Introduction
Queues are groups of agents that receive incoming calls together. You decide who is in each queue, how calls are distributed, and what happens if no one answers.
To start, add agents to the queue. A queue must always have at least one agent available — if no agents are online the Backup action runs instead.
Quick reference — all queue settings at a glance
| Setting | What it does | Use it when… |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Extensions | Agents can log in/out of the queue themselves | Shift teams, part-time cover, flexible staffing |
| Agent Priority | Lower number = receives calls first | You want senior agents to take calls before junior ones |
| Display Queue Name | Shows the queue name on the agent's phone/app screen | Agents handle more than one queue |
| Callee Announcement | Plays a spoken label to the agent before connecting | Agents answer for multiple brands or companies |
| Wrap-up Time | Pause before next call arrives after an agent hangs up | Agents need time to take notes after calls |
| Ring Strategy | Controls which agent receives each call | Always set — choose based on how your team works |
| Ring Agent Timeout | Seconds to ring one agent before trying the next | Any strategy other than Ring-all |
| Total Ring Time | How long the call stays in the queue before timing out | Always set — prevents callers waiting indefinitely |
| Timeout Action | What happens when Total Ring Time runs out | Always set — otherwise the call just hangs up |
| Music on Hold | Audio played to the caller while they wait | You want callers to hear music or a message instead of ringing |
| Ringinuse | Beeps to notify agent of a new call while on another call | Small teams where every call must be noticed |
| Transfer Bounce Back | Returns a transferred call if not answered | Agents regularly transfer queue calls to colleagues |
| Notify Caller Position | Tells the caller their place in the queue | High call volumes and callers tend to hang up |
| Backup Type | Fallback if no agents are online or internet is down | Always set — protects against missed calls |
Common scenarios — what should I use?
| I want to… | Setting to use |
|---|---|
| Ring all agents at once so the fastest one answers | Ring Strategy → Ring-all |
| Spread calls evenly across the team | Ring Strategy → Round-robin memory or Fewest-calls |
| Always try one specific agent first, then others | Ring Strategy → Linear (order agents top to bottom) |
| Send to voicemail if no one answers | Timeout Action → Voicemail |
| Forward to a mobile if no one answers | Timeout Action → Ring Out Number |
| Let agents sign themselves in/out | Dynamic Extensions |
| Make sure calls get through if internet goes down | Backup Type → Forward to mobile |
| Give agents time to write notes between calls | Wrap-up Time |
| Tell agents which queue the call came from | Display Queue Name and/or Callee Announcement |
| Reduce caller hang-ups during busy periods | Notify Caller Position + Music on Hold |
Queue settings — detailed guide
Dynamic Extensions
Lets agents log themselves in and out of the queue — ideal for shift-based or flexible teams.
Setting an Extension as Dynamic gives them the ability to log in & out of a Queue whenever they want. This can be done using the system Shortcodes or using the Nuacom Apps.
Static agents (default) are always in the queue. Dynamic agents control their own availability.
How to enable:
- Go to Settings → Queues, open the queue.
- Tick the Dynamic checkbox next to the agent's name.
- Click Update Queue to save.
How agents log in/out:
- Shortcode: Dial the queue login/logout shortcode from any extension. See the shortcode list.
- Nuacom app: Go to the Queues section and toggle status. Updates instantly.
Note: If all dynamic agents log out and no static agents are online, the queue falls through to its Backup action. Logging out of a queue is not the same as DND — direct calls still come through.
"Agent Priority"
Controls which agents receive calls first. Lower number = higher priority = receives calls first.
When a higher-priority agent is busy, calls move to the next priority level. Use this to ensure senior agents always handle calls first when available.
Note: Do not use priorities with the Linear ring strategy — set agents in the preferred order instead.
How to set priorities for the agents.
"Display Queue Name"
Shows the queue name on the agent's phone screen or app when an incoming call arrives.
