IVR: Call Forwarding Step
🔍 Overview
👥 Option 1: Forwarding Calls to Agents or Groups
⚙️ Configurations
🔁 1. Tries
Specifies how many attempts the system makes to connect a call if the agent does not answer. If the first agent is unavailable, the system retries with another agent based on the number of configured tries.
Example:
If 3 times configured: the system attempts to connect the call to agents three times before moving to the next action.
First trial → Agent didn’t pick up the call
Second Trial → Agent didn’t pick up the call
Third Trial → Agent didn’t pick up the call
Then the IVR flow will trigger the next step.
Note: The first call is considered as the first trial.
📶 2. Agent States
These are the states of the agents that the system will consider when routing the calls to agents:
✅ Available: Agent is online and is not on a call.
📞 Busy: Agent is online and currently on a call.
📝 After Call Work: Agent is online and not on a call, but in the after-call work period.
👤 3. Potential Agents
When forwarding to agents, manually select one or more agents to receive the call.
👥 4. Potential Groups
When forwarding to groups, manually select one or more groups to receive the call.
Example: A call center with "After Sales Services" and "Support" groups can route calls to both simultaneously to reduce wait times.🎵 Sound Settings
You can configure the sound files that play when the caller is waiting to be connected to an agent, or customize the ringing tone that the caller will hear.
🎶 Waiting Music: Plays while the caller is in the queue, such as hold music or a branded message.
🎙️ Custom Ringing Tone: Replaces the standard ringing sound with a custom audio file during call connection.
🗃️ Queue Files
These are custom audio files that play based on the caller’s position in the queue:
File #1: Play when the caller is next in line.
File #2: Play when one caller is ahead.
File #3: Play when two callers are ahead, and so on.
Example: If a caller is third in line, File #3 might say: "You are third in line; thank you for your patience".
Default Queue File: Plays when no clips are uploaded or configured in the queue.
⏭️ Leave Key (Optional)
It allows the caller to bypass the queue by pressing a key. The call goes to the next step as configured in the “Leave key go to” field.
🔢 Keypress: A designated key (e.g., # or *) that moves the call to the next configured step (when pressed).
⬇️ Leave key go to: The IVR step triggered after the keypress.
📂 Processing Leave Key File: This is the sound file while the system is processing the leave key action.
Example: Pressing # during a queue might redirect the caller to a voicemail step.
- You can upload or select any files from the library (files you uploaded before).
- Supported file extensions are .mp3 and .wav
🧠 Ring Strategy
Decides how the system selects agents for call routing, keeping in mind that the routing strategies apply to the agents who follow the configurations of the “Agent States”.
⌛ Longest Idle: Agent idle the longest gets the call.
🎲 Random: Calls are distributed randomly among available agents.
👥 Agent Preference: Routes calls to the agent with whom the caller recently interacted within a defined time window (e.g., 3 hours).
If the same caller calls the system within the defined window, and the preferred agent is available, the call will be assigned to this same agent.
If the window has expired, the system moves the call to another available agent randomly.
Preference window: This is the time period that has passed since the last interaction between the caller and the agent. After this period expires, the agent will no longer be considered a preferred agent.
Example: Sometimes, it’s easier to talk to the same person again, especially if they’re already familiar with the issue. Let’s say the caller “Ahmad” spoke to agent “Yousef” at 1:00 PM and the preference window is set to 3 hours. If Ahmad calls back before 4:00 PM and Yousef is available, the system will forward the call directly to Yousef. If Ahmad calls after 4:00 PM or Yousef is busy, the call goes to another available agent.🧩 Next Steps Configurations
Here you decide what happens next depending on the situation:
Timeout (seconds): Duration (in seconds) the caller waits in the queue before triggering the timeout step.
Example: IVR waits 10 seconds before → If the agent didn't pick up, go to: Voicemail.
Timeout Step: Defines the IVR step that the call will move to if the caller is still in the queue and the waiting time has exceeded the timeout.
If the agent picks up, go to: Define the IVR step after an agent answers and completes the call.
Example: Move to a survey step to collect caller feedback.
If the agent didn't pick up, go to: Define the IVR step that the call will move to if there are available agents and no one has answered the call.
If no available agents, go to: Defines the IVR step that the call will move to if there are not any available agents.
Example: Redirect to a voicemail step.
Note: This configuration applies only when forwarding to agents or groups.
📞 Option 2: Forwarding Calls to Phone Numbers (External Routing)
Use this option to route calls outside the system. For example, to personal mobile numbers of agents.
⚙️ Configurations
🔁 1. Tries
Specifies the number of attempts the system makes to connect a call if the configured phone number does not answer. If the first phone number is unavailable, the system retries with another phone number randomly.
📱 2. Destination
List the phone numbers to receive forwarded calls. Multiple numbers can be configured, and the system chooses a random number from the list to route the call to it.
🧩 Next Steps Configurations
Here you decide what happens next depending on the situation:
Timeout (seconds): Duration (in seconds) the caller waits in the queue before triggering the timeout step.
Example: IVR waits 10 seconds before → If the agent didn't pick up, go to: Voicemail.
Timeout Step: Defines the IVR step that the call will move to if the caller is still in the queue and the waiting time has exceeded the timeout.
If the agent picks up, go to: Define the IVR step after an agent answers and completes the call.
Example: Move to a survey step to collect caller feedback.
If the agent didn't pick up, go to: Define the IVR step that the call will move to if there are available agents and no one has answered the call.
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