This feature list defines Nextiva voice features and provides use cases and examples. Not all features are included with every voice plan – see sales for assistance.
For NextivaONE features, click here.
For Nextiva Voice Analytics features, click here.
You can enter an account code before or during a call to track it and tie it to the caller. (*Requires advanced setup assistance.)
Track time spent on a call and register the time to a client (i.e., attorney, doctor, accountant).
Administrator (see also roles)
Every account has at least one primary administrator – most commonly the person who started the Nextiva account. Others can be designated as administrators, and with NextOS roles, admin controls what users may access, view, and edit.
Limit what certain users or teams can see within NextOS, such as billing details, for example. You can also create custom roles to limit administrators’ abilities, such as creating/editing users or call flows, so these functions aren’t easily changed or broken.
Alternate numbers
Assign one or multiple additional numbers or extensions to a user’s primary number, Team/call group, or Call Flow/Auto Attendant.
For example, this is a great feature when you want to track marketing campaigns. Assign a unique number to your Call Flow, and measure call metrics to that number to determine success.
Anonymous rejection
Reject calls that do not have caller ID showing (from callers who intentionally block the display of their phone number).
Reduces spam calls by forcing callers to show ID.
Auto attendant (see also call flow builder) aka call flow, call tree, caller menu, IVR
An auto attendant allows incoming calls to be transferred automatically to the extension the caller chooses without the need for a physical receptionist.
Better route callers to employees or departments. For example, callers can choose to press 1 for sales, 2 for support, etc., including the ability to dial by extension or by name.
Barge-in
You can join aka start a 3-way call instantly with barge in (on any active call). Barge-In can be used across locations. *33 barge in.
Help coach a sales rep close a deal. De-escalate a caller needing extra while on a support call.
Busy Lamp Field
Allow users to see whether or not other users are on their phones. Once configured, line keys on the phone display the names of the selected users, and the line key will light up to show when those users are receiving and/or on a call.
This feature is commonly used by administrative assistants for smooth call transfers and call center managers to monitor their employees.
Call flow (see also auto attendant) aka call flow, call tree, caller menu, IVR
A call flow allows incoming calls to be transferred automatically to the extension the caller chooses without the need for a physical receptionist.
Better route callers to employees or departments. For example, callers can choose to press 1 for sales, 2 for support, etc., including the ability to dial by extension or by name.
Call flow builder (NextOS)
With our easy-to-use set up wizard for call flows, add menus for callers and customize the call flow to fit your business needs best.
Route calls based on set days and times, specify where they get routed, and what happens if the call goes unanswered using visual call flow boards.
Call forwarding
Call forwarding redirects incoming calls to another number, providing the flexibility to receive calls anywhere. With call forwarding, you can specify which calls to forward, when they need to be forwarded, and where to forward them. You can also forward numbers assigned to a Team/call group, or call flow/auto attendant.
When calls can’t be answered it’s best to forward to alternate numbers instead of voicemail, if possible.
Call forward always
Automatically forward all incoming calls to a specified number, extension, or any voicemail box. *72 call forward always activate. *73 call forward always deactivate.
When calls can’t be answered, such as during lunch, after hours, or vacation days, it’s best to forward to alternate numbers instead of voicemail, if possible.
Call forward busy
When you’re on another call or your phone is set to do not disturb, forward all incoming calls to a specified number, extension, or any voicemail box. *90 call forward busy activate. *91 call forward busy deactivate.
Allow incoming calls to reach someone else or be forwarded to a different voicemail where messages can be retrieved at a more convenient time or by another team member.
Call forward selective
When predetermined conditions are met, forward certain incoming calls (which you specify) to a selected number, extension, or any voicemail box. (*Requires set up of a schedule.)
This feature is excellent for those who want screen calls to route to a particular number, for a marketing campaign, for example.
Additionally, set up forwarding based on predetermined holidays and events, giving you the flexibility to forward calls on a schedule.
