Let's setup Automatic Call Queue

 

Automatic Call Queue: 

A powerful call center solution without the complexity

You can answer queued calls from virtually any phone number, including, for example, your cellphone. These numbers will stay private from your callers.

No need to put anyone on hold

You will not need to put the first call on hold to answer the second one. The second, third, and all the following callers will wait while listening to your messages, promotions, or music.

Anyone can answer calls

After you hang up the first call, your phone will automatically ring with the next waiting call. Other callers will follow in the same manner. No need for any specialized training.

Busy is good. Please make the most out of it

Whether you get busy every evening, on weekends, or only on special days, you can now be confident to serve every caller.

How the Automatic call queue works

Sample takeout call queue  

Please note that call queue works for any type of business that needs to answer many calls at the same time, such as customer support, phone orders, etc. When someone calls for business and selects an option for which you have set up a call queue, the IsOn24 forwards the call to your phone that you specified in Call Queue Settings. However, if the phone happens to be busy, the IsOn24 then puts the call in the call queue, and the caller begins to listen to your promotions, music, etc. Every few seconds, the system keeps checking on your phone. As soon as the phone gets free again, the system forwards the waiting call to your phone. This process keeps repeating automatically until the call queue gets cleared.

Your default setup

By default, the system only forwards calls to the business number you provided during the signup.

How to add more lines to answer queued calls

If your business uses multiple phone lines to answer calls, add those numbers in "Automatic  Call Queue Settings -> Add Agent" in the IsOn24 business app. You can also answer calls from virtually any phone number, including your cellphone. These numbers will stay private from your callers. Feel free to add any phone number you may want to use to answer the queued calls.

Visit Menu > Settings > Automatic Call Queue -> Add Agent

How to change the call waiting message

By default, the system uses the following call-waiting message -
"We will soon take your order." followed by 2-minute wait music. The system may also add a message about a preferred ordering method, such as online ordering. You can change these default messages from the IsOn24 business app.
Visit Menu > Settings > Automatic Call Queue -> Call Waiting Message

When your queue gets longer (or slower)

When the number of waiting calls in the call queue, gets higher than the acceptable queue length, or when one of the waiting calls has been waiting longer than the acceptable wait time, the IsOn24 will alert you with a text message. You can then answer waiting calls from any other ad-hoc phone, tablet, or computer (using the IsOn24 app). You can change the automatic call queue configuration from the IsOn24 business app.
Visit Menu > Settings > Automatic Call Queue.

How to answer using any phone (agent phone)

When at least one call is waiting in the queue, you can begin answering the calls from any phone, such as your mobile phone.
Open the IsOn24 business app and navigate to Menu > Automatic call queue > Settings > Agents.

Agent phone requirements

Turn OFF the voicemail.

Your agents must turn off voicemail on their phones while expecting calls from the IsOn24 call queue. Otherwise, their voicemail will pick up any calls waiting in the queue, and your staff might miss them. Please note that your voicemail may be on the phone itself or with your phone provider. In either case, make sure to turn that off.

Your agents can enable voicemail after your business hours, when they are not expecting calls from the IsOn24 Call queue.

Turn OFF Do-not-disturb or sleep mode.

Most smartphones do not accept incoming calls when set to DnD or Sleep modes. Instead, they send incoming calls directly to voicemail.

Forget the HOLD feature.

Before using IsOn24, you placed the current caller on hold to accept incoming calls while the current call remained on hold. Not anymore.

When you hear the beep in the background, please ignore it and continue answering the current call. You will hear a beep again when IsOn24 checks whether your phone line is free. IsOn24 will keep retrying frequently until your phone is free or until there are no more waiting calls in the queue.

How to answer using a tablet or a computer

When at least one call is waiting in the queue, you can begin answering the calls from a tablet or a laptop.
Open the IsOn24 business app on your device and navigate to Menu > Automatic call queue > Waiting calls.

Serial Escalation Sequence

Typically, the call queue distributes incoming calls to all active agents in parallel so that any available agent can answer the waiting calls. There is an alternate call distribution method that some businesses prefer. Here is a quick description of how the 'Serial escalation sequence' works -

Suppose you have three agents active for your call queue -
Amy, Bill, and Cindy

• When a caller chooses the ACQ option
• If the call queue is empty at the moment -
• Then, IsOn24 will ring Amy's phone directly. (Why keep a caller waiting in the queue if no one is ahead of them?)
• If Amy cannot answer the directly forwarded call, the caller will be placed in the first waiting call in the ACQ.
• Now, IsOn24 will try to ring Amy's phone again while the caller is waiting in the queue.
• If Amy cannot answer even the second time, the IsOn24 will begin ringing both Bill's and Amy's phones.
• If neither Amy nor Bill can answer all the waiting calls, IsOn24 will begin ringing Cindy's phone with Amy and Bill.
• When calls are waiting in the queue, IsOn24 gradually rings all the agents—an 'all hands on deck' situation.
• As the agents answer waiting calls, the ringing stops first for Cindy, then for Bill, and finally for Amy.
• If no agent answers the call within the acceptable wait time, or if the queue reaches its maximum acceptable calls, callers will be asked to leave a message instead. 

• You can customize the "acceptable wait time" and "maximum acceptable calls" in the Settings. Go to Settings > Auto Call Queue > Call Queue Settings > Call Queue Health

Detailed reports & Insights

Data leads to knowledge, and knowledge leads to profits. Understand customer patterns and adjust staffing, inventory, and budget to maximize the bottom line.

Here are some interesting questions that you may have had in the past. 

• How many calls had to wait?
• How much were the average and the maximum wait times?
• How many hosts were answering queued calls at any time?
• When does the call volume peak?

To get your answers, open the IsOn24 business app and navigate to Menu > Reports > Queued Calls.