Queue Management
Queue Management
Queues are the backbone of how calls are distributed to agents in the AgentTech Dialer. By organizing your team into well-structured queues, you ensure that every incoming call reaches the right person as quickly as possible. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating, configuring, and managing queues.
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What Are Queues?
A queue is a virtual waiting line for calls. When a customer calls in, the system places their call into the appropriate queue, and the next available agent in that queue is connected to the caller. Think of it like a customer service line at a store — callers wait in order, and the next free representative helps them.
Common Queue Examples
- Medicare Sales — Handles inbound calls from prospects interested in Medicare Advantage or Supplement plans. Staffed by licensed, certified agents.
- Customer Service — Handles existing customer inquiries, policy changes, billing questions, and general support requests.
- Spanish Language — Routes Spanish-speaking callers to bilingual agents for any type of inquiry.
- New Business Intake — Handles first-time callers who need to be qualified and matched with the right department.
- Renewals — Manages calls from existing customers whose policies are coming up for renewal.
- After-Hours Support — A queue that activates outside of normal business hours, staffed by a smaller team or routing to voicemail.
You can create as many queues as your organization needs, and agents can be members of multiple queues simultaneously.
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The Queue Management Page
Navigate to the Queue Management page (queues.php) from the main navigation. Here is what you will see:
Page Header
- Queue Count Badge — A badge next to the page title showing the total number of queues in your system (e.g., "12 Queues").
- Create Queue Button — A prominent button in the header area to add a new queue. Click this to open the Create Queue Modal.
Filter Toolbar
Below the header you will find a filter toolbar with:
- Search Input — Type a queue name to instantly filter the displayed queues. This is especially helpful when you have many queues.
- Grid / List View Toggle — Switch between two display modes:
- List View — Shows queues in a table-style list with columns for each detail. This view is better when you need to scan many queues quickly or compare settings side by side.
Queue Cards (Grid View)
Each queue card in Grid View displays:
- Status Toggle — A switch to quickly activate or deactivate the queue without opening the full settings.
- Queue Name — The display name of the queue.
- Department — Which department the queue belongs to (e.g., Sales, Support, Billing).
- Agents Count — How many agents are assigned to this queue.
- Skills Count — How many skills are required for this queue.
- States Count — How many states (licenses) are accepted in this queue.
- Overflow Badge — Shows the configured overflow action (e.g., "Voicemail," "Transfer," "Disconnect").
Click on any queue card to open the Manage Queue Modal where you can configure all settings.
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Creating a New Queue
Click the Create Queue button to open the Create Queue Modal. Here is each field you need to fill in:
Queue Name (Required)
Enter a descriptive name for the queue. Choose something clear that your team will immediately understand, such as "Medicare Advantage Sales" or "Billing Support." This name will appear throughout the system wherever the queue is referenced.
Routing Strategy (Dropdown)
Select how calls should be distributed to agents in this queue. There are three options:
- Round Robin — Distributes calls evenly among all available agents in the queue. The system cycles through agents in order, ensuring no single agent gets overloaded while others sit idle. Best for teams where all agents have similar skill levels and you want equal workload distribution.
- Longest Idle — Routes each new call to the agent who has been waiting the longest since their last call. This naturally balances workloads because agents who just finished a call go to the back of the line. Best for most call center operations — it keeps things fair and minimizes agent idle time.
- Performance — Routes calls to the agents with the best performance metrics (such as conversion rates, customer satisfaction scores, or handle times). Your top performers receive calls first. Best for sales queues where you want your best closers handling the highest volume of opportunities, or for VIP customer queues where quality matters most.
Department (Dropdown)
Select the department this queue belongs to. Departments help you organize queues into logical groups and can be used for reporting and access control. Examples: Sales, Customer Service, Billing, Claims, Retention.
Description (Textarea)
Enter an optional description of the queue's purpose. This is helpful for supervisors and administrators who may need to understand what the queue is for at a glance. Example: "Handles inbound calls from Medicare-eligible prospects during AEP. Agents must have current AHIP certification and state appointments."
Overflow Action (Dropdown)
Choose what happens when a call cannot be answered — for example, when all agents are busy, the queue is at maximum capacity, or the queue is outside operating hours. There are four options:
- Send to Voicemail — The caller hears a voicemail greeting and can leave a message. The message will appear in the Voicemail page for agents or supervisors to review and return the call. Best for after-hours or when you want to capture every lead.
- Disconnect — The call is ended after the caller hears a message. Use this only for queues where a callback is not necessary or where other contact methods are available.
- Transfer to Destination — The call is transferred to a specific phone number that you define in the Overflow Target field. This could be a personal cell phone, an after-hours answering service, or another office location. Best for ensuring a live person always answers, even outside business hours.