Call forward unanswered
Forward all incoming calls to a different number, extension, or any voicemail box if not answered within a specified number of rings. *92 call forward unanswered activate. *93 call forward unanswered deactivate.
To better avoid calls going to voicemail, this is a great feature if you prefer calls to be answered by a receptionist, assistant, or co-worker.
Call forward unreachable
Forward all incoming calls to another number when the phone is offline. It’s best to forward calls to a different calling network, if possible. This is typically used when the Internet becomes unavailable or the power goes out. *94 call forward unreachable activate. *95 call forward unreachable deactivate.
Highly recommend setting up this feature for all users as it will act as a safety net for your phone service.
Call group (see also team) aka hunt group, ring group, phone tree
Ring a group or team when a phone number or extension is dialed, such as a support or sales team. Ring agents in any order or everyone at once.
Better avoid callers going to voicemail or dropping before reaching you and your team(s).
Call history (see also Voice Analytics)
Track total calls, inbound, outbound, and missed calls from the recent past. It also shows basics about the caller and receiver, the date and time, and the total duration of the call.
Call back calls you missed, export call records, track basic call details. Add Voice Analytics for more in-depth trend insight.
Call me now
Visitors to your website can click a web-based link or icon to initiate a call to any of your Nextiva numbers. (*Requires advanced set up assistance.)
Better improve how you capture leads or assist customers who visit your website.
Call notify
Sends you an email notification when you receive a call that meets predefined criteria (for example, from a specified phone number).
Get an email whenever your boss calls your number, even if a voicemail is not left.
Call park
Call park lets you place a call on hold, which can be picked up at any other phone in the office. (*Requires set-up assistance.) *68 call park. *88 call park retrieve.
Park calls at another user’s extension so they can finish the call they’re on first. The caller hears music until the intended recipient retrieves the call.
Park calls against a team so it may be answered as fast as possible.
Call park orbital (see also call park)
Call park lets you place a call on hold, which can be picked up at any other phone in the office. Adding an “orbital” license creates a unique extension we can use to see calls parked via the desktop phones visually. To park a call, hit transfer and the call park orbital button on the phone. (*Requires set-up assistance.)
A lot of employees prefer to have a button on their phone they can use to park callers while they hold. If all phones share this button, pick up parked calls from any phone.
Call pickup aka directed call pickup
Answer someone else’s phone when it’s ringing nearby.
Help out a teammate who is away from their desk. Better ensure fewer calls are missed.
Call pull (see also Nextiva Mobile)
Move your current call to your mobile app using call pull. Easily switch back and forth across your Nextiva devices. *11 call pull.
Great if you’re always on the move. Take the call with you, and move it back to your desktop phone or NextivaONE app when you get back to the office.
Call queue
Ring a group or team when a phone number or extension is dialed, such as a support or sales team. If all agents are busy, callers wait in line until someone is available. Callers hear music on hold instead of ringing. Agents can be delivered calls in any order or everyone at once.
Miss less calls and buy time to answer calls and let callers hear music or custom advertisements while they wait.
Call recording
Record all incoming and outgoing calls and set up call recording announcements to inform the caller they’re being recorded. All recordings are archived for up to six months and are easily accessed and downloaded using the Nextiva Call Recording application. Please be aware of the call recording laws in your area. (*Requires set-up assistance.)
Across the board, most businesses will benefit from recording and reviewing calls – both internal and with customers. Great for quality assurance. May be required by some industries.
Call transfer (blind)
A blind transfer (unattended) allows users to send calls to an alternate extension or phone number without waiting for an answer or confirming the availability of the receiving party.
Quickly reroute a caller who picked the wrong department from the call flow.
Call transfer (warm)
A warm transfer (attended) allows users to speak privately with the receiving party before transferring the call. A warm transfer also confirms the availability of the receiving party.
Route a caller to a supervisor and discuss the issue details with him/her before transferring the upset caller, to prevent them from having to repeat the request.
