Call Queuing
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Calls can be queued if the Destination Number is busy, or the number of concurrent calls reaches a predefined level. Callers held in the queue can hear music-on-hold interspersed with up to eight optional custom ‘apology’ messages; they can also be informed of their position in the queue.
The Destination Number may be a single physical line, or it could terminate on multiple lines – this has to be taken into account when configuring a queue.
For example, a call centre has 10 lines, but the number of calls from Advanced Services needs to be limited to 3 concurrent calls. This limit would be applied to the Queue, and the effect would be that callers 1 to 3 would be presented to the Destination Number, with calls 4 and higher placed in the queue. This configuration protects the customer’s call handling capacity from being swamped with calls at the expense of other campaigns they may be running.
When a call arrives and it is not placed on the queue because the concurrent calls limit has not been exceeded, an out-dial to the Destination Number is attempted. If the out-dial attempt returns busy, the out-dial is retried every 5 seconds (or every 2 seconds if there is more than one Destination Number configured). This caller will hear ringing, rather than music on hold, unless the queue has been configured to play music-on-hold right up to the point where the called party picks up.
The queue size can also be configured to limit callers waiting in a queue. For example, if the queue size is set at 2, then (in the example below) callers 6 and higher would be given an (optional) custom ‘queue full’ audio message, then the call will either disconnect or continue down the MaxQueueReached branch (if configured). If there is no ‘queue full’ audio configured, the call will end and the caller will be presented with busy tone, unless the call has been answered previously in order to play other audio, in which case the caller will hear a generic message.
The audio generated by multiple out-dial attempts (comprised of short bursts of busy tone and silence, which may be confusing to the caller) is hidden with Advanced Services generated ringing tone (or a continuation of the music-on-hold/apology/queue position messages if configured). In order for the caller to hear this audio, the call needs to be answered to open the audio path.
Queues can be configured with optional customer-supplied audio, as follows:
Welcome Audio: played when the caller first enters the queuing mechanism. The platform will play this audio in full to the caller before attempting to out-dial to a destination.
Intro Audio: played when the caller first enters the actual queue (i.e. they will subsequently hear ‘music on hold’, if configured.) If a destination becomes available whilst this audio is being played the audio will be interrupted and the caller connected
Apology#Audio files 1 to 8: played at intervals during Music On Hold, where the first audio file can be repeated (at an interval configured by the customer), or each of the audio files will be played in turn cyclically (again, with a customer-defined interval between each one).
Next To Connect Audio: played when a caller leaves the on-hold mechanism and attempts to dial the Destination Number. This is played prior to pre-recorded ring tone.
Queue Full Audio: played when the queue is full (see descriptions above for details).
Queue Position Audio: this tells the caller what position they hold in the queue. The audio used for Q Position is fixed – i.e. not customer-supplied. If the service has been configured to play Music On Hold and related messages rather than pre-recorded ring tone during an out-dial attempt, the caller will be told they are in queue position one. This would apply to every caller attempting an out-dial in this scenario – i.e. there could be many callers occupying ‘position one’.
When the caller moves up the queue and reaches the point where their call can initiate an out-dial (i.e. when a B-party line becomes free to handle the call), the caller will be presented with pre-recorded ringing. This will continue to ring until the B-party picks up, or the ring duration timeout fires. An alternative to pre-recorded ringing is to continue playing the on-hold music and any apology and queue position messages, if configured. In this scenario, the out-dial happens in the background and the caller will be unaware of any change of state. If the service is configured to continue playing this audio during an out-dial attempt, then the music on hold, apology or next-to-connect messages will be interrupted if the B-party picks up during this audio; there will be no ring tone to prepare the caller that an answer from the called party is imminent. The caller experience as far as playback of these messages is concerned will be the same whether the B-party is ringing, or ‘bouncing off busy’ - the caller will continue to hear these audios regardless of the B-party's state - i.e. ringing or engaged.
Music On Hold falls into 6 categories:
None
Classical
Easy Listening
Light Rock
Eighties
Pop
Ringing
The caller can be given the option to press # on their telephone keypad to drop out of the queue. This option is only active if the relevant branch is configured.
Queuing features other generic elements - see the Queue node reference and other sections for:
All the audio files described above are customer-supplied and configurable (with the exception of MusicOnHold and QueuePositionAudio) - see .