- Transfer to Queue — The call is transferred to a different queue. Specify the target queue in the Overflow Target field. Best for tiered support structures — for example, if the "Tier 1 Support" queue overflows, calls can transfer to the "Tier 2 Support" queue.
Overflow Target
This input field appears when you select "Transfer to Destination" or "Transfer to Queue" as your overflow action. Enter the phone number or queue name that should receive overflow calls.
Active Checkbox
Check this box to make the queue active immediately upon creation. If unchecked, the queue will be created but will not receive any calls until you activate it. This is useful when you want to set up and configure a queue fully before going live.
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Managing a Queue — The Manage Queue Modal
Click on any existing queue to open the Manage Queue Modal. This is a large (extra-large) modal with six tabs across the top. Each tab controls a different aspect of the queue's configuration.
Tab 1: Agents
The Agents tab lets you control which agents are members of this queue.
Layout: Two side-by-side columns:
- Available Agents (left column) — Shows all agents in your organization who are NOT currently assigned to this queue. Each agent displays their name and current status.
- Assigned Agents (right column) — Shows all agents who ARE members of this queue.
How to add agents:
- In the Available Agents column, find the agent you want to add. Use the search bar at the top of the column to filter by name.
- Click the agent to move them to the Assigned Agents column.
How to remove agents:
- In the Assigned Agents column, find the agent you want to remove.
- Click the agent to move them back to Available Agents.
Priority Levels:
Each assigned agent has a priority adjustment control. Priority determines the order in which agents receive calls when multiple agents are available:
- Higher-priority agents receive calls first.
- Agents with the same priority level are sorted according to the queue's routing strategy (Round Robin, Longest Idle, or Performance).
- Use priority levels to ensure your most experienced or best-performing agents handle calls before newer team members.
Tab 2: States
The States tab manages which U.S. states this queue accepts calls from. This is critical for insurance and financial services organizations where agents must be licensed in specific states.
Layout: Two side-by-side columns:
- Available States (left column) — Shows all states not currently associated with this queue.
- Accepted States (right column) — Shows all states that this queue will accept calls from.
How it works:
- Move states from Available to Accepted to indicate that this queue handles calls from those states.
- When a call comes in, the system checks the caller's state against the queue's accepted states. If the caller's state is not in the list, the call may be routed to a different queue or handled according to overflow rules.
- Use the search bar to quickly find specific states in either column.
Why this matters:
State licensing is a regulatory requirement in many industries, especially insurance. By configuring accepted states per queue, you ensure that callers are only connected to agents who are legally authorized to do business in their state. This protects both your organization and your customers.
Tab 3: Skills
The Skills tab lets you define skill requirements for the queue and match them to agents who possess those skills.
Layout: Two side-by-side columns:
- Available Skills (left column) — Shows all skills defined in your system that are not yet required for this queue.
- Required Skills (right column) — Shows skills that agents must have to receive calls from this queue.
Proficiency Levels:
Each required skill has a proficiency level setting from 1 to 10:
- 1 = Basic familiarity
- 5 = Competent / working knowledge
- 10 = Expert / mastery
When a call enters the queue, the system matches it to agents who have the required skills at or above the specified proficiency level. For example, if the queue requires "Spanish Language" at proficiency level 7, only agents rated 7 or higher in Spanish will receive calls from this queue.
How skills filter agents:
Skills act as an additional filter on top of the queue's agent assignments. An agent must be:
- Assigned to the queue (Agents tab)
- Licensed in the relevant state (States tab, if applicable)
- Possess all required skills at or above the minimum proficiency level (Skills tab)
Only agents who meet all three criteria will receive calls from the queue.
Use the search bar at the top of each column to quickly find skills. Common skills might include: "Medicare Advantage," "Final Expense," "Spanish Language," "Underwriting," "Retention Specialist," "AHIP Certified," or "Compliance Trained."
Tab 4: Hours
The Hours tab defines when the queue is open to receive calls.
Timezone Selector:
At the top of the tab, select the timezone for the queue's operating hours. Six options are available:
- Eastern
- Central
- Mountain
- Pacific
- Arizona (does not observe daylight saving time)
- UTC
Choose the timezone that matches your primary operating location. All times in the schedule grid below will be interpreted in this timezone.
Day Schedule Grid:
Below the timezone selector is a grid with one row for each day of the week, Monday through Sunday. Each row contains:
- Active Checkbox — Check this box to indicate the queue is open on this day. Uncheck it to close the queue for the entire day.
- Open Time — Select the time the queue opens (e.g., 8:00 AM).
- Close Time — Select the time the queue closes (e.g., 6:00 PM).
- Copy Hours Button — Click this to copy the current day's open and close times to all other active days. This saves time when most days share the same schedule.
