Hold a caller properly, or tell them not to hold.

A queue is a different object from a ring group because waiting is a different problem from ringing. The hard questions are all about the caller who is not being answered: how long they wait, what they hear, and where they end up when waiting stops being reasonable.

What the call does

  1. inCall arrives
  2. step 1Queue
  3. step 2Agent answers
  4. answeredOverflow to voicemail
Call queues: Call arrives → Queue → Agent answers → Overflow to voicemail.

Every queue says where a waiting caller ends up

Every queue requires an overflow destination and a destination for when no agent is logged in. You cannot save a queue that drops a caller into silence.

  • Hold music, and announcements for position in line or expected wait
  • A maximum wait and a maximum number of waiting callers
  • An overflow destination, required, defaulting to the site voicemail box
  • A separate destination for when nobody is logged in, which is a different failure from being busy

Agents log in and out

Being in a queue is a state, not a permanent property of a person. An agent logs in when their shift starts, and the queue knows the difference between nobody available and nobody there.

The report is on the queue

Each queue links straight to its own filtered report: answered, abandoned, average wait, longest wait. Nobody goes hunting in a separate analytics product to find out whether the queue is working.

Drawn, not filmed

A caller waiting, then answered

The call reaches the queue, holds its place in line, and goes to the first agent free.

A call, routedYour main number rings. The attendant offers sales, service and accounts; the caller presses two. The call waits in the service queue until an agent is free, and the agent answers.

Simple by default, detailed when you ask

Most people never open the second column. It is one click away rather than spread across the first.

Simple mode

  • Members, hold music, a maximum wait, and where the call goes when that wait is reached
  • A live view of who is logged in and how many callers are waiting

Advanced mode

  • Priority queues and skills-based routing
  • Callback instead of holding
  • Wallboard output for a shared screen

On every plan

This is included whichever plan you are on, with no add-on and no module to enable. Plans differ by how calls are distributed and how long the history is kept.