Vonage Business
Administrator User Guide
Welcome to Vonage Business
This Administrator Guide will help you configure your account through our online portal,
my.vonagebusiness.com. In addition to this guide, Customer Care hosts four (4) administrator
portal webinar trainings per day, Monday through Friday. Please email training@vonagebusiness.
com for further information about these training sessions.
Below is a Table of Contents, accessible by clicking the Back to Top link at the bottom of each
section. Following the guide will provide a comprehensive review of key account features.
Account Setup
Additional Features
1.Logging into the Admin Portal
• Company Call Recording
2.Creating and Assigning Users
• On-Demand Call Recording
3.Extensions
• Call Monitoring
4.Recording Greetings
• Conference Bridges
5.Virtual Receptionists
• Call Groups
6.PBX Settings
• Paging Groups
General Account Settings
and Information
7.Managing Phone Numbers
• Call Queues
• Paperless Fax
• Reports
8.Billing Information
9.e911 Locations
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Step 1: Logging into the Admin Portal
These login credentials are for the account Super User only. The Super User can create additional
users as explained in Step 2.
1. Visit my.vonagebusiness.com.
2. Use the following credentials to log in:
Username (case sensitive):
Password (case sensitive):
Step 2: Creating and Assigning Users
Create a user profile to assign an employee to an extension and give them a unique login. There are
three types of users with different levels of account access:
1. Super User: This user has access to the entire account and is the only user who can create other
Account Administrators. Additionally, they can add services, access billing, and configure any
feature on the account.
• Please note: There can only be one Super User per account.
2. Account Administrator: An Account Administrator can add services, access billing, and
configure any feature on the account. They can add End Users but cannot add other Account
Administrators or change the Super User’s information.
3. End User: An End User can set up and make changes to their extension only. They cannot access
billing information, add services, create new users, or change default account settings.
Creating New Users
1. Log in to the online user interface.
•
Please Note: Only the account Super User and Administrators can create new users.
2. Click the My Users icon on the home page. Alternately, click the Phone System icon at the top of
the page, and Users in the left navigation pane.
3. Click the Add New button in the top right-hand corner of the page.
4. Select the User Type in the dropdown.
5. Enter the first and last name of the user.
6. Create a user ID. This username will be entered when logging in.
•
Please Note: This user ID must be a minimum of six (6) characters, and unique to the entire
Vonage system (i.e. johnsmith is likely in use; therefore, try using johnsmith123 or another
combination).
7. Enter an email address. A password along with the user ID you created will be sent to the email
address listed. The password can be changed once the user logs in.
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8. The Default Extension box will automatically populate once the user is assigned to an extension.
This cannot be assigned when creating the user.
9. There are three options to further customize the users’ permissions:
•
Please update me with important service announcements: The user will receive these via
email if the box is checked.
•
Check this box to NOT allow this user to login to the web portal: This setting applies to End
Users only. The End User will not receive the email with their user name and password, and
cannot log in to the online portal; however, they can still be assigned to an extension.
•
Allow this user to set and block the outbound caller id for extensions: An end user can set
or block the outbound caller ID for their extension only. The Super User and Administrators
can edit the outbound caller ID for every extension, regardless of whether or not this box is
checked.
10.When all information has been entered, click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
•
To create another user, click Save and New instead. This saves the current user and
refreshes the page so another user can be created.
Assigning a User to an Extension
Once the users are created, the Super User or an Administrator can assign each user to an
extension:
1. Log in to the online user interface.
2. Click the My Extensions icon on the home page. Alternately, click the Phone System icon at the
top of the page, and Extensions in the left navigation pane.
3. Click an extension, and choose a user from the User Name dropdown list.
•
Please Note: Only previously created users will be listed here.
4. Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page. The selected user will now be able to
log into the user interface and configure his or her extension.
For more information about Creating and Managing Users, check out our Support Site.
Back to Top
Step 3: Extensions
To customize your account’s extensions:
1. Log in to the online user interface.
2. Click the My Extensions icon on the home page. Alternately, click the Phone System icon at the
top of the page, and Extensions in the left navigation pane.
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3. Click the extension you wish to configure.
• Please note: After making any changes, click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the
page.
