Call routes control what happens when someone calls one of your numbers — which extension rings, in what order, and where the call ends up if nobody answers.
¶ View your current routes
- Go to Numbers. The Routing To column (①) shows where each number currently points.
- Click Show Routes (②) to expand the full step-by-step route for each number.
¶ Edit a route
- Go to Numbers → Manage Number → Call Routing → Edit.
- Choose a route mode from the dropdown (①):
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Ring a user directly | Basic routing — the call rings one extension, then goes to that user's voicemail. |
| Follow a multi-step route that I will configure | The common choice — the call works through an ordered list of steps you define. |
- For a multi-step route, add steps in the order the call should try them. Each step has a Route Type (②), a Destination, and a Timeout (③) — the number of seconds before the call moves to the next step (default 20 for a user).
- Save your changes.
Typical timeouts: 20–30 seconds for users and call groups. For queues, allow up to about 5 minutes — the queue keeps retrying agents during that time.
¶ Route types
| Route type | What it does |
|---|---|
| User | Rings one extension. |
| Call Group | Rings a group of extensions. See Call Groups. |
| Queue | Holds callers and rings agents. Prefer a Queue over a Call Group where possible. See Call Queues. |
| Conference Room | Joins the caller to a conference. |
| Announcement | Plays a recorded message — e.g. a welcome message, business information, or an after-hours notice. See Announcements. |
| Interactive Voice Response (IVR) | Presents a press-1-press-2 menu. See Interactive Voice Response. |
| Voicemail | Sends the call to a voicemail box. |
| Divert | Forwards the call to an external number. Additional charges may apply. See Call Diversions. |
| Geo Route | Routes based on the caller's location. See Geographic Routing. |
| AI | Routes the call to an AI agent. |
¶ Time conditions
Turn on the Time Conditions toggle (④) at the top of the route editor to give a number separate routes for business hours and after hours. Time conditions are what the *280 phone override and the Business Hours page act on.
¶ Example
A common setup for a main business number with Time Conditions on:
| Period | Steps |
|---|---|
| Business hours | 1. Announcement (welcome message) → 2. Call Group or Queue → 3. Voicemail |
| After hours | 1. Announcement (closed message) → 2. Voicemail |
¶ Tags and ringtones
On the Manage Number page you can also set:
- Tags — label numbers to keep them organised.
- Ringtone — set a distinct ringtone per number, so staff can tell which line is ringing and distinguish internal from external calls before answering.
¶ Best practices
- Keep routes simple — fewer steps are easier to maintain and troubleshoot.
- Always end with a fallback step, usually Voicemail, so no call dead-ends.
- Test changes by calling your own number.
- Keep announcements current, especially opening hours and holiday messages.
- Review your call reports to see where calls are getting stuck, and adjust the route.