RingCentral — After-Hours Setup
How to forward after-hours calls to PupPilot on RingCentral.
How RingCentral Works
RingCentral is a general-purpose UCaaS platform with a full admin portal at service.ringcentral.com. Call routing is managed through Auto-Receptionist settings, Call Queues, and Business Hours / Closed Hours schedules. Note: the Auto-Receptionist cannot forward directly to an external number — you must use a Call Queue as a bridge.
Call Flow
Open Hours
Caller
Main Number
Auto-Receptionist
Staff phones ring
After Hours
Caller
Main Number
Auto-Receptionist
Call Queue
PupPilot answers
Setup Steps
1
Log in to the RingCentral Admin Portal
Go to service.ringcentral.com and sign in with admin credentials.
2
Set Business Hours
Go to
Phone System → Auto-Receptionist → General Settings. Under Business Hours, set your clinic's hours (e.g., Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM). You must set custom hours — the default "24/7" setting hides the closed-hours options.3
Create a Call Queue
Go to
Phone System → Groups → Call Queues. Create a new call queue — name it something like "After Hours Forwarding".4
Configure the Call Queue to Forward
In the call queue settings, navigate to the Call Handling & Members section. Enable the Forward all queue calls toggle. Under "Where would you like to forward your calls?", select External number and enter your PupPilot phone number.
5
Set After-Hours Routing
Go back to
Phone System → Auto-Receptionist → General Settings. Click on the Call Handling section. Select the Closed Hours tab.6
Route to Your Call Queue
Under the Closed Hours tab, for "Incoming callers will be routed to", select Multiple users - call queue. Then click Select extension and choose the "After Hours Forwarding" call queue you just created.
7
Save and Test
Click Save and test by calling your clinic number after business hours.
Important Notes
- The Auto-Receptionist cannot forward directly to an external number — you must use a call queue as a bridge. This is a RingCentral limitation.
- You must set custom business hours before the "Closed Hours" tab becomes visible.
- Consider recording a brief after-hours greeting (e.g., "Our office is currently closed. Your call is being transferred to our after-hours care line.").
- For holidays, use Custom Rules in the call handling settings to forward calls even during normally-open hours.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Calls don't reach PupPilot | Verify the call queue has the correct PupPilot number. Check that business hours are set (not "24/7") so the closed-hours tab appears. |
| "Closed Hours" tab not visible | Business hours are still set to "24/7." Change to custom hours at Auto-Receptionist → General Settings. |
| Calls go to voicemail instead of PupPilot | The after-hours routing may be set to voicemail instead of the call queue. Check Auto-Receptionist → General Settings → Call Handling and select Closed Hours. |