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Users, Extensions, and Numbers: How They Fit Together

Updated July 22, 20261 views0 found helpful

A plain-language explanation of the difference between a team member, an extension, and a phone number, and how the three connect.

When you set up ReliaRing, three things work together to get calls to the right person. They sound similar, but each does a different job. Once you understand how they connect, everything else in this section is easy.

The three pieces

A team member (user) This is a person with a login. When you invite a colleague, they get an email, set a password, and can sign in to the portal, the mobile app, or the browser phone. A team member is who someone is.

An extension An extension is a short internal number, usually 3 or 4 digits (like 101 or 1002). Coworkers dial it to reach each other, and you transfer calls to it. An extension is where a call rings inside your company. Each extension can have its own voicemail box and calling features.

A phone number (DID) This is a full public number an outside caller dials, like a local or toll-free number. When you point a number at an extension, outside callers can reach that person directly. A phone number is how the outside world reaches you.

How they connect

A typical setup looks like this:

  1. You invite a team member so they have a login.
  2. You create an extension and assign that team member to it.
  3. You point a phone number at the extension so outside callers can reach them.

You don't have to do all three for every person. For example:

  • A shared front-desk extension might have no single owner.
  • A back-office worker might have an extension for internal calls but no direct public number.
  • A department might share one public number that rings a group of extensions.

Where to manage each one

You want to...Go to
Add or remove a person's loginOrganization → Team Members
Set what a person is allowed to doAccount → Users & Roles
Create or edit an extensionPhone System → Extensions
See or buy public numbersPhone Numbers → Your Numbers
Point a number at an extensionOpen the extension, then Assign Phone Number

A quick example

Say you hire Jordan in sales:

  1. Invite jordan@yourcompany.com as a team member with the User role.
  2. Create extension 205 and assign Jordan to it.
  3. Assign a local number to extension 205 so customers can call Jordan directly.

Now coworkers dial 205, customers dial the public number, and both ring Jordan on whatever device they're signed in to.

Tip: Start by inviting your people, then build extensions around them. It keeps names, logins, and voicemail tidy from day one.

Related Topics

extensionsusersoverviewgetting-startedbasics
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