--- title: "Departments FAQs" slug: "departments-faqs" tags: ["ai voice", "create department", "department call routing", "dialpad talk", "ivr for departments", "manage a department"] updated: 2025-05-29T21:56:24Z published: 2025-05-29T21:56:24Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.dialpad.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Department FAQs Let's cover some of the most common questions around departments. ## How many departments can I create? That depends on your [Dialpad Connect plan](https://www.dialpad.com/pricing/): ## Why are Department recordings ending up in my operators' inboxes? If [call recording isn't enabled](/v1/docs/enable-office-wide-call-recording) on your Department line (contact our Sales Team to [upgrade](https://dialpad.com/pricing)), inbound and outbound recorded calls will be routed to the inbox of the operator who handled the call rather than directly to the admin. To have recordings route to Department Admins only, go to your **Dialpad Admin Settings.** 1. Select **Departments** 2. Navigate to **Advanced Settings** 3. Navigate to **Call Recording** 4. Check the '**allow call recording**' option and select custom recording automated response Now, when a call is recorded, only the department admin can access the recording displayed under **Recordings** within their department inbox. ## How does my Department's time zone affect calls? Your Department's timezone affects the timestamp for incoming Department calls. However, this is not reflected in your Department's analytics. By default, analytics use your office's timezone to keep reporting consistent across the board. ## I've set my business hours, but I'm not receiving calls — why? Make sure that you've [checked your timezone](/v1/docs/set-your-office-timezone) — by default, this is set to**Pacific Time**. You'll also want to double-check that your operators haven't set themselves to [Do Not Disturb mode](/v1/docs/set-do-not-disturb-mode). To check which operators are available, go to the Department and select the **Operators** tab. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/view-operators.png) ## Can I send a group message to our Main Line or Department? No, group chats can only be sent to/from your primary Dialpad number. In addition, you'll see that department chats do not display the operator's name — this is the default setting as these chats are meant to be used for external communications rather than between team members. ## Why am I getting a press 1 prompt on Department/Main Line calls? By default, Dialpad will ask for a **Press 1** prompt for any Department or Office calls that fan out to operators answering on their mobile devices. Read [this article](/v1/docs/add-a-forwarding-prompt) to learn how to add a different forwarding prompt. ## Does Dialpad support circular call routing between Departments? While you can route callers from one Department to the next, circular call routing is not currently supported in Dialpad. But what do we mean when we say circular call routing? Let's take a look at the example below: 1. John calls Department A 1. No operator answers the call 2. The secondary call handling option is set to forward to another department: Department B 1. John is routed to Department B 2. No operator answers the call 3. Secondary call handling option set to forward to another Department: Department A 1. John is routed back to Department A Since this isn't supported in Dialpad, once your caller is routed to your second department and no operators answer, [they'll be routed to your department's voicemail](/v1/docs/#directly-to-voicemail) (another reason to ensure you've set that up before sharing the number). ## Why do some of my calls go straight to voicemail? If two calls come in at **exactly** the same time, one call will ring out to the user or operator, and the other call will go straight to voicemail. To avoid this, if you want to operate a call queue, instead of using a Department, add a [Contact Center](/v1/docs/manage-a-contact-center) instead. ## Why do I see a Department in my app that isn’t in the admin portal? This is due to an [Executive Assistant pairing](/v1/docs/assign-executive-assistant-pairings). If you are assigned as an assistant, your [Executive’s inbox](/v1/docs/working-as-an-executive-assistant#exec-inbox) will appear under your app's Departments. ## If I place an outbound call from a Department that doesn't have a caller ID, what number shows up? If a Department doesn't have a direct number, outbound calls will default to the mainline number. To set a number for your Department, go to the Department, navigate to Phone Number(s), and select **Add a number.** ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/0f28ad44-2863-4372-a27e-c6728808d742/Images/Documentation/add-department-number.png) Easily add a number from your Admin Settings. Once a number is added, operators will see the Caller ID noted when they place a Department call. ## Related - [Working as an Operator](/working-as-an-operator.md) - [Create a Department](/create-a-department.md) - [Working as a Department Administrator](/working-as-a-department-administrator.md)