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Glossary · Call centre operations

What is Hunt group?

  • Also called: ring group, the hunt group, hunting

Reviewed by Sujan ThapaliyaLast updated

Definition

A hunt group is a set of extensions that an incoming call tries in turn until one answers. The hunt pattern — sequential, circular, simultaneous or longest-idle — decides who gets tried first and is the difference between fair distribution and the first extension answering everything.
The three STIR/SHAKEN attestation levels, which underpin how hunt group behaves in practice: A asserts both that the carrier knows the customer and that the customer may use the calling number, B asserts the customer only, and C asserts neither. A shared number pool can reach B at best, which is why number ownership keeps recurring in these definitions.
Attestation is the backdrop to most caller-ID and deliverability terms, hunt group included.

In practice

How hunt group actually works

Sequential hunting always starts at the top of the list, which concentrates load on whoever is listed first. Circular hunting continues from wherever the last call stopped, which spreads it. Simultaneous rings everyone at once, which is fastest and most disruptive.

A hunt group is not a queue. When every extension is busy the call falls through to whatever comes next — voicemail, an overflow number, or nothing — rather than waiting in order. Systems that need callers to wait need a queue.

Hunt groups suit small teams answering a shared number. Past roughly six people or any real call volume, a queue with reporting is the better structure.

Worked example

Sequential hunting from the top of a six-person list means the first person answers most calls and the sixth answers almost none. Circular or longest-idle spreads the same volume evenly.

Hunt group: common questions

What is a hunt group in a phone system?
A list of extensions a call tries in order until someone picks up. It is the simplest way to make one number ring several people.
What is the difference between a hunt group and a call queue?
A hunt group tries extensions and gives up; a queue holds the caller in order and distributes them as agents free up. Queues also report on waiting time, which hunt groups generally do not.
Which hunt pattern should I use?
Circular or longest-idle for fairness, simultaneous for speed on very small teams. Sequential is the default on most systems and the one most likely to overload whoever is first on the list.

Sources

  1. Combating Spoofed Robocalls with Caller ID Authentication — Federal Communications CommissionThe STIR/SHAKEN framework, the attestation levels carriers sign calls with, and the mandate requiring providers to authenticate caller ID.
  2. 47 U.S.C. § 227 — Restrictions on the use of telephone equipment — Cornell Legal Information InstituteThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act itself — the consent requirements, calling-hours limits, and private right of action.
  3. ITU-T Recommendation E.164 — The international public telecommunication numbering plan — International Telecommunication UnionThe international number format, the 15-digit maximum, and how country codes and national numbers compose.

See hunt group in the product

A call queue holds inbound callers in order and distributes them to whichever agent frees up next, instead of ringing one phone and failing. A callback option lets the caller keep their place and hang up, which is what actually reduces abandoned calls.

Explore call queuesGet early access