In short: BT Cloud Voice Call Director lets a user make calls from another phone, such as a mobile, while presenting the business's calling line ID, and lets incoming business calls ring that phone on a schedule. It is included with the Connect and Collaborate packs and sits alongside sequential ring, simultaneous ring and shared call appearance.
What Call Director does
Call Director links other phones, which BT calls Call Director locations, to your BT Cloud Voice number. Add your mobile or a home landline as a location and:
- Incoming calls to your business number ring your usual phone and the location during the times you set
- Outgoing calls made through the Call Director portal go through BT Cloud Voice, so the person you are calling sees your business's group calling line ID, not your personal mobile number
- Call charges go to the business account rather than your personal bill, and your personal number stays private
This is sometimes called fixed-mobile convergence: one business number, whichever phone you happen to have with you. Call Director is included with the Connect and Collaborate feature packs, not Basic.
How it works day to day
An administrator first creates a Call Director portal for the site in the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal. The portal has an access number, and each user has a passcode.
- The administrator sets up the Call Director portal and decides whether it is open to users at that site or across the company.
- Each user adds their mobile or other phone as a location and sets a rule with a time schedule, such as working hours. A location only rings when a rule is in place.
- The rule can apply to all callers or to specific numbers only (BT allows up to 12), so you could let only key customers reach your mobile.
- To make a business call from the location, the user dials the access number, enters their passcode followed by #, and then dials the number they want. The person called sees the site's group calling line ID.
The passcode is the user's BT Cloud Voice passcode, so resetting it in the Business Portal also changes it for the other features that use it.
BT itself notes that the BT Cloud Voice app works in a similar way and may be more user-friendly, as it puts the business line straight on your mobile. Call Director is useful where the app is not practical: poor mobile data coverage, a phone that cannot run the app, or a landline at another location.
Related mobility features
BT groups Call Director with several other features for people who move around:
| Feature | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Call Director | Rings other phones on a schedule and lets you call out from them on your business number | Field staff and directors who live on their mobile |
| Sequential ring | If your desk phone is not answered, rings up to five other numbers one after another, optionally only for up to 12 selected callers or on a schedule | Making sure an important caller eventually finds you |
| Simultaneous ring | Rings up to ten numbers at the same time as your main phone | People who answer on whichever device is nearest |
| Shared call appearance | Puts your number on several BT Cloud Voice devices (up to five, or up to 20 on Collaborate) | People with a desk phone and a home office phone |
| Call forwarding | Always, busy, no answer, not reachable, or selective rules by time, date or caller | Simple diverts when you are away |
A few practical notes from BT's guides: sequential and simultaneous ring can include mobile numbers, but the calling party's mobile network may not fully support them; with simultaneous ring, BT warns that if one listed device is offline (for example a flat battery) none of the listed phones will ring, so keep the list up to date; and ticking answer confirmation stops another phone's own voicemail from taking a business call.
When Call Director is the right choice
- Staff who spend most of the day out of the office but need to call customers from a recognisable business number
- Small firms where a director wants after-hours calls to reach their mobile on certain days only
- Businesses that want to stop staff giving out personal mobile numbers to customers
- Anyone in an area where the mobile signal is good for calls but mobile data is unreliable
If your business numbers need to follow people across the day, it is also worth planning call forwarding, hunt groups and voicemail to email at the same time, so calls always end up somewhere sensible.
Emergency calls when working away from the office
BT's remote-working guidance for BT Cloud Voice strongly recommends using a mobile or home phone to call 999 when you are working away from the office. If someone does use a BT Cloud Voice phone, BT asks them to tell the emergency operator their current location.
Make sure everyone using Call Director, the app or a desk phone at home knows this. Our call quality guide covers resilience, and our page on emergency voice access explains what to plan for during a power cut.
How we set it up
Forever Communications Limited, a BT Business Partner, sets up the Call Director portal, adds each user's locations and schedules, and walks them through making their first call. The step-by-step instructions for diverts are in our call divert guide. Contact us to plan mobile working on BT Cloud Voice.
Why buy BT Cloud Voice from Forever Communications Limited
Forever Communications Limited is part of Forever Group and a BT Business Partner. We supply, set up and support BT Cloud Voice for UK businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations, from a handful of users to multi-site teams.
- A named partner who plans your numbers, call flows, user feature packs and handsets with you
- Number porting managed for you, timed to avoid downtime
- Connectivity checked first, so call quality is right from day one, with BT business broadband and BTnet available if you need it
- Help with the digital switchover, including alarms, lifts, card terminals and other analogue lines
- Training and ongoing support for the apps, Microsoft Teams integration, moves, adds, changes and faults
BT Cloud Voice is a business service. We do not sell consumer or home phone products.
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Contact usFrequently asked questions
What is Call Director on BT Cloud Voice?
Call Director lets a user make calls from another phone, such as a mobile, while showing the business's calling line ID, and lets business calls ring that phone during the times they choose. BT also calls this fixed-mobile convergence. It is included with Connect and Collaborate.
Is Call Director included in BT Cloud Voice Basic?
No. Call Director is included from the Connect pack upwards.
Do I need the app to use Call Director?
No. Call Director works with an ordinary mobile or landline number. You dial the Call Director access number and your passcode to make an outgoing business call. The BT Cloud Voice app is an alternative for users on Connect or Collaborate.
What is the difference between sequential ring and simultaneous ring?
Sequential ring tries up to five other numbers one after another if your main phone is not answered. Simultaneous ring rings up to ten numbers at the same time as your main phone.
Will customers see my mobile number when I use Call Director?
No. Calls made through the Call Director portal show your site's group calling line ID, so your personal mobile number stays private, and the call charges are billed to the business.