ShareWhat is Parallel Ringing and How to Activate It on Airtel Landline?
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December 1, 2022 -
7 min read
In an increasingly mobile business world, seamless communication is vital. Missed calls can mean lost opportunities, frustrated customers, or delayed decisions. That’s where parallel ringing, also known as simultaneous ringing, comes in as a game-changer.
This intelligent call routing feature ensures that important calls always reach the right person at the right time, no matter where they are. It’s especially valuable for customer-facing teams, remote workers, and businesses with distributed operations.
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In this article, we’ll explore what parallel ringing is, how it works, and its benefits for modern enterprises. We’ll also walk through how to set up Airtel parallel ringing on landlines.
How Does Parallel Ringing Work?
Parallel ringing is a telephony feature that allows an incoming call to ring on multiple phones or devices simultaneously. When a call comes in, all the devices in the predefined parallel ringing group start ringing at the same time. The call is then answered by the first device that picks up, and the ringing stops on all other devices.
This feature is particularly prevalent in business phone systems, contact centers, and modern VoIP/cloud telephony platforms. It ensures that no important call goes unanswered, even if the primary recipient is unavailable.
The Technology Behind It
At a technical level, parallel ringing leverages real-time call routing logic within the telephony platform to distribute inbound calls instantly to all listed endpoints. The system maintains a predefined list of extensions, phone numbers, or agent devices that are configured to ring simultaneously when a call is received.
When a call arrives, all devices in the parallel ringing group are signalled at the same time. The system monitors the answering status of each device, terminating the ring on all but the answering device as soon as the call is picked up.
Parallel ringing is supported by a range of technologies, including:
- PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems—on-premises or hosted
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) platforms
- Cloud telephony services and unified communications solutions
- Mobile networks with advanced call management features
In technical terms, parallel ringing can be implemented for up to three or four devices in some PBX systems and up to 10 in advanced enterprise platforms, depending on the solution.
Difference Between Call Forwarding and Parallel Ringing
While both call forwarding and parallel ringing are call management features, they work differently:
| Feature | How It Works | Typical Use Case |
| Parallel Ringing | Rings all devices simultaneously | Teams, customer support, sales |
| Call Forwarding | Forwards call to another number/device | Individuals, executives |
With call forwarding, calls are redirected from one number to another, usually in a sequential or conditional manner (e.g., if not answered, forward to another number). Only one device rings at a time, reducing the likelihood of an immediate response if the primary recipient is unavailable.
In contrast, parallel ringing is designed for teams or groups to ensure calls are always answered promptly. All designated phones/devices ring at the same time, and the call is answered by the first available person.
Real-Time Call Routing Explained
Parallel ringing leverages real-time call routing logic to distribute inbound calls instantly to all listed endpoints. Advanced systems allow for configuration of rules based on business hours, agent availability, and device presence.
For cloud/VoIP systems, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) forking is often used to achieve parallel ringing, where the SIP INVITE is sent to multiple endpoints simultaneously.
Key Benefits of Using Parallel Ringing for Businesses
Parallel ringing is especially prevalent in business phone systems, contact centres, and modern VoIP/cloud telephony platforms, as it offers several benefits. Let’s see how:
Never Miss an Important Call
With parallel ringing, businesses can ensure that at least one team member is always available to answer critical business or customer calls. This significantly reduces missed opportunities and enhances responsiveness.
Improved Customer Service Experience
Customers receive faster responses with parallel ringing, as the first available agent can answer immediately. This minimises wait times, reduces call abandonment, and boosts customer satisfaction.
Enhanced Team Mobility and Flexibility
Parallel ringing allows team members to be distributed across locations—office, remote, or mobile—yet all remain reachable via the same business number. This is particularly beneficial for sales, support, and field teams who need to stay connected while on the move.
Supports Remote and Hybrid Work Environments
In the era of remote and hybrid work, parallel ringing is a must-have feature for distributed teams. It enables seamless call handling regardless of location, ensuring business continuity and effective communication even when employees are working remotely.
Who Should Use Parallel Ringing?
Parallel ringing is valuable for a wide range of businesses and teams, especially those with a strong focus on customer service, sales, or distributed operations. Some key use cases include:
- Contact Centres and Customer Support Teams: Ensure every incoming customer call is answered promptly, distributing calls to available agents across locations.
- Sales Teams: Route inbound leads to all available representatives, maximising conversion rates.
- Field Service Teams: Ensure urgent service calls are answered by the nearest available technician, integrating mobile and landline endpoints.
- Executive Assistants and Reception Desks: Never miss an important call, even if the primary receptionist is busy or away.
- Remote and Hybrid Teams: Maintain seamless customer communication and collaboration as teams work from various locations.
How to Set Up Parallel Ringing with Airtel Office Internet
Airtel’s Office Internet and cloud telephony solutions offer parallel ringing as a standard feature for business customers. Here’s how to activate it:
- Contact your Airtel enterprise sales or account manager, or use the Airtel B2B portal to request activation.
- Provide the list of extensions, landlines, and mobile numbers (including Airtel Corporate Postpaid SIMs) that you want to include in the parallel ringing group.
- Airtel will configure the parallel ringing group as per your requirements, ensuring all designated devices ring simultaneously when the business number is dialled.
- Once activated, test the setup by calling the business number and verifying that all devices in the group ring as expected.
- The parallel ringing feature can be further customised and fine-tuned by your business admin, with support from Airtel’s technical team.
For large enterprise accounts, parallel ringing may be included at no additional cost, while smaller businesses may need to subscribe to a specific plan. Airtel occasionally runs promotional offers providing free activation or usage for a limited period for new business customers.
Airtel’s solution is designed to work with both traditional PBX systems and modern cloud telephony setups, making it easy to enable parallel ringing on existing Airtel landlines and mobile numbers.
FAQs
1. How many devices can be included in a parallel ringing group?
The number of devices that can be included in a parallel ringing group depends on the telephony platform. Typically, on-premises PBX systems support 3-4 devices, while advanced cloud systems can handle 10 or more.
2. Can mobile numbers be part of a parallel ringing group?
Yes, mobile numbers can be included in parallel ringing groups, especially with cloud telephony solutions.
3. Is parallel ringing the same as a hunt group?
No, hunt groups typically ring devices in sequence or based on priority, while parallel ringing rings all devices simultaneously.
4. What happens if all devices in the parallel ringing group are busy?
If all devices are busy, the call may go to voicemail, another group, or follow a fallback rule as configured in the system.
5. How is parallel ringing different from call observation or parallel listening?
Parallel ringing is about simultaneous call delivery to multiple devices, while call observation and parallel listening involve monitoring or listening to live calls for quality assurance, training, or compliance purposes.
