8x8 | ElevenLabs Documentation

8x8 has no direct connection to Reception.ai, so you connect it with call forwarding. Your receptionist answers on its own Reception.ai number, and a forwarding rule on your 8x8 extension sends calls to it. Callers keep dialing your 8x8 number.

First, go to Receptionists, select the Phone tile, and get a number. See Phone numbers.

8x8 forwards a number only when it’s assigned to a licensed user. A direct number without a user, or a user without a license, has no forwarding rules. To forward your main number, assign it to a user, or forward from an auto attendant menu option.

Set a forwarding rule

Open the user’s forwarding rules

In the 8x8 Admin Console, select Users, then the Edit (pencil) icon next to the extension. Select Call forwarding rules, then Edit.

Choose when the receptionist answers

Pick the scenario and enter your receptionist’s number as an external number, including the country code (for example, +14155550123):

Scenario	Destination
Forward all Calls	Selected User or Service, then the receptionist’s number
When User does not Answer the Call	Set the ring time in seconds, then Forward Directly To the receptionist
When User is Busy	Selected Users or External Numbers or Forward Directly To
When Internet Connection is Down	The receptionist’s number, so calls are answered during an outage

Save

Select Save, then save the user profile.

Forward after hours

Admins can add a new rule with a time condition. Set Time to Recurring Schedule for the hours outside your business hours, and forward those calls to your receptionist’s number. Set Callers to Anyone.

Ring groups have the same scenarios, such as When no one in ring group answers, so you can forward a group’s unanswered calls to the receptionist too.

What to know

Caller ID: 8x8 shows the caller’s number exactly as it reached 8x8, and you can’t change it. Your receptionist sees the caller’s number and can recognize returning callers.
No return to 8x8 voicemail: Once 8x8 forwards a call, it doesn’t come back to your 8x8 voicemail. Your receptionist handles the call from there.
Costs: Ask your 8x8 account team whether your plan charges for calls forwarded to outside numbers.

Test it

Call your 8x8 number from another phone at a time when the rule you set applies. Check that your receptionist answers, then open Inbox and confirm the conversation shows your phone’s number. See Testing.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
There’s no Call forwarding rules option	Assign the number to a user and give that user a license.
Calls never reach the receptionist	Call the receptionist’s number directly. If that works, check that the external number includes the country code.
Unanswered calls go to voicemail instead	Check the ring time in When User does not Answer the Call, and that its destination is the receptionist, not Voicemail.
Callers are asked to press a key before the receptionist answers	Spam protection asks callers whose number isn’t verified to press a key. Forwarded calls can arrive unverified. Turn it off if this affects real callers.