Useful when agents are members of multiple queues — they can see at a glance whether the call is for Sales, Support, Accounts, etc. Examples: Sales, Accounts, Support, Google ad number, Website number.
How to enable "Display queue name".
"Callee Announcement"
Plays a spoken message to the agent just before the call connects — the audio version of Display Queue Name.
Example: The agent hears "Sales call" or "Call for Company A" before being connected. Useful when agents answer on behalf of multiple brands on the same account.
"Wrap-up Time"
A short pause after a call ends before the next one arrives — time to make notes or complete follow-up tasks.
The agent will not receive a new queue call for the number of seconds specified after hanging up.
How to enable "Wrap-up time" for your agents.
"Queue Ring Strategy"
Controls which agent receives each incoming call. Choose the strategy that matches how your team works.
| Strategy | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ring-all — Most popular | All agents ring at once — first to answer gets the call | Small teams where speed matters most |
| Round-robin memory | Takes turns — each agent gets one call before cycling back | Balanced workload across the team |
| Fewest-calls | Goes to the agent who has handled the least calls | Teams with varying call lengths |
| Least-recent | Goes to the agent who answered least recently | Similar to round-robin but time-based |
| Linear | Always tries agents top-to-bottom in the order set | You always want one specific agent to answer first |
| Random | Each call goes to a randomly selected agent | No particular distribution pattern needed |
Note: Ring Agent Timeout is required for all strategies except Ring-all. Do not combine Agent Priority with Linear.
"Ring Agent Timeout"
How long (in seconds) the call rings to one agent before moving to the next. Not used with Ring-all.
Example: set to 15 — if an agent doesn't answer in 15 seconds the call moves to the next available agent.
"Total Ring Time"
The maximum time a call stays in the queue before the Timeout Action runs. Always set this.
Example: set to 60 seconds — if no agent answers within 60 seconds, the Timeout Action triggers.
"Timeout Action"
What happens when Total Ring Time runs out and no agent answered. Always configure this — it is your safety net for missed calls.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ring Out / Forward Out Number | Dials an external mobile or landline number |
| Voicemail | Sends the caller to a voicemail box |
| Queue | Transfers the call to another queue |
| IVR | Sends the caller to an IVR menu |
| Dial Extension / Shortcode | Dials any internal or external number or shortcode |
| Backup Call | Runs the queue's configured Backup action |
| Continue | Moves to the next step in the IVR flow |
| Periodic message + VM | Plays a message on loop with option 1 to leave voicemail |
| Hangup call | Disconnects the call |
"Config" — additional queue options. Leave as default unless advised otherwise.
- Do not show missed call if answered on another extension — suppresses missed call notifications when a colleague already answered.
- Transfer by ## — for older handsets without a transfer button: dial ##number, speak to the recipient, press # to complete the transfer.
"Music on Hold" (MOH)
Audio played to the caller while they wait. Set to "No" to use a standard ringing tone instead.
Each queue can have its own unique MOH, even multiple audio files in rotation.
"Ringinuse"
Beeps in the agent's ear to alert them of a new queue call while already on a call. Off by default.
Only enable if agents must be notified of every incoming call regardless of whether they are already speaking.
"Transfer Bounce Back"
If an agent transfers a queue call and the recipient doesn't answer, the call returns to the agent who transferred it.
Prevents transferred calls from being lost. Recommended for queues where warm transfers are common.
"Notify Caller Position"
Tells the caller their position in the queue so they know how long to expect to wait.
Reduces hang-ups during busy periods. Set how frequently the announcement repeats:
In this example the caller hears their position every 1 minute.
"Backup Type"
The fallback when no agents are online or the internet goes down. Always configure this.
- Forward to number: All calls route to a mobile or landline.
- Voicemail: Caller is sent to a voicemail box.
- Join Queue: Call moves to another queue.
- None: No backup — call will not be redirected.
Always save and test after any change.
Press Update Queue at the bottom of the page. Wait 3–5 seconds, then make a test call to confirm everything is working.
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