General overview


The Follow Me feature enables accounts to redirect incoming calls to alternate phone numbers. 

For example, if the primary number is unavailable, an account owner can have incoming calls forwarded to their mobile device. This functionality can be enabled or disabled in the account's settings.


Users can manage their Follow Me configuration - including destination numbers and mode - through the self-care portal. All redirected calls are billed to the account that has configured the Follow Me feature. Additionally, an account may include other accounts in its Follow Me list.


Please note, the Follow Me feature works only for On-net enabled Accounts:

  • for calls to Registered Account
  • for calls to Trunks


How to activate the Follow Me feature


In your Account, under Advanced Parameters, enable Follow me in the check-box:


Select from the action list the "Follow Me" option:




Enter the "Phone number/CLD" and the "Follow Me Mode" desired (always, off, on busy, on no answer, on unavailable):


The screenshot below illustrates the available Follow Me modes.




Follow Me Modes: Functional Description



The forwarding behaviour depends on the selected Follow Me Mode, which determines under which circumstances the configured Follow Me rules are executed. This document describes the functionality of each available Follow Me mode, as well as the configuration options associated with the feature.


FOLLOW-ME MODES: 


Always 

Every incoming call is unconditionally processed according to the configured Follow-Me rules.


Typical use case

Forward every incoming call directly to another extension, mobile phone, or external destination.


Off

Follow Me is disabled.

Incoming calls are delivered only to the primary extension according to its normal call-routing behaviour. No Follow Me rules are evaluated.

Busy

Follow Me is activated only when the primary extension returns a SIP Busy response.


Typical use case

Forward calls to another destination only when the user is already on another call.


No Answer

The primary extension is available and rings normally.

If the call is not answered before the configured timeout expires, the Follow Me rules are executed and the call is forwarded to the configured destination(s).


Typical use case

Allow the user an opportunity to answer before forwarding the call elsewhere.

 

Unavailable


Follow Me is activated when the primary extension cannot receive the call.


Typical reasons include:

  • The endpoint is unreachable.
  • The device is offline.
  • The SIP endpoint is temporarily unavailable.

Because the call cannot be delivered to the primary extension, the Follow Me rules are executed immediately.


Note: For this mode, any condition that prevents the primary extension from receiving the call (for example, an unregistered endpoint, a busy extension, or no answer) is treated as Unavailable.


Unregistered


Follow Me is activated only when the SIP endpoint is not registered with the softswitch under this account.

Unlike Unavailable, this mode is triggered specifically by the registration status of the endpoint rather than by other network or device availability conditions.


Typical use case

Forward calls to another destination whenever the user's SIP phone is offline or disconnected.




Order Preference


The Order Preference determines the sequence Follow Me destinations are attempted.


Destinations with a lower Order Preference value are processed first. If the call cannot be completed—for example, because the destination is busy, unavailable, or does not answer (depending on the selected Follow Me mode)—the softswitch attempts the next destination according to the configured order.

This parameter allows administrators to prioritise destinations and define the call routing sequence.


The screenshot below shows how Order Preference is displayed.





Timeout


Timeout values determine how long the softswitch waits before proceeding to the next routing decision.



Timeout for Follow Me Modes


When using the No Answer mode, a Timeout value specifies how long the primary extension is allowed to ring before the Follow Me rules are executed.

If the call is not answered within the configured timeout, the softswitch proceeds to the configured Follow Me destination(s).


Note: This timeout is primarily applicable to the No Answer and/or Unavailable mode. In the Unavailable mode, forwarding typically occurs immediately because the endpoint cannot receive the call.



The screenshot below shows the Timeout intervals for Follow Me Modes


Timeout for Follow Me Destinations


Each Follow Me destination also has its own Timeout value.


This timeout determines how long the softswitch waits for that individual destination to answer before attempting the next destination in the configured Follow Me list.

This allows each destination to have an independent ringing duration while maintaining the configured destination order.

The screenshot below shows the Timeout intervals for Follow Me Modes

The Description field allows administrators to assign a descriptive label to each configured Follow Me destination.

This field is intended solely for identification and administrative purposes. It does not affect Follow Me behavior, routing decisions, or call processing.




Action column:


Edit icon


Click this icon to edit the selected Follow Me entry. You can modify the “Phone Number/CLD”, “Timeout, sec”, “Description”, or other destination details before saving your changes. 




Delete (X) icon
 

Click this icon to permanently remove the selected destination from the Follow Me list.


After the destination is deleted, the remaining entries are automatically reordered so that the Order Preference sequence remains continuous (for example, if destination 2 is removed, destination 3 becomes 2).




Clear (Curved Arrow) icon


 Click this icon to clear the values currently entered in the editable row. This is useful if you want to discard the information you have entered before adding or updating a destination.


Note: This action only clears the current input fields. It does not remove any existing Follow Me destinations.





Add (+) icon


If more than one number is required, enter the details in the "Phone Number/CLD" field and click on the green "+" symbol.

Specify the following to structure your Call Forwarding sequence:

  • "Order Preference" (the order in which calls will be forwarded).
  • "Timeout, sec" (the amount of time the system waits for each Follow Me destination before proceeding to the next destination, when applicable).




More related documentations: