Queues
Queues are a great way to control high volumes of calls around an office where there are ‘agents’ available to answer. Using a queue can assist the person calling into the company, as well as the company that is answering the calls. It will help streamline calls by distributing them amongst the agents, and allowing them to answer effectively and efficiently .
To set up a queue, go to the menu and select Features - Queue
Queue Settings
Name
Enter a name that will indicate what the queue will be used for.
Description
If you need more information about the queue you can enter it here.
Priority
This is the position the queue will always start from. The default is the lowest and will include all agents. You could add agents from another queue on a low number and set this to something higher. If the queue becomes busy, you can go into the queue and change this to a lower number to add the agents with a lower priority number.
Destination Priority Order
There are multiple options for this function. The default is ‘always start at the highest’, this option will make sure calls are delivered evenly. The other options allow the queue to operate more like a Hunt Group.
Destination Order Within Priorities
The default is ‘ring least recently called only’, this will help distribute the calls evenly. The next option is similar, however, adds priority to the agents with a higher priority. Finally, the last option will ring all destinations at once and turns the queue into a Hunt Group.
Request Extensions to Auto-Answer
This is not recommended unless the agents are using headsets as the calls presented to the agent will answer after 1 second.
Ring Destinations For
This is the amount of time the available Telephone will ring for. This shouldn’t be set too high as an agent should always be available to answer a call when they are logged in.
Allow Destinations to Forward Calls.
This will allow Telephone Extensions to forward calls whilst being part of a queue. This can make it hard to follow the flow of where calls are being answered so our recommendation is to not allow this unless necessary.
Screen Calls
If you have external numbers as the destination for the agents, the screen calls option will allow the agent to hear the following:
1 - play the Caller ID of the caller.
2 - ask the caller to record their name.
If you are using desk VoIP phones the Caller ID will already be displayed on the handset.
Record Group
If you have already set up record groups then this option will be available. Select the record group you wish your calls to be recorded to.
Call Rec Bundle
If you have a call rec bundle enabled on this queue, you will see the group the queue has been set in here. To add it to a call rec bundle, you must go to the call recording bundles and set it there.
Music On Hold
Here you can select different types of Music On Hold (MOH) for the caller to hear. This is a great way of playing the caller information or perhaps an advert about the company or products.
Play Message to Queued Calls
This is a message that can be played whilst the caller is waiting to speak to an agent. This is a great way to insert comfort messages like ‘please continue to hold, your call is important to us’.
Play Position in Queue
This will play a message to the caller to let them know where they are in the queue. For example, ‘You are position 3 in the queue’. This allows the caller to be aware that they are progressing up the queue.
Play Message and Position Before Entering the Queue.
If you have already played a message to the caller before they have entered the queue, perhaps the call has got to the queue from the IVR or the Number has played a message on it already. This is a good way to let the caller know exactly what is going on within the queue they are in.
Play Message and Position Every
You can select how often a message and queue position is played. We recommend you play a message between 30 to 60 seconds apart. You can choose from 5 to 300 seconds.
Wrap-up Time
This is the amount of time the agent will be unavailable to receive calls. This is to give the agent time to finish off the last call. This may be used to allow the agent time to input information about the call to a CRM. You can make an agent unavailable from 0 (meaning calls will be delivered straight after the last call) up to a 300 second wait time.
Record Queue Events.
This option works with the analytics reporting package, and must be set to yes if you want detailed call reporting.
Set Destination Unavailable After Missing
This option will remove an agent and make them unavailable if they have missed a certain number of calls in a row. These calls must be missed consecutively. If this is set to 3 and the agent misses 1 call but answers the next, the count starts again. This is a great way to make sure all agents who are not at their desks are logged out. This will speed up the delivery of calls around
available agents. You can set this from never (no count applies and the agents MUST log themselves out) to 100 missed calls.
Allow Call Back On Pressing * (Star Key)
If a caller is held in the queue and this option is set to ‘Yes’, the caller can be called back and placed back in the queue when they are at position 1. If this option is set you will need to use a message to tell the caller what to do, or it could be an announcement in the Music On Hold message. This could say ‘You are held in a queue. If you prefer not to wait and would be happy for us to call you back, then press the star key on your handset and we will add you back to the queue when you are at position 1’. Remember, the system is making an outbound call so this will be chargeable. The caller will hear instructions on how to enter their number if they called from a withheld number or if they wish to change it.
When Exiting Queue, Forward To
This works with the options below and will be the destination if any of the exit queue limits are reached. This would normally be another queue or a voicemail box.
Show in Reception Console
This will allow the queue to be seen in the Reception Console.
Exit Queue When
There are already calls in the Queue
This can be set from no limit (do nothing) to 100 calls. If this is set to 5, then on the 6th call entering the queue it will send the call straight to the exit queue, forward to option above.
Maximum Hold Time is Reached
This will make any calls that have been in the queue longer than the selected period exit to the exit queue, forward to the option above.
No Destinations are Logged in on Entering Queue
You can choose ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. If ‘Yes’ is selected and all agents are logged out the exit queue, forward to option above will be used.
Message to Queued Calls
Sound File to Use.
If you have already uploaded sound files you can select one you wish callers to hear. If you don’t have any uploaded to the platform, then you can upload a WAV file here too.
Destinations
You can select what Telephone Lines (agents) you want to be part of the queue. You can choose which level you would like the agent to be part of. There are 10 levels, level 1 is the lowest and 10 being the highest. When calls enter the queue, they will be distributed between the agents based on their status. If agents are logged out then these telephones will not receive any calls until they log in again. The agents that are logged in will be sent calls based on their level and the time they last received a call. Calls will be delivered to higher-level telephones first, and if these agents are busy it will then choose the next agent lower down in the levels. The system will calculate which agents have been idle and choose these Extensions to receive the call next. However, if there are agents in higher levels who have been on calls but have finished calls, the system will still choose these agents over the agents who haven’t been on calls, or who are waiting longer to receive calls in levels lower down. This allows you to give higher priority to better-skilled agents.