Private telephone groups allow you to schedule phone calls with invited participants at specific dates and times. This guide walks you through creating a new private telephone group session with customizable options and participant settings.

## Prerequisites

- You must have an active account with private groups feature enabled
- You should have contacts added to your account (facilitators and service users)

## Steps

### Step 1: Navigate to the Groups page and start creating a new group

From your dashboard, go to the Groups section. Click the orange 'New Group' button in the top right corner to open a dropdown menu. From the dropdown options, select 'Private Telephone Group' to begin setting up your scheduled phone call.

![Navigate to the Groups page and start creating a new group](https://help.together.ly/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NzYsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--ca077f498dd96106560cb3c678205941350ba4ed/step_0.png)

### Step 2: Enter the session details

Fill in the basic information for your telephone group. Provide a descriptive session title (e.g., 'Virtual coffee morning'). Select the date when the call should take place, ensuring it's in the future. Choose a start time from the dropdown menu in 15-minute intervals. Set the duration of the call, from 15 minutes up to 3 hours. Finally, choose the frequency: either a single session or recurring options (weekly, every 2-4 weeks, or monthly).

![Enter the session details](https://help.together.ly/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NzcsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--9f078fe988553ab9baa881ba8ff70e926d8fd4fd/step_1.png)

### Step 3: Configure session options

Customize how your telephone group will behave. Toggle 'Play a sound when participants join and leave' to enable or disable join beeps. If your account has recording enabled, you can choose to 'Record the audio of the session' for later review. Use the 'Have service users join muted' option to start the call with all service users muted, giving facilitators better control at the beginning of the session.

### Step 4: Add facilitators and service users

Add participants to your session. Click 'Add a facilitator' to select team members who will lead the call. For each facilitator, choose how they'll join (dial-in, automatic call, or online). Then click 'Add a service user' to invite participants. For each service user, select their joining method: the facilitator can initiate the call through Togetherly, they can dial in at the start time using the provided phone number, they can receive an automatic call at the start time, or if it's a video session, they can join online with video. You can add multiple facilitators and service users, and remove any by clicking the X button next to their name.

### Step 5: Review and create the session

Once all details are entered and participants are added, scroll to the bottom of the page. Review your settings to ensure everything is correct. Click the 'Create session' button to save your private telephone group. The session will now appear on your Groups calendar, and participants will be notified according to their joining preferences. If the session is recurring, multiple instances will be created based on your selected frequency.

## Tips

- Set up recurring sessions for regular check-ins or support groups to save time on scheduling
- Use the automatic dial-out option for service users who may forget to call in or need assistance joining
- Enable 'start muted' for larger groups to reduce background noise at the beginning of the call

## Summary

You've successfully created a private telephone group with customized scheduling, options, and participants. The system will handle call initiation based on each participant's joining preferences, and you can manage the session from your Groups calendar.