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Hunt Groups for BT Cloud Voice and how to use them

Hunt Group

What is a Hunt Group for Cloud Voice?

Hunt Groups put you in control of how calls are distributed around your business.

A Hunt Group lets your people answer any calls from a single number – like the main business number – directly from their own phones.

Hunt Group is available with all BT Cloud Voice packages.

Hunt Group Plus is an optional add-on, giving you extra features and benefits.

How to set up a Hunt Group using the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. From the Dashboard, scroll down to Call routing groups (Enhanced) and click Add call group.
  3. Select the site you want to build it on then the plus button alongside the Hunt group option.
  4. Enter the requested information.
  5. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.

How to add people to a Hunt Group

Once you’ve set up your Hunt Group, it’s time to add users to it. Here’s how:

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. From the Dashboard, scroll down to Call routing groups (Enhanced) and click View groups.
  3. Select the Hunt group you want to configure to go to the feature configuration page.
  4. Edit the Hunt group by clicking the configure button (three dots) followed by Manage.
  5. Click on the Assigned Users
  6. Enter the requested information and save.
  7. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.

How to remove people from a Hunt Group

It’s simple to remove people from a Hunt Group. First follow the steps to add people. But instead of looking in Available Users, tick the users in Assigned Users and select Remove. Finally Save to remove them from the Hunt Group.

What are the Call Distribution options for a Hunt Group?

When you’re setting up a Hunt Group, you can choose Call Distribution to share incoming calls around your Hunt Group. Here are the Call Distribution options and what they mean:

  • Regular

    The call goes through the members in the order that they appear on the list until it finds someone who's free.

  • Circular

    The call tries to connect with the next person on the list after the member who answered the previous call. So, the calls hunt in a circle, eventually getting back to the first person on the list.

  • Uniform

    Calls go first to the member of the group who has been available for the longest time.

  • Simultaneous

    The call rings all idle members of the group at the same time and connects to the first person to answer. If everyone in the group is already on a call, the new caller hears a busy tone.

  • Weighted

    Assign different weights so that those with higher weights take more calls. When a call comes in it will search for an available member starting with those with the greatest weight. You’ll configure the weightings using the Distribution Settings in the Hunt Group Activities which appear when you save your Hunt Group.

What are the Call Settings options for a Hunt Group?

When you’re setting up a Hunt Group, you can choose Call Settings options to manage your Hunt Group. Here are the Call Settings options and what they mean:

  • Enable Call Waiting

    Lets you know when other callers are trying to get through. You'll hear a discreet beep when someone is trying to get through to you while you're on the phone. Select this box to enable.

  • Skip to Next Agent After

    If you're using Regular, Circular, Uniform or Weighted call distributing patterns, you need to tick this box so that calls can skip to the next employee. When you've ticked this box you can change the number of rings an employee's phone receives before it skips to the next employee on the list.

  • Forward To

    After a call has cycled through its list for any call patterns, calls will automatically go to this number. It can be any telephone number, extension number, feature code, or voicemail (add *55 before entering the extension number to forward to voicemail).

  • Forward Calls After Wait Time

    Enter a time between 5 and 30 seconds, and enter the number to forward to. If a call isn’t answered by anybody in the Hunt Group in your chosen time it'll go to your chosen number.

  • Enable Call Forwarding Not Reachable

    If for any reason all the phones in the Hunt Group aren’t available (due to a power cut for example), calls will automatically route to the Forward To number.

 

How to set up voicemail for a Hunt Group

The Employee with the Hunt Group voicemail must have a Connect or Collaborate Feature Package.

You can set up voicemail for a Hunt Group in two stages.

First, check voicemail has been set up using the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. Use the global search tool to find the person you want to receive the voicemails.
  3. Note down their extension number.
  4. Select the user’s name.
  5. Select Features from the left-hand menu.
  6. Find Voicemailand turn it on if it’s showing as off.
  7. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.

You’ve set up voicemail. Now you need to set up a Hunt Group to use voicemail using the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. From the Dashboard, go to the Call routing groups (Enhanced) panel and click View groups.
  3. Select the Hunt group you want to configure to go to the feature configuration page.
  4. To edit the Hunt Group, click the configure button (three dots), followed by Manage.
  5. Click the Profile menu, scroll down to Call settings and then select Manage.
  6. Put a tick next to Forward calls when there is no answer, enter *55 into the number box, followed by the extension number you noted down earlier and then select save.
  7. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.

