As a business owner or manager, you know how crucial it is to handle incoming calls efficiently. The good news is that FreePBX has got you covered with two powerful call routing modules - Ring Groups and Queues - both of which come included in the FreePBX distribution at no extra cost.

What are Ring Groups

Ring Groups are ideal for low-volume call environments where you have multiple phones (extensions) available to answer calls. With Ring Groups, you can set up your phones to ring simultaneously or in a pattern like hunt or circular. This way, you ensure that every incoming call is answered as soon as possible.

What are Queues

Queues, on the other hand, are perfect for high-volume call environments where you have fewer extensions (agents) to answer calls. With Queues, calls are answered, an announcement played, and the caller put on hold until a free agent becomes available. The caller can also be kept informed of their position in the queue and the estimated wait time. Once an agent is free, the call will be directed to them. Agents can belong to one or multiple queues, and they will be informed which queue the call originated from when they receive it.

Let's use our example from the IVR system. When a caller dials "1" for Accounts, the call can be sent to a Ring Group with three extensions, all ringing at the same time. When the caller dials "2" for Sales, the call can be sent to a Sales Queue, and the next available agent will handle the call.

With these two powerful call routing modules, FreePBX makes it easy for you to handle incoming calls with efficiency and ease. So don't wait, start streamlining your inbound calls today!