Extension Number
1. The Extension Number can be changed by clicking in the text box and entering a new number
between two (2) and six (6) digits.
•
Please Note: Your extension number cannot be 911, 411, or 711.
2. Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
•
If the extension number is already in-use on the account, an error message will appear after
clicking Save. A new extension number should be chosen and saved.
User Name
For information about assigning a user to an extension or creating new users, click here.
Direct Dial Number(s)
The direct dial number attached to an extension will send calls directly to the phone(s) associated
with the extension. A direct dial number is assigned to each extension when the account is created.
The Super User and Administrators can rearrange numbers within the account using the Add/
Remove feature. These instructions can be used to move numbers across all features in the
account such as Extensions, Virtual Receptionists, Call Groups, Call Queues, and Conference
Bridges.
To move a number from one extension or feature to another, it must first be Available to assign.
1. To make a number Available click the Add/Remove button to the right of the Direct Dial
Number(s) box.
2. Click the number under the In-Use column, and click the right arrow icon to move it to the
Available column.
3. Click Update in the Add/Remove box, and Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
Now a number is Available to be assigned to another extension or feature.
4. Click Extensions (or another feature) in the left navigation pane.
5. Click on the extension or feature you wish to configure.
6. Click the Add/Remove button to the right of the Direct Dial Number(s) box.
7. Click the number under the Available column, and click the left arrow icon to move it to the InUse column.
8. Click Update in the Add/Remove box, and Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
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Call Continuity Service
Call Continuity Service is a backup number for an extension’s direct dial number. In the event an
extension’s active phone becomes unresponsive (loss of power or internet), calls to this extension
will automatically be rerouted to the specified backup number. We suggest a cell phone or other
backup line. It is very important this feature is configured at your earliest convenience.
• Enter the 10-digit phone number in the field, and click Save in the top or bottom right-hand
side of the page.
7-Digit Dialing
By using a default 3-digit area code, dialing a full 10-digit number for a local call is not necessary.
For example, if your business is located in Atlanta, Georgia, you may choose to use area code 404.
Instead of dialing (404) 123-4567, you can dial 123-4567.
1. Enter the desired Default Area Code for this extension.
•
Please Note: Extension level settings will override any account-level setting. See PBX Settings
for more information.
2. Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
Call Screening and Call Announce
Call Screening allows you to configure your extension so that each call is announced to you using
the recorded name of the caller. Call Announce will play the custom tag associated with the option
the caller chooses. These features are free and automatically available on each Vonage extension
and call group.
1. In the Call Screening section, check the box labeled Enable Call Screening to hear: You have a
call from [Caller Recording].
2. The caller will hear a default message asking Who may I say is calling? Alternately, you may
record a custom message.
3. In the Call Announce section, check the box labeled Enable Call Announce to hear: You have a
call for [Custom Tag].
4. If both Enable Call Screening and Call Announce are selected, You have a call for [Custom Tag]
from [Caller Recording] will play.
5. Check the Screen Menu box to hear call handling options. After the custom tag and/or caller’s
recorded name, the following prompts will play: Press 1 to accept the call, press 2 to send the
caller to voicemail, press 3 to transfer the call by number, press 4 to transfer the call by name.
6. Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
Set Outbound Caller ID
The following options are available under the Set Outbound Caller ID section:
• Extension Caller ID: Choose any number on the account to display for outbound calls.
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If PBX Settings are For all extensions use the default caller ID, the default account caller ID will
override any number chosen here.
• Block Outbound Caller ID: Outbound Caller ID will display Unavailable or a similar value.
•
Checking this box will override any PBX Settings.
• Current Account Caller ID Setting: This displays the current number set for outbound caller ID.
If it is the default account caller ID, it will specify: Using account extension caller ID: (404) 1234567.
Never Miss a Call
The Never Miss a Call section determines how calls to a specific extension are routed. Click the
radio button next to one of four choices:
Send Calls to My Voicemail: The extension will ring for the chosen amount of seconds and go to
voicemail if no one answers.
•
Please Note: Each ring is five (5) seconds long; therefore, a 20 second ring time would be four
(4) rings.
Enable Call Forwarding: Calls will be immediately forwarded to another extension, feature, or
outside number.
