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Routing strategy

Define how calls will be routed to agents within the queue, setting priorities based on specific metrics. Select the most appropriate routing strategy for your queue:

Most Idle

  • This strategy prioritizes routing calls to agents with the highest percentage of idle time since the last call handled
  • Calls will continue to be offered to agent with highest "most idle" time until the agent answers the call
  • If a call is rejected by the most idle agent, it will continue to try that agent until the agent either answers the call or becomes unavailable
  • After a call is handled, the "most idle" counter resets

Example

Agent 1, 2, and 3 are members of a queue and are on a call. Agent 2 hangs up first, then agent 3, then agent 1. Agent 2 is the most idle agent and will be offered the next call.

Least Calls Handled

  • This strategy prioritizes routing calls to agents with the least amount of calls handled for their current session
  • "Least calls handled" agent during a session will be offered a new call
  • If multiple agents are tied for "least calls handled", then the queue selects an agent at random
  • If an agent logs out of session and then logs back in, their "handled" call count will reset to zero and that agent will become the "least calls handled"
  • Changing agent state between "Away" and "Available" does not impact the count of "least calls handled"

Least Offers Made

This strategy prioritizes routing calls to agents with the least amount of call offers made during their current session.

Round Robin

This strategy equally distributes calls among all agents assigned to the queue.

Example

Agent 1, 2, 3, and 4 are logged in and "Ready". The queue might offer calls to Agent 2, 3, 4, and 1. If Agent 1 doesn't answer the call, it would go to call 2, if agent 2 answers the call, any new call will get offered to call 3.

Skill Based (Strict)

  • This strategy allows you to tag your agents with a skill and send calls to them if the caller matches the skills criteria. To create and manage the skill sets, see Assigning Skills
  • Calls will be sent only to an agent that matches the skill defined. If no agents are tagged with the skill for the call entering this queue, the call will be routed to the specified escalation queues
  • If a call entering queue matches an agent who is a member with that skill, the call will only be offered to that agent, if the agent is busy or unavailable, the call will be placed on hold until the agent is available
  • If the call matches more than one skill it will only look for an agent who is tagged with all relevant skills; it will not be offered to agents only matching one of the skills
  • If a call enters queue that does not match any skill the currently assigned members have, the call will be routed to "Escalation Handling". If escalation handling is not configured in queue settings, the call hangs up.
  • Skills conflicts or incomplete skills will result in routing calls to escalation handling.

Important

For skill-based routing to work, you must define an escalation process. If neither the "Escalation Queue" nor the "Escalation Callflow after Timeout" are configured, the incoming call will hang up when it enters the queue. When escalation is configured and a call is not matched with a skill, the call will be routed to the specified escalation destination.

Skill Based (Loose)

  • This strategy attemps to send calls to agents that are tagged with the skill that matches the call.
  • If there are no agents tagged with that skill, then the call will go to the next available agent
  • If there is an agent tagged with that skill is "busy", the caller will be placed on hold until the agent becomes available
  • If there is an agent tagged with that skill but the agent is not logged into the queue, the call will go to round-robin
  • If more than one agent has the skill, routing will look for the next available agent with that skill in a round-robin fashion.
  • If a call comes in that matches more than one skill, it will look for agents who match ALL the skills. The call will only go to an agent who matches all the skills, if no one matches all the skills, the call will be offered as round robin

Example

Agent 1 has skill X which means they can answer calls from area code (+1585). Agent 2 has a different skill that matches calls specifically from (+1585 361 1962). A caller enters a "loose" queue from (+1585 361 1962). Both agents have the skill that matches this call criteria so the call will find the first available agent that matches. If the routing is rejected or device timeout is reached, the call is offered to the next available agent with the skill that matches the call.