Call queues
A queue holds callers when nobody is free, keeps them informed while they wait, and distributes them to agents by strategy — with callbacks as an escape hatch for callers who'd rather not hold.
Creating a queue
Admin → Call Distribution → Add Queue. Set the virtual extension (fixed once created), name, and on the Users tab add agents (who take calls) and supervisors (who receive the queue's email notifications and typically watch it on the operator panel).
Agents, login/logout and wrap-up
Queues only ring logged-in agents. Agents log in and out from the web client, by dial code from any phone (see dial codes), or via a provisioned Agent Login key on their desk phone. After each call, wrap-up time (default 2 seconds, up to 600) holds new queue calls off the agent so there's room to finish notes.
Distribution strategies
The polling strategy decides who rings:
| Strategy | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Ring All (default) | Everyone free rings at once |
| Hunt / Hunt with random start | Fixed order, or rotating start for fairness |
| Next Agent | Round-robin |
| Longest Waiting | Whoever has been idle longest |
| Least Talk Time / Fewest Answered | Balance by load rather than idleness |
| Hunt by threes | Escalating waves of three |
| Skill-based variants | Prefer higher-skilled agents, fall back outward |
Ring time (default 30 seconds) bounds each attempt before the strategy moves on.
What callers hear
The Options tab controls the caller experience: queue language for system prompts, hold music, an intro prompt before agents ring, periodic comfort prompts (configurable interval), and announcements of queue position or estimated wait time. All the audio is replaceable per queue, drawn from the shared audio prompts and music on hold libraries.
Queue callbacks
Instead of holding, a caller can keep their place and be called back when it's their turn. Callbacks trigger on caller request (press a key), automatically after a timeout, or on request after an announcement offers it. The system dials the caller back over your trunks (optionally with an outbound prefix) and bridges the next agent. Supervisors can be emailed when a callback is made or fails.
Each callback's real outcome is tracked — whether the customer actually answered (and how long it rang) or didn't answer, distinct from a callback that couldn't be placed at all. The Queue Callbacks and Queue Failed Callbacks reports (Admin → Reports) show this, so "we called them back" isn't mistaken for "we reached them".
Timeouts and overflow
Max queue wait (default 30 minutes) caps how long anyone holds; max callers caps queue depth (0 = unlimited). When either trips — or outside office hours, which queues honor with their own closed/break/holiday overrides — the call goes to the no-answer/overflow destination: extension, voicemail, another queue, IVR or an external number.
Service level and supervision
Set an SLA time (answer-within-N-seconds) and the queue tracks it: breaches can email supervisors, and the wallboard shows live SLA, waiting, answered/abandoned and agent states. Live supervision — listen, whisper, barge — happens from the operator panel, governed by group permissions. Queue calls can also be recorded, with opt-in/opt-out prompts if you need caller consent.