Beside lets you decide how a shared line rings your team when a call comes in. Pick the mode that fits how your team handles calls - ring everyone at once, ring members one by one in a set order, or skip ringing the team entirely and send calls straight to your Receptionist or voicemail.
📌 Availability:
Only the account owner can change the mode. Other members see the screen, but it appears greyed out for them.
On Beside on the web, Ringing Mode is available for every line, including single-member lines - pick Ring first or Direct to AI Receptionist. On the Beside mobile app, single-member lines still ring that member's device directly with no Ringing Mode screen to configure.
Open Ringing Mode
From the Beside mobile app
If you have a single line on your account:
Go to Settings
Tap Ringing Mode
If you have multiple lines:
Go to Settings
Tap the line you want to configure
Tap Ringing Mode
From Beside on the web
Go to app.beside.com and sign in
Click Settings in the sidebar, then Phone Numbers under Workspace
Click the line you want to configure
Open Ringing Mode
📌 On Beside on the web, under Select mode you'll see either:
Ring first or Direct to AI Receptionist / Direct to Voicemail - on a line with a single member
Ring all, Ring in order, or Direct to AI Receptionist / Direct to Voicemail - on a shared line with more than one member
The Direct label adapts automatically depending on whether your Receptionist is on or off. Below Select mode, a separate Fallback row always shows where calls end up if nobody picks up (AI Receptionist or Traditional Voicemail).
Pick a mode
The screen shows three options under Select mode.
Mode | What it does |
Ring all members at once | Every member's device rings at the same time. Whoever is free picks up. This is the default for shared lines. |
Ring members in order | Members ring one by one in the order you set. You can reorder the list. If nobody picks up, the call falls back to your Receptionist - or to Traditional Voicemail when your Receptionist is off. |
Direct to Receptionist (or Direct to Beside Voicemail) | Skip ringing the team entirely. Calls go straight to your Receptionist when it's on, or to Beside Traditional Voicemail when it's off. The label adapts to whichever is active. |
💡 On the Beside mobile app:
The Answers after ring count you set on Ringing Mode is the same value as the one in your Receptionist settings - they're synced. Changing it on one screen updates the other.
The picker offers 2 Rings (~10 sec) up to 10 Rings (~50 sec).
On Beside on the web, there's no ring count to set anymore - pick Ring first / Ring all / Ring in order (a fixed ~25 seconds) or Direct to AI Receptionist for an instant handoff.
Ring all members at once
This is the default for shared lines. Every member's device rings at the same time, and the first one to pick up takes the call. If nobody answers, the call falls back to your Receptionist - or to Traditional Voicemail when your Receptionist is off.
On the Beside mobile app, the Rings before Receptionist section below the mode shows Answers after with the current ring count (for example, 4 Rings (~20 sec)) - tap to change it, this is the same setting as Answers after in your Receptionist settings. On Beside on the web, this mode is called Ring all and rings for a fixed ~25 seconds before falling back - there's no ring count to adjust.
Ring members in order
Members ring one by one in the order you set.
On the Beside mobile app: tap Answers after to choose how many times each member's device rings before the call moves to the next person (2 to 10 rings, synced with your Receptionist's ring count).
On Beside on the web, this mode is called Ring in order: the total ringing window is a fixed ~25 seconds, split automatically across your active members - there's no per-member ring count to set.
Ring order - the list shows your members numbered 1, 2, and so on. Drag the handle on the right of each member to reorder them.
Fallback - on the Beside mobile app, the last entry in the list (numbered after your members) shows where the call goes if nobody picks up: Receptionist when it's on, or Beside Voicemail when it's off. On Beside on the web, this is shown in a separate Fallback row below the member list instead of as a numbered entry.
💡 Use this when:
You want a specific person to try first (for example, a dedicated account manager) before the rest of the team is alerted.
You want to give one teammate a few rings to grab the call before escalating.
