Skip to content

Small office call flow, end to end

Last updated View as Markdown (opens in a new tab)

Build a complete call flow for a small office, from licences and users to business hours, team ringing and voicemail.

This is the most common setup for a small office. Your main number rings everyone during business hours. If nobody answers, or the office is closed, callers leave a voicemail that’s emailed to you.

Inbound number (main number)
  → Time conditions (business hours)
      ├─ Matches        → Ring group (everyone) → No answer → Voicemail
      └─ Doesn't match  → Voicemail

Before you start

Section titled “Before you start”
  • A phone number. Order one in Services › Phone numbers, or bring your existing number with Services › Number porting.
  • Licences. A user licence for each person, and a device licence for each phone or app they use, in Services › PBX licences. See PBX licences.
  • Your opening hours and your office’s time zone.
  • A voicemail greeting that works both when the team is busy and after hours, for example “Thanks for calling. We can’t take your call right now. Our office is open 8:30 to 5:30, Monday to Friday. Please leave a message.” You can record it while you set up, or upload an audio file.
  • An email address for voicemail messages.

If this is a brand-new account, Set up your phone system walks through the portal, ordering and the first test call in more detail.

1. Add the main number

Section titled “1. Add the main number”
  1. On the PBX tab, drag Inbound number from the Receive calls group onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
  2. Enter a Name, such as “Main line”. The name is also used as the caller ID name for this number.
  3. Under Available numbers, select your number and click the right arrow to move it to Included numbers.
  4. Click Save.

2. Add a User for each person

Section titled “2. Add a User for each person”

Repeat for each person in the office:

  1. Drag User from the Accept, make and divert calls group onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
  2. Enter their Name and choose their Licence subaccount.
  3. Choose your main number as their Default caller ID, so customers see it when they call out.
  4. Under Webphone, enter their Email so they can sign in to the Webphone.
  5. Under Device configuration, click Add and choose their devices: Webphone browser, Webphone desktop, Webphone mobile, or SIP device for a desk phone.
  6. Click Save.

The users don’t need to be connected to anything. They’ll be rung through the Ring group.

3. Add business hours

Section titled “3. Add business hours”
  1. Drag Time conditions from the Conditions group onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
  2. Enter a Name, such as “Open hours”, and check the Time zone.
  3. Click Add a time conditions group. Click Add a time condition, choose Hours and enter your opening hours in 24-hour time.
  4. Click Add a time condition, choose Days of the week and select your working days.
  5. Click Save.

4. Ring everyone

Section titled “4. Ring everyone”
  1. Drag Ring group from the Handling mass incoming calls group onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
  2. Enter a Name, such as “Everyone”, then click Add and choose all the users.
  3. Set Ring mode to Ring all, so every phone rings at once and the first person to answer gets the call.
  4. Set each user’s Ring time, for example 20 to 30 seconds. This is how long callers wait before reaching voicemail.
  5. Click Save.

5. Add voicemail

Section titled “5. Add voicemail”
  1. Drag Voicemail from the Accept, make and divert calls group onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
  2. Enter a Name, such as “Office voicemail”.
  3. Set Greeting to Custom and add your greeting with Record your voice or Upload file.
  4. Turn on Voicemail to email and enter your email address. Leave Local storage off if you only want messages by email.
  5. Click Save.

6. Connect everything

Section titled “6. Connect everything”

Drag from the connection point on the right of each object to the left of the next:

  1. Inbound number → Time conditions.
  2. Time conditions Matches path → Ring group.
  3. Time conditions Doesn’t match path → Voicemail.
  4. Ring group No answer path → Voicemail.

Every path should now be connected. A path that isn’t connected ends the call.

7. Apply configuration

Section titled “7. Apply configuration”

Click Apply configuration in the top-right corner.

  • If the button can’t be clicked, look for an object with a red outline that says You need to configure this component, and finish its settings.
  • Each user gets a Webphone password by email once the configuration is applied. For desk phones, use the SIP details in Devices.

Check it works

Section titled “Check it works”
  1. In business hours, call your main number from a mobile. Every user’s devices should ring. Answer on one: the others stop.
  2. Call again and let it ring out. After the ring time, you should hear your greeting. Leave a message and check that it arrives by email.
  3. Outside business hours, call again. You should go straight to the greeting.
  4. From a user’s phone, call your mobile. It should show your main number.

If a phone doesn’t ring, check that it shows Online in Devices (Webphone mobile always shows as online). If calls take the wrong path, check the Time zone in Time conditions.

Variations

Section titled “Variations”
  • Welcome message first: put an Announcement between the Inbound number and Time conditions. After the message, the call continues.
  • Calls keep coming in: swap the Ring group for a Queue, so callers wait in line instead of going to voicemail. See Team queue with callback.
  • Separate sales and support: put a Voice menu after Matches. See Phone menu (IVR).

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”