Call Queues
Distribute incoming calls across agents with configurable strategies, wrap-up time, callbacks, and estimated wait.
Call queues hold incoming calls until an agent becomes available to answer. They are the backbone of any contact center operation, ensuring callers are served in order and workload is distributed fairly across your team.
Overview
The Queues page lists all configured queues with their name, number of assigned agents, distribution strategy, and current status. From here you can create, edit, and delete queues.
Creating a Queue
Navigate to PBX and select Queues
From the main navigation, click PBX and select Queues.
Click Create Queue
Click the Create Queue button in the top-right corner.
Configure general settings
Fill in the queue details:
Field Description Required Name A descriptive name (e.g., "Sales Queue", "Support Tier 1") Yes Distribution Strategy How calls are assigned to agents (see below) Yes Hold Music Audio file played while callers wait No Max Wait Time Maximum seconds a caller waits before overflow action No Wrap-Up Time Seconds after a call ends before the agent receives the next call No Add agents to the queue
Select which extensions or agents are members of this queue. Agents can belong to multiple queues simultaneously.
Configure overflow and callbacks
Set what happens when no agents are available or the max wait time is exceeded:
- Voicemail — Send to a voicemail box
- Overflow Queue — Route to a secondary queue
- External Number — Forward to an outside number
- Callback — Offer the caller a callback instead of waiting
Save the queue
Click Save. The queue is now available for assignment in IVR menus, Call Flows, or number routing.
Distribution Strategies
VoiceCenter supports several strategies for distributing calls among agents in a queue:
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| Round Robin | Cycles through agents in order, distributing calls evenly over time |
| Longest Idle | Routes to the agent who has been waiting the longest since their last call |
| Random | Selects a random available agent |
| Ring All | Rings all available agents simultaneously; first to answer gets the call |
| Least Calls | Routes to the agent with the fewest calls handled in the current period |
For most support teams, Longest Idle produces the fairest workload distribution. Use Ring All for small teams where speed of answer matters most.
Wrap-Up Time
Wrap-up time gives agents a brief window after ending a call to complete notes, update a CRM record, or select a disposition code before the next call is delivered. During wrap-up, the agent is temporarily removed from the available pool.
Set wrap-up time to 0 for no delay, or a reasonable value (15-60 seconds) depending on your workflow.
Queue Callbacks
When callers face long wait times, VoiceCenter can offer a callback option instead of holding. The system records the caller's number, holds their position, and initiates the callback when an agent becomes available.
Queue callbacks reduce abandonment rates and improve caller satisfaction. Callers keep their place in the queue without staying on the line.
Estimated Wait Time
VoiceCenter calculates an estimated wait time for callers entering the queue based on current queue depth and recent average handle time. This estimate can be announced to the caller in the hold prompt.
Monitoring Queues
Supervisors can monitor active queues in real time from the Live Monitor page. This shows the number of waiting callers, available agents, and current service level.
Best Practices
- Keep agent-to-queue ratios reasonable. A queue with one agent defeats the purpose.
- Use wrap-up time to give agents breathing room between calls.
- Set a max wait time with a sensible overflow action so callers are never stuck indefinitely.
- Review queue analytics regularly to identify staffing gaps and peak hours.