Direct to Receptionist / Direct to Voicemail
Skip ringing the team entirely. Calls go straight to your Receptionist when it's on, or to Beside Voicemail when it's off. The label and icon on the screen adapt automatically.
There's no ring count to set for this mode - the call goes immediately to the fallback.
💡 Use this when:
You want every inbound call answered by your Receptionist without ringing the team first.
Your team is fully booked or in focus time and you want callers handled automatically.
📌 On Beside on the web, select Direct to AI Receptionist (or Direct to Voicemail when the Receptionist is off) directly from the Select mode dropdown in Ringing Mode.
When your Receptionist is off
When your Receptionist is paused for the line, the screen shows a notice at the bottom:
📌 Your Receptionist is paused for this line. Activate it now.
Tapping Activate it now opens your Receptionist settings. It does not flip the toggle on automatically - you choose when to turn it back on. While the AI is off, the fallback for Ring members in order and the Direct option both route to your Beside Voicemail.
FAQ
Why don't I see Ringing Mode in my line's settings?
Why don't I see Ringing Mode in my line's settings?
On the Beside mobile app, Ringing Mode only appears when the line has more than one member - if you're the only person on the line, your device rings directly and there's nothing to configure. On Beside on the web, Ringing Mode appears for every line, including single-member ones.
To add a member, see 📖 Share your line with your team.
Why does the Ringing Mode screen look greyed out for me?
Why does the Ringing Mode screen look greyed out for me?
Only the account owner can change a line's Ringing Mode. Other members see the screen but can't edit it - the options appear greyed out. Ask your account owner if you want the mode changed.
Is Ringing Mode available on Beside on the web?
Is Ringing Mode available on Beside on the web?
Yes - go to Settings → Phone Numbers, click your line, then open Ringing Mode. Single-member lines can pick Ring first or Direct; shared lines can pick Ring all, Ring in order, or Direct. The Direct label shows as Direct to AI Receptionist or Direct to Voicemail depending on whether your Receptionist is on. Unlike the Beside mobile app, there's no ring count to configure on the web - ringing lasts a fixed ~25 seconds before falling back, and a separate Fallback row always shows where calls land if nobody picks up.
What happens when nobody picks up?
What happens when nobody picks up?
The call falls back to your Receptionist if it's on, or to your Traditional Voicemail if it's off. The fallback applies to Ring all members at once and Ring members in order. With Direct to Receptionist / Direct to Voicemail, the call goes straight to the fallback without ringing the team first. On Beside on the web, this fallback is always shown in its own Fallback row on the Ringing Mode screen, regardless of which mode is selected.
Is there a limit to how many members I can add to "Ring members in order"?
Is there a limit to how many members I can add to "Ring members in order"?
Yes - Ring members in order supports up to 10 members in the ring sequence. If your line has more than 10 members, only the first 10 in your ordered list will be rung before the call falls back to your Receptionist or Beside Voicemail.
Can I set a different Ringing Mode per time of day?
Can I set a different Ringing Mode per time of day?
Not directly. Ringing Mode is a single setting per line. If you want calls handled differently outside of working hours, use Business Hours alongside your Receptionist - see 📖 Set your Business Hours.
Does Ringing Mode override the Receptionist's ring count setting?
Does Ringing Mode override the Receptionist's ring count setting?
On the Beside mobile app, no - they're the same setting, shown in two places. The Answers after ring count is synced between Ringing Mode and your Receptionist settings. On Beside on the web, there's no ring count setting anymore - Ringing Mode just offers Ring first / Ring all / Ring in order (a fixed ~25 seconds) or Direct to AI Receptionist.
Why does the Rings per member count start at 2?
Why does the Rings per member count start at 2?
On the Beside mobile app, in Ring members in order, the per-member ring count starts at 2 Rings (~10 sec) so that each person has enough time to pick up before the call moves to the next. If you want calls to bypass ringing the team entirely, pick the Direct to Receptionist mode. On Beside on the web, there's no per-member count to set - pick Direct to AI Receptionist from the Select mode dropdown in Ringing Mode instead.