Create a Queue

You can create and design queues to allow callers to talk with agents according to your business. This topic describes how to create a queue.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, prepare the following voice prompts and music as needed, and upload them to the system.

  • Prepare and upload the following voice prompts for the queue to provide different information:
    • Join Announcement: The prompt played to callers when they join the queue.
    • Periodic Announcement: The prompt played periodically to callers after they reach the queue and before agents answer the calls. Following the prompt, callers can press the key to respond.
  • Prepare and upload Music on Hold for the queue, which is played to callers when their calls are put on hold by agents.

Procedure

  1. Log in to PBX web portal, go to Call Features > Queue > Inbound Queue, click Add.
  2. In the Basic page, configure the basic settings for the queue.
    1. In the Basic section, configure the following settings.
      Setting Description
      Number Enter a virtual number for callers to access the queue.
      Note:
      • If the total of PBX extensions is less than or equal to 6000, the default queue number range is from 6400 to 6499.
      • If the total of PBX extensions is greater than 6000, the default queue number range is from 50400 to 50499.
      Name Specify a name to help you identify this queue.
      Skill-based Routing Decide whether to route incoming calls in the queue based on agents' skill level.

      If this option is enabled, you can specify skill levels for agents, and queue calls will be routed in descending order of agent skill level. For more information, see Set up Skill-based Routing for a Queue.
      Ring Strategy Select a ring method to distribute calls to agents.
      • Ring All: Ring all available agents simultaneously until someone answers.
      • Least Recent: Ring the available agent that was least recently called.
      • Fewest Calls: Ring the available agent with the fewest completed calls.
      • Random: Ring the agents randomly.
      • Rrmemory: Round robin with memory.
        • Queue with static agents only: The system remembers the last agent it tried and rings the next agent specified in the static agents list.
        • Queue with dynamic agents only: The system remembers the last agent it tried and rings the next agent in the order that dynamic agents have logged in.
        • Queue with both static agents and dynamic agents: The system remembers the last agent it tried and rings the next agent specified in the static agents list. If none of the static agents are available, the system rings the dynamic agent in the order that dynamic agents have logged in.
      • Linear: Ring the available agent in specific order based on the type of agents in the queue.
        • Queue with static agents only: The system rings available agents in the order specified in the agents list.
        • Queue with dynamic agents only: The system rings available agents in the order that agents have logged in.
        • Queue with both static agents and dynamic agents: The system rings available agents in the order that agents have logged in.
      Maximum Waiting Time(s) Set a number of seconds that the caller can wait for an available agent.
      Failover Destination Select a destination to route the call when the call is not answered by any agent.
      • Hang up: End the current call.
      • Extension: Route the call to the specified extension.
      • Extension Voicemail: Route the call to voicemail box of the specified extension.
      • Group Voicemail: Route the call to voicemail box of a queue, a ring group, or a custom group.
      • IVR: Route the call to the specified IVR.
      • Call Flow: Route the call to the specified call flow.
      • Ring Group: Route the call to another ring group.
      • Queue: Route the call to the specified queue.
      • External Number: Route the call to an external number.
      • Play Prompt and Exit: Play a custom prompt, then hang up the call.
    2. To only receive calls during business hours and route calls received outside business hours to designated destinations, configure the following settings:
      Note: To achieve this, make sure the following requirements are met:
      Setting Description
      Time Condition Select the checkbox to allow the PBX to route queue calls to different destination based on time.
      Time Zone Select a desired time zone.

      The business hours and holidays settings in the selected time zone will be applied to the queue.

      Note: The time displayed in the queue notification emails will also follow the time of the selected time zone.
      Outside Business Hours Destination Select the destination for calls received during the time periods that are not defined as business hours or holidays in the selected time zone.
      Holidays Destination Select the destination for calls received during holidays defined in the selected time zone.
      Ignore the Holiday Destination Optional. To prevent incoming calls from being distributed to the holiday destination, select the checkbox of Ignore the Holiday Destination.

