How to Handle Agent not Answering

[Mike Hammett]

I'm looking at a skills-based ring all queue type in 3CX. The intent there is that there are one or more people of a given type of job (let's say sales). If they can't answer the phone briefly, it goes to another set of people that can, at a minimum, be a live human who takes a message.

When the first tier is either signed out or DND, it rolls to the second tier just fine. If someone in the first tier lets their phone ring without answering, it never advances to the second tier. I see that after "ring time", it starts over, but because that person is still logged in (and not answering), it just rings tier 1 again, instead of advancing to tier 2. What methods are there to avoid ringing the same agent who's not answering?

Obviously, human problems need to be addressed by humans, but I'm trying to find technical backstops.

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

In your case it seems that the "Hunt by Threes Prioritized" strategy will be a good option as the Queue will poll the 3 top agents simultaneously and then move on to the next 3 as they are configured under the queue settings.
• https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/call-center-queues/

 

[Ronaldvdv]

That is the way Slilled base routiing is working. It only advances to the 2nd skill if no user from the first skill is available.
You could use hunt by threes or, use a second queue. 1st queue for the sales people, 2nd queue for live humans.

Disadvantage is it will mess up your reports.

 

[Kevin Attard Compagno]

The only other way to get MORE control over this is to have 2 queues; when the first queue (1st skill) does not satisfy the call, spill the calls over to the second queue (2nd skill) using the Destination part of the General tab. Presumably the max queue wait time for the first queue would be the amount of time before the call shift to the second queue.

 

[Mike Hammett]

In your case it seems that the "Hunt by Threes Prioritized" strategy will be a good option as the Queue will poll the 3 top agents simultaneously and then move on to the next 3 as they are configured under the queue settings.
• https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/call-center-queues/

Would a user ever be dialed twice in that strategy?

That is the way Slilled base routiing is working. It only advances to the 2nd skill if no user from the first skill is available.
You could use hunt by threes or, use a second queue. 1st queue for the sales people, 2nd queue for live humans.

Disadvantage is it will mess up your reports.

I tried that, but because the one user is available as far as 3CX is concerned (signed in and available), but not answering, it just rings them over and over.

The only other way to get MORE control over this is to have 2 queues; when the first queue (1st skill) does not satisfy the call, spill the calls over to the second queue (2nd skill) using the Destination part of the General tab. Presumably the max queue wait time for the first queue would be the amount of time before the call shift to the second queue.

That's what I ended up building, but I'm hoping to learn more.

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

This will depend on the "Ring Time" that is configured in the Queue.
For example if the Ring Time is set to 10 seconds, once timeout it will move to the next.