1. Click the Enable Call Forwarding radio button.
2. Select the extension or feature where calls should be directed. To add an outside number, select
<Add Personal Number> from the drop down menu.
•
Please Note: The extension must be assigned to a user to forward calls to an outside number.
Enable Follow Me: Up to five handsets or phone numbers will ring in sequential order until the call
is answered. If the call is not answered, it will be routed to the selected voicemail box.
1. Click the Enable Follow Me radio button.
2. Ring this number first: Select This Extension’s Handset to ring the extension first or a different
extension or outside number. Select a Ring Time in the drop-down.
•
Please note: Ringing This Extension’s Handset is only available as the first option in the
sequence.
3. To add more ring destinations, click the green + sign next to Ring Time, and repeat the previous
steps.
4. If no answer, go to voicemail: Select either This Extension’s Voicemail, or the voicemail of
another extension.
•
Important: Like any option in the Never Miss a Call section, the system will carry out the
full ring time selected. If another phone’s voicemail picks up during that time, the call will
be directed to that phone’s voicemail. The system does not differentiate between a person
picking up a call or voicemail picking up a call.
Enable Simultaneous Ring: In addition to the extension, up to five more handsets or phone
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numbers will ring at the same time until the call is answered. If the call is not answered, it will be
routed to the extension’s voicemail box.
1. Click the Enable Simultaneous Ring radio button.
2. Ring Simultaneously: Select another extension or outside number.
3. To add more ring destinations, click the green + sign.
4. Go to Voicemail After: select ring time, with each ring being five (5) seconds.
Do Not Disturb
This option sends calls directly to the extension’s voicemail. By checking the box and clicking Save,
the extension will not ring, the Busy voicemail greeting will play, and the caller can leave a message.
Uncheck the box and click Save to remove Do Not Disturb.
• Important: Setting Do Not Disturb in the portal must be removed in the portal. Setting Do
Not Disturb on the phone itself must be removed from the phone. Do Not Disturb cannot be
activated on the phone and removed in the portal, or vice versa.
Voicemail PIN and Greetings
Each extension on the Vonage system includes a voicemail box. This voicemail box can be
programmed to send voicemail-to-email, as well as play different greetings.
1. Scroll to the Voicemail PIN and Greetings section.
2. Enter a Voicemail PIN. This PIN must be numerical and between 4 and 10 digits.
3. To send your voicemail messages to an email address as an .mp3 attachment, check Send
Voicemail to Email and enter an email address.
•
To add our Voicemail Transcription service and receive the voicemail message transcribed in
the same email, please contact our Customer Care team by calling 866-901-0242.
4. To Delete Voicemail Automatically After Sending to Email, click the checkbox. Voicemails will
only be received via email and not retrievable on the phone or retained in the Vonage Business
system.
5. Checking Play Automatic Voicemail Prompt will play an additional greeting after the recorded
voicemail greeting plays. This greeting says Leave your message at the tone. Press pound (#)
when finished. If you prefer this does not play, uncheck the box.
6. There are four voicemail greetings to configure:
•
Name Greeting: This greeting will only play if the Dial By Name option is set on the Virtual
Receptionist. When a caller is trying to reach you by dialing your first or last name, the
recorded name greeting will play to confirm the caller is reaching the correct party.
•
Unavailable Greeting: This greeting will play if the call is not answered and the phone is not
in-use.
•
Busy Greeting: This greeting will play if a second call comes in while the phone is in-use or on
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Do Not Disturb.
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Vacation Greeting: When the box is checked, this greeting will play in place of the Unavailable
and Busy greeting. To revert to the original Unavailable and Busy greetings, uncheck the box.
7. Click here for recording instructions.
8. Exiting Voicemail Options allows callers to press 4 at any time during a voicemail greeting, and
connect to an extension or outside number of your choice.
•
If this option is selected, remember to include instructions in the voicemail greeting for the
caller.
Device Profile
The Device Profile is used for provisioning (linking) a phone to an extension. To provision a phone:
1. From the Provisioning Model drop down, select the phone model to use with this extension.
2. Enter the MAC address of the phone. The MAC address is 12 alpha-numeric characters, and can
be found on the back of the phone.
3. Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
For more information on Extension Configuration, check out our Support Site.
