Queues

Queue Management

Virtual waiting areas that hold conversations until agents become available.

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Overview

Queues are the foundation of contact center routing. They organize incoming conversations and manage the flow to available agents.

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Creating Queues

Basic Configuration

Queue: Technical Support
General:
  name: Technical Support
  description: Hardware and software issues
  channel_types:
    - voice
    - chat
    - email

Hours of Operation:
  timezone: America/New_York
  schedule:
    - days: [Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri]
      hours: 8:00-20:00
    - days: [Sat]
      hours: 10:00-16:00
  holidays:
    - date: 2024-12-25
      closed: true
    - date: 2024-12-24
      hours: 8:00-14:00

Settings:
  max_wait_time: 600s
  service_level_target: 80% in 60s

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Queue Settings

Routing Configuration

Routing:
  method: standard_v2    # standard_v2, advanced_v2, load_balanced_v3

  agent_selection:
    strategy: most_skilled    # most_skilled, longest_idle, round_robin

  overflow:
    enabled: true
    trigger: wait_time > 300s
    target_queue: general_support

Transfer Rules

Control which queues agents can transfer to:

Transfer Rules:
  mode: restricted    # open, restricted

  allowed_queues:
    - Tier 2 Support
    - Billing
    - Sales Escalations

  require_notes: true
  require_disposition: false

Wait Time Settings

Wait Time:
  max_wait: 600s

  messages:
    - at: 60s
      message: "Thank you for your patience. An agent will be with you shortly."
    - at: 180s
      message: "We apologize for the wait. Estimated time: {{estimated_wait}}"
    - at: 300s
      message: "Would you like to request a callback instead?"
      offer_callback: true

  timeout_action:
    type: route_to_voicemail
    message: "We're sorry we couldn't connect you. Please leave a message."

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After-Call Work (ACW)

Configure what happens after conversations end.

ACW Mode	Description
Immediate	Slot released immediately, agent available for next call
Timed	Slot held for configured duration (10s-15min)
Indefinite	Agent manually marks ready when done

Configuration

After Call Work:
  mode: timed
  duration: 60s

  allow_extend:
    enabled: true
    max_extension: 300s

  required_actions:
    - select_disposition
    - add_notes

  auto_ready:
    enabled: true
    after: 120s    # Auto-ready if agent doesn't act

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Agent Assignment

Assign agents to queues.

Individual Agents

Queue Agents:
  individual:
    - agent_id: agent_001
      role: primary
      skills_override: null    # Use agent's default skills

    - agent_id: agent_002
      role: backup
      activation: when_primary_busy

Agent Groups

Queue Agents:
  groups:
    - group: Support Team A
      role: primary

    - group: Support Team B
      role: overflow
      activation:
        condition: queue_depth > 10

Preferred Agents (Advanced Routing)

Queue Agents:
  preferred:
    - agent_id: agent_vip_001
      timeout: 45s
      conditions:
        - customer_tier: platinum

    - agent_id: agent_specialist
      timeout: 30s
      conditions:
        - product: enterprise

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Conditional Group Routing (CGR)

Dynamically expand agent pool when wait times exceed thresholds.

Configuration

Conditional Group Routing:
  enabled: true

  triggers:
    - metric: estimated_wait_time
      threshold: 120s

    - metric: service_level
      threshold: < 70%

  expansion_rules:
    - condition: ewt > 120s
      add_queue: General Support
      priority: secondary

    - condition: ewt > 300s
      add_queue: All Hands Support
      priority: tertiary

    - condition: service_level < 50%
      add_queue: Emergency Overflow
      priority: primary

  contraction:
    enabled: true
    condition: ewt < 60s AND service_level > 85%
    delay: 300s    # Wait before removing expansion

CGR Flow

[Normal State]
Queue: Tech Support
Agents: Team A (5 agents)
       │
       ▼
[EWT exceeds 2 min]
       │
       ▼
[Expand to General Support]
Queue: Tech Support + General
Agents: Team A + Team B (10 agents)
       │
       ▼
[EWT exceeds 5 min]
       │
       ▼
[Expand to All Hands]
Queue: Tech Support + General + All Hands
Agents: All available (20 agents)
       │
       ▼
[EWT drops below 1 min for 5 min]
       │
       ▼
[Contract back to normal]

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Queue Metrics

Real-Time Metrics

Metric	Description
Queue Depth	Conversations currently waiting
Estimated Wait Time (EWT)	Predicted wait for new conversations
Service Level	% answered within target time
Abandonment Rate	% who left before answer
Average Handle Time	Avg conversation duration
Agents Available	Agents ready to take calls

Historical Reporting

Queue Reports:
  - name: Daily Performance
    metrics:
      - service_level
      - abandonment_rate
      - average_wait_time
      - average_handle_time
    grouping: hourly

  - name: Agent Productivity
    metrics:
      - conversations_handled
      - average_handle_time
      - after_call_work_time
    grouping: by_agent

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Queue Administration

Managing Multiple Queues

Action	Description
Create	Add new queue
Edit	Modify queue settings
Clone	Duplicate queue configuration
Disable	Temporarily disable queue
Delete	Remove queue (no active campaigns)

Bulk Operations

• Update hours of operation across queues
• Assign agent groups to multiple queues
• Export/import queue configurations

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Related

• Routing — Routing methods and rules
• Skills — Agent skill management
• Supervisor Tools — Real-time monitoring