Basics about queues and waiting lists

A queue in CallGuide is a queue of contacts waiting to be served, that is administrated by CallGuide. The queue order is fully controlled by automatic mechanisms in CallGuide. The agents cannot affect the order in which contacts are to be served. This is controlled by the CallGuide system. The system can be configured to apply a particular sorting order to a certain queue, for example, that when an agent becomes ready, the contact that has been waiting the longest is served.

There are three types of queues:

• Personal
• Skill-based
• For contacts missing correct routing

In Call Guide’s user interface, queue normally means a skill-based queue, while personal queues are simply known as personal queues.

Personal queues and personal waiting lists are both there for the customer to be able to wait for a specific agent. It is not possible to distinguish between an agent’s personal queue and the same agent’s personal waiting list when configuring routing. The specific agent’s queue/waiting list is simply configured as a destination.  Whether the contact will be routed to an agent’s waiting list or queue in the first place is ruled in the system parameters.

In addition to the configurations indicated below, there are many other things that can be configured as regards a queue, or a waiting list. Also see Description of Queues and waiting lists window, Add new skill based queue or waiting list and Template queues and waiting lists.

The Queue term

It does not matter if queues are personal, skill-based, or queues for contacts missing routing. They all belong to a particular organisation area. Agents who do not belong to the organisation area can never serve it. However, the agents’ subarea affiliation has no impact on who can serve a particular queue.

• A personal queue is always served by a particular, appointed agent. The queue can be said to belong to that user. It can be used to route all contacts from a particular customer (from a specific ANIS) to a personal agent, for example.
• A queue for missing routing is a queue created per organisation to receive contacts that for some reason do not have correct routing. When an agent logs into a service, he is at the same time logged to this service’s queue for missing routing.
• A skill-based queue can be served by any agent (in the organisation area) who has the right skill and group affiliation. When configuring a skill-based queue, a specification is made of which groups an agent should belong to in order to be able to serve the queue, and which skills the agent should possess. Skills requirements are specified with type of skill and skill level. Groups and skills are described in greater detail in the section about the menu choice Groups and skills.
• A collaborating callback queue means that a skill based IVR queue (see above) is linked to a callback queue. Callback is normally used when customers have asked to be called back in IVR or via the web. With collaborating queues, callback can be offered by queue position. The customer calls in and gets a position in an IVR queue. If the number of people in queue reaches a certain limit callback is offered. Instead of sitting waiting for his turn the customer will be called back when the time has come to be routed to an agent. The customer automatically can count the IVR call’s queue time when it is routed to the corresponding collaborating callback queue and a collaborating queue position can be entered in IVR messages.

The Waiting list term

A waiting list, like a queue, is a place where contacts can wait to be served. In a waiting list, an agent can choose himself which of the waiting contacts he wants to serve. As with a queue, there is a particular sorting order, but this only affects the order in which the contacts are displayed in the waiting list. An agent can use various contact data to make his own assessment of which contact that should be processed.

In exactly the same way as there are personal and skill-based queues, there are also personal and skill-based waiting lists. What is set out above about the difference between these types of queue also applies to waiting lists.

A waiting list, like a queue, belongs to a particular organisation area, and as such can never be served by an agent outside that organisation area. However, it is possible for both queues and waiting lists to escalate contacts to other organisation areas, although once there the contacts naturally end up in different queues or waiting lists.

The configuration of a queue or waiting list specifies (e.g. via skills constraints) which agents that can potentially serve it. Naturally, the selection of agents that are serving a particular queue or waiting list at a particular time is also controlled by a number of other factors. For example, by which agents that are currently logged in and ready.