Managing call queues

Overview

Call queues allow you to route incoming calls to a group of users. For example, you can route calls to your office's billing, sales, or customer service departments. Each call queue has a maximum of 50 members. You can also monitor call queue calls.

There are three call distribution options for call queues:

• Simultaneous: Ring all available members at the same time.
• Sequential: Rings available members one at a time.
• Rotating: Rings available members in a regularly changing order so that calls are distributed evenly.

This article covers:

• Creating a call queue
• Changing call queue settings
• Customizing business, closed, and holiday hours
• Viewing a call queue's voicemail inbox
• Viewing call queue recordings
• Deleting or duplicating a call queue
• Enabling or disabling call queue notifications for a member

Prerequisites

• Pro, Business, or Education account
• Account owner or admin privileges
• Zoom Phone license

Creating a call queue

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click Add.
4. Enter the following information:
   • Site (only visible if you have multiple sites): Select a site for the new call queue. 
   • Name: Enter a display name.
   • Description (Optional): Enter a description to help identify the call queue.
   • Extension Number: Enter an extension for callers to reach the call queue. You can assign direct phone numbers to the call queue after creating it.
   • Member(s): Click Add. Select the phone users you want to be included in the call queue, then click OK. You can add phone users or common area phones to call queues.
   • Copy from an existing Call Queue: Copy business/closed hours, greeting prompt, and routing rules from an existing call queue.
5. Click Save. The web portal will redirect you back to the Call Queue page.
6. Click the name of the call queue to change it settings. See the next section for more information.

Changing call queue settings

Note: Use Zoom Phone role management to allow a phone user to access or manage a site's settings. You can also change policy settings to control certain features.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click the name of the call queue you want to edit.
   You can change the following settings in the Profile tab:

• Display name and description: Click Edit beside the call queue's name to change the display name and description.
• Site (only visible If you have multiple sites): Displays which site the call queue belongs to. Select another site using the drop-down menu to move the call queue to another site.
• Extension Number: Click Edit to change the extension for callers to reach the call queue.
• Number(s): Click Add to assign a direct phone number to the call queue.
• Members(s): Click View or Edit to see current members of the call queue or add members. You can add phone users or common area phones to call queues. Each call queue has a maximum of 50 members. You can overflow to another call queue if you require routing to more than 50 phone users.
• Time Zone: Click Edit to change the time zone used for the Business Hours option below.
• Audio Prompt Language: Select the language used for the call queue's audio prompts.
• Business Hours / Closed Hours / Holiday Hours: Customize how inbound calls are routed during business, close, or holiday hours.
• Voicemail: Share the call queue's voicemail inbox.
  Note: To allow callers to leave messages in the call queue's voicemail, change the Overflow setting to route to the current extension's voicemail inbox.
• Content Storage Location and Metadata Storage Location: Manage the storage location of Communications Content.
• Active Status: Click the toggle to enable or disable the call queue. Inactive call queues cannot be called but will retain its settings and appear in the Call Queues page.

Customizing business, closed, and holiday hours

You can customize times that the call queue is available to route calls. You can also customize how inbound calls are routed during business, close, or holiday hours.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click the name of the call queue you want to edit.
4. Customize these settings:

Business hours

Click Edit to change the times when the call queue will distribute calls. You can also set business hours to span past 11:30 PM. This could be used for call queue members that work night shifts. You can also set business hours in increments of 10 mins by manually entering a time; for example, 11:10 PM.

You can customize how calls are routed during business hours:

• Allow queue members to set their own Business Hours:
  • If checked, members' business hours will override the call queue's business hours. For example, if you set the call queue's business hours to all day Friday, and a member is off on Friday, the call queue will not route to that member.
  • If unchecked, the call queue's business hours will override member's business hours. For example, if you set the call queue's business hours to all day Friday, and a member is off on Friday, the call queue will still route to that member.
• Call Distribution: Select a method to distribute calls during business hours.
  • Simultaneous: Rings all available members at the same time. 
  • Sequential: Rings available members one at a time. After selecting this option, specify the ring duration for each member until the Max Wait Time setting below is reached. Click Specify Sequence to rearrange the order by clicking and dragging each row or clicking the arrow icons.
    
  • Rotating: Rings available members in a regularly changing order so that calls are distributed evenly. You can specify the ring duration for each member until the Max Wait Time setting below is reached.
  • Skip offline members when ringing: If the call distribution is Sequential or Rotating, select this option to skip offline members and immediately ring the next available member. If this option is disabled, the call queue will follow the ring duration even if a member is offline. Offline means the member is not signed in to the Zoom desktop client, mobile app, or provisioned desk phone.
• Receive new calls even on a call: Enable call notifications for call queue members even if they are in a call. The call notification will allow members to accept the inbound call, then end or hold the existing call. If this option is disabled, the call queue will skip members who are busy on a call.
• Greeting Prompt: Plays before routing the caller based on the call distribution method. Select a greeting prompt from the drop-down menu or click Audio Library to select, record, or upload custom audio.  You can also select Disable to not play a greeting prompt.
• Audio While Connecting: Plays for the inbound caller waiting to be routed to an available member. Select audio from the drop-down menu or click Audio Library to select, record, or upload custom audio. You can also select Disable to not play any audio.
• Music on Hold: Plays for the inbound caller when they're placed on hold by a call queue member. Select audio from the drop-down menu or click Audio Library to select, record, or upload custom audio. You can also select Disable to not play any audio.
• Max Wait Time: Select the total maximum wait time allowed in the call queue, then click Confirm. When the maximum is exceeded, callers will be routed based on the Overflow option below.
  Note: When changing this settings, keep in mind your call distribution method and ring duration time (if applicable).
  • Simultaneous: Rings all available members for the specified max wait time.
  • Sequential: Rings available members one at a time for the specified max wait time. Make sure the ring duration for each member is set at a lower value than the max wait time.
  • Rotating: Rings available members in a regularly changing order for the max wait time. Make sure the ring duration for each member is set at a lower value than the max wait time. 
• Wrap-up Time: Select the amount of time before another queue call is routed to a member after they finish a queue call. This can be useful if you require call queue members to take breaks in-between calls; for example, to allow time to enter notes for the call.
• Max Call in Queue: Click Edit to change the maximum number of calls allowed in the queue, then click Confirm. When the maximum is exceeded, callers will be routed based on the Overflow option below.
• Overflow: Click Edit to set where calls are routed when the Max Wait Time or Max Call in Queue is exceeded. By default, calls are routed the call queue's dedicated voicemail inbox.
  Route to drop-down menu: Select a routing option, then use the text box to specify the route. You can route to any extension in the account:
  • Voicemail
    
