INBOUND ROUTES

Inbound Routes serve as the entry point for all calls coming into your phone system. An inbound route tells the system where to direct a call based either on the phone number being dialed or the caller ID of the person calling.

Inbound routes can be set up based on the number the call is coming FROM or the number the call is made TO. An inbound route should also be set up for ANY number calling to ANY number being called. This means that any call coming into your organization which doesn't fit one of the FROM patterns or one of the TO patterns, will follow this generic route.

Administrators have access to the inbound routes for your organization using the Account Center. Locate Inbound Routes in the Phone System menu and expand the heading. Here you will see options to both Manage and Create inbound routes.

CREATE INBOUND ROUTES

The Create Inbound Routes page is where you can set up a new inbound route on your account.

BASIC SETTINGS

To set up a new inbound route, follow these steps:

• Create a Description for the inbound route that will make it easy it identify. (e.g. "Main Sales Line" or "Vendor Line")
• Decide whether to check the box to Make this inbound route a From Number priority route. In simple terms, this allows you to say, "If this person calls us, send their call here no matter which of our numbers they dial."
  • When this box is checked, calls from that specific phone number will use this route, even if the caller dialed a different number. This only applies when the route is based on the FROM Number and doesn't also specify a TO Number. If there's an Inbound Route that matches BOTH the caller's number and the number they dialed, that more specific route will take priority.

Exact vs Pattern Match

• An exact match means the phone number must match the number entered in the route exactly.

  • For example, if the route is set to match 717-555-1234, it only applies when that specific number is either the number the call is coming from, or the Intulse number being called.

• A pattern match lets you create an inbound route that applies to multiple phone numbers following the same pattern, rather than specifying one exact number. This can be useful when you want calls to or from a range of numbers to follow the same route.

  • For example, if your business has several phone numbers that begin with the same area code, you can create a pattern match routing all calls coming to those numbers to the same destination instead of creating a separate inbound route for each number.

FROM Number vs TO Number

• A FROM Number route looks at the phone number of the person calling you. This is useful when you want calls from a particular person, organization, or group of numbers to follow a specific path.

  • For example, you could create a route for an important customer so that calls from their phone number are sent directly to a specific employee or team.
  • By default, a route based on the number being called can take priority over a FROM Number route. The FROM Number priority route option allows you to give a From Number route priority when no TO Number is specified.

• A TO Number route looks at the phone number the caller is dialing. For example, your company might have separate phone numbers for Sales and Support. Calls to the Sales number can be routed to the Sales team, while calls to the Support number can be routed to the Support team.

  If your number hasn't ported yet, it will not show in the drop-down list of numbers. Instead, you will need to select Set Custom and type the number into the field.

• An ANY to ANY route is the broadest type of route. It does not require a specific incoming or outgoing phone number to match. This is used as a general catch-all route for calls that don't match a more specific route.

  • For example, you might use it to send otherwise unmatched calls to a general receptionist, main menu, or voicemail.

How Routes Work Together

Because you can create multiple inbound routes, more than one route may appear to apply to a call. Intulse uses the information associated with the call and the matching criteria you've configured to determine which route should be used.

In general, a route that identifies a specific number is more precise than a broad, catch-all route. This allows you to create general routing for most calls while also creating specific routes for particular numbers or callers.

• Specific FROM Number: Calls from 717­555­9876 →→ John
• Specific To Number: Calls to 717­555­1234 →→ Support
• Pattern Match: Calls matching a group of numbers →→ Sales
• Any To Any: All other calls →→ Main Menu

Caller ID and Destination Settings

• Decide whether to enter a Caller ID Prefix: You have the option of entering a prefix that will be added onto the caller ID name when a call is presented to the recipients of this inbound route. For example, a call coming into this route with a caller ID of "John Doe" could be changed to something like "Sales: John Doe" to help sales team members know that it's a direct or forwarded call to the sales line.
• Choose the Destination where calls following this route should go. You can route incoming calls to a Time Control, Voice Menu, Ring Group, Queue, direct Extension, or Announcement.

ADVANCED SETTINGS

• Decide whether to Record Calls: If there aren't other call recording settings already in place for the call flow, you can set them for a specific ring group. Record call options are:
  • Force means call recording cannot be turned off.
  • Yes means call recording is on until the settings in another phone system feature are set to not record.
  • On Demand means call recording is off by default, but can be turned on.
  • No means call recording is off until the settings in another phone system feature are set to record.
  • Never means calls cannot be recorded.
• SIP Alert Info: If you have physical phones and would like them to ring differently for calls coming into this inbound route, enter brief text in this field. You will enter the same text in your device settings, which will enable the distinctive ring.

IMPLEMENTING INBOUND ROUTES

An inbound route is the starting point for your call flow. For example, in the call flow shown below, you see three inbound routes. Two have a direct phone number so any caller dialing those specific numbers will follow that route through the system. The third is ANY to ANY so calls coming into the system that do not match the other two numbers will follow that route. Unlike other phone system features, inbound routes are not attached to another feature. They are the starting point.