The Queue section of an inbox's settings decides how long callers can wait for an agent, what happens when nobody can answer, and what callers hear and can do while they wait. Callers wait in the queue for the next available agent, as these settings say.
To open it, go to Inboxes, click the inbox, then click Queue.
Setting the max queue hold time
Max queue hold time is the total time a caller can wait, across all layers and every ringing round. Ring each user for, in Routing, is the length of each single ring.
Above the setting, the section shows how long one ringing round takes with your users and layers, for example "one ringing round takes 45 seconds". One ringing round is one pass through every layer of the inbox.
Pick one of these options:
Indefinitely: there is no limit. The caller waits until an agent answers or the caller hangs up.
Only 1 ringing round: holds the call until every layer has rung once.
A fixed time: from 30 seconds up to 30 minutes.
Options shorter than one ringing round are marked Too short. A hold time shorter than one round can end the call before the later layers ring. You can still pick one, and you are asked to confirm when you save.
The warning also suggests the shortest hold time that covers one ringing round.
When the hold time runs out, the call ends in the queue and counts as missed, and the inbox's missed call settings decide what happens next. The caller is released within about one second of the limit. A call that an agent has already accepted is never cut off.
Handling calls when no agents are available
Treat calls as missed when no agents are available decides what happens when a call arrives and nobody in the inbox can answer:
On: the call skips the queue and goes straight to the inbox's missed call settings, such as voicemail.
Off: the caller waits in the queue until an agent is free, up to the max queue hold time.
This setting only applies when nobody can answer. When agents are available but none of them picks up, the call keeps ringing round after round.
If Max queue hold time is set to Indefinitely, that caller can wait until they hang up. To prevent this, set a fixed time or Only 1 ringing round.
Setting what callers hear while they wait
The While callers wait card controls what callers hear and can do in the queue:
Say the caller's position: tells callers where they are in the queue.
Custom wait music: plays your own music while callers wait.
Repeat the prompts every: sets how often callers hear the options below. 30 seconds works best.
Offer a callback: callers can press 1 to hang up, keep their place, and get a call back when it's their turn.
Offer to continue by text: callers can press 2 to hang up and carry on by text, for small requests such as changing an appointment.
Offer to leave a voicemail: callers can press 3 to leave a voicemail instead of waiting.
When you turn on Offer a callback, Offer to continue by text or Offer to leave a voicemail, a Prompt field opens with what callers hear. You can edit it and use Add variable to insert details. The default prompts are:
Offer a callback: "Press 1 to get a callback from one of our agents."
Offer to continue by text: "Press 2 to continue this call with text messages."
Offer to leave a voicemail: "Press 3 for leaving a voicemail for us."
Offer to continue by text also has Text sent to the caller: the text message the caller gets, which starts as "We will text you just about now! Talk soon!". Use Add variable or Templates to change it.
A voicemail left by pressing 3 goes to the inbox, and every member of the inbox receives it.
When you turn on Custom wait music, a Wait music field opens. Click Record to record with your microphone, up to about 2 minutes, or drop an MP3 or WAV file under 8 MB. When Custom wait music is off, callers hear the default music.
When you create a new inbox, Custom wait music lets you add your music once the inbox is added.
Asking agents to press 1 to accept
Turn on Agents press 1 to accept to have the agent who picks up hear a prompt and press 1 to take the call. When several people ring at once, the first to press 1 gets the call and the others stop ringing.
Turning it on opens a Prompt field with what the agent hears, "Press 1 to take this call." by default. The prompt can't be left empty.
This is useful when some members answer on an external phone number: that phone's voicemail can't press 1, so it can't take the call.
If the agent doesn't press 1, the call moves on to the next available agent in the inbox.