How to Create and Configure Call Queues

Set up call queues to distribute incoming calls across your team with intelligent routing, hold music, overflow handling, and member management.

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⏱️ Estimated Time: 20-30 minutes

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👤 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)

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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

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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

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🎮 Click-Through Demo

▶️ Watch: Creating a New Call Queue See how to create a new call queue and assign it to a company site.

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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

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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

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🎮 Click-Through Demo

▶️ Watch: Configuring Call Queue Settings See how to configure the caller experience and your call queue configurations.

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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

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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

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💡 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.

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🚀 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.

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⚠️ 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

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🎯 What's Next

✨ Call queue configured! You now have:

• Queue created with members assigned

• Call distribution method configured

• Overflow and closed hours routing set up

• Professional caller experience with hold music

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