Back to Top
Step 4: Recording Greetings
Greetings can be recorded, uploaded, and listened to throughout many account features. The
following instructions can be used any time a greeting is needed.
Record a Greeting
1. To record a new greeting, click the red record button.
2. Input a phone number or extension number in the popup box.
3. Click the Dial button and the extension or phone number entered will receive a call. Follow the
system prompts to record your greeting.
4. Once the greeting is saved by pressing 1 on the phone, a recording name will appear in the field
where the recording was saved.
5. Click Save in the upper or lower right-hand corner to implement the greeting.
Upload a Greeting
1. To upload a pre-recorded greeting, click the blue upload button.
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Please Note: The audio file must be in .mp3 or .wav format and can be up to 8 MB in size.
2. Click Browse to find the greeting file and click Open.
3. Click Upload and once the file has finished uploading, click Save in the upper or lower right-hand
corner.
Listen to a Greeting
1. To listen to a greeting, click the green play button.
2. The web-browser will play the recorded or uploaded file.
Back to Top
Step 5: Virtual Receptionists
The Virtual Receptionist is an automated answering system that can be configured with a range
of different options for your inbound calls. This is a free service included with all Vonage Business
accounts, and each account can have as many Virtual Receptionists as needed. Only the Super User
and Account Administrators can make changes to Virtual Receptionists.
•
Please Note: Virtual Receptionists do not come with a phone number.
Important: Since this is a free feature, any calls forwarded from a Virtual Receptionist to a number
outside your Vonage account (i.e. a cell phone) will incur a fee of $.03 per minute for domestic calls,
or the applicable international rate.
Setting Up a Virtual Receptionist
1. Log in to the user interface.
2. Click on the My Receptionists icon on the home page. Alternately, click on the Phone System
icon at the top of the page, and Virtual Receptionists in the left navigation pane.
3. Click on the Virtual Receptionist you wish to configure.
•
To add a new Virtual Receptionist, click Add New in the upper right-hand corner and select
Advanced Virtual Receptionist. When the popup appears click OK.
Configuration Options
Virtual Receptionist Name and Extension
•
Create a name and extension number for your Virtual Receptionist. The name must be no
more than 30 characters and the extension number between two (2) and six (6) digits.
Virtual Receptionist Telephone Numbers
•
The Main Company Number will appear in this box. To assign a different number or add a
number to the Virtual Receptionist, see the Add/Remove section.
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To purchase an additional number for your Virtual Receptionist, please contact Customer
Care by calling 866-901-0242.
Try Live Operator First
To ring an extension, call group, or call queue before any greeting is played:
1. Click Yes, try this extension.
2. Select the desired ring-to party in the drop-down, and set the ring duration. Each ring is about
five (5) seconds, so selecting twenty (20) seconds would be four (4) rings.
3. To skip directly to the Virtual Receptionist Options without ringing anyone first, keep No, go
directly to virtual receptionist selected.
Virtual Receptionist Options
Choose one of the following options:
•
Play a List of Options: Allow callers to choose from a list of options that route to specific
people, departments, or groups. For example, “Press 1 for billing, press 2 for sales, press 3 for
John Smith.” Callers are given their list of options in the greeting recorded in step 5.
•
Forward calls to a single extension: Connect callers to an extension with the option to play a
greeting beforehand. For example, “Thank you for calling ABC Company, please hold while we
connect your call.”
• Forward calls to voicemail: Connect callers to an extension’s voicemail box with the option
of playing a greeting beforehand. You may choose to play the Unavailable or Busy greeting of
the selected mailbox, or record a new greeting.
• Play a greeting and repeat continuously: Play a greeting continuously with the option to dial
an extension.
• Play a greeting once and disconnect: Play a greeting once with the option to dial an
extension. If an extension is not dialed, the call disconnects.
Create Greeting
If you need to create a greeting for one of the above options, this will be under the fifth section
Record Virtual Receptionist Business Hours Message. Please see the Recording Greetings section
for instructions.
After Hours Virtual Receptionist
By default, the Virtual Receptionist will play 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To play a different
greeting or have different options outside of business hours, an After Hours Virtual Receptionist
can be configured.
