Parallel Ringing

Parallel ringing (also called simultaneous ringing) rings multiple agents at the same time when a call comes in. The first agent to pick up gets connected to the caller. All other agents' phones stop ringing. This minimizes wait time for callers and maximizes the chances of the call being answered.

How Parallel Ringing Works

Caller dials ExoPhone
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        v
Call flow triggers Connect applet
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        v
All agent phones ring simultaneously:
    Agent 1: Ring... Ring...
    Agent 2: Ring... Ring...
    Agent 3: Ring... Ring...
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        v
Agent 2 answers first
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        v
Agent 1 and Agent 3 stop ringing
Caller connected to Agent 2

Parallel vs. Sequential Ringing

Feature	Parallel Ringing	Sequential Ringing
How it works	All agents ring at once	Agents ring one by one in order
Speed to answer	Fastest -- first available answers	Slower -- each agent gets a timeout before next
Best for	Teams where any agent can handle the call	Teams with tiered escalation
Caller experience	Minimal wait	Potentially longer wait
Agent workload distribution	May be uneven (fastest responders get more calls)	More predictable distribution
Configuration complexity	Simple	More complex (requires ordering and timeouts)

Setting Up Parallel Ringing

Step 1: Configure the Connect Applet

Open your call flow in App Bazaar.
Click on the Connect applet.
Set the Ring Strategy to Parallel (or Simultaneous).
Enter the phone numbers of all agents who should ring:

Agent	Phone Number
Agent 1	+91-98XXXXXXX1
Agent 2	+91-98XXXXXXX2
Agent 3	+91-98XXXXXXX3
Agent 4	+91-98XXXXXXX4

Set the Ring Timeout (how long all phones ring before moving to the next action).
Save and publish.

Step 2: Set the Ring Timeout

The ring timeout defines how long all agents' phones ring before the call moves to the next step in the flow (e.g., voicemail, another group).

Timeout	Use Case
15 seconds	Quick answer required, high-urgency calls
20 seconds	Standard timeout for most teams
30 seconds	Relaxed timeout for smaller teams
45 seconds	Maximum -- use only for low-volume lines

Step 3: Configure Fallback

If no agent answers within the timeout, route the call to a fallback:

Connect (Parallel Ringing, 20s timeout)
    |
    ├── Answered → Call connected
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    ├── No Answer → Voicemail
    |                 └── Email notification
    |
    └── All Busy → Call Queue
                     └── Overflow → Voicemail

From the No Answer output of the Connect applet, draw a connection to a Voicemail, another Connect, or a Greeting applet.
From the Busy output, route to a Call Queue or alternate team.

Advanced Parallel Ringing Configurations

Parallel Ringing with Delay (Staggered)

Ring the primary agent first, and if they do not answer within a few seconds, add additional agents to the ring group:

seconds: Agent 1 rings
seconds: Agent 1 + Agent 2 ring
seconds: Agent 1 + Agent 2 + Agent 3 ring
seconds: Timeout → Voicemail

This is useful for giving priority agents a head start while ensuring backup agents are available.

To implement staggered ringing, use multiple Connect applets with short timeouts chained together, or use the Voice v2 API for more granular control.

Parallel Ringing with Sticky Agent

Combine parallel ringing with Sticky Agent:

The sticky agent's phone rings first (for 5-10 seconds).
If the sticky agent does not answer, all agents ring in parallel.
The first to answer gets connected.

Passthru (lookup sticky agent)
    |
    Agent found → Connect (Sticky Agent, 10s timeout)
    |                 |
    |                 ├── Answered → Connected
    |                 └── No Answer → Connect (All Agents, Parallel, 20s)
    |
    No agent → Connect (All Agents, Parallel, 20s)

Parallel Ringing Across Teams

Ring agents from multiple teams simultaneously for overflow scenarios:

Connect (Support Team, Parallel, 20s)
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    └── No Answer → Connect (Backup Team, Parallel, 15s)
                        |
                        └── No Answer → Voicemail

Dynamic Agent Lists

Instead of hardcoding agent numbers in the Connect applet, use a dynamic URL to fetch the list of available agents at runtime:

In the Connect applet, select Dynamic Numbers (URL).
Enter a URL that returns a list of phone numbers.
Exotel calls the URL and rings the returned numbers in parallel.

# Exotel calls your server:
GET https://your-app.com/available-agents?team=support

# Your server responds:
+919876543210,+919876543211,+919876543212

This is useful for teams with shifting schedules, remote workers, or agents who log in and out dynamically.

Ring Strategy Comparison

Strategy	Configuration	Best For
Parallel (all at once)	All agents ring simultaneously	Small teams, urgent calls
Sequential (round-robin)	Agents ring one by one	Even workload distribution
Staggered	Primary first, then add more	Priority agents with backup
Random	Randomly select agents to ring	Large teams, even distribution
Skill-based	Ring agents with matching skills	Specialized support teams

Best Practices

Limit parallel ring group size -- Ringing more than 5-7 agents simultaneously can cause network delays. For larger teams, use a combination of parallel and sequential.
Set appropriate timeouts -- 20 seconds is standard. Shorter timeouts lead to faster fallback but may not give agents enough time to answer.
Combine with call queue -- For high-volume lines, use parallel ringing with a queue fallback so callers wait instead of being sent to voicemail.
Monitor answer patterns -- If the same agent always answers first, consider sequential or round-robin distribution for more balanced workload.
Use dynamic agent lists -- For teams where agent availability changes frequently, dynamic lists ensure only available agents are rung.

warning

Parallel ringing can lead to uneven call distribution. Agents who are fastest to pick up will handle more calls. If balanced workload is important, consider round-robin or skills-based routing instead. See Smart Routing.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
Only one agent rings	Ring strategy set to Sequential	Change to Parallel in Connect applet
Agent phone does not ring	Incorrect phone number	Verify agent number in Connect settings
All agents ring but none answer	Ring timeout too short	Increase ring timeout
Caller hears ringing for too long	Ring timeout too long	Decrease timeout and add fallback
Same agent always answers	Fastest responder bias	Consider round-robin for balance

How Parallel Ringing Works​

Parallel vs. Sequential Ringing​

Setting Up Parallel Ringing​

Step 1: Configure the Connect Applet​

Step 2: Set the Ring Timeout​

Step 3: Configure Fallback​

Advanced Parallel Ringing Configurations​

Parallel Ringing with Delay (Staggered)​

Parallel Ringing with Sticky Agent​

Parallel Ringing Across Teams​

Dynamic Agent Lists​

Ring Strategy Comparison​

Best Practices​

Troubleshooting​

Related​