Call waiting
Receive additional calls while on an active call by enabling call waiting. *43 call waiting activation.
Some people prefer to leave this turned off, especially for call center agents or the executive team.
Caller ID
Caller ID attaches up to 15 characters that show along with your number on outbound calls.
Show your business name or personal call details for better answer rates.
Calling line ID blocking override
Allows you to see the Caller ID information from callers, even if they have attempted to block you from seeing it.
Better avoid spam callers.
Conference call aka conference bridge, dial-in number
Set up group calls using one or more conference bridges with unique dial-in numbers, up to 250.
This is a great way to connect multiple callers (internal and external) from any location into the same call.
Custom group ringback
Instead of ringing, customize music or a recording callers hear while waiting for your group to answer the phone.
Add custom messaging your callers hear to advertise specials or advise of changes, for example.
Custom ringback
Instead of ringing, customize music or a recording callers hear while waiting for you to answer the phone.
Have callers listen to your favorite song instead of hearing ringing, buying you a little time to grab the call.
Dial-by-name directory
When setting up a call flow/auto attendant, you can add an option such as “press 3 for a dial by name directory.” This will move the caller to the automated menu where they can type in the name of the person they want to reach.
Enable your callers to find the right extension without having to be routed to the wrong phone and then transferred.
Direct dial (see also phone number, extension)
Any user, team, or call flow can be assigned a local or toll-free phone number for direct external access to that extension.
Most sales teams are set up so every agent has a phone number. Potential clients are able to reach the agent directly without having to call into an auto attendant or other means.
Do not disturb
Automatically forward all the user’s incoming calls to voicemail. The caller hears no rings, just the user’s voicemail message. If no voicemail is configured, the caller will hear a busy tone instead.
When you’d rather not receive calls or messages (in NextivaONE), activate Do not disturb within team presence. Callers will be redirected depending on your call forward busy setup.
The emergency location (E911) is the address that the emergency dispatcher sees in the event the user places an emergency call.
If users work remotely, it’s recommended to enter the user’s home address as the user’s emergency location.
Extension (see also phone number, direct dial)
Every user, team, and call flow is assigned an extension number for quicker internal calling. This also identifies them in the directory. NOTE: A direct dial phone number is not required unless external callers want to reach the extension without dialing into an auto attendant first.
If you need to transfer a call to another user you can use their extension number instead of dialing a phone number.
Extension dialing
You can determine the number of digits your groups’ extensions will have, 2-6.
Keep your existing extensions in place no matter how long or short.
Feature Access Codes
Feature access codes are star commands that Users can enter through the assigned device to activate or deactivate feature settings. These codes are the same for all device models and manufacturers.
Examples:
*50 – Push to Talk (intercom)
*72 – Call Forward Always – Activate
*73 – Call Forward Always – Deactivate
*78 – Do Not Disturb – Activate
*79 – Do Not Disturb – Deactivate
*86 – Retrieve Voicemail
Greetings
Custom greetings can be added to auto attendants/ call flows, as well as user voicemail boxes and even music on hold. Within NextOS, greetings can be recorded directly in the portal, by dialing into the voicemail box, or files can be uploaded.
Create an experience all your own for your callers.
Group paging
Call out to a group of phones and instantly speak to them all at once. Dial a paging extension you set up, just like a group intercom.
Replace overhead paging systems and use the phones to call back to a warehouse, share an announcement, or make a request to a back of the house team, for example.
Group pickup
Allows a user to answer a ringing phone within a predefined group of phones.
Great for backup help during high-volume call times – answer any ringing phone assigned to your group pickup team.
Hide caller ID
Prevent others from seeing your caller ID info when you call them.
Keep your caller ID private.
Hoteling guest
Allow multiple users to share “Hotel host” phones but maintain individual profiles, stats, and phone numbers.
Great for multiple shifts.
Hoteling host
Designate a phone as a host, which allows other users or “hoteling guests” to use the phone but maintain individual profiles, stats, and phone numbers.
