PBX & Call Center
Inbound and outbound routes
Decide which number rings where, and which trunk carries each outgoing call.
Contents
- What it is for
- Who can use it
- Where to find it
- Inbound routes
- Outbound routes
- Outbound caller ID
- Tasks
- Example scenario
- Tips
- Troubleshooting
- Related pages
What it is for
Inbound routes (each one is a number customers dial) say what happens when someone calls: which extension, group, queue, menu or AI receptionist answers, by time of day and caller. Outbound routes choose the trunk for each number your team dials.
Who can use it
Administrators with the Official numbers (inbound) or Outbound routes permission.
Where to find it
Phone → Setup → Inbound routes and Outbound routes. For a visual map of an inbound route use Call flows (guide).
Inbound routes
Add route creates one. Fields:
| Section | Field | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Shown in the list; the number is shown when empty. |
| Number called | The public number (digits, optional leading +). | |
| Trunk | The trunk it arrives on. Without one, calls are taken on any enabled trunk. | |
| Destination | Destination | Extension, ring group, queue, IVR menu, AI receptionist, voicemail, and so on. |
| If no one answers | What happens when nobody picks up in time. | |
| Office hours | Work schedule | Use the organisation's hours, a custom weekly schedule or a work schedule. |
| After-hours action | Where calls go when closed (pick an action, Forward to a number, or play a closed message). | |
| Holiday routing | On holidays: same as after hours, or a message. | |
| Calls | Record calls, Play the consent announcement | Recording and "This call may be recorded". |
| Caller rules | Rules checked from the top before office hours | Number is, Number starts with, Client tag, Contact group, Anonymous caller; apply Any time, During office hours or Outside office hours; then route the call or Block it (Reject as busy or Hang up, optionally playing a message first). Top rule wins. |
Test a call simulates a call: enter Number called, an optional Caller number and Date and time, press Run test. You see whether the office is Open or Closed, which rule matched, and where the call goes. No call is made.
Warnings tell you when a number cannot receive calls: no trunk and no enabled trunk, or its trunk is disabled.
When you pick a Trunk and that trunk has no default caller ID yet, saving the route sets the trunk's caller ID to this route's number. A caller ID you set on the trunk yourself is never replaced, and with several routes the first one wins.
Outbound routes
Routes are checked from the top; the first match wins. Drag a card or use the arrows to reorder.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | For example "Bangladesh mobile". |
| Dial patterns | Up to 20, press Enter after each. |
| Trunks (failover) | The first trunk is tried first; the next is used if it fails, is down or is full. |
| Routing mode | Priority order or Least cost (see Rate decks). |
| Strip digits / Prepend | Rewrite the number for the provider. |
| Caller ID | One of your numbers; Force this caller ID overrides the extension's own. |
| Who can use it | All extensions or Only some extensions. |
| Enabled | A disabled route is skipped. |
Add Bangladesh starter routes adds emergency 999, mobile (01...), IPTSP (09...), +880/880 mobile and international routes, all disabled so you can review and enable them.
Dial pattern syntax
| Character | Meaning |
|---|---|
X |
Any digit 0 to 9 |
Z |
Any digit 1 to 9 |
N |
Any digit 2 to 9 |
[135] or [3-9] |
One digit from a set or range |
. |
One or more digits (last character only) |
! |
Zero or more digits (last character only) |
+ |
A leading plus (first character only) |
Examples: BD mobile 01[3-9]XXXXXXXX; international 00. or +..
Test a number: enter a number and optionally the extension it is Dialed from, press Test. You see the matched route, the Number sent, and the Trunk order.
Outbound caller ID
The number the called person sees comes from the first that applies: the route's caller ID when forced, the number the customer called (when returning a missed call), the extension's own outbound caller ID, the route's, the trunk's default, then the provider's default. Calls through a GSM gateway always show the SIM's own number.
Tasks
Add the number customers call
- Open Inbound routes and press Add route.
- Enter the number (for example +880 2 5550100, an example number) and choose its trunk.
- Choose the destination, for example the IVR menu "Main menu".
- Under Office hours choose the after-hours action: voicemail.
- Save, then press Test a call to check the result.
Send mobile calls over a cheap trunk with failover
- Open Outbound routes and press Add route.
- Name "Bangladesh mobile", pattern
01[3-9]XXXXXXXX. - Add "Provider A" as primary and "Provider B" as Failover 1.
- Save, enable, and verify with Test a number.
Block anonymous callers
- Edit the inbound route, Caller rules, Add rule.
- Match = Anonymous caller, When = Any time, turn on Block, How to block = Reject as busy.
Example scenario
Padma Net Support has public line +880 2 5550100 (example) on Provider A. Office hours 9:00 to 18:00 go to the IVR; after hours go to voicemail; VIP clients with the tag "Corporate" are routed straight to extension 1002 by a caller rule.
Tips
- Always run Test a call after editing hours or rules.
- Keep an enabled route for emergency 999.
- Put specific patterns above general ones.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| "This number can't receive calls" | Add or enable its trunk. |
| "This number would not go out" | No enabled route matches, the extension is not allowed, or no trunk is enabled. |
| Caller ID not shown as expected | See Outbound caller ID. Providers often reject numbers you do not own. |
| Calls ring the wrong place after hours | Check Work schedule, Office hours and holidays. |
Related pages
See also Authorization codes to ask for a PIN before a route dials.