How to Create a Ring Group

A ring group is a virtual extension that rings several phones (or external numbers) when called — useful for sales lines, support queues, or any situation where you want a group of people to share inbound coverage. Ring groups are configured in the EMAK phone portal by an administrator.

Before You Start

• You need administrator access to the EMAK phone portal.
• By convention, ring-group extension numbers start with 77 and are preferably 5 digits long (e.g. 77001).

Step 1: Create the Ring Group

From the portal, go to Call Routing → Ring Groups.

Click Add in the top-right corner.

Fill in the basic identifiers:

• Extension number — start with 77, prefer 5 digits.
• Name — short label (e.g. “Sales Team”).
• Description — optional internal notes.

Step 2: Configure Destinations and Behavior

Destinations

The numbers the ring group will call when it receives a call. Destinations can be:

• Extensions — locally registered EMAK extensions.
• External numbers — outbound to a phone number off the system.

Strategy

How destinations are dialled when the group rings:

• Simultaneous — All destinations ring at once, sharing one thread.
• Sequence — Destinations are called one after another, in their listed order (lowest first).
• Enterprise — All destinations ring at once, each on its own thread (preferred when destinations are mixed local + external).
• Rollover — Sequential, but busy destinations are skipped over rather than waited on.
• Random — A single random destination rings.

Call Timeout and Timeout Destination

Call Timeout (seconds) is how long the ring group will keep ringing before giving up. When it expires, the call is sent to the Timeout Destination — typically a voicemail box, another extension, or the auto attendant. If Timeout Destination is left blank, the call simply hangs up.

Greeting

An optional sound file played to the caller as soon as the ring group is reached — for example, “Connecting you to sales now…”. Use the recording studio to upload one or generate it with AI text-to-speech.

Prompt (Confirm)

The Confirm Prompt requires a destination to press a key before the call connects. This is most useful when one of your destinations is an external number (a cell phone, for example): without a confirm prompt, the cell phone’s voicemail can answer the call before EMAK considers the call missed and falls through to the Timeout Destination.

Ring Back

What the caller hears while they wait for someone to pick up — typically Music on Hold, us-ring (standard ring tone), or another sound file.

Caller ID Number Prefix

A number prepended to the inbound caller ID so the answering extension can tell which ring group the call came from. For example, prefixing with S- (or a digit code) helps a busy receptionist see “S-Sales call from 5145551212” instead of just the raw number.

Ring Group FAQ

Why does my ring-group call keep going to the cell phone’s voicemail?

Because the cell carrier’s voicemail “answers” the call before your timeout fires, EMAK considers the call answered. Enable Confirm Prompt so the destination has to press a key to accept — voicemail won’t, so the call rolls to your Timeout Destination instead.

Should I use Simultaneous or Enterprise?

Use Enterprise when destinations are a mix of local extensions and external numbers, or when destinations are softphones/mobile apps that benefit from independent ring threads. Use Simultaneous for a clean group of equivalent local extensions.

Can ring groups call other ring groups?

Yes — a ring group’s destinations can include another ring group, which lets you build cascading coverage (e.g., main team rings first, escalation team rings on timeout).

How is a ring group different from a queue?

Ring groups simply ring multiple phones according to the chosen strategy. Queues add waiting room behaviour: callers are held in line, music plays while they wait, and agents are matched in arrival order. Use queues for higher-volume call centres; ring groups for shared lines and small teams.

Can I have a ring group for after-hours coverage?

Yes — pair the ring group with day/night call routing or a time-of-day condition so it activates only outside business hours. See phone feature codes for switching modes by button press, or your administrator can configure a time-based call flow.