> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.open.cx/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Call answering and ringing settings

> Set an automatic answer delay and the percentage of available agents to ring. Prepare each agent’s browser before taking customer calls hands-free.

Use **[Settings → Voice & Telephony](https://platform.open.cx/settings/telephony)** to choose how incoming customer calls reach your team. These settings apply to calls routed directly to human agents and calls handed off from an AI phone agent to your team.

## Before you start

Telephony must be enabled for your organization. Anyone with **Voice settings** write permission can open **Settings → Voice & Telephony** and turn on **Enable telephony**. This setting is available to every organization. This control grants access to telephony; numbers, routing, teams and agent availability still need to be configured. Turning it off does not cancel existing calls or release phone numbers.

To edit call answering settings, you need the **Voice settings** write permission. Agents also need the normal permissions and availability required to receive and accept calls.

## Automatically answer after a short ring

1. Open **Settings → Voice & Telephony**.
2. Turn on **Auto-answer calls**.
3. Set **Answer after** to a whole number from **1 to 20 seconds**.
4. Leave the field or press **Enter** to save. The auto-answer switch saves immediately.
5. Each agent refreshes their dashboard, clicks **Prepare microphone**, and allows microphone access. The panel confirms **Auto-answer ready in this tab**.

Auto-answer is off by default. The saved delay defaults to **2 seconds**. When enabled, the countdown starts when the call begins ringing your team. A ready agent's visible dashboard tab accepts the call at the end of the countdown without another click. The first successful acceptance connects; other agents stop ringing.

Agents can reject a call during the countdown, click **Pause auto-answer**, or answer manually. Settings are captured when each call starts ringing; changes apply to new rings.

<Note>
  Keep the dashboard open and the prepared tab visible. Prepare it again after a reload or organization change. Only one tab in the same browser can be prepared at a time. Microphone permission, working audio and a browser that supports preparation are required. This does not auto-answer a desk phone, forwarded external number, teammate call, warm-transfer invitation or conference invitation.
</Note>

A busy agent or a call that has ended will not be automatically accepted. If preparation fails, allow microphone access and retry, or use **Accept** manually. Automatic answering does not bypass routing, availability or call permissions.

## Ring a percentage of available agents

Set **Available agents to ring** to a whole percentage from **1 to 100**, then leave the field or press **Enter** to save. The default is **100%**, preserving the behavior of ringing everyone eligible.

The percentage applies **after** the existing team, availability, busy and online checks. It is based on the agents eligible for that call, not total team membership. Open rounds up so there is at least one recipient whenever an eligible agent exists.

| Available agents | Percentage | Agents rung |
| ---------------- | ---------- | ----------- |
| 3                | 25%        | 1           |
| 20               | 25%        | 5           |
| 100              | 25%        | 25          |
| 20               | 100%       | 20          |

Agents already ringing for another call are excluded. Simultaneous incoming calls select separate available agents. Agents who were rung least recently are preferred. A call keeps the same selected recipients if their dashboards reconnect. This setting does not add successive ringing waves or expand to the rest of the team after a timeout. Unanswered calls follow the existing timeout or transfer-failure behavior.

## Test your setup

Start with a small team of available agents. Prepare one dashboard, call a number routed to that team, and confirm that the countdown matches your saved delay and both sides can hear each other. Then pause auto-answer and confirm manual **Accept** still works. Test the ring percentage with several available agents and check that only the expected number of dashboards ring.

## Additional telephony options

The **Voice & Telephony** page also lists routing, assistance, IVR, queue, recording, reliability, after-hours, monitoring, dialer and integration options. Options marked **Contact us** open an email to your account team with the feature name included. They do not change call behavior. Contact your account team to discuss availability and setup. Links for existing capabilities open their current settings or calling surface.