Quick-Set Buttons:
- Apply Standard Business Hours — Click this button to set all weekdays (Monday–Friday) to 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and deactivate Saturday and Sunday. This is a convenient one-click setup for typical office hours.
- Apply 24/7 — Click this button to set all seven days to active with 24-hour coverage (12:00 AM – 11:59 PM). Use this for queues that need around-the-clock availability.
What happens outside operating hours:
When a call arrives outside the queue's operating hours, the system applies the queue's Overflow Action (configured during queue creation or in the Settings tab). For example, if the overflow action is "Send to Voicemail," after-hours callers will be prompted to leave a message.
Tab 5: Billing
The Billing tab lets you configure billing and cost tracking for the queue. This is especially useful for agencies that bill clients based on call volume or talk time.
- Queue is Billable Toggle — Turn this on to enable billing tracking for this queue. When enabled, the system will record billable events for every qualifying call.
- Billable After (Seconds) — Enter the minimum number of seconds a call must last before it is considered billable. For example, entering "30" means only calls lasting 30 seconds or longer are counted. This prevents very short calls (like immediate hang-ups or wrong numbers) from being billed.
- Counting Type (Dropdown) — Choose when the billing timer starts:
2. After Call Answered — The timer starts when an agent answers the call. Ring time is not counted, but hold time during the call is included.
3. After Call Connected — The timer starts when the agent and caller are fully connected and speaking. This is the most conservative option and only counts actual talk time.
- Cost per Call ($) — Enter a flat dollar amount charged per billable call. For example, $1.50 per call.
- Cost per Minute ($) — Enter a dollar amount charged per minute of billable call time. For example, $0.25 per minute.
- Billable Only If Answered Checkbox — Check this to only count calls that were actually answered by an agent. Unanswered calls (abandoned, overflowed to voicemail, etc.) will not generate a billing record.
Tab 6: Settings
The Settings tab displays a read-only summary of the queue's core configuration:
- SIP Address — The system address assigned to this queue (used internally for routing — you generally do not need to change this).
- Department — The department the queue belongs to.
- Max Queue Size — The maximum number of callers that can wait in the queue simultaneously. Once this limit is reached, additional callers are handled by the overflow action.
- Overflow Type — The overflow action configured for this queue.
- Status — Whether the queue is currently Active or Inactive.
- Edit Queue Settings Button — Click this to modify the queue's core settings (name, routing strategy, department, description, overflow action, and active status). This opens an edit form similar to the Create Queue modal.
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Grid View vs. List View
Use the toggle in the filter toolbar to switch between display modes:
- Grid View — Best for visual scanning when you have a moderate number of queues. Queue cards are arranged in a responsive grid. Each card shows key metrics at a glance.
- List View — Best for large numbers of queues or when you need to compare details across queues. The list format shows each queue as a row in a table with sortable columns.
Both views allow you to click on a queue to open the Manage Queue Modal.
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Tips for Queue Organization
- Name queues clearly — Use specific, descriptive names so agents and supervisors immediately know the purpose of each queue. "Medicare Advantage AEP Inbound" is better than "Queue 1."
- Set appropriate routing strategies — Use Longest Idle for general support queues where fairness matters. Use Performance for sales queues where results matter most. Use Round Robin when you want perfectly even distribution.
- Configure operating hours — Always set operating hours for each queue and make sure your overflow action handles after-hours calls gracefully. Sending after-hours callers to voicemail ensures you never miss a potential lead.
- Use skills wisely — Do not over-complicate your skill requirements. Start with a few key skills and add more as your team grows. Too many required skills at high proficiency levels can result in calls going unanswered if no agents meet all criteria.
- Review agent assignments regularly — As agents join, leave, or shift roles, update queue assignments to keep your routing current. An agent who has transferred departments should be removed from their old queues.
- Monitor queue sizes — Set a reasonable Max Queue Size to prevent excessively long hold times. If callers are frequently hitting the overflow, consider adding more agents or creating additional queues.
- Use the Billing tab for client transparency — If you bill clients for call handling, configure the Billing tab accurately. The "Billable Only If Answered" option is a great way to build trust by only charging for calls that were actually handled.
- Leverage the Copy Hours feature — When setting up operating hours, configure Monday first, then use the Copy Hours button to apply the same schedule to Tuesday through Friday. Then adjust any individual days as needed. This saves significant time.
- Test before going live — Create a new queue with the Active checkbox unchecked, configure all six tabs fully, and then activate the queue when everything is ready. This prevents calls from routing to an improperly configured queue.
- Use departments to group related queues — Organizing queues by department makes it easier to find them in the list and helps with reporting. All sales queues under "Sales," all support queues under "Support," and so on.
Last updated: February 24, 2026