Overview
Purpose
Call queues manage waiting callers and distribute them to available agents using intelligent routing strategies. Essential for call centers, support teams, and any high-volume call handling environment.
Queue Configuration
Required Configuration:
- Queue name and extension
- Ring strategy (Ring All, Least Recent, Fewest Calls, Random, Round Robin)
- Maximum wait time
- Agent timeout
Queue Strategies:
- Ring All: All available agents ring
- Least Recent: Route to agent idle longest
- Fewest Calls: Route to agent with fewest calls
- Random: Random agent selection
- Round Robin: Rotate through agents in order
Agent Configuration:
- Static members (always in queue)
- Dynamic members (login/logout)
- Agent priorities
- Penalty values
- Ring timeout per agent
Agent States:
- Available
- On Call
- Paused
- Unavailable
- Logged Out
Queue Behavior:
- Music on Hold: Audio while waiting
- Periodic Announcements: Position updates, wait time estimates
- Maximum Wait Time: Auto-route after X seconds
- Caller Priority: VIP caller handling
- Callback Option: Offer callback instead of waiting
- Max Queue Length: Limit waiting callers
Announcements:
- Welcome message
- Position in queue
- Estimated wait time
- Comfort messages
- Overflow handling
Operator Panel Access:
- View queue statistics
- Monitor agent status
- Listen to calls
- Barge/Whisper
- Force agent pause/unpause
- View waiting callers
Supervisor Functions:
- Real-time monitoring
- Agent management
- Queue adjustments
- Report access
Agent Management
Agent Login/Logout
Agents use feature codes to login (*75) and logout (*76) of queues dynamically.
Agent Actions:
- Login to queue
- Logout from queue
- Pause (break, lunch, meeting)
- Unpause (return to available)
- Set pause reason
Pause Reasons:
- Break
- Lunch
- Meeting
- Training
- Admin work
Create Queue
Navigate to Queues
Go to Call Features > Queues
Configure Basic Settings
- Queue name
- Extension number
- Ring strategy
- Agent timeout (15-30 seconds)
- Max wait time (5-10 minutes)
Add Queue Members
Select agents (extensions) to add to queue.
Configure:
- Static vs dynamic membership
- Agent priorities
- Ring order/penalties
Set Queue Preferences
- Upload music on hold
- Record announcements
- Configure periodic announcements
- Set max callers
- Enable callback option
Configure Failover
Set destination if:
- Queue full
- Max wait time exceeded
- No agents available
- After hours
Queue Statistics
Monitor queue performance:
- Calls answered
- Average wait time
- Abandoned calls
- Service level (% answered within X seconds)
- Agent statistics
Related Topics
- Ring Groups: Simpler team calling
- Call Recording: Record queue calls
- Operator Panel: Monitor queues