Glossary

What is find me/follow me?

Find me/follow me is a calling feature that rings a defined sequence of your phones and devices — one after another — until you answer, so a single business number can reach you wherever you are. A call to your desk line can ring the desk app for a few seconds, then your mobile, then a colleague, then voicemail, all from the caller dialing one number.

It is the personal-routing cousin of call forwarding: instead of sending every call to one other place, it follows you across the devices you actually use during the day.

Find me vs. follow me

The two halves describe slightly different behaviors that are usually bundled:

Find me — the system tries to locate you by ringing multiple destinations, either in sequence or all at once, when a call comes in.
Follow me — your reachable destinations change by context (time of day, schedule), so calls “follow” you from office to mobile to home as your day moves.

In practice, modern cloud systems combine them into one rule: an ordered list of destinations with ring durations and a schedule.

How find me/follow me works

A call arrives at your business number or extension.
The system rings the first destination (e.g., desk softphone) for a set number of seconds.
If unanswered, it rings the next (e.g., mobile app), then the next (e.g., a colleague or personal cell).
If the whole sequence goes unanswered, it lands on the fallback — voicemail, an AI receptionist, or a hunt group.

You configure the order, the ring time per step, and the schedule — all as software settings, no hardware.

Find me/follow me vs. ring group

A ring group rings several people so a team call gets answered by anyone. Find me/follow me rings your own sequence of devices so you get reached wherever you are. One is about team coverage; the other is about personal reachability. Many setups use both — find me/follow me for an individual, falling back to a ring group or queue for the team.

Who uses it

Mobile professionals — consultants, agents, field reps who move between desk, car, and site.
Solo operators and small teams — one published number that always reaches the owner.
Executives — desk first, then assistant, then mobile, in a controlled order.
On-call rotations — sequential ringing through an on-call list after hours.

Common questions

What is the difference between find me/follow me and call forwarding?

Call forwarding sends calls to one alternate destination. Find me/follow me rings a sequence of destinations in order until one answers — desk, then mobile, then a colleague, then voicemail. Forwarding is “send my calls there”; find me/follow me is “try me everywhere, in this order.” Both are configured in the phone system, and find me/follow me is essentially smart, multi-step forwarding.

Does find me/follow me ring devices one at a time or all at once?

Either, depending on configuration. Sequential mode rings destinations in order with a set ring time each — useful when you want the desk tried before your personal mobile. Simultaneous mode rings several at once so you answer on whichever device is handy. Many people use a hybrid: desk and laptop together first, then mobile.

Can find me/follow me ring my personal cell phone?

Yes. A common setup rings your desk app first, then forwards to your personal mobile if you don’t pick up — so you stay reachable on your business number without giving out your cell. Calls still show as coming through the business line, and you can cap the sequence with voicemail or an AI receptionist so personal numbers aren’t the final destination.

Is find me/follow me the same as a softphone?

No. A softphone is the app that turns a device into a phone; find me/follow me is the routing rule that decides which devices ring and in what order. They work together — find me/follow me might ring your desktop softphone, then your mobile softphone, then a forwarded number.

See DialPhone call handling

AI business phone system → · Call forwarding → · Pricing →

Call forwarding — single-destination redirect
Ring group — ring a team, not your own devices
Hunt group — sequential ringing through members
Call routing — the broader rules engine