    • Leave voicemail to: Route the caller to the voicemail belonging to one of these extensions.
      • Current extension (call queue's voicemail)
      • User
      • Auto Receptionist
      • Call Queue
      • Shared Line Group
    • Voicemail Greeting: Click Audio Library to select, record, or upload custom audio. The greeting plays before routing the call.
      Note:
    • If routing to another extension's voicemail, the voicemail greeting you set will override the greeting set for that extension.
    • If you're routing to a phone user's voicemail, select Follow User Voicemail Greeting in the drop-down menu to use the phone user's greeting instead of selecting a replacement.
  • User
  • Zoom Room
  • Common Area Phone
  • Auto Receptionist
  • Call Queue
  • Shared Line Group
  • Phone Number (external phone number)
    Note:
    • To enable this option, you must have a direct number assigned to the call queue.
    • Calls routed to an external phone number will be billed at the plan rate.
    • Make sure to select the correct country/region in the drop-down menu so you can add the external phone number. Some countries share the same country code, but appear has separate entries in the drop-down menu.
  • Disconnect

Closed hours

If you set business hours, customize calls are routed outside of business hours. Click Edit and select a routing option, then use the text box to specify the route. You can route to any extension in the account. By default, calls are routed the call queue's dedicated voicemail inbox.

If you selected Voicemail, you can change these settings:

• Leave Voicemail to: Select Current Extension to route to the call queue's voicemail. You can also route to a voicemail inbox that belongs to a phone user, auto receptionist, or another call queue.
• Voicemail Greeting: Click Audio Library to select, record, or upload custom audio. The greeting plays before routing the call.
  Note: If you're routing to a phone user's voicemail, the voicemail greeting you specified will be used instead of the phone user's greeting. Select Follow User Voicemail Greeting to use the phone user's greeting instead of selecting a replacement.

Holiday hours

Click Set or Edit to designate certain days are holidays. You can customize how calls are routed during holidays. For example, you could directly route calls to voicemail or play a custom message to tell the caller that the office is away on holiday. You have access to the same routing settings as closed hours.

Viewing a call queue's voicemail inbox

Note: To allow callers to leave messages in the call queue's voicemail, change the Overflow setting to route to the current extension's voicemail inbox.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click the call queue name.
4. Click the Voicemail tab.
5. You can identify voicemail messages using the following:
   • If the number has a caller ID name or belongs to your organization, you'll see a name above the number.
   • Voicemail entries marked by a blue dot haven't been played yet.
6. Use the search options at the top to search for a specific contact or phone number, or click the drop-down menu at the top to filter by read or unread messages.
7. Click the following options to view and manage voicemails:
   • Play icon: Play the voicemail message and display a transcript of the voicemail message if Zoom Phone was able to transcribe it.
   • Download: Save the voicemail message (MP3 file).
   • Delete: Delete the selected voicemail message. To delete several entries at once, click the checkbox beside the status column and click Delete at the top of the table.

Viewing call queue recordings

Admins view and manage call recordings for the call queue. You can enable automatic call recording for call queues in the policy settings.

Note: Call queue recordings only contain automatic recordings. They do not contain call recordings that were started by a call queue member. By default, account owners and admins can access automatic recordings associated with the call queue.

Deleting or duplicating a call queue

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click the call queue name.
4. Click the ellipses icon (...) in the right-side column, then click one of these options:
   • Duplicate: Set up a new call queue by duplicating an existing one. All settings will be copied from the original except for the extension number, phone numbers, and display name.
   • Delete: Delete the call queue. Any phone numbers assigned to the call queue will become unassigned. If you want to keep the call queue but deactivate it, use the Active Status setting.

Enabling or disabling call queue notifications for a member

If a phone user is a member of multiple call queues, you enable or disable call notifications from specific call queues. You can also enable or disable all call queue notifications for a phone user.

Note: This setting applies to the desktop client, mobile app, and desk phones. This setting also syncs with the identical desktop client and mobile app setting.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Call Queues.
3. Click the name of the call queue you want to edit.
4. In the Member(s) section, click View or Edit.
5. Click the name of the member you want to edit.
6. Click the User Settings tab.
7. In the Call Queues section, follow one of these options:
   • To enable/disable all calls from call queues: Click the Receive Call Queues Calls toggle.
     Note: If switching this toggle to on, and you previously set toggles to off for specific call queues, your previous configuration will take effect.
   • To enable/disable calls from specific call queues: Click View or Edit. Click the toggles to enable or disable call notifications from specific call queues.