Customers have loftier expectations for the businesses they interact with. That includes connecting with phone call center representatives as quickly every bit possible. After all, calling is still the number ane channel (71%) customers prefer for reaching a company. The less they expect on hold for call agents, the happier they'll be.

So how can businesses reduce the amount of fourth dimension their customers wait on the phone, particularly when phone lines get congested? That's where call queues come in.

In this weblog, we'll wait at:

  1. What is a phone call queue?
  2. Why should I use telephone call queues?
  3. When should I utilize call queues? How many call queues practise I need?
  4. How do I personalize my telephone call queue in RingCentral?
  5. How do call queues benefit your business?

What is a telephone call queue?

A phone call queue distributes calls to employees in your arrangement who tin help resolve an issue or answer a question.

For example, when a customer service call is received, the caller is typically greeted by a welcome message and connected to an available employee ("agent"). If no agents are available, the caller is "queued," hearing music and/or a message.

The caller waiting is connected automatically to the side by side bachelor amanuensis. Calls non answered after a configurable wait time may be routed to an alternate destination (answering service or voicemail box). Voicemail transcription provides call queue managers with text-based call notifications when callers exit a message, so they can remember customers when call eye agents are available.

A call queue consists of:

  • Schedule : Your schedule specifies how calls are handled when the business concern is open and airtight, including holidays and weekends.
  • Greetings and music : Upload custom recorded messages and audio files or choose from a library of pre-recorded greetings and hold music to tailor the caller'due south experience while waiting for an amanuensis.
  • Phone call distribution : Inbound calls are distributed to call agents using a "showtime-in, kickoff-out" strategy. The first call received is the first phone call connected to an available amanuensis.
  • Routing method : The next available agent is selected to receive calls using any of these methods: rotating (or nigh idle agent), sequential (or tiptop-down), or simultaneous.
  • Call handling and routing options: These advanced call options permit you to send callers to other call queues, users, IVR menus, or external numbers when unlike conditions occur (for example, if the wait time is greater than one minute).
  • Reports : Real-time and historical call analytics help managers monitor the callers' experiences (eastward.g., amount of time on waiting on hold, service level delivered) and amanuensis functioning (e.thou., number of calls answered).

A cloud phone system combined with messaging and video for your business concern.

Why should I utilize phone call queues?

  • Reduce the corporeality of time calls are waiting: Phone call queues help road callers to the advisable amanuensis. That ways fewer transfers between agents and more than time resolving bug.
  • Flexible call flows: Call queues allow you to route calls to phone call center agents, extensions, or external numbers based on a schedule (open, airtight, or holiday) or when certain atmospheric condition occur (such as await time is greater than ane minute, more than 10 callers are waiting in the queue, no agents are bachelor, etc.).
  • Improve the customer experience with data : Call queues capture data that gives managers deep insights into the customer feel such equally wait time, talk time, concur time, and more than.
  • Meliorate agent performance: Call queues likewise provide reports on agent productivity (east.thou., number of calls answered, which agents placed calls on concord, etc.). Call queue reports can help determine when boosted staff or schedule changes are needed during busy times.

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When should I use call queues? How many call queues exercise I need?

Different types of calls require dissimilar expertise. Yous might demand a Customer Service telephone call queue for a squad of employees who respond calls related to purchasing a product; or, a Help Desk call queue for a squad of IT employees who resolve technical issues.

To help determine how many call queues yous may need:

  • Create a list of the types of incoming calls that need to be answered.
  • Consider the reporting data you'll need.

Each telephone call queue report includes several key performance metrics (KPIs) that help the concern monitor the customer experience while measuring agent productivity. If you plan to reply different types of calls with a single call queue, the report will show summarized phone call information. For instance, if y'all answer Apartment Sales and Home Sales calls using one Sales telephone call queue, the written report volition show both call types together (e.g. sales calls=x)

If you program to answer each inbound call type with a unique call queue, the written report will show individual call type data. For example, if Apartment Sales and Home Sales phone call types are answered by their own unique telephone call queues, each study will show individualized data (flat sales calls=8; home sales calls=ii).

Once you've created a list of incoming calls yous need to respond and grouped them together (or separately) based on the reporting y'all need, you're ready to set up your call queue(s).

