What Is Call Queuing & How Do Businesses Use It?

You know when you call a business and there’s a wait? Sometimes, you get a message to say how long the hold time is. Sometimes, you hear music to soothe your frustration.



That’s a call queue.



Next time you’ve got your phone on speaker waiting for a customer service rep to take your call, you’ll know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.



And, if you’re a business owner, you’ll know everything you need to create your own!



What Is a Call Queue?



Think of a call queue as a waiting room for people who call a  business phone number  — a virtual waiting line, if you will. Several callers can be on hold at any time, trying to get through to a department or individual.



When setting up a call queue, businesses may opt to use features such as automated greetings, estimated wait times, and music or pre-recorded messages for customers on hold, but we’ll get into that later.



Contact centers  or customer service operations use call queues to help the flow of incoming calls and manage high call volumes. 



The end result? Calls are answered in an efficient and orderly manner, reducing caller frustration and optimizing the use of agents’ time. 



How a Call Queue Works in 4 Stages



Stage 1: Call arrival



When a customer calls, your business phone system automatically places them in a queue if an agent isn’t immediately available. Or you may choose to direct calls to a queue to play a message or present a menu instead of immediately trying for an agent. 



This allows you to play important messages to inform customers of opening times, high call volume, or mass outages.



Stage 2: Call queue management



Your call queuing system organizes calls based on predetermined rules, such as arrival time or customer priority. You can configure these as you wish and change them at any time.



For example, if a customer is flagged as VIP because they spend a certain amount of money per month, they can skip the queue by calling a dedicated or toll-free number.



Regular customers won’t know this is happening in the background. Instead, they’ll hold until an agent becomes available.



Stage 3: Hold time



Callers remain on hold until an agent is available. During this wait time, they might hear music or on-hold messages.



A good example of an on-hold message is one that lets callers know how long the expected wait time is. Using pre-configured  call center metrics , you can feed real-time information into your call queue.



Another example is hold music to ease the frustration of waiting for an agent — it’s best practice to choose relaxing music, but for some brands, such as Kerrang, a rock music magazine, it’s best to stick with what your customers like.



You could provide a menu of options for your customers to choose from. Virgin Media, a UK telecom provider, presents callers with a list of six music genres to select from. It’s a good way to kill time and make the wait for an agent seem shorter.



Stage 4: Agent allocation



When an agent for a specific department or query becomes free, your  call center software routes the call to them. 



Call routing may be based on pre-configured agent skills, the nature of the call, or any other criteria you choose to program into the system.



Types of Call Queues



Call queuing is customizable. You can choose from four main types of call queues.



1. Linear call queue






This type of call queue operates on a first-come, first-served basis. The first caller in line is the first to be connected to an available agent.



It’s as simple as that. Some businesses think this is the fairest way to treat customers. Everybody expects the same experience and gets treated as equals.



Advantages:  It is easy to understand and manage. Little configuration is needed after the initial setup. You can hand over a call queue to a new IT or call center manager, and they know exactly what’s in place.



Ideal for:  Businesses with a straightforward customer service model where there aren’t many complex inquiries from customers. Organizations without a VIP customer model in place.



2. Circular call queue






Circular call queues help agents who have just taken a call by giving them time to complete their wrap-up procedures and make high-quality notes.



In a circular call queue, once an agent completes a call, they move to the bottom of the call distribution list. If a call reaches the end of the list without getting answered, it circles back to the start. The cycle repeats every call.



Advantages:  It ensures a balanced workload among agents, as every agent gets a turn to answer a call. Agents witness this call queue in action and understand they’re being treated fairly.



Ideal for:  Teams in which all agents have similar skill levels and can handle the same types of calls. Teams in which some agents complain that they get more calls than other agents: you can create equilibrium by distributing calls more evenly.



3. Priority-based call queue






As the name suggests, certain calls are given priority based on predefined criteria. 



These criteria could include customer status, such as:




VIP customer



Gold customer



Friend of the CEO



Long-term customer



Customer nearing renewal




Or the nature of the call, such as:




Special marketing campaign



High-value sales inquiries



Emergency services



Fraud department inquiries



Lost credit card reports




Advantages:  This queue allows businesses to provide white glove service to key customers or urgent queries. You can use this as a selling point to businesses that demand fast customer support.



Ideal for:  Businesses with diverse customer needs in which some customers need or expect quicker service. Customer service teams that handle sensitive cases in which some types of calls need immediate attention and must skip the standard call queue.



4. Skills-based routing






By assigning skills in your call center back end, you can route incoming phone calls to agents based on their specific skill sets or knowledge areas. So when Julie calls Apple to troubleshoot her iPad, she doesn’t get connected to the iPhone team. Instead, she gets routed through to the agent best suited to handle her query.



Skills can include:




Multilingual support



Technical knowledge



Familiarity with certain products or services



Omnichannel capabilities, such as social media, email, or web chat




Advantages:  It improves the chances of first call resolution ( FCR ), as customers are connected with the most qualified agent to handle their specific query. Agents handle queries within their skill sets and are less likely to provide wrong answers or feel they’re lacking in knowledge.



Ideal for:  Complex customer service environments, such as tech support, where queries need specialized knowledge, or in multilingual call centers.  Omnichannel contact centers  where agents are trained in several contact channels.



Best Practices When Setting Up Call Queues



When setting up your first (or any) call queue, take note of these best practices to ensure your customers and agents get the best experience. 



❌ Don’t trap your callers



It should go without saying, but how many times have you called a business and felt stuck in its  phone tree ?



You choose option 2, then option 4, wait for a while, then end up back at the beginning. 



When designing your call queues, include options for self-service or alternative contact methods. As the bare minimum, give the caller an escape route. By adding an option to “Press 9 to speak to an agent,” you have a clear option with an obvious outcome.



You can even choose to have an option dedicated to voicemail. When customers don’t have time to spare, give them the option to provide you with some context and ask for a callback.



Don’t skip the basics, such as after-hours call routing.



Don’t wait for a customer to navigate through a multi-step call flow just for them to hear, “ Thanks for calling the support department. We’re open Monday through Friday between 8 am and 6 pm Central Time. Goodbye! ”



That is a poor user experience and could be avoided with an after-hours call flow. 









To avoid this scenario altogether, spend a good chunk of time upfront making sure your calls don’t just queue but flow.



You May Also Like:  What Is a Call Flow? Simple Strategies for Managing Inbound Calls



✅ Provide regular updates



When waiting in a call queue, the last thing a caller wants is the unknown. 



They’re sitting waiting…



And waiting…



Until sometimes, eventually, they hang up.



Instead, update callers on their position in the queue or offer to call them back when it’s their turn. 



The position in the queue shows that call handling  is  happening, and your customers are more likely to hold on until their position. 



The alternative — a callback — keeps their position in the queue and triggers an outbound call when their turn comes around. Customers love this option as they can carry on with their day, safe in the knowledge you’re calling them back soon.