CALL QUEUES OVERVIEW

Call queues, sometimes called “ring groups,” are used for inbound call centers. Any call queues configured to an organization are listed here by name, extension number, type, number of callers currently in the queue, and available agents.

You must be in “Manage Organization/Call Center” view to access the Call Queues tab.

NOTES: 
  • You can edit agents and music-on-hold using the icons in a call queue list.
  • Call queue extension numbers are generally four digits and begin with 8 or 9.
  • Call queues can also be listed in the Users section since they have extensions associated with them. If you don't want to see call queue extensions in your user list, ensure that HideSystemUsers is checked.


CREATING CALL QUEUES 

During your onboarding process, a net2phone Canada agent will help you in the creation of call queues and your call flow. If you would like to add or delete call queues, later on, you can do so in this section. 

To add a call queue, click the Add Call Queue button and enter the name, extension, and call queue type. 

Call Queue Number System 

Call queues should be part of the 8800 series. For example, your billing queue could be 8801, and your customer service could be 8802. 

Call Park Number System 

Call park queues must be part of the 8950-8959 numbering system to ensure they work as expected; for example, 8951. 

Unsure of creating call queues? Contact Support! 

For immediate assistance, you can contact our Technical Support Team by dialling 611 from your net2phone Canada device or by calling 1-877-498-3772 and choosing option #3. Emails will be responded to within 1 business day and can be sent to support@net2phone.ca.

To delete a call queue, click the red X of the call queue row. Be mindful—you cannot undo this action. 



CALL QUEUE TYPES

There are five types of call queues:

  • Round-robin – routes callers to the available agent that has been idle the longest.
  • Ring All – routes callers to all available agents at the same time.
  • Linear Hunt – routes callers to the available agents in a predefined order. The order is defined when editing the queue’s agents.
  • Linear Cascade – routes callers to groups of available agents in a predefined order. The order is defined when editing the queue’s agents.
  • Call Park – places the caller on hold until an agent retrieves them. Only Basic editing options are available for this type of call queue.



QUEUE OPTIONS

There are four option sections when editing a queue:

  • Basic – edit call queue name, type, direct phone number(s), and statistical reporting.
  • Pre Queue Options – options for what happens to the call before being put in the queue.
  • In Queue Options – options for when callers are queued and waiting to be routed to agents.
  • Queue Agents – edit additional features that are specific to individual agents in a call queue.
NOTE: All options except queue agents can be accessed by clicking the call queue name. To access the edit agent window, you must click the agent icon.

BASIC OPTIONS

Basic options are the same regardless of what call queue type you have chosen. You can change the name of a call queue, but not the extension number.

NOTE: If you want to change or add an extension number you can contact net2phone Canada directly. For immediate assistance, you can contact our Technical Support Team by dialing 611 from a net2phone Canada device or by calling 1-877-498-3772 and choosing option #3. Emails will be responded to within 1 business day and can be sent to support@net2phone.ca.

  • Name – the name of the queue.
  • Extension – the extension of the queue.
  • Type – choose between five call queue types.
  • Direct Phone Number(s) – displays all phone numbers associated with the call queue.
  • Statistics – choose if you want to collect statistics for a call queue.

PRE QUEUE OPTIONS

  • Require Agents – whether or not at least one agent is required to be online before sending a caller to the queue.
  • Require intro MOH – whether or not the music-on-hold plays in full and does not attempt to reach any agents until the song/greeting is complete.
  • Max Expected Wait – the maximum expected wait time (in seconds) before the queue is unavailable to new callers. This applies when the queue’s average wait time reaches the maximum expected wait time.
  • Max Queue Length – the maximum amount of callers allowed in the queue before it’s full and unavailable to new callers.
  • Forward if unavailable – enter an extension or phone number where callers are forwarded to if the queue has reached its expected max wait or the queue is full.

IN QUEUE OPTIONS

   The In Queue Options section will offer slightly different configuration options as the flow of each queue type differs.

  • Queue Ring Timeout – how long the queue attempts to ring agents before following an exit option.
  • Agent Ring Timeout – how long the queue rings an agent before moving on to the next available agent. This should be less than the queue ring timeout.
  • Initial Agent Group Ring (only linear cascade) – the first group of agents rings based on a predefined order. All agents with the chosen order number and lower will ring. For example, if you choose 5 for this option, all agents with Order 5 or lower will ring.
  • Agent Group to Add After Timeout (only linear cascade) – this adds an additional group of agents to ring when the agent ring timeout for the first group is reached. The queue rings the first group of agents and then the added agents with the chosen order or lower simultaneously.
  • Logout Agent on Missed Call – if an agent misses a call, you can choose to log them out of a queue.
  • Forward if Unanswered – enter an extension or phone number to forward callers to in case agents fail to answer before the queue ring timeout.
  • Voicemail – callers are given the option to leave a voicemail if agents fail to answer before the queue ring timeout and Forward if Unanswered is not set.

AGENT OPTIONS

The edit agent options are accessed by clicking the agent icon in the call queue rather than by clicking the call queue name.

  • Agent Phone – displays in the agent extension or name.
  • Status – mark the agent as online or offline.
  • Wrap up time – the amount of time (in seconds) after a call ends and the agent is prompted to take another call.
  • Max Simultaneous Calls – the maximum amount of active calls an agent may receive at the same time.
  • Queue Priority for an Agent – this specifies the queue priority to a specific agent if they are assigned to multiple queues.
  • Request Confirmation – similar to net2phone Canada SmartAnswer, this will prompt a user to either press 1 to accept a call or hang up to reject a call.
  • Auto Answer – automatically answers a call for an agent; this feature is only available for desk phones.

ADDING AGENTS

When editing agents from a specific call queue, a list of all users within the call queue are listed below the agent you are currently editing.  In the bottom right corner of this pop-up menu, you can add agents by clicking the Add Agent button.

In this section, you can:

  • add single or multiple agents, 
  • set their online status,
  • change their wrap-up time,  
  • adjust the max simultaneous calls,
  • set the priority for the agent(s), and,
  • request confirmation, and auto answer. 



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