Glossary · Phone system (PBX)
Call queue
In one sentence
A call queue holds incoming callers when every agent is busy and connects them in order of arrival as soon as someone is free, playing music and announcements while they wait.
Also known as : call queue · call queues · call queuing · call queueing · phone queue · phone queues
What is a call queue?
When every member of your team is already on the phone, a new caller can hear endless ringing, go to voicemail, or wait on the line. A call queue manages that last option. It lines calls up in the order they arrived, plays music and messages while people wait, and connects each call to the first available agent.
The queue doesn’t choose the agent; that is the job of ACD, automatic call distribution. The two work together and are set up in the same part of the phone system.
How it works
A queue comes down to a handful of settings:
- Members: the agents or extensions that take calls from this queue.
- Strategy: how ACD picks the next agent (round robin, longest idle and so on).
- Music and announcements: hold music plus regular messages. Telling people their position in the queue is more useful than a generic “your call is important to us”.
- Maximum wait: after this, the call overflows to another queue, to voicemail or to a callback.
- Maximum size: beyond a set number of waiting callers, new calls are routed elsewhere.
Queue reports are what you manage by: average wait, abandoned calls, peak hours. They tell you when to add staff rather than stretch the hold music. Callers who hang up while waiting are missed calls in all but name.
Example
A Glasgow letting agency gets a burst of calls every Monday from tenants reporting weekend repairs. Two people answer. Previously, a third caller simply heard ringing until they gave up. The agency set up a queue with position announcements, a three-minute maximum wait and an overflow that offers a callback. Monday reports showed that almost half of waiting callers chose the callback, and the team could return those calls in batches once the morning rush had passed.
Call queues at Universal Telecom
Call queues with announcements, overflow and per-agent reports are part of our virtual PBX. You configure them in the portal and can view or export the reports without any extra tool.
Frequently asked questions
How long will callers wait in a queue?
It depends on how urgent the call is and what they are told. Announcing queue position or an estimated wait, and offering a callback, cuts the number of people who give up.
What is a queue callback?
Instead of holding, the caller leaves their number and keeps their place in the queue. When their turn comes, the system calls them back and connects them to the agent.
What is the difference between a call queue and a ring group?
A ring group rings a set of phones and, if nobody answers, moves on. A queue keeps callers waiting in order and connects them as agents become free, with reports on wait times.
Related terms
- ACD (automatic call distribution)
ACD (automatic call distribution) is the phone system feature that hands calls waiting in a queue to available agents according to a rule you choose, such as round robin, longest idle or skills-based routing.
- IVR (interactive voice response)
IVR (interactive voice response) is the automated phone menu that greets callers and routes them based on the keys they press, such as “press 1 for sales, press 2 for support”.
- Missed call
A missed call is an inbound call that nobody answered: the caller hung up while it rang or while waiting in a queue, or reached voicemail without speaking to anyone.
- Ring group
A ring group (or hunt group) rings several extensions for the same number, either all at once or one after another, so the first available colleague can pick up the call.
- Contact centre
A contact centre is the team, processes and software that handle customer conversations across several channels, such as phone, email, chat and messaging, using shared queues, agents and reporting.
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