# Forward Calls to Voicemail

When no one is free to pick up, sending the caller to voicemail keeps you from losing the contact. Cloud Voice lets you point several types of calls at a mailbox so a message is captured instead of the call simply ringing out. This page walks through the four common places you can hand a call off to voicemail.

## Where voicemail fits

Any of the situations below can end in a mailbox rather than a dropped or unanswered call:

- **An extension user can't take the call.** Route their calls to voicemail based on the presence status they're in.
- **A ring group or queue has no one available**, or the call waits past its timeout. Use voicemail as the failover destination.
- **A caller working through an IVR wants to leave a message** instead of continuing through the menu. An IVR (Interactive Voice Response menu, also called an auto attendant) is the recorded menu that answers a call and asks the caller to press a key. Assign one of those keys to voicemail.
- **You aren't offering live phone support**, for example outside business hours. Send the whole inbound route to voicemail.

Each mailbox option comes in two forms wherever it appears:

- **Extension Voicemail** (or **Voicemail**) drops the call into an individual extension's mailbox.
- **Group Voicemail** drops the call into a shared group mailbox you select.

:::tip
Group Voicemail points at a shared mailbox that must already exist. If you don't see the mailbox you expect in the destination list, create the group mailbox first, then come back to this setting.
:::

## Send an extension's calls to voicemail

Call forwarding is configured per presence status, so you can decide how calls behave when a user is, for example, Away or on Do Not Disturb. Cloud Voice applies the rule that matches the user's current status.

1. In the management portal, open **Extension and Trunk > Extension** and edit the extension you want to change.
2. Open the **Presence** tab and pick the presence status you're configuring.
3. Under **Call Forwarding**, set up rules separately for internal calls (from coworkers) and external calls (from outside customers):
   1. Tick the checkbox for the forwarding condition you want to act on.
   2. Set that condition's destination to one of:
      - **Voicemail**: the extension's own mailbox.
      - **Group Voicemail**: a shared mailbox you choose.
4. Select **Save**, then **Apply**.

:::note
Each presence status has its own forwarding rules. A rule only takes effect while the user is in that status, so set up every status you rely on (for example Available, Away, and Do Not Disturb) to avoid gaps where a call rings out instead of reaching voicemail.
:::

:::note
Selecting **Save** stages your changes, but they do not go live until you select **Apply**. This two-step pattern applies to every procedure on this page.
:::

## Use voicemail as a ring group or queue failover

When a ring group or queue runs out of available members or agents, or a call sits unanswered until it times out, the failover destination decides what happens next. Point it at voicemail so the caller can leave a message.

1. In the management portal, open the object you want to edit:
   - For a ring group, go to **Call Features > Ring Group** and edit it.
   - For a queue, go to **Call Features > Queue** and edit it.
2. Open the **Failover Destination** drop-down and choose one of:
   - **Extension Voicemail**: an extension's mailbox.
   - **Group Voicemail**: a shared mailbox you choose.
3. Select **Save**, then **Apply**.

## Let IVR callers leave a message

You can give callers working through an IVR the option to leave voicemail, which is handy when they can't find what they need in the menu.

:::note
Record or update your IVR greeting first so it tells callers which key to press for voicemail. The menu prompt won't mention the option on its own.
:::

1. In the management portal, open **Call Features > IVR** and edit the IVR you want to change.
2. On the **Key Press Event** tab, set the destination for a key to one of:
   - **Extension Voicemail**: an extension's mailbox.
   - **Group Voicemail**: a shared mailbox you choose.
3. Select **Save**, then **Apply**.

## Send inbound calls to voicemail

For times when you don't want calls answered live, such as holidays or after hours, route an inbound route straight to voicemail.

1. In the management portal, open **Call Control > Inbound Route** and edit the route you want to change.
2. Under **Default Destination**, choose one of:
   - **Extension Voicemail**: an extension's mailbox.
   - **Group Voicemail**: a shared mailbox you choose.
3. Select **Save**, then **Apply**.

:::caution
The **Default Destination** applies to every caller who reaches this inbound route. Once you set it to voicemail, no calls on the route are answered live until you change it back, so remember to revert it when live phone support resumes.
:::