Great for multiple shifts.
Intercept user
Prevent a phone number from receiving calls.
As an assistant, for example, intercept calls to your boss while she’s in a meeting.
International calling
Allow/disable the ability to make outbound calls to other countries. US and Canada calling is included and doesn’t incur international calling rates.
Locations
Creating locations in allows administrators to set up individual settings for each office, including location voice settings and E911.
When you open multiple locations, it may be a good idea to set up multiple locations in the phone system for easy customization and organization.
Mobile app (Android/iPhone)
Now you can communicate confidently with your customers from anywhere. Nextiva is putting the ways your customers want to interact with you, like calls and texts, in one app. Instantly make a call, send messages, share files, and more — all of which are accessible on the Nextiva mobile app using your Nextiva business phone number.
Send and receive text messages from your business number to any contact you have.
Use your cell phone but use your business number to call your clients.
Music on hold (location)
Allows an administrator to upload an audio file to play for your customers while they are on hold, in queue, or being transferred.
Make a more enjoyable experience for your callers waiting for help.
Music on hold (user)
Play music when the caller is on hold or parked against your phone number.
Personalize what callers to your line hear while they wait.
Make and receive calls from any device, at any location, with only one phone number, one dial plan, one voice mailbox, and a unified set of features.
Allows you to convert a phone, such as your cell phone or home phone, into your orbit of Nextiva phones.
Outgoing calling plan
Allow outbound calls from your group for toll-free and international calling.
Keep user numbers private; great for support or call center agents.
Phone number (see also extensions) aka direct dial
Any user, team, or call flow can be assigned a local or toll-free phone number for direct external access to that extension.
Most sales teams are set up so every agent has a phone number. Potential clients are able to reach the agent directly without having to call into an auto attendant or other means.
Port/porting (see also transferring phone numbers)
Porting (also known as phone number transferring) is the process of moving your phone number away from your old/current provider and moving it to use with a new provider, such as Nextiva.
Your clients know how to get a hold of you through your numbers. Don’t leave your business phone number(s) with your previous provider when you move to Nextiva.
Pre-alerting announcement
Play an announcement to an incoming caller before their call is put through.
If you’re recording calls and would like callers to be aware when they call you, pre-alert them with a custom recording.
Priority alert
Make a phone ring sound differently dependent on the phone number calling you.
Set custom ring patterns for specific VIP callers, leaders, and even personal callers.
Privacy settings
Limit what other employees can see about your availability and block your name from any call directories.
Limit how callers can reach you via directories and even block your team presence settings from other people at your company. This is popular for executives who want advanced privacy.
Push to talk
Set up an intercom quick dial between you and another employee you speak with regularly. The call is immediately initiated on the speaker phone.
Very popular for assistants who need to quickly page their leader often (and vice versa).
Since audio can be one or two-way, this can also be used as a way to page a phone in any other department to announce a call is parked, for example.
Remote office
Allows you to substitute a different phone number, such as mobile, home, or hotel phone, as your business phone number. All calls will route directly to the remote office number once activated.
In a jam, if your only phone option is analog, turn that analog phone into your remote office and accept your inbound calls at the new location.
Roles (for administration access)
Every account has at least one primary administrator – most commonly the person who started the Nextiva account. Others can be designated as administrators, and with NextOS roles, admin controls what users may access, view, and edit.
Limit what certain users or teams can see within NextOS, such as billing details, for example. You can also create custom roles to limit administrators’ abilities, such as creating/editing users or call flows, so these functions aren’t easily changed or broken.
Selective call acceptance
Pre-define criteria to accept calls from specific numbers, even after hours. Phone numbers set up for acceptance will always be able to reach your phone.
This is great to set up if there is someone’s call you never want to miss.
Schedules aka business hours, holiday hours
Automatically reroute callers after hours or on holidays using preconfigured schedules. Assign schedules to call flows, user phones, and teams, and never forget to forward (or turn off forwarding) again.
