A queue holds callers in a waiting line until an agent is free to answer. A ring group rings its members for a single call and then moves on. A queue instead keeps callers on hold and connects them in order as agents become available.

Use a queue when you expect more calls at the same time than you have agents to answer them.

To manage queues, go to Queues in the sidebar menu of the DI Voice portal. The Queues dashboard lists each queue with its extension, strategy, timeout (Max wait), and number of members. Click a queue's name to open its settings.

The new queue opens with default settings. Next, adjust settings and add members as needed.

On the queue's page, the Settings panel is on the left and the Members panel is on the right.

Extension (optional). The internal number for dialing the queue directly.

Strategy. How waiting callers are distributed to agents. See Strategies below.

Max wait (seconds). How long a caller can wait before the timeout behavior runs. The default is 300 seconds (5 minutes). Enter 0 to let callers wait indefinitely. If an agent's phone is already ringing when the time runs out, that ring is allowed to finish before the timeout behavior runs.

Timeout Behavior. What happens to a caller whose max wait runs out:

When you choose anything other than None, pick the destination in the target field that appears.

Hold music. The audio clip that plays in a loop while callers wait. Leave it on Account default to use your account-wide hold music, or search for and select a clip. To add new clips, upload them in the Audio Clips dashboard.

Expand Advanced at the bottom of the Settings panel.

Max queue length. The maximum number of callers who can wait at once. Enter 0 for unlimited. When the queue is full, what happens to a new caller depends on your dial plan:

Wrap-up time (seconds). A cooldown for an agent after they finish a call from this queue, giving them time to take notes or finish follow-up. The cooldown applies to the agent, not just this queue: none of their queues will ring them until it ends. Enter 0 to turn off wrap-up. The maximum is 600 seconds.

Entry prompt. An audio clip played once when a caller joins the queue, before hold music starts. Use it for a greeting or to explain options such as the exit key.

Periodic prompt. An audio clip replayed to callers while they wait. Hold music pauses while it plays and then resumes.

When turned on, waiting callers periodically hear "You are caller number N."

When turned on, waiting callers are offered the option to hang up and keep their place in line. The system calls them back when an agent is available.

Callbacks are saved even if the system restarts. If the caller doesn't answer, the system tries up to three more times: after 1 minute, then 5 minutes, then 15 minutes. If none of those calls are answered, the callback is dropped.

When turned on, a waiting caller can press a key to stop waiting.

These two settings control what happens when agents aren't around to take calls.

Both settings offer the same three choices, listed from strictest to most lenient:

Example: With the defaults, "Allow new callers when: Any agent is logged in" and "Keep callers in the queue when: Any agent is available," callers can join as long as someone is logged in. Waiting callers are removed from the queue if no agent is available.

Members are the users who answer calls from this queue. They appear in the Members panel along with their position and current status (for example, Available).

To add members:

New members are added to the end of the list in the order you picked them, and they are automatically logged in to the queue.

To reorder members: drag a member by the handle (⠿) on the left of their row. Position matters for the Linear and Round robin strategies, where position 1 rings first.

To remove a member: hover over their row and click the trash icon.

Open the queue and use the delete action. Deleting a queue:

Call parking puts a live call on hold in a shared slot that anyone on the account can pick up from any registered phone. You park the call, tell a coworker the slot number, and they dial a short code to take the call.

Slot numbers range from 1 to 999. Many offices use *681 through *689 for everyday parking.

The caller is parked and hears hold music. Tell whoever should take the call which slot it's in.

From any registered phone on the account, dial *68 followed by the slot number (for example, *683). You're connected directly to the parked caller.

If your phone has programmable keys that support BLF, you can set them to monitor specific parking slots. A lit key means a call is waiting in that slot. Press the key to pick up the call.

If a parked call isn't picked up within the timeout (5 minutes by default), the system rings the phones of the person who parked it so the call isn't lost. The parked caller keeps hearing hold music during this ring-back.

If you try to park a call in a slot that's already in use, the system immediately rings your phones back, so the call isn't lost.

To avoid this, use *68 + slot number only when you know the slot is free. When you're not sure, use an attended transfer with plain *68, which picks a free slot and announces it before you complete the transfer.