Call Queues
No Caller Stuck on Hold. Every Wait Has an Exit.Call queuing with hold music, a wait limit and an exit for every caller.
When nobody is free, callers hear your welcome and hold music instead of endless ringing. Set how long anyone may wait and how many may queue. Past the limit, the call goes where you decided in advance: voicemail, another team, a menu or an outside number.
- Hold music and announcements
- Four overflow exits
- Included on every plan
How a call moves through it
- A caller joins the queueSent here by your call flow
- Welcome and hold musicWith an announcement on a timer
- Agents are rungIn the ring order you chose
- Waited too longSent to the exit you pickedAn agent answersThe caller is connected
Every Wait Ends Somewhere.
A wait limit, 300 seconds by default, sends long waits to the exit you chose instead of ringing forever.
Waited too long, nobody free, nobody with the right skills and repeat callers each get their own exit.
A welcome, hold music and a timed announcement, with the music paused so nothing talks over your message.
Spot the third call from one number in 30 minutes and send it somewhere better than the back of the line.
Set Up a Queue in Three Steps.
Add Your Agents
Pick the people in the queue and how they are rung: all at once, in order, or spread evenly.
Choose What Callers Hear
A welcome file, your hold music and an announcement every so many seconds.
Set Limits and Exits
Choose the wait limit, the line length and where each kind of overflow goes. A blank exit hangs up.
What Is Call Queuing, and Where Do Calls Go When It’s Full?
Call queuing holds incoming callers in line when every agent is busy, plays them a welcome and hold music, and connects each one as an agent comes free. Good call queue management also decides what happens when the wait runs too long, so a busy line never turns into endless ringing.
In Adoptiv a queue has a wait limit, 300 seconds by default, and an optional cap on how many callers can wait. Hold music and a periodic announcement play while callers wait; the music pauses for the announcement so nobody talks over it. The welcome can play always, only when nobody is free, or never. Agents are rung in the ring strategy you pick.
Call overflow routing is where Adoptiv is strict. Waited too long, nobody available, no agent with the right skills, and a repeat caller are four separate exits, each sent to voicemail, another queue, a team, a person, a menu, a call flow or an outside number. A blank exit hangs up, so set them all.
Queues work with skills-based routing, queue callbacks and your business hours. Each call center queue also carries a service-level target, 60 seconds by default, and a single call is stopped after 10 queue-to-queue redirects, so nobody is passed around forever.
Call Queue Management, with Nobody Left Hanging.
A message every so many seconds, with the hold music paused while it plays.
Play it always, only when nobody is free, or never.
300 seconds by default. Reaching it sends the caller to your timeout exit.
Cap how many can wait. The next caller takes the nobody-available exit.
Four exits, each set on its own: timeout, no agent, no skill match, repeat caller.
Spot the Nth call from a number in a window, 3 in 30 minutes by default.
For Teams That Get More Calls Than People.
Call Queuing vs Letting the Phone Ring.
| What | Phones that just ring | With Adoptiv |
|---|---|---|
| Every agent busy | Phones that just ring: Endless ringing or a busy signal | With Adoptiv: A welcome, hold music and announcements |
| A long wait | Phones that just ring: Callers give up and hang up | With Adoptiv: Sent to the exit you picked, at your limit |
| Nobody available at all | Phones that just ring: Straight to a general voicemail | With Adoptiv: Voicemail, another team, a menu or an outside number |
| The same person calling again | Phones that just ring: Back of the line | With Adoptiv: Spotted, and sent somewhere better |
| Knowing their place in line | Phones that just ring: No | With Adoptiv: No position announcement either; offer a callback instead |
Call Queues Questions, Answered.
What is a call queue?
A call queue holds callers when nobody is free to answer, plays them a welcome and hold music, and rings your agents until one picks up or the wait reaches your limit.
How long can a caller wait in the queue?
As long as you allow. New queues default to a 300-second limit, and a caller who reaches it is sent to the timeout exit you picked.
What happens when nobody is available?
The call takes your no-agent exit: voicemail, another queue, a team, a person, a menu, a call flow or an outside number. Leave it blank and the call ends.
Can callers hear their position in line?
No. Queues play a welcome, hold music and a periodic announcement, but not a position-in-line or estimated-wait message.
Can callers ask for a callback instead of waiting?
Yes. A queue can offer a callback after a wait you set: the caller presses a digit, hangs up, and a request lands on your callback board.
What is call overflow routing?
Sending a call somewhere else when the queue can’t take it, such as another team or voicemail. Adoptiv has separate overflow exits for a long wait, nobody available, no skill match and repeat callers.
Can I use my own hold music?
Yes. Upload a track to the media library and set it per queue. Queues without their own use your workspace default.
How does repeat caller routing work?
You set how many calls from one number within a window count as a repeat, 3 in 30 minutes by default. A repeat caller takes its own exit.
Can a call bounce between queues forever?
No. A single call is stopped after 10 queue-to-queue redirects.
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