If you open/close at the same times most days, set a schedule and don’t worry about calls coming in to phones after hours.
Selective call rejection
Block calls based on pre-defined criteria, such as phone number or time of day. Callers hear the message, “The party that you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time.”
As an alternative/complement to do not disturb settings, this is a great way to soft-reject unwanted callers.
Sequential ring
Ring multiple phones or extensions in a sequence when someone calls your number, or after they don’t answer within the pre-defined number of rings.
Let’s say your plumbing business gets a call after hours – ring the night crew one at a time to get the caller assistance, without having to use voicemail.
Use sequential ring on your extension if you have multiple phones in use and want to ensure you never miss a call just because you’re not at your desk.
Shared call appearance
Display an extension on more than one phone for monitoring and easy dialing/transfers.
Often this is used by administrative assistants to monitor and even answer their boss’s line.
NOTE: This feature is used to set up other features, such as call park orbital.
Simultaneous ring
Ring multiple phones or extensions simultaneously when someone calls your number.
If you and a co-worker have similar roles, ring both phones whenever someone calls to better avoid voicemail.
NOTE: The NextivaONE desktop, web, and mobile apps are set up as simultaneous ring automatically.
SMS & MMS (see also text messaging, NextivaONE)
Send and receive text messages via Nextiva applications (NextivaONE desktop, web, and mobile).
Meet your customers in their preferred communication channel.
Speed dial
Save frequently used numbers as speed dial numbers and dial with the press of a few buttons.
No need to remember the numbers you call most.
Team aka call group, hunt group, ring group, phone tree
Ring a group or team when a phone number or extension is dialed, such as a support or sales team. Ring agents in any order or all at once.
Better avoid callers going to voicemail or dropping before reaching you and your team(s).
Team presence (see also NextivaONE and Nextiva Mobile)
Quickly identify the availability of other members of your company using team presence.
Check your boss’s presence on NextivaONE before calling, in case he is busy.
Text messaging (see also SMS/MMS, NextivaONE)
Send and receive text messages via Nextiva applications (NextivaONE desktop, web, and mobile).
Meet your customers in their preferred communication channel.
Transferring phone numbers (see also port/porting)
This is the process of moving your phone number away from your old/current provider and moving it to use with a new provider, such as Nextiva.
Your clients know how to get a hold of you through your numbers. Don’t leave your business phone number(s) with your previous provider when you move to Nextiva.
Three-way calling
Quickly add a third caller into a two-party call for instant conferencing.
Call a teammate to help with a question that comes up while you’re on a call with a customer.
Toll-free calling
One toll-free number is included with some calling plans. Toll-free inbound calls are billed at 2.5 cents per minute.
Toll-free numbers pass the caller’s cost to you, which is great when they’re out of area.
Give your business an added air of business sophistication.
Unlimited calling (US/CAN)
Local and long distance included when your plan includes unlimited calling.
Never pay extra to make calls to US and Canadian numbers.
Unlimited virtual faxing (US)
Turn analog service digital and move faxing online. Most calling plans include one included virtual/online fax number. Nextiva also offers stand-alone faxing options.
Maintaining a fax machine (mechanical, paper, ink, etc) can be very costly. Switch to online faxing and send/receive from any email address (yes, even the one on your cell phone).
User portal
The user (voice) portal, accessed via NextivaONE, is excellent for managing call features and settings, such as mobility, call forwarding, voicemail, messaging, call logs, and more.
Forget to set up forwarding before you left the office? Open up your user portal and access your settings.
Voicemail to email
When you receive a new voicemail, you can be notified via email. You also have the option of having the voicemail message attached to the email as a .wav file, if preferred.
I’d like to receive emails when someone leaves a voicemail for me, so I can forward the email to a team for a call back immediately.
Voicemail transcription (see also NextivaONE)
Voicemails are transcribed and shown next to the voicemail recording within NextivaONE.
Quickly read the voicemail transcription when listening to the message isn’t an option.
