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A call queue holds inbound callers in line until an agent is available. Unlike a ring group (which rings phones now), a queue parks callers with hold music, announces their position, offers a callback option, and routes to whichever agent comes free first. Manage queues in /dashboard/communications/ under the Queues tab.

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When to use a queue vs a ring group

Use a ring groupUse a queue
Small team (2-5 agents)Larger team (5+ agents)
Predictable, low call volumeVariable or high volume
Caller hangs up if no answerCaller waits with hold music
No callback feature neededCallbacks reduce abandons
Simple routingPosition announcements, ETA, agent presence
You can chain them — a ring group fails into a queue when no one answers in 20 seconds.

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Anatomy of a queue

Hold music

Plays while the caller waits. Default options or upload your own.

Position announcement

“You are caller number 3 in line.” Optional, configurable interval.

Estimated wait time

“Your estimated wait is 4 minutes.” Computed from rolling average handle time.

Callback option

“Press 1 to keep your place and we’ll call you back.” Recovers ~30% of would-be abandons.

Agent presence

Agents log in/out, set break, set busy. Routing skips unavailable agents.

Strategy

Round-robin, longest-idle, fewest-calls, random — same as ring groups.

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Create a queue

1

Name and describe

“Sales Hold”, “Support — Tier 1”, “Billing”.
2

Add agents

Pick the extensions that can take calls from this queue. An extension can be in multiple queues.
3

Pick a strategy

Round-robin, longest-idle, fewest-calls today, or random.
4

Set hold music

Pick from default playlists or upload your own.
5

Configure announcements

Position announcement on/off + interval (e.g., every 30 seconds), ETA on/off.
6

Configure callbacks

Allow callbacks on/off, after how long in queue (e.g., offer after 60 seconds).
7

Set max wait and overflow

After N minutes in queue, what happens — voicemail, another queue, an IVR, hang up.

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Hold music

Three options:
Hiveku ships several royalty-free playlists — calm, upbeat, classical, jazz. Switch instantly.

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Position and ETA announcements

SettingEffect
Position every 30 secCaller hears “You are caller 3” then “now caller 2” then “now caller 1”
Position only at entryOne announcement, then music
ETA every 60 secCaller hears “Estimated wait 4 minutes” updates
BothPosition + ETA each interval
NeitherPure music
ETA is computed from the rolling average handle time of recent calls in this queue, multiplied by your position. It’s an estimate, not a guarantee — but it’s far more useful than silence.

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Callback option

When enabled, after N seconds in queue (default 60), callers hear: “Press 1 to keep your place in line and we’ll call you back when an agent is available.” When the caller presses 1:
  1. They hang up
  2. Their position is preserved in the queue
  3. When an agent becomes free for their turn, the system first calls the agent, then bridges to the caller
  4. If the caller doesn’t answer the callback, they’re skipped and the next caller (or callback) is offered
Callbacks recover roughly 30% of would-be abandons in our analytics. They’re the single highest-impact queue feature.

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Agent presence

Agents have presence states they toggle from their phone or browser:
StateEffect
AvailableEligible to receive queue calls
On callCurrently on a call (set automatically)
On breakLogged out for break — no calls
Wrap-upPost-call work — temporary skip, auto-returns to Available after configurable wrap-up time
BusyManual hold — no calls until manually returned to Available
The Queues tab shows live presence for each queue: “3 agents available, 1 on call, 1 on break”.

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Wrap-up time

After a call ends, the agent is auto-set to “Wrap-up” for N seconds (default 15) so they can finish notes before the next call. Configure per queue. Set to 0 to disable.

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Overflow

When a caller has been in queue past max_wait_seconds, the call fails over to the configured overflow:
  • Voicemail — Default. Caller leaves a message.
  • Another queue — Spill to a backup team.
  • IVR — “Sorry for the wait, press 1 to leave a message or 2 to be called back.”
  • External number — Forward to an answering service.

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Service-level alerts

Get alerted when queue health degrades:
  • Average wait time exceeds N minutes
  • Abandon rate exceeds N%
  • Available agents drops to 0
Alerts go to email, Slack, or webhook. Configure in the queue’s detail page.

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Analytics

The Analytics tab shows per-queue metrics:
  • Inbound volume — calls offered, answered, abandoned
  • Service level — % answered within N seconds (default 30)
  • Average wait time
  • Average handle time
  • Abandon rate
  • Per-agent performance — calls taken, avg handle time, idle time
Filter by date range, hour-of-day, day-of-week.

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API

# Create a queue
curl -X POST https://api.hiveku.com/api/communications/queues \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer hk_live_xxx" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Sales Hold",
    "strategy": "longest_idle",
    "agents": ["101", "102", "103"],
    "hold_music_playlist": "default-calm",
    "callback_enabled": true,
    "callback_offer_after_seconds": 60,
    "max_wait_seconds": 600
  }'

# Live queue status
curl https://api.hiveku.com/api/communications/queues/q_01HQ/status \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer hk_live_xxx"

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Troubleshooting

ETA is based on the last 20 calls’ average handle time. Right after launch, or after a routing change, the sample is small and ETA is noisy. It stabilizes after a couple dozen calls.
Check that at least one agent is “Available” and the queue has cleared the original caller’s position. Callbacks fire when their slot reaches the front.
Hold music is transcoded to PCMU/PCMA for compatibility. If you hear glitches, the source file may be corrupted or have an unusual sample rate — re-export at 8 kHz mono and re-upload.

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Next steps

Ring groups

Smaller, simpler routing for low-volume teams.

Compliance

Recording controls and retention for queue calls.