In short: A BT Cloud Voice hunt group is a single number that rings a group of phones, included with every package. You choose the ring pattern, such as all at once or in turn, and where unanswered calls go. Hunt Group plus is a site add-on with extra forwarding, scheduling, alternate numbers and announcements.
What a hunt group is
A hunt group lets several people answer calls to one shared number from their own phones. Typical examples are a main office number, a sales line or an accounts line. Hunt groups are included as standard with BT Cloud Voice, and any user, including a Basic user on a shared phone, can be a member.
Hunt groups are built in the BT Cloud Voice Business Portal under call routing groups, and an Auto Attendant menu option can send callers to one.
The five ring patterns
BT Cloud Voice offers five ways to share calls among the group:
| Pattern | How calls are shared | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous | Every free phone rings at once; the first to answer gets the call. If everyone is busy, the caller hears busy tone | Small teams where speed matters most |
| Regular | Phones ring in the same fixed order every time until someone answers | A clear first responder with backup |
| Circular | Each new call starts with the person after whoever took the last one | Spreading calls fairly |
| Uniform | The person who has been free longest gets the next call | Busy teams with an even workload |
| Weighted | People with a higher weighting receive more calls | Mixed teams where some people take more calls |
For every pattern except simultaneous, you set how many rings each phone gets before the call moves on.
What happens when nobody answers
Hunt group settings let you decide what happens next:
- Forward To: once a call has worked through the list, it goes to a number, extension or voicemail box you choose
- Forward after a wait time: send unanswered calls on after a wait of between 5 and 30 seconds
- Forward to voicemail: send calls to a user's voicemail box (BT's guide uses *55 followed by the extension), which needs that user to have a Connect or Collaborate pack (see voicemail to email)
- Not reachable forwarding: if no phone in the group is available, for example during a power cut or broadband fault at the office, calls go to a backup number such as a mobile
- Call waiting: members hear a discreet beep when another call is waiting
Our guide to diverting calls covers diverting a hunt group step by step.
What Hunt Group plus adds
Hunt Group plus is an optional site add-on that gives a hunt group extra forwarding options, which can be set from any location with an internet connection. According to BT's help guide it adds:
- Time schedules and selective forwarding: forward calls by time or date (for example out of hours or on bank holidays), when there is no caller ID, or from up to 12 specific numbers
- Call forwarding and Do Not Disturb for the whole group
- Selective call acceptance and rejection for particular callers
- Alternate numbers: up to ten extra numbers can ring into the same group, each with one of four distinctive rings so staff know which number was dialled. Alternate numbers work for incoming calls only
- Pre-alerting announcement: callers hear a message, such as a call recording notice, before they are connected
Without Hunt Group plus, a standard hunt group can still forward unanswered calls, but BT's bank holiday guide confirms it cannot follow a time or holiday schedule. With Hunt Group plus, the schedule covers the hours you want calls to skip normal routing: if you open 09:00 to 17:00, the schedule runs from 17:00 to 09:00.
Hunt group or call queue?
A hunt group rings phones; it does not hold callers in a queue. If everyone is busy, the call moves on to its forwarding destination. That is fine for a small team that answers most calls straight away. When callers regularly have to wait, a call queue is the better tool.
| Hunt group | Call queue (Call Centre ACD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Included as standard; Hunt Group plus is a site add-on | Call Centre ACD site feature |
| When all are busy | Forward, voicemail or busy tone | Caller waits in a queue |
| Messages while waiting | Optional pre-alerting announcement (plus) | Entrance, estimated wait and comfort messages with music |
| Out-of-hours schedules | With Hunt Group plus | With Call Centre ACD plus |
A call queue also lets agents log in and out, offers a wrap-up pause after each call and can email daily statistics. See BT Cloud Voice call queues for the full picture.
How we set up your hunt groups
Forever Communications Limited, a BT Business Partner, works out with you which teams need a group number, which ring pattern suits each one, and where calls go when nobody answers, including out of hours. We build and test the groups before go-live and change them later when your team changes. Contact us to plan yours.
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.
Want a BT Cloud Voice quote for your business?
Tell Forever Communications what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Are hunt groups included with BT Cloud Voice?
Yes. Hunt groups are included with all BT Cloud Voice packages. Hunt Group plus, which adds schedules and extra forwarding options, is an optional site add-on.
What is Hunt Group plus on BT Cloud Voice?
Hunt Group plus is a site add-on that gives a hunt group extra forwarding functions, including time and holiday schedules, selective forwarding, Do Not Disturb, alternate numbers and a pre-alerting announcement. The forwarding can be set from anywhere with an internet connection.
Can a BT Cloud Voice hunt group ring a mobile?
A hunt group can forward unanswered calls, or calls when no phone is reachable, to another number such as a mobile. Individual members can also use the app or Call Director to answer on the move.
Can a hunt group go to voicemail?
Yes. Unanswered calls can be forwarded to a user's voicemail box, as long as that user has a Connect or Collaborate pack with voicemail switched on.
What is the difference between a hunt group and a call queue?
A hunt group rings a set of phones and forwards the call if nobody answers. A call queue (Call Centre ACD) holds callers in a queue with announcements and music until an agent is free, and lets agents log in and out.