      If enabled, incoming calls during holiday will be distributed to other destinations according to your office hour setting.
      Play Holiday Prompt During Holidays Optional. To play a prompt to callers before routing the inbound calls to the holiday destination, select the checkbox of Play Holiday Prompt During Holidays.
      Note: Make sure that you have set a prompt for the holiday (Path: Call Control > Business Hours and Holidays > Holidays > Type > Prompt). Otherwise, the inbound calls will be directly routed to the holiday destination without playing a prompt.
    3. In the Agent Options section, configure the following agent settings.
      Setting Description
      Agent Timeout(s) Set a number of seconds that the system rings an agent's phone.
      Retry Interval(s) Set a number of seconds to wait before ringing the next available agent when the last available agent has been ringed and timed out.
      Wrap-up Time(s) Set a number of seconds for agents to complete post-call processing after finishing a call.

      The next call will come after this period following the ring strategy.
      Agent Announcement Select a prompt to be played to agents when they answer a queue call.
      Ring In Use

      Set whether to ring an in-call agent when there are incoming calls in the queue.
      Agent Auto Pause
      Note: If the Ring Strategy is set to Ring All, this feature will NOT take effect.

      Decide whether to automatically pause agents when their consecutive missed calls in the queue reach a threshold.

      To use this feature, select Agent Auto Pause and specify the threshold in the Max Threshold for Missed Calls drop-down list.

      Note:
      • Agents will receive a notification email when they are paused.
      • The missed calls count for an agent will be cleared when any of the following events occurs:
        • The agent makes or answers a queue call.
        • The agent is paused or logged out.
        • The PBX is rebooted.
      Display Missed Call Records in Agent IP Phone Decide whether to display missed queue call records on agents' IP phones.
      Note:
      • This option will be applied to all agents in the queue.
      • If an agent belongs to multiple queues, the agent's IP phone will only display the missed call records for those queues in which this option is enabled.
    4. In the Prompt section, complete the following prompt settings.
      Setting Description
      Queue-related Announcement
      Join Announcement Set the announcement to be played to callers when they join the queue.
      • Play full Join Announcement to the caller before ringing extensions: Set whether to play full join announcement to callers before ringing agents.
      Ringback Tone Select a prompt to be played continuously in a loop to callers before agents answer the calls.
      Note:
      • The existing prompts are synchronized from the Music on Hold playlists and custom prompts uploaded on PBX settings > Voice Prompt.
      • The Ringback Tone will be played after the Join Announcement.
      Music On Hold Set the music to be played to callers when their calls are put on hold by agents after being answered.
      Periodic Announcement Set the announcement to be played to callers periodically after they reach the queue and before agents answer the calls.
      Frequency (s) Set the time interval to play the periodic announcements.
      Caller Position Announcement
      Announce Position Set whether to announce the position of the caller in the queue.
      Announce Hold Time Set whether to announce the estimated waiting time to the caller.
      Play "Thank You for Your Patience" Prompt Set whether to play the prompt "Thank You for Your Patience" to callers periodically while the callers are waiting in the queue.
      Frequency (s) Set the time interval to play the caller position announcement.
      Agent-related Announcement
      Agent ID Announcement Set whether to play an announcement to both the caller and the agent to prompt the agent ID when an agent answers the call.
      Announcement Language
      Custom Prompt Language Set the language of system default announcements heard by callers when they join the queue.
      Note: The available languages are synchronized from System Prompt (Path: PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > System Prompt).
  3. Click the Members tab, set agents for the queue.
    • Dynamic Agents: Select the dynamic agents that can log in to or log out of a queue at any time.
      Note: The queue distributes calls to the dynamic agents only when they log in to the queue and unpause the queue calls.
    • Static Agents: Select the static agents that always stay in the queue.
      Note: Static agents do not need to “log in” to the queue, and cannot “log out” of the queue.
  4. Click Preferences tab to customize the queue according to your needs.

    For more information of the preference settings, see Queue Preferences.

  5. Click Save and Apply.

What to do next

Set up an inbound route, and specify the destination of the inbound route to the queue.