Voice Analytics
Learn how you can make faster, better decisions for your business with Nextiva Voice Analytics. Better utilize call history details to learn from past mistakes and look at trends to avoid future mistakes.
Track missed calls, unique callers to your business, talk times, and so much more. Create custom reports to stay tapped in to your business.
Trend Analysis
Analytics lets us examine any period of time and look for trends, such as high call times or days of the week, allowing for better staffing decisions, for example.
Trust data (not just intuition) to make informed business decisions based on call traffic.
Period-over-period
Track calls before and after an event or product release, for example.
Want to see if your advertisement is successful? Track calls before and after release to see if call traffic increased.
Monitoring
Within Analytics (under Monitoring), you’ll find visuals and other dashboard options to promote transparency for employees held to metrics or key performance indicators.
Use one of the existing dashboard options and broadcast on monitors around the office.
Create a custom dashboard for the executive team to monitor multiple metrics simultaneously.
Gamification
Within Analytics (under Monitoring), you’ll find Gamification, often used to infuse competition and promote transparency for employees held to metrics or key performance indicators.
Create a custom gamification board to motivate employees, increase transparency using a ranking system, and add fun competition.
Custom reports
Up to 250 combinations of custom report options. Run reports one-time, or set up reports to run anytime you want and email them out automatically any time of day.
Track metrics without having to log into Analytics.
Send reports every day/week/month/quarter to key stakeholders, automatically.
Advanced call recording & rating
Integrate Nextiva call recording into Voice Analytics call logs. Calls can be listened to, evaluated, emailed out, and rated, all within Analytics.
For example, a manager listens to a call recording saved within Analytics, evaluates it against an advanced call recording question group, and identifies the agent needs coaching.
Calendar
Set and track meeting invites within NextivaONE. Integrate some external calendars with NextivaONE to simplify scheduling.
Invite teammates to attend a meeting using NextivaONE to collaborate in just a few clicks.
Call pop
When receiving a call, a pop-up window will display key caller details and allow you to answer via the pop.
Manage calls directly from NextivaONE instead of other devices.
Contacts (business contacts and teammates)
Within NextivaONE, all internal (teammates) contacts are automatically accessible, and you are able to import your external (business) contacts easily, for a centralized contact list.
Access any contact you need with just a few clicks – no searching spreadsheets or other apps to find business contacts or coworkers.
Files
Share files with contacts or within meeting rooms. All files are searchable and centrally located within NextivaONE.
Can’t find that file someone shared last time you chatted? Never again…
Integrations
NextivaONE has a growing list of integration possibilities, including calendar and contact integration options. More to come.
Integrate other apps you use into NextivaONE to centralize all details.
Messaging
Chat with teammates via NextivaONE. All communications are saved in the All Communications area of the dashboard.
Send chats (or text messages) to any contact in your NextivaONE.
Notes on calls/messages
Add your own notes while on a call or messaging with a teammate (or texting with a contact).
Attach notes with key details about a contact or conversation making it easy to recall later on.
SMS/MMS aka text messaging
Send and receive text messages via Nextiva applications (NextivaONE desktop, web, and mobile).
Meet your customers in their preferred communication channel.
Send chats (or text messages) to any contact in your NextivaONE.
Team Collaboration (aka rooms, conversations)
Create rooms to collaborate and share ideas with multiple teammates.
Quickly send messages or start a group call using audio or video with just a click of a button.
Team presence
Quickly identify the availability of other members of your company using team presence.
Check your boss’s presence on NextivaONE before calling, in case he is busy.
User portal
The user (voice) portal, accessed via NextivaONE, is excellent for managing call features and settings, such as mobility, call forwarding, voicemail, messaging, call logs, and more.
Forget to set up forwarding before you left the office? Open up your user portal and access your settings.
Voicemail transcription
Voicemails are transcribed and shown next to the voicemail recording within NextivaONE.
Quickly read the voicemail transcription when listening to the message isn’t an option.