Ring Strategies
Share the Calls Across the Whole Team.Automatic call distribution with six ways to decide who rings first.
Choose how each queue shares its calls: ring everyone at once, go down the list in order, rotate round robin, or ring whoever has taken the fewest calls. Rank your people so the right ones are asked first. Change it on the queue you already have, with nothing to rebuild.
- Six ring strategies
- Rank members by priority
- Wrap-up time respected
How a call moves through it
- A call reaches the queueMembers ready to take it
- Your strategy picksAll at once, in order, or spread out
- Still in wrap-upSits this round out, if you set itNext member ringsThe first to answer keeps the call
- Nobody answered?The round repeats after a short pause
Calls Shared the Way You Want.
Round robin and fewest calls share calls out, so the same two people aren’t answering everything.
Rank members, and the top rank rings first, with each round adding the next rank down.
Ring all rings every member together, and the first to pick up keeps the call.
Members who just hung up can sit out a round while they finish wrap-up.
Pick a Strategy, and You’re Done.
Open Your Queue
Ring strategy is a setting on the queue, so there is nothing new to build.
Choose One of Six
Ring all, hunt, fewest calls, random, round robin or priority. Ring all is the default.
Rank and Fine-Tune
Give members a rank, set how long each round rings, and add wrap-up seconds if reps need breathing room.
Which Ring Strategy Fits Your Queue?
Six strategies in all. The sixth, random, shuffles the order for every call.
Every member rings at once and the first to answer keeps the call. With ranks, each round widens to the next tier.
Each call starts after whoever answered the last one, so calls rotate through the team.
The member who has answered the fewest calls rings first, rank first, list order as the tiebreak.
Hunt follows your list as written. Priority rings by rank, so senior or specialist members are asked first.
What Is ACD, and Which Ring Strategy Should You Use?
Automatic call distribution (ACD) is the part of a phone system that decides which agent a call rings next. Ring groups, hunt groups and call queues all run on it; the ring strategy is the rule it follows.
Adoptiv offers six call distribution strategies on every call queue. Ring all is simultaneous ring: every member’s phone rings at once and the first to answer keeps the call. Hunt rings members one at a time in list order. Fewest calls rings whoever has answered least. Random shuffles the order for each call. Round robin call distribution starts after whoever took the last call. Priority goes by rank.
Ring all vs round robin is the most common choice. Ring all suits a small team that wants whoever is free to grab the call; round robin spreads the work so the same people aren’t always first. Ranks add a second layer: under ring all the first round rings the top rank only, and each round adds the next rank down.
Each ring attempt lasts 30 seconds by default before the round repeats, and members still in wrap-up can sit a round out. To decide who may answer at all, add skills-based routing; to move key callers up the line, use VIP priority routing.
Every Common Ring Strategy, on Every Queue.
Ring every member at once. The first to answer keeps the call.
Rotate through members, starting after whoever took the last call. The rotation survives restarts.
Ring members one at a time, in the order you listed them.
Ring whoever has answered the fewest calls, within their rank.
Rank members so senior or specialist people are asked first.
Shuffle the order for every call.
Each attempt rings for 30 seconds by default, then repeats after a short pause.
Members who just hung up sit out a round while they finish notes.
For Any Team That Shares a Phone Line.
Ring Strategies vs One Line That Rings Everyone.
| What | One shared line, no strategy | With Adoptiv |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | One shared line, no strategy: Whoever grabs it first, every time | With Adoptiv: The rule you choose: all at once, in order, rotated or by rank |
| Workload | One shared line, no strategy: Falls on the quickest few | With Adoptiv: Spread with round robin or fewest calls |
| Senior or specialist staff | One shared line, no strategy: Rung like everyone else | With Adoptiv: Asked first, by rank |
| Someone just finished a call | One shared line, no strategy: Rung again straight away | With Adoptiv: Can sit out a round during wrap-up |
Ring Strategies Questions, Answered.
What is automatic call distribution?
Automatic call distribution (ACD) is how a phone system decides which agent a waiting call rings next. In Adoptiv you choose that rule per queue from six ring strategies.
What is the difference between ring all and round robin?
Ring all rings every member at once and the first to answer keeps the call. Round robin rings one member at a time, starting after whoever took the last call.
What is a hunt group?
A hunt group rings members one at a time in a fixed order until someone answers. In Adoptiv that is the hunt strategy, which follows the member list as written.
Can I give some agents priority?
Yes. Members carry a rank. With priority, calls go to the top rank first; with ring all, each round adds the next rank down.
Is there a longest-idle strategy?
No. The six strategies are ring all, hunt, fewest calls, random, round robin and priority. None of them sorts on talk time or idle time.
What is a ring group?
A set of people who share calls to one number or queue, rung by a strategy such as all at once or in turn. In Adoptiv the queue is the ring group, and the ring strategy is a setting on it.
Does round robin start over if the system restarts?
No. The pointer to the last member who answered is saved per queue, so the rotation picks up where it left off.
Can I change the ring strategy later?
Yes. It is a setting on the queue, so you change it on the queue you already have rather than building a new one.
How long does each member ring?
Each ring attempt lasts 30 seconds by default. If nobody answers, the round repeats after about 2 seconds.
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