What handling several calls at once means
A receptionist takes one call and the rest wait or hear the engaged tone. Your agent does not have that limit. If three people call at the same moment, it answers all three, and each one gets its own conversation, as if you had three receptionists.
What it does have is a ceiling, the number of calls your account can carry at the same time. Below that ceiling nobody waits. Above it, the extra call does not get in, which is why it pays to know yours.
Picture a professional association on the day it opens registration for a course. For weeks the phone barely rings, and that morning, at nine, six phones ring at once. That is the day that matters.
How many your plan gives you
On a plan, simultaneous calls come with it. Starter handles 2 at once, Essential 5, Professional 10 and Advanced 15. You can see it in Settings, Subscription, in the plans table, on the Simultaneous calls row. While you are trying Lera, before you pick a plan, your account handles up to 5.
To get more, you move up a plan. Upgrading is immediate, so if you know a peak is coming you can do it before that day, and move down afterwards, which takes effect at the end of the month you have already paid. If the top plan falls short, we talk it through and look at a custom agreement.
On pay as you go, which is how partners and contract accounts pay, you get 5 per account. If you need more, ask us and we raise them, with no fee. For a partner, those calls belong to the whole account and all its clients share them. Each client can be given a cap on their sheet, under Limits, Calls at once, and that cap is free.
What counts as a call at once
Every call on your account that is live at that moment counts. Calls coming in by phone, calls your agent makes, calls from your website and the audio tests you run from the dashboard. If you have several agents, they all count together, because the ceiling belongs to the account, not to each agent.
Chat does not count. A chat agent answers in writing and takes up no line.
If your agent also makes calls or answers on your website, a batch of outbound calls could leave the phone without a line just when a customer rings. To prevent that, an Administrator can ask Maite to keep some lines for the phone. From then on, outbound calls, the website and dashboard tests cannot take them.
And if you want to know where you stand at any moment, ask Maite how many calls are live and how many lines you have free.
What happens to the call that does not fit
There is no queue. When every line is busy, the incoming call does not wait for one to free up.
The call is not answered. It does not keep ringing or sit in silence, it ends, and it is logged in your Call history so you know it happened.
A call from your website works much the same way, and the visitor sees that the assistant is not available right now. An outbound call with no free line is not dialled, and your system is told there are no lines left.
How to get ready for a peak
If you know when the busy days are coming, such as a registration, a membership renewal or the first day of a sale, get ready beforehand. Compare how many simultaneous calls your plan gives you with how many people you expect first thing.
If you fall short, move up a plan before that day. If you are on pay as you go, ask us for more in good time.
If the peak is very large, tell us in advance. The Lera team gets it ready with you and, if a custom agreement is needed, we give you a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How many calls at once does my agent handle? As many as your plan says, from 2 on Starter to 15 on Advanced. On pay as you go, 5 per account, and more if you ask us.
Does it cost anything to have more simultaneous calls? On a plan, they come with the plan, and to get more you move up to the next one. On pay as you go, raising them carries no fee.
Does chat count? No. Only calls count, phone calls, calls your agent makes, calls from your website and dashboard audio tests.
Do calls wait in a queue? No. The extra call is not answered and shows up in your history.
Can several agents answer at once? Yes, and they count together. The ceiling belongs to the account, not to each agent.
How much does it cost to try? €20 free credit, no card needed. While you are trying Lera, before you pick a plan, your account handles up to 5 calls at once.