Set up call queues to distribute incoming calls across your team with intelligent routing, hold music, overflow handling, and member management.
⏱️ Estimated Time: 20-30 minutes
👤 Who's This For
Zoom Phone administrators setting up team-based call distribution for support, sales, or other departments.
💼 Use Case
Use this guide when you need multiple people to handle calls from a shared number or extension. Ideal for support teams, sales departments, help desks, or any group that needs to share call volume.
✔️ Prerequisites
Admin access to Zoom web portal with privilege to edit account settings
Phone users created and licensed
Extension number available for the queue
Understanding of your team's call handling workflow
Audio files prepared for greetings and hold music (optional)
Understanding Call Queues
Call queues distribute incoming calls to groups of users based on rules you configure:
Distribution methods: Simultaneous, sequential, rotating, longest idle, or group rotating
Queue management: Max wait time, overflow routing, member business hours
Caller experience: Hold music, position announcements, estimated wait time
Capacity: Up to 50 members per queue
Creating a Call Queue
1
Access Call Queues
Sign in to Zoom web portal as an admin
Navigate to Phone System Management > Call Queues
Click Add
2
Configure Basic Settings
Site: Select site if using multiple sites
Name: Enter descriptive display name (e.g., "Technical Support Queue")
Description: Add optional description to identify purpose
Extension Number: Assign extension for callers to reach queue
3
Add Queue Members
Click Add in the Member(s) section
Select phone users or common area phones
Click OK to add them to the queue
You can add up to 50 members per queue
4
Apply Template (Optional)
Check Specify a template to apply pre-configured settings
Useful for maintaining consistency across multiple queues
5
Save and Configure
Click Save
Portal redirects to queue settings for detailed configuration
🎮 Click-Through Demo
▶️ Watch: Creating a New Call Queue
See how to create a new call queue and assign it to a company site.
Configuring Call Distribution
Call distribution determines how calls are routed to available members.
1
Access Queue Settings
Navigate to Phone System Management > Call Queues
Click the queue name
Click the Profile tab
2
Set Business Hours
Click Edit next to Business hours
Define when the queue actively distributes calls
Use 10-minute increments for precision (manually enter time like 11:10 PM)
Can span past 11:30 PM for night shifts
3
Choose Distribution Method
Simultaneous: Rings all available members at once (fastest answer time)
Sequential: Rings members one at a time in specified order
Rotating: Distributes calls evenly by changing order regularly
Longest Idle: Routes to member who hasn't answered a queue call longest
Group Rotating: Rings subsets of members simultaneously, then moves to next subset
4
Configure Member Behavior
Allow queue members to set their own Business Hours:
Checked: Member hours override queue hours
Unchecked: Queue hours override member hours
Ring duration for each member: Set time to ring before moving to next (Sequential/Rotating/Longest Idle only)
Skip offline devices: Skip members not signed in to any device
Receive calls while on a call: Allow members to get notified even when busy
5
Advanced Distribution Settings
Handle multiple incoming calls simultaneously: Enable for high-volume queues with limited staff
Note: Calls may not be answered in the order received
Wrap-up Time: Set break duration between queue calls for members to complete post-call tasks
Members won't receive calls from ANY queue they're in during wrap-up
Configuring Caller Experience
1
Set Hold Audio
Audio While Connecting: Plays while caller waits for available member
Music on Hold: Plays when member places caller on hold
Select from defaults or click Audio Library to choose custom audio
Select Disable to play no audio
2
Configure Queue Limits
Max Wait Time: Maximum time caller waits before overflow routing
Max Calls in Queue: Maximum number of simultaneous callers in queue
When limits exceeded, caller routes based on Overflow setting
3
Set Time Zone
Click dropdown to select time zone for business hours
Ensures accurate time-based routing
4
Choose Audio Prompt Language
Select language for system announcements
Affects position announcements and wait time prompts
🎮 Click-Through Demo
▶️ Watch: Configuring Call Queue Settings
See how to configure the caller experience and your call queue configurations.
Setting Up Overflow and Closed Hours
1
Configure Overflow Routing
Click Edit next to Overflow
Choose what happens when max wait time or max calls exceeded:
Voicemail: Route to queue's dedicated voicemail
Allow callers to reach an operator: Press 0 for operator, 1 for voicemail
Another extension: Route to user, another queue, or auto receptionist
External phone number: Route outside your system (requires direct number on queue)
Disconnect: End the call
Customize greeting audio if routing to voicemail
2
Set Closed Hours Routing
Define how calls route outside business hours
Same options as overflow routing
Typically routes to voicemail with after-hours message
3
Configure Holiday Hours
Click Manage next to Holiday hours
Designate holidays and customize routing
Create special messages for office closures
Can route differently than standard closed hours
Managing Queue Members
1
Add Queue Admins
In queue settings, click Add next to Admin
Assign call queue admin role to users who need to manage queue
Click Set if no admins exist to open role management
2
Enable/Disable Member Notifications
Navigate to queue > Member(s) > View or Edit
Click member name > User Settings tab
Toggle Receive Call Queue Calls to enable/disable all queue calls
Or click View or Edit to manage notifications per queue
3
Share Voicemail Access
Toggle Voicemail in queue settings
Allows multiple users to access queue voicemail inbox
💡 Best Practices
See Details
Start with Simultaneous for Small Teams
→ If you have 5 or fewer members, simultaneous ring ensures fastest answer time. Switch to rotating or sequential as team grows to distribute load evenly.
Set Realistic Max Wait Times
→ Balance customer patience with team capacity. Industry standard is 2-3 minutes for support queues. Test and adjust based on abandonment rates.
Use Wrap-up Time Strategically
→ Give members time to document calls, but not so much that queue backs up. Start with 30-60 seconds and adjust based on team feedback.
Monitor Longest Idle Performance
→ Longest idle works well for even distribution but can send calls to less skilled members. Ensure all members have similar capabilities or use sequential with your best agents first.
🚀 Quick Wins
See Details
Enable Queue Position Announcements
→ Tell callers their position in queue and estimated wait time. This reduces perceived wait time and abandoned calls.
Create Overflow to Voicemail
→ Always set overflow routing even if you think queue will never be full. Unexpected call spikes will route gracefully instead of disconnecting.
Use Skip Offline Devices
→ Enable this to avoid wasting ring time on members who aren't signed in. Calls move to available members faster.
Set Member Business Hours
→ Let members control their own availability, especially for queues covering multiple time zones or part-time workers.
⚠️ Common Issues
See Details
Calls not distributing to all members
→ Check that all members have "Receive Call Queue Calls" enabled in their settings
→ Verify members are signed in to at least one device if "Skip offline devices" is enabled
Members complaining about too many back-to-back calls
→ Increase wrap-up time to give members a break between calls
→ Check if distribution method is sending too many calls to specific members
Callers getting disconnected instead of routing to overflow
→ Verify overflow routing is configured
→ Check that Max Wait Time or Max Calls in Queue isn't set to disconnect
→ Test overflow by calling queue and waiting past max wait time
Sequential routing not following specified order
→ Confirm "Skip offline devices" setting
→ If enabled, offline members are skipped
→ Verify ring duration allows enough time for each member before moving to next
Queue analytics showing high abandonment rate
→ Reduce max wait time or add more members
→ Adjust business hours to match actual availability
→ Consider enabling callback feature if available