1. At the top of the page, to the right of Virtual Receptionist Name and Extension, there is a box
that says Virtual Receptionist Schedule.
2. Click Configure separate options for non-business hours.
3. Define your business hours underneath Set Daily Business Hours.
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These hours are based off the time zone for the account, which can be found on the PBX
Settings page.
4. Click the Click here to set up an after-hours Virtual Receptionist link under business hours. This
links to section six (6) where the same options are available for an after-hours message or menu.
Manual Schedule Override
Underneath the Virtual Receptionist Schedule configuration, there is a Manual Schedule Override
checkbox. Checking this box will temporarily override normal Virtual Receptionist settings. An
ending date and time must be selected when setting up a Manual Schedule Override. Choose from
the following options:
Play Business Hours Virtual Receptionist: the Business Hours Virtual Receptionist will be active until
the set ending date and time.
Play Non Business Hours Virtual Receptionist: the After Hours Virtual Receptionist will be active
until the set ending date and time.
Play Different VR or ring to an Extension: Forward your calls to another extension or outside
number.
•
Please note: Calls forwarded via Manual Schedule Override to a number outside the Vonage
Business system will incur a $0.03 per minute charge for domestic calls, or the applicable
international rate.
Play the following message…: Plays a recorded or uploaded message and disconnects the call.
For more information on Virtual Receptionists, check out our Support Site.
Back to Top
Step 6: PBX Settings
To access these settings, click the Phone System icon at the top of the page, and PBX Settings in
the left navigation pane.
• Please note: After making any changes, click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the
page.
Default Time Zone
Select the appropriate time zone from the drop down. The time zone setting will affect features
such as Reporting, Call Recordings, and Virtual Receptionists.
7-Digit Dialing
By using a default 3-digit area code, dialing a full 10-digit number for a local call is not necessary.
For example, if your business is located in Atlanta, Georgia, you may choose to use area code 404.
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Instead of dialing (404) 123-4567, you can dial 123-4567.
•
Please note: Setting the Default Area Code under PBX settings will not override any individual
extension settings. The Default Area Code can be set on a per-extension basis under each
extension’s settings.
Customize Music on Hold
1. Select the Playback Mode (random or sequential) for hold music.
2. To add custom hold music, click Add New Audio File(s).
3. When the pop up appears, click Browse to find the desired audio files.
4. Click Upload.
•
After clicking the Upload button, it may take a couple of minutes to upload the new files.
5. Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
•
To remove the default Hold Music files, click the red X next to the files.
Outbound Caller ID Number
This setting determines what number appears on caller ID when making outbound calls. Select one
of three options:
1. For all extensions use the default caller ID: Caller ID on all outbound calls will show up as the
number that is listed in the Default Caller ID drop down. Any number on the account can be
chosen as the default.
2. For each extension display the direct dial number for the extension: Caller ID on outbound calls
will be the direct dial number assigned to the user’s extension.
3. Block all outbound caller ID: If you select this option, all outbound calls from all extensions will
have an Unavailable or Private caller ID.
Click Save in the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.
To change the outbound caller ID name for your account, please contact Customer Care by calling
866-901-0242.
International Calling
International calls are metered per minute based on the country code dialed. For a list of
international calling rates, click here. To enable International Dialing, the Super User should contact
Customer Care by calling 866-901-0242.
For more information about PBX Settings, check out our Support Site.
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Step 7: Managing Phone Numbers
The Phone Numbers page is a list of all phone numbers on the account. This page is used to
configure Caller ID Codes, Custom Tags, or update a backup number for the Call Continuity Service.
For more information about configuring these services, click here.
Step 8: Billing Information
Our billing portal is where statements are located, new features may be added, credit card
information updated, and current service plans may be viewed.
For more information about billing, click here.
Step 9: e911 Locations
E911 locations are very important to set up and associate with each extension. In the event
emergency services are needed, e911 communicates to the dispatcher the address where the
phone is located.
For more information about our e911 services, click here.
Back to Top
Additional Features
Vonage Business offers many additional features to enhance your business phone system. More
information about the following features may be found by clicking the links:
Company Call Recording
On-Demand Call Recording
Call Monitoring
Conference Bridges
Call Groups
Paging Groups
Call Queues
Paperless Fax
Reports
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