Call Groups
Sort your phone numbers into named groups, pick the call flow that answers them, and get every call and lead labelled for reporting.
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What it is
A call group is a named bucket that your phone numbers live in. You will find it under Settings›Channels›Call Groups.
Each group does exactly two jobs:
- It decides which call flow answers. A group can point at one call flow. Every number in the group is answered by that flow.
- It labels the call. Every call that arrives on a number in the group is stamped with the group name, and so is any lead created from that call. That label is what powers the group filters and reports later on.
A call group does not contain people
There is no member list on a call group, and no setting for the order people ring in. Who actually rings is decided inside the call flow you attach to the group — in its queue step, under Assign to Teams. If you want to change who picks up, edit the flow or the team, not the group.
When to use it
- You run more than one business line. Give sales, service and emergency their own group so each set of numbers is answered by its own greeting and menu.
- You want to know which marketing paid off. Put each advertising number in its own group, then read the group breakdown in Call Reports.
- You want the lead source filled in for you. Link a group to an ad source and new leads from that group get the source filled in automatically.
- You have a lot of numbers. Groups let you point dozens of numbers at one flow, and swap that flow for all of them in a single change.
If you only have one phone number and one greeting, you do not need to create anything here — the built-in Default Group already holds your numbers.
Before you start
- Permission. You need the Call Groups permission. An owner turns it on under Settings›People›Team Roles, in the Admin & Settings block. Without it the page shows “Access Denied”.
- At least one active phone number. Check Settings›Channels›Phone Numbers. Numbers that are switched off do not appear in the group’s number list.
- A call flow marked Active. Build it under Settings›Channels›Visual Call Flows and click the badge on its row until it reads Active. Only active flows appear in the call group dropdown, and only active flows answer calls.
- A team, if you want the phone to ring. The queue step in your flow rings whoever is in the teams you tick. Set teams up under Settings›People›Teams.
Step-by-step: create a call group and put it to work
- Go to Settings›Channels›Call Groups.
- Click Create Group (top right).
- In Group Name, type a name your team will recognise — for example Sales, Service or Google Ads. Click Create Group to save.
Default Group and Main Line are reserved. If you type either one you get a “reserved system name” message and nothing is saved.
- Find the new row in the table and click Edit.
- Open the Visual Flow (New) dropdown and pick the flow that should answer this group. Only flows switched to Active are listed. Leave it on None only if you are not ready to take calls yet.
- Under Assign Phone Numbers, tick every number that belongs in this group.
- Type into Search by number or name… to narrow a long list.
- Click Show Default Group to see only the numbers still sitting in the Default Group — handy when you are moving numbers out of it for the first time.
- Each number is tagged so you know where it stands: [unassigned], [currently assigned], or [in <other group name>]. Ticking a number that is in another group moves it here.
- Click Save Changes. You will see a “Call group updated successfully” message.
- Optional: drag the grip handle on the left of the row to move the group up or down. The order you set here is the order groups appear in dropdowns and filters elsewhere in Joby.
Do the test call
Saving the settings is not proof that it works. Ring the number from your own mobile after every routing change and listen to what actually happens.
How to check it worked
- Read the row. Back on Settings›Channels›Call Groups, your group should show the flow name under Flow and a number greater than zero under Phone Numbers.
- Call the number from a phone that is not in Joby. You should hear the greeting from the flow you attached.
- Listen for the warning message. If the caller hears “Sorry, this number is not configured to receive calls. Please contact the administrator” and the call ends, Joby could not find an active flow for that number. See Troubleshooting.
- Check the office agent’s screen. When the flow rings a team, the incoming call panel shows the call group name above the caller, so agents know which line is ringing.
- Confirm the label stuck. Open Calls from the sidebar, set the Group: filter to your new group, and check your test call is listed.
- Confirm reporting. Open Call Reports from the sidebar and look at the Call Groups Performance card. Your group should appear with a call count.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the group to ring people on its own. A group with no flow attached never rings anybody. Attach a flow, and set the teams inside that flow’s queue step.
- Leaving the flow switched off. A flow that is not marked Active does not appear in the group’s dropdown and is ignored on live calls. Switch it on under Settings›Channels›Visual Call Flows.
- Forgetting a flow was pinned straight to the number. A flow that names a specific phone number beats the group’s flow for that number. See Which flow wins.
- Trying to drag rows while a column sort is on. As soon as you sort by Name, Flow or Phone Numbers, the drag handles disappear. Click the sorted column heading until the sort clears, then drag.
- Assuming an unticked number stops working. Unticking a number in the edit window sends it back to the Default Group, where it is answered by whatever flow that group uses.
- Deleting a group to disable its numbers. Deleting moves every number in it to the Default Group — the numbers keep taking calls. To stop a number entirely, switch it off under Settings›Channels›Phone Numbers.
- Trying to rename a built-in group. See Built-in groups — their names are locked.
- Renaming a group that automations depend on. Automation rules match on the group name, so renaming a group can quietly stop a rule from firing. Check Settings›Pipeline›Automations before you rename.
Best practice
One group per thing you want to measure. If you would ever ask “how many calls did that bring in?”, give it its own group and its own number. Groups are cheap; untangling a year of mixed-up call history is not.
More detail (8)
What you see on the Call Groups page
The page is one table with four columns. Reading it left to right tells you almost everything about your routing.
1. Name
The group name. It is what your office agents see on the screen when a call comes in, and what you pick from in filters and reports, so keep it short and obvious.
2. Flow
The call flow that answers this group. If it says None, calls to this group’s numbers are not answered at all.
3. Phone Numbers
How many switched-on numbers sit in this group right now. A zero here means nothing reaches this group.
