Why are phone calls not routing to agents?

Issue symptoms

Talk phone calls are not routing correctly to agents. Some examples of call behavior include:

• Agents are available, but the message No support agents are currently available plays.
• Calls are in the queue, but the agent does not receive them or they cannot accept the calls.
• Calls do not route evenly between all agents in a group.

Resolution steps

There are several potential causes for call routing issues. The best way to narrow down the cause is to place test calls to your phone line and check each of the following places in your workflow.

Step 1: Check for a service incident

Visit the Zendesk status page to check if the problem is from a service outage. If there is an ongoing service incident for Talk or Support, this could be the cause of the problem.

Step 2: Check the affected agent's product role and agent availability

Confirm that your agent has permission to use Talk and they follow the steps in the article: Receiving incoming calls.

If the agent is set to an Admin role for Talk, they will not be able to use the Talk icon to receive or place calls. All Talk agents need to be set to a Team Lead or Agent role in their agent permissions for Talk in order to receive calls.

To receive calls the agents need to set their Talk agent state to Online. However, if focus mode in enabled and the agent is within an ongoing chat ticket, a call may not be served to them even if they are online. Disable focus mode to confirm if this is the source of the problem.

Step 3: Check the call routing pathways

Navigate to your phone line settings in Admin Center. Check and make sure the Enable Talk setting is enabled under your Talk settings.

Next, identify how you are routing calls. The two main ways to route calls are group routing or through an IVR menu. Check to make sure that the Talk line has a group destination set up to receive calls.

Note: If you have omnichannel routing enabled, this can affect the call routing behavior. For more information, see the article: Using omnichannel routing to route calls.

Step 4: Check for browser problems and internet connection

Call quality and routing issues can sometimes result from browser setup or poor internet connection.  Have any affected agents follow each of these steps:

1. Clear your browser's cache and cookies.
2. Try using Zendesk in a new web browser. For example, use Google Chrome if you are currently using Safari.
3. Update your web browser to the latest version.
4. Sign in using a different computer and determine if the same behavior occurs. Sometimes individual system settings or a specific VPN can cause problems with call routing.
5. For more in-depth troubleshooting, see the articles:
   • How can I troubleshoot Talk issues?
   • What are the most common Talk error messages?

Step 5: If the problem persists, submit a ticket to Zendesk Support

Collect the following information and open a ticket with our Support team.

• At least 3 examples of phone calls that did not route as expected. For more information on how to capture usable call examples, see the article: How can I share example calls for troubleshooting a Talk issue?
• The web browser and version that each affected agent is using. Does the issue persist after trying a different web browser? To identify your setup, visit the website Support Details and capture a screenshot of the details.
• The agents that are affected. Does the issue affect all agents or only specific agents or groups? Instruct any affected agents to run a Twilio network test on their web browser and include a screenshot of their results. For more information about how to use the results from this test, see the article: How do I use the Twilio network test to troubleshoot Talk agent calls? 

Common call routing issues and solutions

If you experience one of the routing issues listed below, click the error to view the resolution steps:

Calls do not route evenly among agents
If some agents receive many more calls than other agents, click here.

• Disable focus mode for agents if it is enabled. If the agent is in focus mode, this can cause calls to not route to them depending on their activity.
• Check if you have omnichannel routing enabled. Depending on your routing rules, this can affect calls.
• Check to make sure that all agents have the same results from a Twilio network test. If some agents have problems connecting to calls from their workstation this can account for the discrepancy in call volume.

Calls go straight to voicemail
If all calls route directly to voicemail instead of reaching an online agent, click here.

• Check to see if the call came in outside of business hours. If you route calls based on business hours, the routing will change based on when the call was placed.
• Your maximum queue wait time may be set too low. Try setting the maximum queue wait time to 5 minutes to check if this allows calls to go through as expected. If your queue frequently maxes out you can also set a priority line to help manage traffic.

Calls dial out from the wrong number
If outbound phone calls dial out from a different phone line than the number you selected, click here.

• Check if you have phone numbers associated with specific brands in the account. Using brands in Talk changes the behavior slightly. When placing calls from within an existing ticket, the system will use the first number listed under the Lines tab in the Talk Admin Center settings.
  • If the ticket was not created by a phone call, the system uses the first phone line of the brand associated with the ticket.
• If you do have phone numbers associated with specific brands, manually enter the number in the dial pad and select the preferred outgoing Talk number instead of using the ticket's dropdown menu to place the call.

Agents cannot accept or place calls
If an agent is unable to receive or place phone calls, click here.

• Confirm the agent has permission to use Talk. All Talk agents need to be set to a Team Lead or Agent role in their agent permissions for Talk.
• Make sure the agent has their Talk agent state set to Online.
• Disable focus mode to confirm if this is the source of the issue.
• Have the agent run a Twilio network test to check the microphone permissions for the browser to make sure that Zendesk has access. You may also need to allow microphone access for your web browser within the system permissions for Mac or Windows if the problem persists.
• Have your IT team or the agent check the computer to make sure that it meets all network requirements. Check the steps listed in the article: How can I troubleshoot Talk issues?

Agents receive a Talk error message
If an agent receives a Talk error message when they try to accept a phone call, click here.

• Check this article to see if your error is addressed: What are the most common Talk error messages?
• Have the agent run a Twilio network test to check for any system errors. You may need to allow microphone access for your web browser within the system permissions for Mac or Windows.
• Have your IT team or the agent check the computer to make sure that it meets all network requirements. Check the steps listed in the article: How can I troubleshoot Talk issues?

reset progress

For more information on how to troubleshoot call routing issues, see the articles:

• How can I troubleshoot Talk issues?
• How are calls routed to my agents in Talk?
• How do I set up call routing in Talk?
• How do I set up an IVR?
• Why are some users not correctly identified when they call in?
• How do I prevent calls to my end users from displaying as spam?