How do I personalize my telephone call queue in RingCentral?

To create a phone call queue, log in to the Admin Portal, navigate to Phone Arrangement > Groups > Call Queues, and click New Call Queue. For each phone call queue:

  1. Configure the call queue details: name, extension, and site.
  2. Select the call queue manager(s) and permission(due south). Full-access managers may alter all call queue settings, while fellow member management managers may add/remove agents.
  3. Select the call queue agents who will answer calls.

Once the phone call queue is created, you can personalize these additional settings:

  • Schedule: The call queue schedule is ready to "Open 24 hours/7 days a week" by default. To configure different hours, select the desired call queue, navigate to Telephone call Queue Details > Settings, and select Custom hours.
  • Direct Numbers: Add one or more (optional) toll-costless or local phone numbers that will exist answered past the call queue. Alternatively, you may first answer the phone call using an auto-attendant or IVR carte that routes the caller to the call queue based on the caller'southward response to prompts (e.g., "Press 1 for Sales, printing 2 for Support).
  • Greeting & Concur Music: Greetings are optional recorded messages that are played to callers at different times during the call. You can upload custom greetings and audio files or select from a library of pre-recorded options.
    • Phone call Queue Greeting : This optional welcome proclamation is played to callers before being connected to an agent.
    • Audio While Connecting: Music on hold is played to callers while they're "queued" waiting to be connected to the next available amanuensis.
    • Interrupt Audio : This optional announcement is played periodically while the caller is waiting to be connected to an agent, due east.1000., "Thank you for your patience; nosotros will answer your call shortly."
    • Agree Music : The music callers will hear if the agent places the call on hold.
  • Call Handling & Members: Agent selection, routing method, and look settings make up one's mind the call flow, e.thousand., how calls are answered and the caller'due south experience while waiting to be connected.
    • Concern Hours : These settings control how agents in the queue are selected to receive calls when the phone call queue is open.
    • Expect Settings : These advanced call settings control how calls are routed when dissimilar phone call queue conditions occur:
      • Maximum number of callers allowed in queue
      • How should calls be routed when the queue is full?
      • Maximum wait time in queue
      • How should calls be routed when maximum wait time is reached?
      • How should calls exist routed when agents are bachelor but exercise not reply or when all agents are decorated or unavailable?
    • Display Settings : These settings determine the telephone call data displayed to the agent while the call is ringing/connected (e.g., Phone call Queue Name, Caller ID Proper noun, and Caller ID Number).

Incoming queue call information on Polycom phone

  • After Hours : Specifies how calls are routed when the call queue is closed.
  • Custom Rules : Configure a custom rule to route calls during holidays.
  • Messages & Notifications: Voicemail box greeting and message notification settings.

How exercise phone call queues do good your business organisation?

one. A more personalized experience for customers

The best calling experience resolves an issue quickly, and that means routing calls to the appropriate call center agents. For example, before callers get connected to an agent, they navigate through the concern telephone system's IVR to determine their concern.

By the time they reach an agent, the agent already has some groundwork info on the caller (account info, purchase history, and or support effect) and tin can start the resolution cycle immediately.

2. Reduce wait times and abandon rates

Without an efficient call direction organization, customers can spend excess amounts of time waiting on concur or speaking to the wrong representative.

A telephone call queue distributes calls to the right agents to resolve bug faster. That means shorter wait times for customers waiting in line and lower abandon rates overall.

three. Optimize costs and efficiency

As the old saying goes: fourth dimension is coin. The less time agents spend on issues, the lower your cost per telephone call.

With phone call queues, the entire resolution wheel is streamlined, assuasive your agents to brand the nigh of every call and churn through customers faster.

4. Workforce engagement

Working with customers all twenty-four hours (many of whom punch in frustrated) is an exhausting job. Call queues, however, brand their work much easier by reducing the tension in calls and empowering them to resolve problems speedily.

Deliver the service your customers deserve

Whether your business's call volume is growing or already has call center software, telephone call queuing ensures that your teams have the tools to provide exceptional service and win the loyalty of your customers.

Originally published February 03, 2022, updated Feb 11, 2022