How to Set up a Hunt Group with Hosted VoIP

A hunt group is an advantageous VoIP feature because it improves office efficiency and ensures smooth customer interactions. In plain terms, a hunt group is a phone sequence arrangement. For example, say that when a customer calls your office the main line rings first. We’ll refer to this line “phone A.” If no one answers after a predetermined set of rings, the call is then automatically transferred to the next line, “phone B,” within the hunt group. Again, if no one picks up, the call moves to “phone C” and so on. This group of connected lines comprises a hunt group. Here, we’ll explain how you can set up a hunt group and customize the settings to fit the needs of your office:

The Different Types of Hunt Groups

There’s virtually no limit to the varieties of hunt groups a professional can choose to create. At one point, hunt groups were restricted to a set pattern, but now, business owners can select how to arrange their hunt group to suit their specifications and optimize customer service. Without getting too complex, here are the five basic ways to organize a hunt group:

• Regular –– Incoming calls move through agents as they appear on the list. This method starts from the top of that list each time and is perfect for businesses looking to adhere to a chain-of-command phone structure.
• Circular ––  Incoming calls transfer in the original designated order. Once a call is answered, though, the next incoming call picks up where the last call left off and circles around.
• Simultaneous –– Otherwise known as a ring group, a simultaneous hunt group alerts all designated phone lines within it whenever a call is placed. Procession is based solely on who picks up first. While this method will help prevent missed calls, it can also be quite draining on employees.
• Uniform –– Incoming calls cycle through agents based on who has been idle the longest and ends with the “least idle” employee (this setup is great for sales teams).
• Weighted Call Distribution ––  Incoming calls are assigned to idle agents based on
  percentages you assign on the hunt group's profile.

Note also that you can customize the number of “rings” it takes to transfer a call from one line to the next.

How to Set up a Hunt Group

Once you’ve decided how you’d like to arrange incoming calls within a hunt group, it’s time to create it. Fortunately, this is a very simple process when you partner with Votacall. Here’s how you can quickly set up a hunt group step-by-step:  

• Select the category “services” on the Group Level.
• Click on “hunt group.”
• Choose “Add new hunt group.”
• Select “Profile.”
• Name your new hunt group and customize it with by filling out features such as department, calling IDs, and time zone.
• Pick your preferred Group Policy (I.E. the different types of hunt groups outlined above.)
• Designate your no-answer settings.
• Save.

And that’s it. You’re done and ready to roll!

The Bottom Line

. We can help you identify the perfect phone tech upgrade for your workspace, and we’ll offer unmatched customer and technical support. Contrary to some people’s views, VoIP technology is accessible to all professionals. To learn the truth behind even more myths related to Hosted VoIP systems, check out our free eBook here: