Ring your own phone before the agent answers

## Ring your own phone before the agent answers

Most people want the same thing: my phone rings a few times, I answer if I can, and the AI agent picks up instead of voicemail if I can't.

There are two ways to set that up. Both give your caller exactly the same experience. Which one you use depends on which number you give out to customers.

Option A - you give out your own number (most common)

Keep publishing your existing number. Set your carrier to divert on no answer to your RingDesk number.

• Your phone rings as normal.
• If you answer, it's a normal call. RingDesk is never involved.
• If you don't answer in time, your carrier passes the call to RingDesk and the agent answers - instead of voicemail.

Turn ring-through OFF for this. Your carrier is already doing the ringing; RingDesk just answers what it's given.

On most UK networks, divert-on-no-answer is set with a code like *61* followed by your RingDesk number and #. Many networks let you set the delay in seconds - around 20-25 seconds is roughly 8 rings. Your provider's support pages will have the exact code.

Option B - you give out your RingDesk number

Publish the RingDesk number instead, and set no forwarding at all on your own line.

• Turn ring-through on and point it at the phone you actually answer.
• Set the ring-through time (around 20-25 seconds is roughly 8 rings).
• Calls arrive at RingDesk, RingDesk rings your phone, and the agent picks up if you don't.

This option gives you more control: ring-through schedules, ringing several phones at once, VIP callers, and the whisper announcement.

The combination that never works

Don't forward your number to RingDesk AND point ring-through back at that same number.

It sounds like it should work, but it can't. Forwarding applies to every call to that number - including RingDesk's. So when RingDesk tries to ring you, your network immediately sends that call straight back to RingDesk. Your phone never rings once.

RingDesk detects this and answers the call rather than looping, and the Routing page will warn you if it sees it happening. But ring-through simply cannot ring a number that forwards to us.

The rule: if a number forwards to RingDesk, RingDesk can't ring it back.

Which should I choose?

• Keep your existing number in front of customers? Use Option A. Simplest, and nothing changes for the people who already have your number.
• Happy to advertise a new number, or want schedules, ring groups or VIP routing? Use Option B.

Why does my phone ring for so long?

If you've set both a carrier divert and ring-through to a different phone, your caller waits through two full ring cycles before anyone speaks - your line first, then the second phone. Most callers hang up. Shorten one of them, or use Option A on its own.

The same applies to transfers and other "put me through" features

This loop isn't unique to ring-through. Transfers, VIP direct-connect, out-of-hours bypass and emergency fallback all dial a phone to reach you, so they all need a line that isn't forwarded to RingDesk. See Why RingDesk can't call your forwarded number back for the full picture.

Related articles

- Ring-through: let your phone ring first, AI picks up if unanswered - Setting up call forwarding - Why can't RingDesk put a caller through to my forwarded number? - How RingDesk works with your existing phone number - Does forwarding calls to RingDesk cost anything extra?