MiContact Center Business and MiVoice Analytics support Ring Groups. Ring Groups are a call distribution mechanism that offers an alternative to ACD for distributing calls in your business. While ACD is focused on rationing calls to pools of available agents, Ring Groups are configured to distribute calls to a pool of specific extensions. Users can configure Ring Groups within YourSite Explorer, monitor them in Contact Center Client, and report on them.
When an incoming call rings the Ring Group, the member extensions configured in the Ring Group are rung until one extension answers. Ring Groups can be programmed to offer calls to extensions using five different algorithms:
- Ring All: Rings all available extensions in the Ring Group simultaneously.
- Terminal: Starting from the first extension in the member list, rings the first available extension.
- Terminal Cascade: Starting from the first extension in the member list, rings the first available extension for the duration of the Cascade Ring Timer before calling the next available extension in the member list.
- Circular: Starting from the last member to handle a call, rings the next available extension in the members list
- Circular Cascade: Starting from the last member to handle a call, rings the next available extension in the member list for the duration of the Cascade Ring Time before calling the next available extension in the member list.
Ring Groups enable a business to ensure that in settings where employees may not have a set physical location or mobile device, such as a warehouse or back office, calls can be effectively distributed to an answering extension. Calls to Ring Groups can be ACD or Non ACD in Mi Contact Center Business real-time and reporting.
Incoming calls are handled differently than ACD path queues as well. If a call comes in, it will be queued if any one of the Ring Group’s extensions are available. Available extensions are those that are:
- Idle
- Busy (ACD, Non ACD, or Out)
If the Ring Group’s extensions are not available, the call is overflowed immediately (if an overflow point has been configured) or receives no answer. Extensions in the following states are not available:
- Do Not Disturb
- Out of Service
- Not Present
- Reseize Timer
For more information about extension states, see "Extension states".