4. Actions
Edit opens the settings window. Delete appears only on groups you created — built-in groups have no Delete button.
Above the table sit two buttons: Export CSV and Create Group. On the left edge of each row is a small grip handle for dragging rows into the order you want.
Which flow wins
When a call comes in, Joby works down this list and uses the first match it finds. In every case the flow must be marked Active.
- A flow pinned to that exact phone number. Set in the flow builder using the phone picker in the top bar. This always beats the group setting.
- The flow set on the number’s call group. The Visual Flow (New) dropdown described above.
- Nothing found. The caller hears “Sorry, this number is not configured to receive calls. Please contact the administrator” and the call ends. Nobody rings and no voicemail is taken.
This is the single most common source of “I changed the group but nothing changed”: a flow was pinned to the number and is quietly overruling the group.
Two ways to put numbers in a group
Both do the same thing — use whichever is quicker for the job in front of you.
- From the group: Settings›Channels›Call Groups›Edit›Assign Phone Numbers. Best when you are setting a group up and want to tick several numbers at once.
- From the number: Settings›Channels›Phone Numbers, then use the Group dropdown on that number’s row. Best when you are moving one number.
Two more places on the Phone Numbers page ask for a group:
- Bulk Activate Phone Numbers — paste a list of numbers and pick one Call Group for all of them.
- Buy Numbers — the Assign to Group picker sets the group as the number is bought. Leave it alone and the number lands in the Default Group.
Two things are deliberately hidden from the group’s number list: numbers that are switched off, and the numbers Joby uses for caller ID masking. The count in the Phone Numbers column also only counts switched-on numbers.
Ad sources and lead attribution
Link a group to an ad source once, and lead sources fill themselves in
Go to Settings›Pipeline›Ad Sources›Add Ad Source, give it a name such as Google Ads, and tick the groups it covers in the Call Groups picker. One ad source can cover several groups.
After that link exists:
- When you create a lead and choose a Call Group on the new lead form, the matching Ad Source is selected for you.
- Leads that Joby creates from an inbound call get both the call group and its ad source without anyone typing them.
- The Ad Source column on the Ad Sources page shows which groups each source covers, so you can spot gaps at a glance.
- Message and email templates can print Call Group Name and Ad Source (via Call Group), so a notification can say which line the customer rang.
Where call groups show up elsewhere
Once numbers are grouped, the group name is available everywhere
This is the real payoff of tidy groups — none of it needs any extra setup.
- Calls — a Group: filter at the top of the page.
- Leads — a Call Group column you can show, sort and filter on.
- Call Reports — a Call Groups Performance card comparing calls and answered calls per group, plus a group filter on the whole report.
- Lead Reports — a Call Group filter, and a Call Group column in the CSV export.
- Statistic Reports — filter the whole report down to one or more call groups.
- Dashboard — add the Leads by Call Group widget.
- Settings›Pipeline›Automations — a call-triggered automation can branch on Call Group, so you can send a different follow-up text depending on which line rang.
Built-in groups
Joby creates a few groups for you. They behave slightly differently from ones you make.
- Default Group — the safety net. Any number with no group of its own lands here, and numbers land here again when you untick them or delete their group. It cannot be renamed or deleted.
- Main Line — created with your account for your primary number. It cannot be renamed or deleted, but you can change its flow and its numbers like any other group.
- Caller ID Masking — used by the caller ID masking feature. Clicking Edit takes you to Settings›Channels›Phone Masking instead, because that is where it is managed.
- Masking System — internal plumbing for masking. It has no Delete button and you should leave it alone.
You can still set a flow on Default Group and Main Line — only the name is locked.
Reordering, sorting and exporting
- Reorder: drag the grip handle at the left of a row. You will see a “Group order updated” message. This order is what people see in group dropdowns and filters across Joby.
- Sort: click the Name, Flow or Phone Numbers heading. Click again to reverse it, and a third time to clear it. Sorting is just for looking — it does not change the saved order, and the drag handles are hidden while a sort is on.
- Export CSV: the Export CSV button downloads one row per group with its name, flow, number count and display order. Useful as a before-and-after record when you are about to rearrange routing.
Troubleshooting
Callers hear “this number is not configured to receive calls”
- Open Settings›Channels›Call Groups and check the Flow column for the group. If it says None, pick a flow and save.
- Open Settings›Channels›Visual Call Flows and confirm the flow’s badge reads Active. An inactive flow is treated as if it were not there.
- Confirm the number is switched on under Settings›Channels›Phone Numbers. Switched-off numbers are not answered at all.
The wrong people are ringing
- Check which group the number is actually in — Settings›Channels›Phone Numbers, the Group column.
- Check whether a flow is pinned directly to that number in the flow builder. That beats the group. See Which flow wins.
- Open the flow, click its queue step, and read Assign to Teams. That list, not the call group, decides who rings.
- Check who is in that team under Settings›People›Teams.
Nobody rings at all
- Confirm the flow actually reaches a queue step — a flow that ends in a greeting and a hang-up never rings anyone.
- Confirm the queue step has at least one team ticked, and that team has people in it.
- Ask the office agents to check their status in the phone panel. Someone set to unavailable does not get the queue alert.
The rows will not drag
- A column sort is on. Click the sorted heading (Name, Flow or Phone Numbers) until the sort arrow clears, and the grip handles come back.
A number is missing from the assign list
- It is switched off. Turn it on under Settings›Channels›Phone Numbers.
- It is a caller ID masking number. Those are managed under Settings›Channels›Phone Masking.
- The Show Default Group filter is on and the number is in a different group. Click the button again to show everything.