## Sending several phone lines to one desk
Yes, and there's nothing to set up at our end. Forward as many of your numbers as you like to the same RingDesk number, and your agent answers them all.
This suits a lot of businesses: a main line and an old number people still have, a couple of quiet department lines, or several sites that all want the same answers. If the caller should hear the same thing whichever number they rang, one desk is the simpler and cheaper answer.
What you'd do
Set up forwarding on each line, pointing at the same RingDesk number. See "Setting up call forwarding" - do it once per line, and pick the same option each time (usually divert on no answer, so your phones still ring first).
That's it. Your agent doesn't need to know about the extra lines.
What it costs
Nothing extra for the lines themselves. You are not charged per forwarded number - you're on a plan with an included minute allowance, and calls use minutes wherever they arrived from. Ten quiet lines that add up to the same call volume cost the same as one busy one.
You only pay for extra numbers if you ask us for extra RingDesk numbers - which, as above, you usually don't need.
The catch, and it's the important bit
Every line gets the same agent. Same greeting, same persona, same FAQs, same opening hours. Your agent can't tell "this caller rang the sales line" from "this caller rang the old number" - it answers all of them identically.
That's fine when the lines are really the same business. It isn't when they're not.
When you want separate desks instead
Use a separate desk per line if any of these are true:
- Different greeting or name. Two trading names, or a main line and a specific department that should announce itself differently.
- Different opening hours. A shop line and an out-of-hours line.
- Different knowledge. Two sites with different menus, prices or staff.
- Separate reporting. You want to see calls per site rather than one combined number.
Separate desks need a plan that allows multiple desks - see your plan page.
A middle option
If your lines mostly want the same thing but need to route differently once the caller explains why they're calling, keep one desk and use the IVR menu or call transfer instead - your agent asks what they need and passes them to the right person. See "Transferring calls to the right person (departments)".
Related articles
- Managing multiple desks (venues) - Setting up call forwarding - Transferring calls to the right person (departments) - How RingDesk works with your existing phone number - Does forwarding calls to RingDesk cost anything extra?