Call queues allow you to distribute calls to custom groups or departments you set up. Create a call queue when you want a specific group of users (such as Sales, Support or Billing) to share incoming calls. Each call queue can have an extension or direct number of its own. You can define specific business hours for each call queue and set up email or text message notifications of any missed calls or voicemail messages.
NOTE: Only Account Administrators or a Call Queue Manager can set up and configure call queues.
Accessing the Call handling section of a Call queue
Setting Up the Call queue's Call handling rule
Call queue hours
1. Decide how calls get transferred to group members:
a. Rotating
b. Simultaneous
c. Sequential
2. Audio While Connecting
a. Set Audio
b. Interrupt Audio
3. Hold Music
4. Member Availability and Hold Times
Call queue after hours
How to handle calls during after hours:
1. Play Greeting and Disconnect
2. Send Callers to Call Queue Voicemail
3. Unconditional Call Forwarding
4. Connect to a Specified Extension
Accessing the Call handling section of a Call queue
1. Log in to your BT Cloud Work portal as an Administrator.
2. Under the Admin Portal, go to Phone System and then click Groups.
3. Click Call Queues, select the Call Queue group that you want to modify. Click Call Handling & Members.
Setting Up the Call Queue's Call Handling Rule
Choose how you would like each call queue to handle incoming calls during your Business hours or After-hours. Set the order in which the calls will be transferred to the members of the call queue, choose the audio while connecting, hold music, and hold time.
Business hours
After-hours
Business hours
Decide how calls get transferred to group members:
Under Business hours, select any of the three options below. Your choice determines how calls get transferred to group members.
Rotating - Regularly change the order that you ring available members to evenly distribute the calls. There are no limits to the number of agents that can be added to group with this call handling rule.
Simultaneous - Ring all available members at the same time. You can do this for up to 10 extensions.
Sequential - Ring available members one at a time in the order you set. There are no limits to the number of agents that can be added to the group with this call handling rule.
Note: To rearrange the names on the list, click and hold the button beside the order number of the name you want to move. Drag and drop it to your target row. Click Save.
Audio while connecting
Callers will hear the selected music whenever the connection to the call queue takes more than a moment to complete.
1. Under the Admin Portal, go to Phone System > Groups > Call queues. On the Group's List, select the Call Queue group that you wish to modify.
2. Click Greeting & Hold Music.
3. Under Business Hours > Audio While Connecting, tick the checkbox of Enable option for this feature to take effect.
4. Click Save.
Set audio
The audio you set in this section is what the callers will hear while waiting for their call to be answered in a call queue.
1. Click Edit.
2. Choose from any of the following options: Ring tones, Music, or Custom.
3. Click Save.
NOTE: Selecting Custom will let you upload your own audio file. Recommended files are .wav or .mp3 in the following compression types:
• CCITT u-Law (G711a), 8 kHz, 8-bit, mono
• PCM, 8 kHz, 16-bit, mono
Interrupt audio
This feature interrupts the selected music while connecting every so often to play a preset or a custom announcement. If you choose an interrupt time, you can then choose a standard interrupt prompt or record then upload your own custom prompt. You may also disable or set it to play only when the music ends.
1. Go to Interrupt audio, then select how often the audio will be interrupted by a prompt from the drop-down list.
NOTE: If you select Never, your callers will only hear the audio that you have selected until a User picks up their call. If an interrupt time is selected, continue below.
If an interrupt time is selected:
1. To change the default prompt, click Edit.
2. Select a standard prompt, record or upload your own Interrupt prompt. Take note of the allowed audio files when uploading your own prompt audio. Use the playback controls to listen to the prompt options.
3. Click Done.
Hold music
Select the music you want to use when callers are placed on hold. You can also upload a custom recording. Under Business Hours > Hold Music, tick the checkbox of Enable option for this feature to take effect.
1. The audio you set in this section is what the callers will hear whenever you put a call on hold. Click Edit to change.
2. Choose from any of the following options: Ring tones, Music, or Custom.
3. Click Save.
Note: Selecting Custom will let you upload your own audio file. Use the playback controls to listen to the prompt options. Recommended files are .wav or .mp3 in the following compression types:
• CCITT u-Law (G711a), 8 kHz, 8-bit, mono
• PCM, 8 kHz, 16-bit, mono
Call queue after hours
After Hours is the time period when no one is available to take calls. You can decide how incoming calls will be handled after business hours in this section.
NOTE: If your Call queue hours is not set up yet, continue below. If its already set up, click here to jump to the next step.
Specify your Call queue hours
1. You will be prompted to Specify your Call queue hours. Click Yes.
2. Select Specify hours, and then set your Call queue hours. Click Save. The page will return to the After hours call handling options where you can choose from the following After-hours call handling options:
Play greeting and disconnect - Allows you to play a custom greeting before disconnecting the call. A custom greeting may be anything from an announcement telling the caller the business hours of the call queue to a simple announcement that the call queue is closed.
Send callers to call queue voicemail - Sends calls to the voice mailbox of the call queue so they can leave a message. The voicemail can be retrieved later for action.
Unconditional forwarding - Forwards calls to a specified telephone number. If you select Unconditional forwarding, all calls during After hours will be forwarded to a number you specify; this will override all other after-hours settings, such as voicemail and greetings.
Connect to extension - Connects the calls to a designated extension so the owner of that extension can take the call after business hours. Select Connect to extension, and then select the extension where you want the calls to be connected. Click Save.