Hunt Group Plus

What is Hunt Group Plus for Cloud Voice?

Hunt Group Plus is an optional add-on package of extra features that you can use with your Hunt Group, including:

  • Call Forwarding
  • Call Forwarding Selective
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Selective Call Acceptance
  • Selective Call Rejection
  • Alternate Number
  • Pre-alerting Announcement

To add Hunt Group Plus to your Cloud Voice package, please contact us.

How to set up Hunt Group Plus for Cloud Voice

Hunt Group Plus is an optional extra for Cloud Voice. Please contact us to add Hunt Group Plus before following these steps to set it up.

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. From the Dashboard, go to the Call routing groups (Enhanced) panel and click View groups.
  3. Select the Hunt group you want to configure to go to the feature configuration page.
  4. To edit the Hunt Group, click the configure button (three dots), followed by Manage.
  5. Click on the Profile menu and select Manage from the Details
  6. Scroll down to Feature pack, select Plus, then select save.
  7. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.

You can now set up the Hunt Group Plus features: 

  • Call Forwarding
  • Call Forwarding Selective
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Selective Call Acceptance
  • Selective Call Rejection
  • Alternate Number
  • Pre-alerting Announcement

Alternate Numbers for Hunt Group Plus and how to set it up

Alternate Numbers is a feature of Hunt Group Plus, which is an optional extra for Cloud Voice.

With Alternate Numbers you can assign up to ten incoming numbers to ring into the Hunt Group (as long as you haven't already assigned them to another user or feature). You can assign four distinctive rings to each alternate number so that people in the Hunt Group can spot numbers from alternate numbers before they answer them.

How to set up Alternate Numbers

If you don’t already have Hunt Group Plus, please contact us to add it before following these steps to set up Alternate Numbers:

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. From the Dashboard, select Sites and choose your site
  3. Select Features from the left-hand menu
  4. Find Hunt Groups and select Configure
  5. Choose the Hunt Group you’re updating by Name 
  6. Select Feature Settings 
  7. Go to Alternate Numbers and select Configure
  8. Select Add
  9. Select a phone number from Alternate Numbers
  10. Enter an Extension if you wish
  11. Select a Ring Pattern for your Alternate Number
  12. Select Save

You’ve added an Alternate Number to your Hunt Group. You can add up to ten Alternate Numbers.

Pre-alerting Announcement for Hunt Group Plus and how to set it up

Pre-alerting Announcement is a feature of Hunt Group Plus.

When you set up Pre-alerting Announcement, your callers will hear a recorded message before they’re transferred to someone in the Hunt Group.

A Pre-alerting Announcement can let all callers know calls will be recorded, for instance, or give particular callers a welcome message that’s relevant to them.

How to set up Pre-alerting Announcement for Cloud Voice

If you don’t already have Hunt Group Plus, please contact us to add it before following these steps to set up Pre-alerting Announcement:

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. In the Dashboard, go to the Call routing groups (Enhanced) panel and click View groups.
  3. Select the Hunt group you want to configure to go to the feature configuration page.
  4. To edit the Hunt group, click the configure button (three dots) followed by Manage.
  5. Click the Features menu, locate the Pre alerting announcement feature and click settings.
  6. Enter the requested information.
  7. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.

You’ve added an Alternate Number to your Hunt Group. You can add up to ten Alternate Numbers.

Call Forwarding Selective for Hunt Group Plus and how to set it up

With Call Forwarding Selective you can set up rules to define when and how you forward your calls:

  • You can forward calls based on when you receive them (time or date)
  • You can divert calls if they don’t have a caller ID
  • You can divert calls to a new location from up to 12 phone numbers
  • You can even combine these rules so you could have a call from a certain number, received at a certain time, to be forwarded to another location

How to set up Call Forwarding Selective for Hunt Group Plus

Call Forwarding Selective for Hunt Group Plus gives you even more rules to choose from. So you have even greater control over your call forwarding with Hunt Group Plus.

  1. Sign in to the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal.
  2. From the Dashboard, go to the Call routing groups (Enhanced) panel and click View groups.
  3. Select the Hunt group you want to configure to go to the feature configuration page.
  4. To edit the Hunt group, click the configure button (three dots) followed by Manage.
  5. Click the Features menu, locate the Call Forwarding Selective feature and click settings.
  6. Enter the requested information.
  7. For help, tap the Assist me button to open a help article in a new tab.
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