Pointing multiple DIDs at one in-group

Plenty of call centers run several inbound numbers but want them all answered by the same team. A Toll-free number line (an 800-style number that is free for the caller to dial), a local number, and a marketing number can all land in one queue. In VICIdial each number is a DID (direct inward dialing) (Direct Inward Dialing, a phone number a carrier points at your system), and you can route as many of them as you like into a single Ingroup (the inbound queue that holds callers until an agent is free). Here is how.

Each DID is its own entry, pointing at the same group

You add each phone number as a separate DID entry. There is no batch field that takes a list of numbers; you create one DID per number, then set each one's route. For every DID, set the DID Route to IN_GROUP and pick the same in-group. That is the whole trick. Five numbers means five DID entries, all with IN_GROUP selected and the same target group chosen.

To save typing, use the copy feature. Once you have one DID configured the way you want, copy it into a new DID by entering a fresh DID extension and name and pointing it at the source DID. All the routing settings carry over, so you only change the number.

The handle method matters on every DID

When a DID routes to an in-group, you also pick a call handle method. CID adds a new lead for every call using the caller's number, while the various LOOKUP methods try to match the caller against existing leads first. Keep this consistent across all the DIDs feeding one group, or you will get a mix of fresh leads and matched leads depending on which number the caller dialed. The agent search method is usually fine left on LB, which sends the call to the next available Agent (a person logged in to take calls) on any server.

flowchart TD
  A[Toll free number] --> D[Same ingroup]
  B[Local number] --> D
  C[Marketing number] --> D
  D --> E{Agent free}
  E -->|yes| F[Connect to agent]
  E -->|no| G[Hold in queue]

Knowing which number the caller dialed

When many DIDs share a queue, a common need is telling them apart for reporting. The in-group can record which DID a call arrived on by populating lead fields from the original DID, so a marketing number and a support number both feeding one queue still show their source on the lead. If you want per-number call counts, the DID traffic report breaks calls down by individual DID even when they share a group. To see which DIDs currently feed a given group, check the DIDs using an in-group view.

That is really all there is to it: one DID per number, all set to IN_GROUP, all pointing at the same group, with a consistent handle method. For the queue behavior once calls land, the routing rules are covered in our inbound call handling guide. And if you would rather skip provisioning a box, our managed VICIdial hosting hands you a working dialer in under a minute.