Queue Routing Options

Overview

This article covers detailed queue settings information.  We recommend you start by following the instructions in this article before proceeding. 

The Routing section offers a number of settings you can use to determine how calls are distributed to the agents assigned to the queue, when the queue is available, and what to do when the queue is not available.

Allow Transfers

This option determines whether agents can transfer calls to this queue using the softphone. By default, this option is disabled.

Schedule

Assigning a schedule to a queue allows you to set the days of the week and hours of the day that the queue is available. When you assign a schedule, you can select what will happen to calls that route to this queue outside of the times defined by the schedule:

• Hang up the call (default)
• Route to a voice menu (ex: a voicemail)
• Route to a smart router
• Route to a receiving number
• Route to another queue

By default, queues are always available.  Click here to learn more about creating schedules.

Distribute to Agents

This setting determines how calls will be distributed to the agents assigned to the queue, based on agent availability at the time the call is presented.  Use the drop-down menu to select from the following options:

• Simultaneously: dials all agents in the queue at the same time.  If you have assigned weights to agents using advanced agent routing rules, agents will be dialed in groups based on the weights assigned.
• Round Robin: rotates between all available agents and will attempt to distribute calls evenly.
• Longest Waiting: dials the agent who has been ready for calls from this queue for the longest time first.  When this option is enabled, the following advanced options become available:
  • Global longest wait updates the “longest waiting” rules to consider the total time the agent has been available, rather than the time they have been available in this specific queue.
  • Talk Time and Ring Time thresholds allow you to control which calls will “count” for longest waiting agents.  By default, if a call rings to an agent for 20 seconds and they do not answer, or if they answer a call and talk for at least 90 seconds, the agent who was “longest waiting” is no longer considered the longest waiting agent

By default, all agents in the queue are dialed simultaneously.

Routing for Repeat Callers

This setting allows you to control how to repeat callers are handled.  The following options are available for repeat callers:

• Any Agent will route to the first available agent, using no special behaviors for repeat callers.
• Same Agent First routes to the same agent to caller spoke to last time if that agent is available (if they call back within 30 days).  Otherwise, the queue will route to other agents.
• Same Agent Only (Sticky Agent) routes only to the same agent the caller spoke to last time (if they call back within 30 days).  If that agent is not available, the queue’s no-answer routing rules will be used.
• New Agent routes to any agent that the caller has not already spoken to.  If the caller has already spoken to all of the assigned agents in the queue, the queue’s no-answer routing rules will be used.

Agent “stickiness” (the system remembering who the caller spoke to last time) is valid for 30 days and is extended any time that agent is assigned to the caller.  Stickiness is global to your account but is only applied in queues that have the value set.  Additionally, manually assigning an agent to an activity (any call, text, or form) automatically sets the “stickiness” value for that agent to the contact.

By default, queues use the “Any Agent” setting for repeat callers.

 

Seconds per Agent

This setting determines how long a call will ring to an agent before routing to the next available agent in the queue.  By default, this value is set to 18 seconds.

It is strongly recommended to never set this value lower than 10 seconds to allow time for the agent’s computer or mobile device to acknowledge the incoming call and actually ring for them.

Keep Ringing Agents

When this setting is enabled, the queue will keep ringing to each individual agent until the call is answered.  For example, if you have a round-robin queue that allows 18 seconds for each agent to answer, the queue will ring to the first available agent for 18 seconds, then ring to the second agent while continuing to ring to the first agent.  If this setting is off, the same queue would stop ringing to the first agent when the second agent in the queue is dialed.

By default, “keep ringing agents until answered” is on.

Global Limit-based Routing

If you are using limit-based routing in advanced agent routing rules to limit how many calls an agent can receive, use this setting to count their activity in this queue toward a global limit.  This will only apply for agents who have limit-based routing rules enabled in multiple queues.

By default, global limit-based routing is off.

First in First out

“First in, first out” means that calls routed to this queue will be answered in the order they are received.  If multiple calls are waiting in a queue, the one that has been ringing the longest will be answered first.

By default, “first-in, first-out” is on.

Priority Contact

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.

• To set Priority Contact, first navigate to Settings > Custom Fields to create a custom field with a picker type. 

• Then on your Call Queue configuration page, select the custom field in the Priority Contact Field drop-down.

Auto Assign Single Agent

This setting will automatically assign an agent to a call if only one agent is dialed in the duration of that call.  This can happen if only one agent is assigned to the call, or if multiple agents are assigned to the call but only one agent is available.

A call will always be assigned to the agent who answers the call, but this setting will assign missed calls to the single agent that was dialed.

By default, “auto-assign single agent” is on.

Retry Busy Agents

“Retry busy agents” allows a queue to attempt to dial agents who were not available when the call started but became available while the call was waiting in the queue.  This setting only applies to agents who are using the softphone.

By default, a queue will only attempt to dial agents who were available when the call was first routed to the queue.

Faster Active Hunt

The "Faster Active Hunt" feature is used to retry busy agents immediately without any wait time. There is another option above Faster Active Hunt called "Retry Busy Agents", The system usually waits for a couple of seconds before attempting to retry busy agents, but when Faster Active Hunt is turned on, the system will ignore the wait time and attempt to retry the busy agents immediately.
Currently in testing phase and we ask customers to provide us any feedback.

Operator Mode

To set up Operator Mode you will first need to set up a Queue and select and save a routing rule.  For further instructions on setting up operator mode click here.