Queue Calls
Overview
This guide will explain how to use Twilio's Queue feature to create a simple call queueing system. A Queue stores incoming calls in order. You can then connect the first call in the queue to another call easily. The complete code sample will show you how to accept an incoming call, place it into a queue and then connect a live agent to the first call in the queue.
For this demonstration we'll be using two Twilio phone numbers, so if you'd like to try the code out live, you'll need to buy two phone numbers. For more help getting setup with Voice be sure to read our Getting Started guide.
Putting the Caller in a Queue
When our first number is called, Twilio will make a request to our server to place the caller in the Queue.
We start by creating a TwiML response that uses the Enqueue verb to create a new Queue and place the caller into it.
You can learn more about how to serve TwiML from your own application in our webhook guides. You can explore all the available TwiML functionality in our TwiML reference docs.
Connecting the Agent to the Queue
When our second number is called, Twilio will make a request to our server to connect the agent to the Queue.
To connect to the first caller in the Queue all we do is Dial the Queue by name.
Automatically Connecting to the next Caller
By default the call will end when the Agent or Caller hang up, but in most cases we'll want to connect to the next Caller automatically.
An empty <Redirect> verb will redirect the
caller to the beginning of the TwiML, which will then Dial and connect to the
next person in the Queue. As a final touch we add a <Say> verb to tell the agent
that they are being connected to another caller.
More sophisticated workflows
With Twilio's TaskRouter you can implement very sophisticated call-center workflows like:
- assigning available Agents to the next caller in the Queue
- offering tiered support plans, that allow premium customers to skip the queue
- routing certain callers to different teams based on business logic
Hopefully this guide got you up and running with Twilio Queues. Email us and let us know what features of Queue you would like to know more about.
Need some help?
We all do sometimes; code is hard. Get help now from our support team, or lean on the wisdom of the crowd by visiting Twilio's Stack Overflow Collective or browsing the Twilio tag on Stack Overflow.
