Call Queues

Queues are used to route callers to a group of agents.  Callers who are routed to a queue will wait on hold for an agent to answer based on a series of rules you define in the queue settings. Queues are available in the following plans: Sales Engage, Enterprise, Growth, and Connect. 

Click here to watch the Queues video walkthrough. 

Queues are highly flexible and customizable routing tools.  At a minimum, a queue must have at least one agent assigned and must be connected to any feature that can route calls to a queue. Callers can be routed to a queue from a tracking number, other queues, voice menu options, smart routers, FormReactor submissions, smart dialers, or no-answer routing rules on a receiving number.

Call queues offer routing options such as:

• Simultaneous routing dials each agent in the queue at the same time or in groups based on the weighting provided. The first agent to answer gets the call.
• Round robin rotates between each agent evenly, so they all get the same number of calls.
• Sticky routing attempts to route the caller back to the same agent who was initially connected to them. This option can lead to excellent customer service and establish great customer relationships.
• Weighted routing allows you to assign a weight to each agent, enabling adjustments for different skill sets and capacities.
• Smart Routing can distribute calls based on the attributes of your callers, such as their location, history, demographics, or other custom fields that you create in the software, including account ID.

Once your queue has been created, it can be configured with the following advanced options:

• Hold music (to replace the default ringing tone)
• Custom waiting messages
• Tags that are applied when a caller is routed to the queue
• Scheduled routing (when to route calls to your queue)
• Prompts for the agents answering calls
• No answer routing
• Post-call options (including post-call surveys)
• Advanced agent rules (limits on calls agents can take, devices that can be used to answer, billing individual users for queue calls, and allowing agents to toggle availability in a queue)

Agents

To create and use call queues, an agent is a user in your CTM account.  Agents can be assigned to multiple queues in your account, and their availability can be determined by the schedules assigned to their profiles.

You can configure many options in a call queue without assigning agents, but the queue will not work unless there is at least one agent assigned to the queue.  To add an agent to your account, follow these instructions for adding a user to CTM.  Although there is a user role named "agent," any user can be used as an agent in a call queue.

Each agent can choose how they prefer to answer the phone (via the CTM softphone or their own receiving number).  To allow an agent to receive calls without using the CTM softphone, add a receiving number to their profile (when creating or editing a user, enter it in the receiving number field in the Agent Contact section of the page).

Agent Dialing and Connection Charges

When using features that involve dialing out to connect an agent to a call, additional usage-based charges may apply. 

These charges are calculated per agent, per call, and include the following components:

Outbound Dialing Charges
Each time the system places an outbound call to an agent, the call is billed at the applicable outbound rate for the destination dialed. Rates may vary depending on factors such as the agent’s location, call routing, and carrier pricing.

One-Time Connection Charge
In addition to the outbound dialing rate, a connection fee of $0.0073 applies to each agent connected to a call. 

Creating a Basic Queue

This section guides you through the setup required to establish a working queue. Once your initial queue is saved, refer to the additional information after this section if you wish to configure other options for your queue.

Following the queue set-up wizard, you will end up with a queue that:

• Is reached directly from one or more tracking numbers (the caller dials a tracking number, and then the queue immediately begins to dial agents)
• Plays the default US ringback tone for the caller while they wait for an agent to answer
• Routes to one or more agents
• Allows 18 seconds for each agent to answer(this needs to be lower than Seconds to Answer in No Answer Routing), but will keep ringing each agent until the call is answered or until no answer routing occurs
• Automatically hangs up if the call is not answered within 30 seconds

These options can be changed or customized as needed after the basic setup is completed. Navigate to Flows → Queues.  You will be directed to a new queue settings page if you do not already have a queue in your account.  Otherwise, click New Queue in the upper right corner.

Wizard Walkthrough

The instructions below will now appear in a step-by-step guide (wizard). Within the wizard you can freeze/unfreeze the top portion that contains explanations of the current step below by clicking the freeze panel icon in the upper right corner. 

For our more experienced customers, we have added an Exit Wizard button that, when clicked, will end the wizard session and resume the setup in the long form setup. 

If you wish to never use the wizards, we have also added an option to turn them off within the Account Settings page under Behaviors. 

1. Enter a name and description for the queue.  If you plan to use multiple queues, a clear description is a helpful way to remind yourself what each queue is used for.
2. Configure your Advanced Options, which include the following:
   • Allow transfers - To allow other agents to transfer phone calls to this queue, toggle this flag on.
   • Allow agents to view queue calls - When enabled, agents assigned to this queue can see calls in the call log that include this queue in their call path, still limited by any access control groups.
   • Allow log out - Allow agents to toggle their availability to accept calls for this queue.
   • Global limit-based routing - Consider the account-wide usage limits for agents when deciding whether to route a call to the given agent.
   • Unified status for external lines - When enabled, the status of the external line will be unified with the agent's status. If the agent is on a call, the external line will be considered busy.
   • Alias Name - This is the name that will be displayed in the agent interface, either when choosing to log in/out of the queue or when receiving an inbound/outbound call from the queue.
3. Configure the Salesforce Screen Flow. This will screen pop a Salesforce Screen Flow for calls answered in this queue (Lightning only). Otherwise, click Save & Continue.
4. Configure your Waiting Message. If you do not want to configure a Waiting Message at this time, click the Skip button. Otherwise, click Save & Continue.
    
