Managing overflow calls and after-hours routing

An overflow call is a call that cannot currently be taken by any agents or answered by voicemail. This can happen for the following reasons:

• All agents are offline.
• All agents decline an incoming call.
• All agents miss an incoming call.
• The maximum queue wait time is exceeded.
• The maximum queue size is reached.

Adding an overflow number to a Talk number

To provide for a better experience for callers, you can add an overflow phone number to each line you've added to Talk (not including external numbers).

When a call is not answered by an agent, and voicemail is off, the call will be sent to the overflow number. This could be the number of an external support organization, or an on-call agent that you use outside of your normal business-hours, or during holidays.

Things to consider when you set up an overflow number include:

• When Talk sends a call to an overflow number that is not a Talk number, a Support ticket is created. This ticket contains the tag, call_overflow.
• When a call is sent to an overflow number that is a Talk number, a regular ticket with no tag is created.
• If recording is enabled for that number, any tickets created include a recording of the overflow call.
• Overflow calls are charged as normal calls, including recordings, when enabled.
• When a call is sent to an overflow number, the caller ID sent to the overflow number will be that of the original caller.

When voicemail in Talk is turned off, no overflow number is configured, and when no agents are available to take a call, Talk defaults to your configured voicemail-off greeting, and then disconnects the call.

If you want Talk to always send calls to the overflow number when they cannot be answered, see Adding an overflow number.

If you want Talk to send calls to the overflow number depending on the business-hours you have configured, see Adding an overflow number when business-hours are configured.

Tip: If voicemail is turned on, you cannot enable the Overflow calls option.

Adding an overflow number

Use this procedure to check your call routing settings, and then configure an overflow number.

To add an overflow number

1. Make sure that the Schedule setting on the Routing tab is set to Always route calls.
2. Click the Admin icon () in the sidebar, then select Channels > Talk.
3. Select the Lines tab.
4. Click the Talk line you want to edit.
5. On the Overflow tab of the phone number settings, turn on Overflow calls.
6. Enter a valid phone number that calls will be overflowed to.
7. When you are finished, click Save changes.

Now, when calls are not answered by an agent, and voicemail is off, calls will be diverted to the overflow number you entered.

Adding an overflow number when business-hours are configured

The procedure to add an overflow number when business hours are configured is different to the standard overflow number.

To add an overflow number when business-hours are configured

1. Make sure that the Schedule setting on the Routing tab is set to Business Hours.
2. Click the Admin icon () in the sidebar, then select Channels > Talk.
3. Select the Lines tab.
4. Click the number you want to edit.
5. On the Overflow tab of the phone number settings, you can turn on Overflow calls for calls the number receives during the schedule you configured on the Routing tab. Additionally, you can also turn on Overflow calls for calls the number receives outside of the schedule you configured.
6. For each item you configured, enter a valid phone number that calls will be overflowed to.
7. When you are finished, click Save changes.

Now, when calls are not answered by an agent, and voicemail is off, calls will be diverted to the overflow numbers you entered, according to the schedule options you configured.