15 seconds per member
• Fallback: Support L2 Ring Group

Result: Calls try the senior agent first, then junior agents, then escalate to Level 2.

Best Practices

Member Selection

• Include only active extensions
• Avoid adding the same extension to multiple overlapping groups
• Consider skill levels when setting sequential priorities

Timeout Settings

• Simultaneous: 20-30 seconds is typical
• Sequential: 10-15 seconds per member
• Total timeout should not exceed caller patience (usually 60-90 seconds)

Fallback Design

• Always have a fallback
• Use IVR for voicemail options
• Consider routing to a manager for urgent queues
• Never leave callers with no destination