In this unit you will learn:
- How inbound routing works, in more detail
- How to set up your inbound routing
You’ll also be introduced to Auto Call Distribution (ACD).
Inbound routing in more detail
Inbound routing is used to determine what happens when someone calls a phone number that’s assigned to you in Fastcall. We’ve already seen it in the unit on getting ready to receive calls.
Inbound routing covers two types – calls made to a number assigned directly to you, and calls that end up directed to you by an Auto Call Distribution group.
Inbound routing allows you to direct calls to devices that you’ve already set up – see the unit on Devices for more detail.
Inbound example
See the training unit Receiving a Call for an example of this in action.
Here’s how it works for an inbound call:
- Someone calls a phone number that’s assigned to you in Fastcall
- Fastcall figures out what to do with the call based on your inbound routing and availability
- Fastcall will ring the chosen device
- When you pick up, you’re speaking to the caller
Inbound routing settings
You can get to your inbound routing settings from Fastcall Settings > My Settings > Inbound Settings. There are four sets of settings, ‘Inbound Routing’, ‘Inbound Settings’, ‘Notifications’ and ‘Voicemail’.
Inbound Routing
This displays an ordered list of inbound routes. Fastcall will attempt to connect to each inbound route, in turn, calling it for the specified ring time. When there are no more inbound routes, the call will terminate or go to voicemail depending on your settings.
- To add an inbound route, click the plus icon.
- To edit an existing inbound route, click it.
- To remove an inbound route, click the ‘x’ icon on the right.
- To re-order the inbound routes, click the up and down arrows under ‘order’.
Properties of an inbound route
An inbound route has the following properties:
- Receive calls in – this is the device that will ring.
- Simulring – you can set a secondary device to ring simultaneously as well. You’ll take the call on whichever device you pick up.
- Ring time – how long the inbound route will ring for, in seconds, before giving up.
- Time base routing – the times in between which the route is active.
Add a 3rd device for ringing calls
Users can define a “Ringtone Device” so that ringing calls can be sent to a speaker, while a headset is used for the call.
ACD
ACD stands for Auto Call Distribution. Depending on how your administrator has set up Fastcall, you may be taking calls that are distributed by ACD, for example, if you are an inbound call center operator. The ACD call receiver is the device you use to receive calls that have been sent to you via ACD. The ACD can also be used to route user inbound calls as described here.
Last updated: Fastcall v8.2.0, 2023-07-13