Glossary · Phone system (PBX)
Ring group
In one sentence
A ring group (or hunt group) rings several extensions for the same number, either all at once or one after another, so the first available colleague can pick up the call.
Also known as : ring group · ring groups · hunt group · hunt groups · simultaneous ring · sequential ring
What is a ring group?
A ring group puts several extensions behind one number or menu option. When a call comes in, the phone system rings the group’s members according to a rule, and the first person to answer takes the call. Older systems call it a hunt group.
It is the simplest way to make sure a call doesn’t depend on one person: reception, the sales team or the workshop answer as a group. It also spreads the knowledge of who is calling across the team, so a regular customer isn’t stuck waiting for the one colleague who always picks up.
How it works
Phone systems usually offer several ring strategies:
- Simultaneous (ring all): every phone rings at once.
- Sequential (linear): extension 1 rings for 15 seconds, then extension 2, then 3, always in the same order.
- Rotating (circular): like sequential, but the starting point moves on each time to spread the calls.
Then you decide what happens if nobody picks up: forward to another group, a mobile or voicemail. Without that rule, the phone rings until the caller gives up and it becomes a missed call.
Ring groups have limits. They don’t hold the caller with announcements or give you wait-time reports. Once calls regularly arrive faster than the team can answer them, a call queue with ACD is the better fit.
Example
A small accountancy practice in Leicester has a reception desk and four accountants. The main number goes to a ring group: reception’s phone rings first for 15 seconds, then all four accountants ring together for another 20. If no one answers, the call goes to the practice voicemail, which emails the message to reception. In January, with self-assessment and year-end deadlines piling up, the practice switched the group to simultaneous ringing so calls were picked up faster, then switched back in February.
Ring groups at Universal Telecom
Ring groups with simultaneous or sequential ringing, overflow rules and opening hours are included in our virtual PBX. Members can answer from an IP desk phone, the webphone or the mobile app, and you can add or remove someone from a group in a couple of clicks in the portal, for example to cover a busy season.
Frequently asked questions
Is a ring group the same as a hunt group?
Broadly, yes. Hunt group is the older term from traditional PBXs, where the system hunted through lines for a free one. Most cloud phone systems now say ring group for the same feature.
What is the difference between a ring group and a call queue?
A ring group rings phones and then follows another rule if nobody answers. A call queue keeps the caller on hold with music until an agent is free, and records wait times.
Can mobiles be part of a ring group?
Yes, through the phone system's mobile app or as an external number. Give mobiles enough ring time and make sure personal voicemail doesn't answer on behalf of the group.
Related terms
- Call queue
A call queue holds incoming callers when every agent is busy and connects them in order of arrival as soon as someone is free, playing music and announcements while they wait.
- ACD (automatic call distribution)
ACD (automatic call distribution) is the phone system feature that hands calls waiting in a queue to available agents according to a rule you choose, such as round robin, longest idle or skills-based routing.
- Call forwarding
Call forwarding automatically redirects calls arriving on a number or extension to another destination, such as a mobile, a colleague or voicemail, either always or only when the line is busy or unanswered.
- Extension
An extension is a short internal number, usually three or four digits, given to a user or device on a business phone system. Colleagues dial it to reach each other, and the system uses it to route calls.
- Missed call
A missed call is an inbound call that nobody answered: the caller hung up while it rang or while waiting in a queue, or reached voicemail without speaking to anyone.
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