Check a Phone Number's Routing

The best place to start learning call routing in Stratus is the Inventory page.

On this page, you can view the list of phone numbers available to your business, the way those numbers are treated, and their next immediate routing Destination.

Commonly Used Routing Methods

There are many different ways that a business can route calls for their different phone numbers. 

The most commonly used methods are the following:

• Route calls to an Inbound Routing User for time-of-day routing.
• Route calls directly to a user by designating a phone number as a user's DID.
• Route calls directly to a Call Queue that dispatches calls to multiple agents.
• Route callers to an Auto Attendant that allows callers to choose where their call should be forwarded.

Inbound Routing Users

In your Account, you may notice a special type of user called an “Inbound Routing User” (IRU). A Routing User is an empty extension that acts as a virtual switchboard operator. An IRU will send callers to certain destinations depending on the time and day the call is received. 

An Inbound Routing User is usually the first destination for callers that call into a location's main phone number. The IRU references its Answering Rules to determine where a call should be routed depending on when a Time Frame is active.

To set an inbound routing user take control of phone calls coming in from a phone number…

1. Navigate to the Inventory page of the web portal to reference your list of phone numbers.
   
2. Find the phone number and ensure that the number is routing to the correct user. 
   
3. To check where this inbound routing user is routing calls, navigate to the Users page.
   
4. Use the search bar to search the name or extension number of the inbound routing user.
   
5. Click the Edit icon and select Answering Rules.
   
6. Confirm that the Answering Rules will be routing calls to the correct destination depending on the Time Frame in use.
   
7. If needed, click the Edit icon next to a rule to modify its destination.
   
8. To modify a Time Frame being referenced by answering rules, navigate to the Time Frames page.
    
9. Click the name of a time frame or click the Edit icon to adjust when that time frame will be active.
   
10. Use the sliders or calendar buttons (depending on the type of time frame) to make adjustments.
    
11. Click the Save button.
    

Direct Inward Dial (DID) Numbers

“I want a phone to ring when I call a certain number.”

Some users may have a phone number that they share with clients so that these people can directly contact them. These phone numbers are called Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers. DIDs allow callers to directly reach a user without having to follow a business' main call routing.

As a Stratus admin, you can set a user as the destination for a phone number. To do so…

1. Navigate to the Inventory page of the web portal to reference your list of phone numbers.
   
2. Find the phone number and ensure that the number is routing to the correct user. 
   
3. To check what happens when that number rings that user, navigate to the Users page of the web portal.
   
    

   Quick Tip: When opening new pages in Stratus, you can click with the middle mouse button to open each step as a new tab, making it easier to backtrack if necessary.

    
4. Use the search bar to find the user by their extension number or name.
   
5. Click the name of the user that is using the DID number. 
6. Visit the Answering Rule tab of the user's settings.
   
7. Confirm that the user's Answering Rules are routing calls as intended.
   

   Update the Destination of a User's Answering Rule

   If the user wants a different/particular phone to ring…

   1. Click the Edit icon.
   2. In the Call Forwarding section, select Always and use the box to type and click the user's name or extension number.
   3. To have the call go elsewhere if the call is not answered in time, select Unanswered and type the user's extension number.

   Note: If a certain phone for the user should ring, make sure to select the extension number with the correct letter at the end. 
   For example…
   – 100 (without any letters) would be the desktop (physical) phone of the user.
   – 100sp would be the desktop app of the user.
   – 100i would be a mobile app of the user.
   – 100m would be a mobile app of the user.

    

   4. Click the Save button.
   

    

    
8. To verify the voicemail of that user is configured properly, navigate to the Voicemail tab of the user's settings.
   
9. Scroll down to the Greetings section to play or edit what the caller hears if the call goes to voicemail.
   
10. Once you have completed making the changes, click the Save button.
    

Call Queues

"I want Multiple Phones to ring when someone calls this number."

A Call Queue, also known as a hunt group, is a function that dispatches calls to multiple agents. These call queues can ring agents simultaneously or in a specific order. There are different types of call queues that can be used to ensure agents are receiving and handling calls as intended. 

Once a call queue reaches its Queue Ring Timeout (the set amount of a time a call will ring all agents, the call is marked as unanswered. Unanswered calls can be set to either stay in the queue, go to the queue's own voicemail, or forward to a different destination using its If Unanswered setting. Callbacks can be set up for call queues if needed.

To set a phone number's destination for callers to be a call queue…

1. Navigate to the Inventory page of the web portal to reference your list of phone numbers.
   
2. Find the phone number and ensure that the number is routing to the correct user. 
   
3. To view that call queue's information, navigate to the Call Queues page.
4. Click the number in the Agents column or click the Edit Agents icon.
5. I needed, use the Remove Agent icon or the Add Agent button to adjust which users will ring in the call queue.
   
6. When ready, click the Done button.
   
7. If needed, edit the call queue's settings. 
   

   Modify a Call Queue's Settings

   To edit the Queue's settings… 

   1. Click the name of the queue.
   
   Or click the Edit (pencil) button to the right of the queue needing adjustments:
   

   2. If the queue needs to be a different type, select the Type of queue.
   

   3. On the In Queue Options tab, confirm and edit the Ring Timeout (length of time the call rings in the queue) and the destination for unanswered calls.
   

   Quick Tip: It is good practice to route unanswered calls to a user’s voicemail; however, you can also insert a ten-digit number for a remote agent, on-call agent, answering service, etc.

    

   4. Click the Save button.
   

    

    

Auto Attendants

“Press 1 for more options.”

A phone number can have an Auto Attendant as a destination. Using an auto attendant allows callers to listen to a greeting and select where their call should be routed using the dial pad menu of their phones.

The dial pad menu options of the auto attendant can route callers to users, call queues, voicemailboxes, external telephone numbers, other auto attendants, and conference bridges. Auto attendants can also play an audio message and repeat its greeting.

To route a telephone number to an auto attendant that has been created…

1. Navigate to the Inventory page of the web portal to reference your list of phone numbers.
   
2. Find the phone number and ensure that the number is routing to the correct user. 
   
3. To check the auto attendant's routing, navigate to the Auto Attendants page.
   
4.  Click the auto attendant's name or click the Edit icon.
   
5. In the Dial Pad Menu section, click the numbers to see what each button option does.
   
   

   Quick Tip: You can view all possible routing options by clicking an unused button.

   

    
6. If you made changes to the Dial Pad Menu, ensure the Menu Prompt is updated to match those changes by clicking the Manage Audio icon.
   
7. Click the Save button.