5. Configure your queue Routing.
6. Configure your Priority Routing Options. 
   • First in First Out - When answering incoming calls, always pop the oldest call first out of the queue.
   • Show incoming caller information with First in First Out enabled (not recommended). - When disabled, the incoming call banner will display the queue name. Enabling this option will cause the phone number of the individual caller to be displayed instead. This option is NOT RECOMMENDED in most cases, as it could result in incorrect information being displayed when multiple callers are in the queue. 
   • Priority Contact Field - Automatically prioritize incoming contacts by a priority boolean contact field. If one caller enters your queue without the priority flag set to true and another caller enters second with the priority flag set to true. The second caller would be connected first before the first caller. Keep in mind, if agents are plucking calls directly out of the call log, this prioritization will not help.
7. Configure Agent Selection Options. 
   • Agent Selection:
     • Next available agents - Do not use special behaviors for any callers.
     • Same agent first - Route to the same agent as last time first, if available. Otherwise, route to other agents. 
     • Same agent only (sticky agent) - Route to the same agent as last time. If not available, route to no-answer. 
     • New agent - Always route to a new agent. If none are available, route to no-answer routing.
   • Auto Assign Single Agent - When a queue only dials one agent (e.g., round robin queue), always assign the single-dialed agent.
   • Retry Busy Agents - If an agent becomes available while the caller is still on hold in the queue, ring that agent again. (softphone/app only). Note: cell phone only agents will always receive calls with this feature on, regardless of their agent status.
   • Faster Active Hunt - A new technique for dialing agents. This is a test of a new backend for queue routing. If enabled, please provide your feedback and carefully monitor.
   • Operator Mode - Enabling operator mode allows the queue to route multiple phone calls to the same agent using a softphone. You still have control over how many concurrent calls route to the same agent via agent routing rules.
8. Configure the Connecting section. This is where you will choose the Caller ID shown to agents and enable prompt agent to accept call, which is helpful when an agent is answering via Receiving Number. Click Save & Continue.
   • Advanced Connection Options: 
     • Force the caller ID - Ignore restricted numbers and other 'bad' caller IDs. It can potentially cause issues on mobile phones, as they may reject calls with 'invalid' caller IDs.

     • Detect if agent's voicemail answers before routing to the agent - This feature is experimental and may not work for all mobile phones. The intention of this feature is to detect if the voicemail of a mobile phone answers. If you're not using mobile phones, do not use this feature.

       

9. Configure the Connected section. Click Save & Continue.

   • Beep for Participants - Play a beep tone when any participant enters a call
   • Hang up the caller when the agent presses * - You may want to enable this option if you are using call scoring menu at the end of the call (Receiving numbers only).
   • Hang up other agents immediately - Agents who do not connect first will be disconnected immediately instead of hearing a message.

   

10. Configure the No Answer routing. Here, you will set up how your calls route if no agents in the queue can answer. The Seconds to Answer for No Answer routing should be higher than the Seconds to Answer per agent. Click Save & Continue.
11.  Configure the Post Call section. This is an additional place to agent calls to be routed. Click Save & Continue.
12. Assign Numbers. This is where you assign the tracking numbers you want routed to the queue. Click on the Edit Assigned Tracking Numbers button, then click on the numbers in the Available Tracking Number column to move them to the Assigned Tracking Number column. Click Save Changes, then click Save & Continue.
13. Assign Agents. Click on the Edit Assigned Agents button, then click on agent names in the Available Agents column to move them to the Assigned Agents column. Click Save Changes, then Save & Create. 

Note: There are additional charges per agent per call based on the outbound rate to dial the agent, and a one time connection charge of $0.0073 for any agent that connects to the call.

You can stop here if you want to route to this queue by another method (other than a tracking number).  Once the queue has been configured and saved, you can select it as a routing option from any other routing feature (other queues, voice menu options, smart routers, FormReactor submissions, smart dialers, or no-answer routing rules on a receiving number).

Adding an Agent to Multiple Queues

1. Navigate to Settings > Manage Users.
2. Click on Edit next to the user you want to add to a queue.
3. Scroll to the Queues section in their User Profile and click on the Edit Assigned Queues button.
4. Select each queue you wish to add to by clicking on it in the Available Queues column.
5. Once they have been added to the queues, those queues will be in the Assigned Queues column. Click Save Changes.

Queue Routing Options

The Routing section offers several settings to determine how calls are distributed to agents assigned to the queue when the queue is available, and what to do when it is not.

For more details on queue routing, see the full article here.

Queue Connection Options

The Connecting and Connected sections provide options for how agents are connected to calls in this queue, including agent prompts, connection beeps, and hangup settings.

For more details on queue connection options, see the full article here.

No Answer Routing

The options in the No Answer section of queue settings determine what happens to calls that are not answered by the agents assigned to the queue.

For more details on no-answer routing, see the full article here.

Ringback Options and Waiting Messages

By default, when a caller is routed to a queue, they will hear the standard US ringback tone while waiting for an agent to answer.  You can customize this experience by selecting a different audio file to replace the ringback tone or by adding waiting messages to the queue.

For more details on ringback and waiting messages, see the full article here.

Advanced Agent Rules

Agent routing rules allow you to customize when agents are dialed in a queue.  With these rules, you can:

• Assign queue-specific schedules to an agent
• Assign caller locations (by area code) to be routed to an agent
• Limit an agent’s calls by hour, day, week, or month
• Assign weights to determine the order in which agents are dialed
• Route calls to an agent based on tags
• Customize recording and agent prompt settings

For more information on agent routing rules, see the full article here.

Billing and CPS

For more details on calls per second, see the full article here.