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.
This article describes options for managing overflow and after-hours calls, including the following topics:
- Handling overflow calls with omnichannel routing
- About adding an overflow number to a Talk number
- Adding an overflow number (for phone lines)
- Adding an overflow number (for digital and SIP-IN lines)
- Adding an overflow number when business hours are configured (for phone lines)
- Adding an overflow number when business hours are configured (for digital lines)
Handling overflow calls with omnichannel routing
When you turn on omnichannel routing, you can configure an overflow behavior by creating custom queues. Within each custom queue, admins can define primary and secondary groups. Omnichannel routing will route calls to the primary groups first, treating them as a single collective pool of agents, and "overflow" to the pool of secondary groups only when necessary. Although you can still overflow to alternative numbers, when using omnichannel routing queues, it isn't necessary because the overflow behavior happens between the primary and secondary groups of agents configured for the queues.
For more information, see Understanding how omnichannel routing uses queues to route work to agents and Creating custom omnichannel routing queues.
About overflow phone numbers for Talk lines
When you aren't using omnichannel routing, you can provide a better experience for callers by adding an overflow phone number to each Talk line you've added (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.
Adding an overflow number (for phone lines)
If you don't have business hours configured, follow these steps to add an overflow number to Talk lines that are phone lines (not digital or SIP-IN lines).
To add an overflow number (for phone lines)
- In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
- On the Lines tab, open a phone line for editing.
- On the Routing tab (of the phone line), make sure that the Schedule drop-down list is set to Always route calls.
- On the Overflow tab, turn on the Overflow calls toggle, and then
enter a valid phone number that calls will overflow to.
- 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 (for digital and SIP-IN lines)
If you don't have business hours configured, follow these steps to add an overflow
To add an overflow number (for digital or SIP-IN lines)
- In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
- On the Lines tab. open a digital or SIP-IN line for editing.
- On the Settings tab of the line), make sure that the Enable overflow and agent forwarding for this
line check box is selected and that, in the drop-down list, an
outbound number is selected.Note: When working with a digital or SIP-IN line, the Overflow tab only displays when this check box is selected.
- On the Routing tab, make sure that the Schedule drop-down list is set to Always route calls.
- On the Overflow tab, select the Overflow calls check box, and then
enter a valid phone number that calls will overflow to.
- 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 (for phone lines)
If you have business hours configured, follow these steps to add an overflow number to Talk lines that are phone lines (not digital or SIP-IN lines).
To add an overflow number when business-hours are configured (for phone lines)
- In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
- On the Lines tab, open a phone line for editing.
- On the Routing tab (of the phone line), make sure that the Schedule drop-down list is set to Business Hours.
- On the Overflow tab, specify overflow options for calls received to your
phone line during certain business hours (specified on the Routing tab).
For example:
- In the Inside schedule section, turn on the Overflow calls toggle, and then enter a phone number that calls will outflow to when placed inside of your scheduled business hours.
- In the Outside schedule section, turn on the Overflow calls toggle, and then enter a phone number that calls will overflow to when placed outside of your scheduled business hours.
- 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.
Adding an overflow number when business hours are configured (for digital or SIP-IN lines)
If you have business hours configured, follow these steps to add an overflow number to Talk digital or SIP-IN lines (not phone lines).
To add an overflow number when business-hours are configured (for digital or SIP-IN lines)
- In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Talk.
- On the Lines tab, open a digital or SIP-IN line for editing.
- On the Settings tab of the line), make sure that the Enable overflow and agent forwarding for this
line check box is selected and that, in the drop-down list, an
outbound number is selected.Note: When working with a digital or SIP-IN line, the Overflow tab only displays when this check box is selected.
- On the Routing tab, make sure that the Schedule drop-down list is set to Business Hours.
- On the Overflow tab, specify overflow options for calls received to your
digital or SIP-IN line during certain business hours (specified on the
Routing tab).
For example:
- In the Inside schedule section, select the Overflow calls check box, and then enter a phone number that calls will outflow to when placed inside of your scheduled business hours.
- In the Outside schedule section, select the Overflow calls check box, and then enter a phone number that calls will overflow to when placed outside of your scheduled business hours.
- 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.
16 comments
Agnieszka Kulpinska - Business Intelligence Analyst
Hi, I like the Overflow option but is it possible to configure it in a way, that only calls to a certain IVR group will be routed to the external phone number, not all calls we get if everyone is busy? Thank you
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Jason Schaeffer
Hi Agnieszka Kulpinska,
If the group you are routing the call to has no agents in it, then overflow calling will automatically be active and will route the call to the external number. However you cannot parse by IVR route as it is set at the number level.
Thanks!
Jason Schaeffer | Customer Advocate |
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Agnieszka Kulpinska - Business Intelligence Analyst
Hi, Jason. We were removing agents from one IVR-group to create the overflow for that particular IVR-line. Unfortunately, Overflow was also done for the remaining 3 other IVR-groups we have, which wasn't ideal. We have in total 4 IVR-groups and we want to create Overflow for only one of them. Is is possible? Thank you.
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Sergey Kandaurov
We are new to Zendesk, and overflow function looks exactly what we need. However, I do not see the overflow option in the UI.
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Rob Stack
Hi Sergey Kandaurov, which Talk plan are you on? If you take a look at the banners at the top of the article, you'll see which plans are supported by overflow calls. If you do have a supported plan, let me know and I'll open a support ticket on your behalf.
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Sergey Kandaurov
Yes, that's right. I've upgraded to the Professional plan, and now see the option on a separate tab.
1
Christine
Glad to hear that. Thanks for letting us know!
0
Kaila Holt
My company is looking to add weekend support for one department from the hours 8am-3 pm CST. With the overflow number, is there a way to set a schedule for that overflow number?
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Shannon Kertis
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Daniel Lozano
Do i need to configure an overflow number if i have a voicemail set up in a main talk line and i dont have anyone else to support outside business hours? I think the calls are being recorded as regular since my overflow number is a talk number and therefore are being mixed with my inbound regular calls within business hours
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Amy Caswell
Can you have 2 separate overflow numbers? Like groups 1 and overflow are on calls or away so you have a third group. Can you have multiple numbers (we have a few countries) route to the same overflow number?
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Gab
You can set up an overflow number for each line your customers are calling. You can also set up multiple Talk lines to the same overflow number. However, please note that the purpose of setting up overflow numbers is for you to be able to accommodate customers when there are no available agents on your Talk lines.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
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Stephen Whyte
We run a 24/7 support line and I'm trying to setup overflow routing for when my Tier 1 staff is unavailable so calls are routed to Tier 2.
I'm trying to follow the instructions provided, but I'm not sure how to set it up so that overflow will only happen on Mon-Fri between 7am and 11pm.
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Paolo
You may add a business hours for your Talk line. Kindly refer to this article for more information Routing calls based on business hours.
Best,
Paolo | Technical Support Engineer | Zendesk
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Stephen Whyte
Paolo we are 24/7 and already have a schedule created. I believe we would have to upgrade to add a 2nd schedule. Since adding omni-channel routing the option to have roll-over calls is no longer available in our tiered setup.
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Kirsten Fournier
Is there any way to have a message play for caller BEFORE the overflow call is transferred to an external number?
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