All three send an incoming call to a team instead of a single desk — but they behave very differently once your phones get busy. Here's how to choose.
The short version
| Ring Group (Ring All) | Hunt-style (Sequential) | Call Queue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What callers hear | Ringing | Ringing | Hold music + updates |
| How phones ring | All at once | One at a time, in order | Next free agent |
| If everyone's busy | Goes to voicemail | Goes to voicemail | Caller waits in line |
| Position updates | No | No | Yes |
| Reporting today | Answered, missed, answer rate, per-member and hourly | Same as Ring All | Live agent counts only |
| Best team size | Small | Small, with a clear order | Medium to large / high volume |
| Set up under | Phone System → Ring Groups | Phone System → Ring Groups (Sequential strategy) | Phone System → Call Queues |
Ring group (everyone rings at once)
A ring group set to Ring All rings every member's phone at the same time. Whoever grabs it first gets the call. It's the fastest way to answer and dead simple — perfect for a reception desk or a small team where any call should reach anyone. When no one answers, the call goes to your chosen fallback, usually voicemail.
Choose this when: you have a handful of people and speed matters more than sharing the load.
Hunt group (ring one after another)
"Hunt group" is the traditional name for ringing people one at a time, in a set order — try the primary person first, then the backup, then the next. In ReliaRing you don't need a separate feature for this: create a ring group and choose the Sequential strategy, then set each member's priority. The call "hunts" down the list until someone answers.
Choose this when: you want a clear pecking order — a main contact with backups — rather than every phone ringing together.
Ring groups also offer Round Robin and Least Recent strategies, which share calls evenly across the team without holding callers in a line.
Call queue (hold callers in line)
A call queue is built for volume. When agents are busy, callers wait in line with hold music and optional "you are caller number 3" updates, and agents get wrap-up time between calls. It's the right tool for a support or sales desk where calls routinely stack up.
One thing to know before you choose: a queue's live view currently reports agent counts only. Calls waiting, average wait, service level and abandonment are not collected yet. A ring group reports answered, missed and answer rate from call records. If reporting matters more to you than holding callers, start with a ring group.
Choose this when: you regularly get more calls than you can answer at once and you want to hold callers, measure performance, and staff to demand.
A quick decision guide
- Just a few people, answer fast? Ring group, Ring All.
- A primary contact with backups? Ring group, Sequential (hunt-style).
- Share calls evenly across a team? Ring group, Round Robin or Least Recent.
- Calls pile up and you want to hold and measure them? Call queue.
Many businesses use more than one: a voice menu sends "Press 1 for Sales" to a ring group and "Press 2 for Support" to a call queue. See Plan Your Call Flow to map it out.