A Queue will be one of the most-used features in VoIPOffice, where the majority of your incoming calls will end up. The Queue works like an upgraded version of the Ring Group, as it has more features and options for both yourself and the caller. Please note that before you can create a Queue, you will need a Queue license, which can be purchased via your Account Manager.

To begin, go to Queues > Add Queues.

After adding the name and number, you can add Max Callers, which will limit how many callers will be held in the queue and others are sent to another destination. Now we will need to add our queue members. Click Queue members and agents to bring up the extensions. Select the users you wish to be part of the queue and use the arrow button that will appear to move them to the Members list. Click save when you have added the people you want. Remember that the queue members is separate from the rest of the queue settings, so if you do not click Save here but click Save in the Advanced Options, your selected queue members will not be saved.

Click Advanced Options to see the other features.

Static Members Login: This option is used when you want to define whether extensions added as members to the queue must login/logout using *200/*201 access codes or the calls will always be sent to the extension without the need for static logging.

Redirect Extension: If the Queue already has the maximum number of callers, any new calls will be directed to this new extension.

Redirect to Voice Mail: Choose whether the redirect extension is a voicemail.

Music On Hold: Select MOH (Music On Hold) class name. All sound files belonging to this MOH class will be played to users in the queue

RTP Delay [sec]: Delay time in seconds inserted before the queue greeting message is played. This solves the 'half-played' file problem. Keep this value between 1 and 3.

Queue Ring Timeout: Number of seconds during which the Agent(s) will be rung, after the Position Announcement is played to caller, if it is enabled.

Max Wait Seconds: Maximum time a caller can wait in a queue. Once this time is exceeded, the caller will be redirected to the 'Max Wait Extension' number.

Max Wait Extension: This option works along with the 'Max Wait Seconds' field. Provide the extension to which the caller will be redirected once the time exceeds 'Max Wait Seconds'.

Timeout Restart: Reset the internal timer if BUSY or CONGESTION is received from the agent.

Replace Caller ID: Replace the caller ID with the custom value.

Language: Define the custom language for all sound files played by the queue.

Member Delay: This field is the same as RTP Delay, only this option is set for the agent answering the queue calls. Before the call is transferred, custom queue information can be played to an agent so that the agent knows from which queue the call is coming. This solves the 'half-played' file problem. Keep this value between 1 and 3.

Join Empty: Set whether a caller can join a queue if no agent is logged in or they are all unavailable.

Leave when empty: When there are no agents inside a queue, callers will leave it depending on the setting.

Empty Destination: When the queue doesn't have any agents logged in, redirect callers to the following destination.

Autofill: Should callers be served individually or in parallel?

Ring Agents in Use: Should agents in use be rung when a new caller comes into the queue?

Queue URL: Send the following URL to the agent's softphone, if it supports that option and the softphone can open that URL so the agent can see the caller's additional information if available. This option must be supported by softphone for it to be used.

Custom ring tone: Ring the agent phones with custom ringtone set here.

Custom sounds folder: When Queue Callback is enabled, you will be able to add custom queue sounds that will be played in that case. Both this and Custom Ring Tone are for advanced users, so it would be best to leave these as defualt until you are more familiar with the VoIPOffice system.

You can also set the operation times so the queue will not be used outside your work hours. The Operation Times are covered in more detail in another guide, so for now we will use the default.

The Position Announcements will let the caller know how long they have been holding for, plus any other 'please continue to hold' messages.

Announce Hold-Time: Enable callers waiting in a queue to hear the hold-time announcements.

Announce Frequency: How often to play the hold-time announcement message (time in seconds). NOTE: If you set this option to '0', announce message will not be played.

Announce Round Seconds: This feature rounds announcement minutes and seconds to a specific format.

Periodic Announce: Select the sound file that is played periodically to callers waiting in a queue. NOTE: The file name has to be in the following format 'periodic-announce-$NAME.gsm'

Periodic Announce Frequency: Time interval in seconds at which the periodic message is to be played.

So we have set the Hold time to be played every 45 seconds and a Periodic Announcement every 30 seconds. You can record an announcement via *301 or have a sound file uploaded, but we will cover this in more detail in another guide.

The Next Section is 'Recording.' Here you can select if you would like your call recorded while they are in the queue.

Record Queue Calls: Once this feature is activated, all queue calls will be recorded in the desired sound format.

Use MixMonitor: Select whether to use MixMonitor application which records the current queue call as it takes place and doesn't do it after the call is hang up.

Monitor format: Select the audio format all queue calls with be recorded in. Available formats: GSM and WAV49.

We can select a greeting for the queue in the next section. This will be a message that the caller hears when they are transferred to the queue

Like the Periodic Announce, you can record this via *301, or have a file uploaded by Support.

Agents

Here you can set options that will affect the agent, or extension.

Agent Announce: Play a custom message to a queue agent before they answer the call. NOTE: The file name has to be in the following format 'agent-announce-$NAME.gsm'.

Agent Called Events: VoIPOffice can generate some events when an agent/member is connected. Enabling this feature may generate a large amount of extra manager events.

Report Holdtime: Enabling this feature will tell the queue agent how long the calling party has been waiting in the queue.

Retry All Timeout: Time interval in seconds, for how long to wait before trying the queue agent again.

Ring Strategy: Set the way calls are transferred to queue members answering the calls.

Available options:

ringall - Ring all available members until one answers (default)

roundrobin - Ringing each available member

leastrecent - Ring member with the least queue calls

fewestcalls - Ring member with the fewest completed queue calls

random - Ring random member

rrmemory - Round robin with memory. Remember where we left off.

Wrap-up Time: After a successful call, this will determine how long to wait (time interval in seconds) before sending a new call to a potentially free agent/member.

Incoming Options: Set the advanced queue call options:

t - allow the called user to transfer the calling user

T - allow the calling user to transfer the call

H - allow the caller to hang up by hitting *

n - no retries on the timeout; will exit queues and go to the next step

r - ring instead of playing MOH

Ring ('r') timeout: When 'r' is selected in Incoming Options and this timeout is used, the queue will first ring for the entered number of seconds after which MOH will start.

Use Exit Digit: Should users be able to exit the queue by dialing a single digit and be automatically redirected to a preset VoIPOffice destination?

Exit Digit: Define the exit digit here. Once this digit is dialled by the user waiting in the queue, it will transfer the call directly to 'Extension' destination.

Extension: Local VoIPOffice extension number that is dialled once the 'Exit Digit' is dialled.

Notification E-mail address: The e-mail address which will receive notifications of abandoned calls, where an abandoned call is one where the caller hangs up the call while waiting to be answered.

Enable Notification: Enable or disable Abandoned Calls Notification feature.

Once you have selected the settings you wish to use, click Save.