Description

An in-depth overview of the advanced options queues gives us in terms of reaching out to agents, routing, set-up, and more. Use cases of Advanced Queues:

  • Several Queues separated by Customer Type (Current Customers, New Customers, Billing) 

  • Queues Separated by Department (Termite, Lawn, Commercial, etc)

  • Layers of Queues (Queues flow into another queue)

  • Specialized Queues with a very specific functionality 


Queues give the user a wide variety of options in terms of how you want the phones to operate, and it can get very complex and you can mess up functionality if you do not know what you are doing. This process gives you the needed information to set up more complex queues so that they function properly and give you the unique operation process you want. 


Queue Settings


General

Play message to callers

  • The generic option will be the standard ring music, but you do have the option to upload your own music or message that will play to customers waiting to get on the line with an agent


Waiting

Allows you to play messages to the customer while they wait to speak to a CSR in the queue. Functions similarly to hold music/messages, except it specifically places in the queue, which allows for queue-specific messaging.

  • Can upload or record your own message

  • Can insert the “expect wait time” or their “position in the queue”

  • Can have a series of different messages play throughout the time

    • Can be advertisements, special deals, services, etc.

  • Click “Add Message” (can add multiple)

  • “Add the “Pause After” Time

    • This is the time after the message before the next message plays

    • Double-check to make sure the timing between multiple messages is correct

  • You can click on the “+” sign to add keypress options or Run a Trigger

    • Variety of Routing options to choose from, including some queue specific:

      • Keep Holding and Restart

      • Keep Holding and Continue

      • Hold Position in Line, Hangup and Call Back




Routing

Schedule

Allows you to choose what schedule you want this queue to use. It will almost always be “Always On”

  • Another possible option is a general “Business Hours’ Schedule, depending on how schedules and voice menus are set up. You would use the option if you send tracking numbers directly to this queue, instead of a phone tree or start router


Distribute to Agents: Simultaneously

Choosing Simultaneously allows us to select the weight of each CSR in the queue to choose the order in which the queue reaches out to CSRS.  It will ring to the agents in this order for EVERY call that comes to this queue.

  • Scroll down to “Agents” → “Edit Agent Routing Rules” → “Edit All”

  • In the “Star” column assign each agent a number, with the higher number meaning the will get reach out to FIRST

Note: while you can assign agents the same weight to ring at the same time, this is not considered best practice, as it can affect the functionality of answer calls. 


The other two options are Round Robin (Rings evenly and sequentially) and Longest Wait (rings to the agent who has been waiting for the call the longest



Routing for Repeat Callers:

We can choose how repeat calls to the queue are routed

  • Any Agent: Do not use special behavior for repeat callers

    • This is considered best practice 

  • Same Agent First: Route to the same agent as last time if that agent is available, otherwise ring to others

  • Same Agent Only: Only ring to the same agent, otherwise go to “no answer”

  • New Agent: Always route to a new agent, otherwise go to “no answer”


Seconds per Agent

Should be in the 10-20 second range, with 15 seconds being the initial standard


Keep ringing agents until answered

It's often turned OFF

Will continue to ring an agent even after it reaches out to the next agent, so it’s ringing multiple agents


Retry Busy Agents

Turned ON, considered best practice

  • Will reach out to any agent that becomes available during the time a customer is waiting in the queue

  • Necessary for most queues to make sure a customer reaches an agent in that queue


Connecting

Prompt agent to accept calls:

Usually turned OFF

This setting is only really useful if calls are ringing to multiple agents at the same time

  • It requires CSRs to press a key to answer a accept a call, reducing the possibility of agents answering calls at the same time

  • Can upload, record, or type in the instructions you want the CSR to follow


Connected

Note: Several of the options in this section deal with simultaneous routing, where it reaches out to multiple agents at the same time.


Beep for Caller and Beep for Agent:

Turned ON

Simply beeps for both the caller and CSR when the call connects, a good notification to let them both know they are on the call


Missed Caller Message:

Initially left BLANK

Plays a message for the CSR that did not connect to the call if multiple agents try to answer a call at the same time.

  • Message can be uploaded, recorded, or typed into the bar.


Caller hung up message:

Initially left BLANK

Plays a message for the CSR if the caller hangs up as an agent answers the phone

  • Useful to let a CSR know that it was not an error

  • Message can be uploaded, recorded, or typed into the bar.




No Answer

Bypass Queue if No Agents Available:

Skips the Queue to Move on to “No Answer”. Advanced use cases include:

  • Quickly moving past a full “Specific Queue” to an “All-Team Queue”

  • Skipping a full queue, Sending a call straight to a third party like Slingshot

  • Bypassing a small specialized queue with no active agents currently online




Seconds to Answer:

This time can be broader for advanced queues depending on what kind of queue it is:

  • Some smaller queues might only reach out to one person so it should be kept to the same time as the “seconds per Agent” time in Routing section

    • Overflow Queues, very specialized queues, queues with one person

    • For these types of queues you want to keep it short to keep the flow of the call going so customers don’t spent forever waiting

  • Larger specialized queues might function closer to regular queues, in which you want to  make sure it has proper time to reach all available people on the queues

    • Department queues, customer type queues

    • Want to make sure it has the best chance to reach a CSRs specializing in that type of customer before it goes to an “All-Team” Queue, Voicemail, etc.

    • Typically give it enough time to reach out to 3 agents


Route when no agent is available:

Several options are available once the time in the queue is up.

  • Hang Up: Should almost never be used

    • At the very least you would usually want to send it to a voicemail

  • Voice Menu: Send to a voicemail (common)

    • Send to a general voicemail or a more specific one

      • EX: Department voicemail, new customer voicemail

  • Smart Router: Give more specific routing depending on the type of caller in the queue. 

    • Useful for broader queues allowing you to send different callers to different voicemails, queues, etc. 

  • Dial Number: Dial a specific number

    • usually a third-party call service like Slingshot

  • Queue: Send to another queue (common)

    • For larger queues, it might send to an overflow queue for the last line of agents

    • For smaller queues, it can send to a larger, more general queue (like an all-team queue

  • Dial Agent: Dial a specific agent

    • Dial someone specifically, possibly outside the queue