# Group Telephony & Routing

**Navigation:** Admin → Directory → Groups → [select group] → Calls tab
**Prerequisite:** A General Group must exist before telephony can be configured on it.

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## What Is Group Telephony?

Group Telephony allows a General Group to have its own phone number or internal extension. When that number is called, Genesys routes the interaction to group members using one of three call route methods.

> ℹ️ Group Telephony applies to **General Groups** (Official or Social) only. Work Teams and Skill Expression Groups do not support direct telephony configuration.

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## Enabling Calls on a Group

1. Admin → Directory → **Groups**
2. Open the target group
3. Toggle **Enable Calls** to On (found on the left panel or top of the group profile)
4. Click **Edit** next to the phone settings
5. Configure the fields below
6. Click **Save**

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## Phone Configuration Fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| **Phone Number / Extension** | Assign a DID (external) or internal extension to the group |
| **Call Route Type** | How incoming calls are distributed to members — see below |
| **Backup Group** | A secondary group that receives calls if no member in the primary group answers |

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## Call Route Types

This is the most important setting in Group Telephony. Choose one of three methods:

### Broadcast
- Rings **all group members simultaneously** (up to 1,000 members)
- First member to answer gets the call
- Best for: urgent notifications, on-call teams, small groups where speed matters

### Sequential
- Rings members **one by one** in a defined list order
- Moves to the next member only if the current member does not answer
- Best for: tiered support escalation, defined coverage order

### Rotary (Round-Robin)
- Rings the **next person in the list** based on who took the last call
- Distributes load evenly across the group over time
- Best for: shared coverage teams where equal distribution matters

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## Backup Group

If no member in the primary group answers, calls can overflow to a **Backup Group**.

- The backup group must already exist before it can be assigned
- The backup group uses its own Call Route Type independently
- Useful for: after-hours coverage, overflow to a supervisor group, redundancy

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## Group Voicemail (Optional)

If no one answers — including the backup group — calls can fall to a group voicemail box.

**To configure:**

1. Toggle **Voicemail** to On on the group profile
2. Configure the following:

| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| **Greeting** | Click the red record button to record live, or upload a `.wav` file |
| **Email Notifications** | Sends an alert to group members when a new voicemail arrives |
| **Transcription** | Includes a text version of the voicemail in the email notification (if available for your org) |

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## Call Routing Flow (Summary)

```
Incoming call to group number/extension
        │
        ▼
Call Route Type applies
(Broadcast / Sequential / Rotary)
        │
        ├── Member answers → Interaction connected
        │
        └── No answer
              │
              ▼
        Backup Group (if configured)
              │
              ├── Member answers → Interaction connected
              │
              └── No answer
                    │
                    ▼
              Group Voicemail (if enabled)
```

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## Key Differences: Group Telephony vs. ACD Queues

| Feature | Group Telephony | ACD Queue |
|---|---|---|
| Routing engine | Simple list-based (broadcast/sequential/rotary) | Full ACD (skills, priority, utilization) |
| Agent availability check | No — rings regardless of status | Yes — only routes to available agents |
| Reporting | Basic | Full performance views |
| Architect flow integration | No | Yes |
| Best for | Internal teams, small groups, direct extensions | Contact center interactions |

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## Permissions Required

| Action | Permission |
|---|---|
| Configure group telephony | Directory > Group > Edit |
| Assign phone numbers to groups | Telephony admin access may be required for DID assignment |

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## See Also

- **Groups (People & Permissions)** — creating and managing the group itself
- **Queue & Routing Management** — full ACD routing for contact center interactions
- **Work Teams** — supervisor-managed agent groups (no telephony)