Setup 1: Menu Greeting - Forwarding to Multiple Departments (Ring Groups)

Recommended for Office Setups

Office setups often involve desktop softphones and IP phones, which can be more complex to configure.

We strongly recommend scheduling a free setup session so our team can walk you through everything and ensure it’s set up correctly.

Schedule online: www.unitelvoice.com/schedule
Or call: 855-888-6423 x2 (Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm CT)

Our Customer Care Team is happy to assist you every step of the way.

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up your phone system so your Unitel Voice number forwards to a main greeting with menu options for multiple departments.

The setup involves three main steps:

First, create an employee extension for each team member
Second, create a department extension for each department
Third, record and upload your main greeting

Step 1: Create Employee Extensions

Employee extensions represent the users of your phone system. Each team member should have their own employee extension.

1. Navigate to Extensions

Log in to your phone system.
Go to Extensions.
Select the Add Icon on the Employee Extension list.

2. Enter Personal Details

Enter the employee’s Name.
Enter their Email Address.

3. Configure Services

Under Services, you can control how the extension handles calls.

Options include:

Required setup:

Turn Mobile App ON. (Mobile App toggle must be enabled to add an app, desktop softphone, or IP Phone.)
Turn Forwarding OFF.
Keep Voicemail ON.
Scroll down to the Mobile App section...

4. Configure Mobile App Access

In the Mobile App section, you’ll see a purple box with a link to the Device Setup Form.

You’ll need to complete this form to:

Set up the mobile app and/or desktop softphone for each employee extension
Order new IP phones
Connect supported existing IP phones

Once submitted, you’ll receive the login credentials for the devices you’re setting up.

**IMPORTANT: If you open the Device Setup Form now, be sure to return here afterward to finish setting up your full phone system.

Here's a quick video on the Setting Up Devices.

5. Customize Voicemail

Go to the Voicemail settings section, and click Custom
Record a voicemail greeting using your computer’s microphone or upload a recorded file.
Under Voicemail to email notification, leave the setting as Copy.
Enter the email address where voicemail messages should be forwarded.

Tip: For better audio editing control, you may record greetings using:

Voice Memos (iPhone)
Voice Recorder (Android)

Upload the finished file to the voicemail settings.

6. Set Permissions

Scroll down to the Permissions section
Enable the Admin toggle to gain complete access to the phone system from this extension.
Enable the Billing toggle to access billing from this extension.

7. Save the Extension

Go to the Other options section
Adjust the timezone if necessary.
Click Save.

8. Create and Invite other users

Now that you've created an employee extension for yourself, we can create one for every member of your team.

Add another Employee Extension by clicking the + Icon on the Employee Extension list.
Edit the name and email in Personal Details
Set their Permissions Settings. They can be an admin with billing access, or you can give them access to other extensions if needed. If you leave them as is, they will only have access to their extension settings and information.
Click Save.
Now, to send an invite email to this newly created user, select the edit icon next to their employee extension, and select the Invite Extension button under Login Information. This will send an invite email to the user.

Now, repeat this process for every member of your team.

Step 2: Create Department Extensions

Department extensions allow calls to ring a group of employee extensions for a specific department or team.

Examples of departments:

Sales
Customer Support
Billing

1. Review Department Extension 0

By default, Department Extension 0 forwards to the contact number you entered during sign-up.

Because many callers press 0 for assistance, this can significantly impact where your calls are routed.

We strongly recommend that you reassign Extension 0 to your newly created department extensions.

Click the Edit (pencil) Icon next to Extension 0
Scroll down to Forwarding Settings
Delete the default forwarding number from the list 🗑️
Select Add Forwarding Number.
Enter a name.
Select the employee extension from the dropdown menu.
Click ADD.
Repeat this process until you have all the employees you need added to extension 0.
Click Save.

2. Add another Department Extension

Go to Departments.
Select Add.
Enter the extension number you are trying to create in the Department number field.
Enter the Department name.

Example:

Extension 1 – Sales

3. Add the Employee Extensions to the Department

Under Forwarding Settings, select Add Forwarding Number.
Enter the name of the first person in this Department
Select the employee extension from the dropdown menu.
Click ADD.

4: Adjust Extension Forwarding Settings

Select the Edit Icon in the employee extension. There are several additional settings you can and should adjust:

Ring Time - We recommend adjusting to 15 seconds
Display Number & Name Prefix (Optional): This will show a caller ID label when calling your own team. We recommend entering the 3-digit extension number in the Display number prefix and entering the Name in the Display name prefix. External devices may not display these settings, and they may vary depending on the user's carrier.
Active Hours (Optional): Set the days and times that the extension should receive calls. We recommend leaving it set to Always unless you have specific time-of-day requirements. Click here for more details.
Announcement Type: Leave as Unannounced (only for specific setups)
Click OK

Repeat this process until all employees in the department are added.

5. Set Call Routing Behavior

You can control how calls are distributed among department members:

Sequential (In Order)
Random (Shuffled)

You can also reorder the forwarding list.

6. Configure Department Voicemail

Department extensions can also have their own voicemail.

Select Custom to record or upload a department voicemail greeting.
Select Copy to activate voicemail notifications. Then enter the email address you wish to receive voicemail messages.

Note: In the next step, we'll show you an option to use our Voice Talent Studio to get a professional recording for your main greeting and even department greetings...

7. Save Extension

Optional:

Ignore the Dial-by-Name directory settings for now.
Ignore the Permissions settings for now.
Adjust the timezone if needed.

Click Save.

Repeat these steps for each additional department you want to add (e.g., Ext 2 Customer Support).

Step 3: Configure the Main Greeting

Your Main Greeting is the first impression callers have of your business.
By default, a generic message is used—so be sure to record and upload a custom greeting to create a more professional experience.

1. Navigate to Greeting Settings

Go to Settings.
Select Greetings.

2. Add a Custom Main Greeting

You have three options:

Option 1: Use our system's recording tool

Option 2: Upload an audio file

Tip: For better audio editing control, you may record greetings using:

Voice Memos (iPhone)
Voice Recorder (Android)

Option 3: Use Voice Talent Studio (can take up to 2 business days)

Visit: https://studio.unitelvoice.com

There you can order professional recordings for:

Main greeting
Department voicemail greetings
After-hours greetings

Pro Tip: We recommend using our built-in recording tool or uploading an audio file to get a greeting up and running right away. Then, visit our Voice Talent Studio to order a professionally recorded greeting—we’ll have it ready and uploaded for you within just a few days.