Set up a call queue

A call queue shares calls among a group of people, called agents. If everyone is busy, callers wait on hold with music instead of hitting voicemail. Use queues for sales, support, scheduling, or any team that answers calls together.

Before you start

• Create the users who will answer the calls.
• Pick an unused extension for the queue. Call queues use the 600s, such as 600 for Sales. Never reuse an extension that already belongs to a user or menu.
• Decide how calls should ring (see the queue types below).

Choose a queue type

• Round-robin (longest idle) — Sends each call to the available agent who has been off the phone the longest. Spreads work evenly. A good default for busy teams.
• Ring All — Rings every available agent at once. The first to answer gets the call. Good for small teams that want calls answered fast.
• Linear Hunt — Rings agents one at a time, in the order you set. Good when one person should always get first chance, like a receptionist with backups.
• Linear Cascade — Starts by ringing one group of agents, then adds more agents if no one answers in time. The first group keeps ringing as others join.
• Call Park — Not a regular queue. It holds a call in a “parking spot” so anyone can pick it up from another phone. See Call park.

Create the queue

1. Go to Call Queues.
2. Select Add Call Queue. The Add a Call Queue window has three tabs: Basic, Pre Queue Options and In Queue Options.
3. On Basic, enter a Name, such as “Sales.”
4. Enter the Extension, such as 600. It can’t be changed later.
5. Optionally choose a Department or Site to help with filtering.
6. Choose the Type.
7. Set Record Calls and Statistics. Leave Statistics on Yes to keep queue statistics.
8. Select Next to go through Pre Queue Options and In Queue Options (see below), then select Add.

Pre Queue Options

These control who gets let in and what happens when the queue is too busy.

• Require agents — Only accept callers if at least one agent is logged in. Otherwise, send the call to the Forward if unavailable destination.
• Require available agents — Only accept callers if at least one agent is free right now.
• Queue Audio — What callers hear while waiting: Music on Hold or Ringback (ringing).
• Require intro MOH — Plays your queue’s intro greeting before the caller waits. See Music on hold and intro greetings.
• Max Expected Wait (sec) — If the expected wait is longer than this, don’t add the caller to the queue.
• Max Queue Length — The most callers allowed to wait at once.
• Allow Callback option — Lets callers hang up and get a call back when an agent is free.
• Forward if unavailable — Where callers go if they can’t enter the queue, such as a shared voicemail box or another queue.
• Forward if unanswered — Where callers go if no agent answers before the Queue Ring Timeout.

In Queue Options

• Queue Ring Timeout (sec) — How long a caller waits in the queue before the Forward if unanswered action happens.
• Agent Ring Timeout (sec) — How long each agent’s phone rings before the queue tries the next agent.
• Logout agent on missed call — Logs out an agent who doesn’t answer, so callers aren’t sent to an empty desk.
• Voicemail — Lets callers leave a message in the queue’s voicemail instead of waiting.

For Linear Cascade, you’ll also choose the first group of agents to ring and the group to add after the timeout.

To change these later, select the pencil icon (Edit Queue) on the queue’s row in Call Queues.

Heads up: Always set a Forward if unanswered destination, like a shared voicemail box. Otherwise, callers may wait longer than you’d like.

Next steps

1. Add agents. See Manage call queue agents.
2. Upload hold music or an intro greeting with the music note icon on the queue’s row. See Music on hold and intro greetings.
3. Point a phone number or auto attendant key at the queue.
4. Call the queue’s extension to test it.

Common questions

Calls go straight to voicemail. Why?

Usually, no agents are logged in and Require agents is on. Check agent status. See Manage call queue agents.

Should I record queue calls?

Recording is useful for training and quality. Only the part of the call inside the queue is recorded. If an agent transfers the call, the rest is recorded only if recording is on for the person who receives it.

Can one person be in several queues?

Yes. You can set which queue they should get calls from first.

Related articles

• Manage call queue agents
• Queue and agent activity
• Music on hold and intro greetings
• Build your first auto attendant