> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Ring Groups
> Set up groups of staff members who can answer incoming calls, with scheduling and a choice of ring strategies.
**Where to find Ring Groups:** In the left sidebar, click **Settings > Phone Numbers**, then click **Configure call routing** on a phone number. Ring groups are listed in the sidebar of the detail page.
A ring group is a group of staff members whose phones ring when a call comes in. You can have multiple ring groups on a single phone number, each with its own schedule and members.
## Create a Ring Group
1. On the phone number detail page, click **Add Ring Group** (the button with a group icon).
2. Give the ring group a name (for example, "Front Desk" or "Billing Team").
3. Select the staff members who should be part of this group.
4. Choose a ring strategy (see below).
5. Set the ring timeout -- how many seconds phones will ring before giving up (default is 30 seconds).
6. Optionally, set a schedule (see [Set a Schedule](#set-a-schedule) below).
7. Save the ring group.
You can also click an empty block on the weekly timeline to create a ring group pre-filled with that day and time.
## Add and Remove Members
When editing a ring group, you will see a list of all staff members and a separate **Shared desk phones** section. The order you add members sets their position in the group, which controls the rotation for **Round Robin** and the priority order for **Defined Order**.
### Staff members
Check the box next to each person you want in the group, and uncheck anyone you want to remove. For each selected staff member, you can also:
* **Set or update their mobile number** -- click the number (or **+ Add mobile**) next to their name. Their mobile is shared across the clinic, so updates apply everywhere they appear.
* **Also ring mobile** -- toggle on to ring the staff member's mobile number alongside their browser when this ring group is called.
* **Desk phone** -- if the staff member has been assigned a [desk phone](/modules/settings/desk-phones) of their own, pick it from the menu to ring it alongside their browser. Only phones owned by that specific staff member appear in this list.
When a staff member's slot rings, every destination you've selected (browser, mobile, desk phone) rings at the same time. Whichever is answered first wins, and the others stop ringing.
### Shared desk phones
The **Shared desk phones** section lists physical phones not tied to any one staff member -- typically front-desk, exam-room, or nurse-station handsets. Tick the ones you want included, and they'll ring as standalone slots in the ring group.
If the section is empty, provision phones in [Settings > Desk Phones](/modules/settings/desk-phones) first.
Shared phones can't ring a mobile -- there's no person attached to them, so the **Also ring mobile** option doesn't apply.
## Ring Strategy
Each ring group uses one of three strategies:
| Strategy | How It Works |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Simultaneous** | All members' phones ring at the same time. The first person to pick up gets the call. |
| **Round Robin** | Members are rung one at a time, cycling through the list. Each new call starts with the next person in line, so the same person does not always ring first. This distributes calls evenly across the team. |
| **Defined Order** | Members are rung one at a time, always starting at the top of the list -- the next person rings only if the one before them doesn't answer. Use this for a set priority, such as ringing the front desk first and escalating to a manager. |
With round robin, the system keeps track of who answered the last call and starts the next call with the following person in the list, so call volume is shared fairly among all members. Defined order never rotates -- every call starts from the first member and works down the list.
When you choose **Defined Order**, a **Ring order** list appears below the members. Drag the rows into the order you want calls to ring.
## Set a Schedule
A schedule controls when the ring group is active. For example, you might set a ring group to be active Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
When editing a ring group, turn on the schedule option and choose the days and times. You can set different hours for different days of the week.
**Always-on ring groups:** If you leave the schedule off, the ring group becomes an "always-on" fallback. It will only handle calls when no other scheduled handler matches -- making it the off-hours handler for this phone number. Only one ring group or assistant can serve as the off-hours handler at a time.
## What Happens When No One Answers
When a call goes to a ring group and no one picks up within the ring timeout, the system looks for a **failover AI assistant**. If one is configured on the phone number, the AI takes over the call automatically. This means the caller stays on the line and gets help from the AI instead of being disconnected.
If no failover assistant is configured, the call ends after the timeout with no answer. The phone number's call-routing page warns you when no ring group failover assistant is set, since unanswered calls won't be picked up by the AI.
## Edit a Ring Group
Click the pencil icon next to any ring group to edit its name, members, strategy, timeout, or schedule. You can also click a ring group's colored block on the weekly timeline to highlight it in the sidebar, then click the pencil icon to start editing.
## Delete a Ring Group
Click the trash icon next to the ring group you want to remove. You will be asked to confirm before it is deleted.