A full queue at peak times
A support line has long waits on Monday mornings. In the queue you set "Press 1 to be called back": anyone who does not want to wait books a call and is called back as soon as an operator is free.
Phone system
Let customers book a call back instead of waiting on hold
The caller presses a key and leaves their number. As soon as an operator is free the phone system rings them and, when they answer, calls the customer and connects them.
Callback request
- 10:02The customer presses 1 in the Support queue: call back booked
- 10:12Mark rings, the dedicated operator free for longest
- 10:12Mark answers: the phone system calls +44 7700 900 512
- 10:13The customer answers and talks to Mark
- 10:19Request closed: Called back, 1 try
What it is for
Callback is the call back service of your cloud phone system: instead of waiting in a queue, the customer books a call back with a key. Key 1 calls them back on the number they are calling from, key 2 lets them type another number. Callers with a hidden number are asked for it straight away.
Booked requests are carried out by the phone system: it rings the dedicated operator who has been free longest and, when they answer, calls the customer. The operator dials nothing, and the customer is called back from a number you choose.
You decide how soon to call back, how many times to retry if the customer does not answer, how often, and how long a request stays valid. Outside the hours you set, callbacks wait.
Every booking appears on the Callback requests page with its status, tries and outcome: you can call back now, cancel, and export the list as CSV.
Use cases
No lost calls after hours
An estate agency gets calls in the evening. After hours the menu leads to Callback: the customer leaves their number and the call back goes out in the morning, when the hours open.
A dedicated callback team
An online shop gives callbacks to two dedicated operators. When they are busy, the "Support" queue's operators step in, but only when nobody is waiting in that queue.
Calling from the office landline
Someone calling from their company switchboard would rather be called back on their mobile. They press 2, type the number, hear it read back and confirm.
Maximum wait reached
In a bookings queue, when the maximum wait runs out the call goes to the "Timeout" exit, linked to a Callback, so the customer does not hang up empty-handed.
How it works
The customer reaches the Callback
Callback is a destination like any other: link it to a phone number, an IVR key, a queue's key 1 or the "Timeout" exit.
They book with a key
They hear the opening message and press 1 to be called back on that number or 2 to type another. The phone system confirms with the confirmation message and the call continues to "After booking".
The phone system rings an operator
After the delay and within the hours, the dedicated operator free for longest, logged in and not paused, rings. If they do not answer within 45 seconds it retries after 2 minutes, without counting a try.
Then it calls the customer
When the operator answers, the phone system calls the customer from the chosen line and connects them. If the customer does not answer or is busy, it retries after the interval you set.
Follow the outcome
On the Callback requests page each request becomes Called back, Not reached, Expired or Cancelled, with the tries made and the last outcome.
What you can set
Booking: messages
- Opening message
- Heard by callers with a visible number: explains keys 1 (call back on this number) and 2 (on another number, to type).
- Wrong key message
- Played after a key other than 1 or 2, or after 10 seconds with no key; then the opening message repeats, up to 4 times.
- Confirmation message
- Played once the request is booked, to say when you will call back; if the number already has an open request, the phone system says so first.
- Read back the booked number
- Before the confirmation the phone system reads out, digit by digit, the number the caller is calling from (key 1); a typed number is already read back when confirmed.
- Voice and reading speed
- Messages are written as text and read by the chosen voice, at 1.0x to 1.5x; Listen lets you hear them before saving.
Calling back: who
- Dedicated operators
- The operators who make the callbacks: for each request the one free for longest rings, logged in, not paused and with no outcomes owed.
- Reference queue
- Optional, only a backup: if no dedicated operator is free, the callback can go to this queue's operators.
- Also use the queue's operators
- On: when every dedicated operator is busy or paused, the queue's operator free for longest rings; off, the callback waits for a dedicated one.
- Only when nobody waits in the queue
- On: the queue's operators make callbacks only when the queue is empty, so whoever is calling now always comes first.
Calling back: from which number
- Line
- The number the call to the customer goes out (and is paid) on.
- Outbound caller ID
- The number the customer sees when called back, ideally one they know; empty shows the line's number.
Calling back: when and how many times
- Delay
- Wait before the first try, from 0 to 1440 minutes; 0 calls back as soon as an operator is free.
- Tries to reach the customer
- From 1 to 10 calls to the customer if they do not answer or are busy; after the last one the request is "Not reached".
- Between tries
- The wait between one try and the next, from 1 to 1440 minutes.
- Expiry
- From 1 to 720 hours: past this time a request not completed becomes "Expired".
Hours and exits
- Hours
- A time condition: callbacks go out only while it is open, and wait outside it.
- After booking
- Where the customer's call goes after booking, for example Hang up.
- If booking fails
- Where the call goes if the customer presses no valid key or leaves no number.
Callback requests
- Status
- Waiting, Ringing operator, Calling customer, Called back, Not reached, Expired or Cancelled, with the next try scheduled.
- Tries and last outcome
- Tries towards the operator and towards the customer, and how the last one ended, such as no answer, busy or operator did not answer.
- Call back now
- Puts a request back in line so it goes out straight away.
- Cancel
- Cancels a request that should no longer be called back.
- Filters and export
- Filter by date, callback, status and number, and download the list with Export CSV.
Frequently asked questions
How does an automatic call back work on a phone system?
The customer books with a key. The phone system rings a free operator and, when they answer, calls the customer and connects them. The operator does not dial the number.
Can the customer ask to be called back on a different number?
Yes. With key 2 they type the number they want to be called on. Callers with a hidden number always type it.
What if the customer does not answer the call back?
The phone system retries after the interval you set, up to the number of tries chosen. Then the request is "Not reached"; if it is not completed before the expiry, it becomes "Expired".
Do callbacks go out at night too?
Only if you want them to. With the Callback's hours, callbacks go out while the time condition is open and wait outside it.
What if the same customer books twice?
If that number already has an open request in the same Callback, no new one is created: the phone system tells the customer the call back is already waiting.
Can an AI voice agent call back instead of an operator?
The Callback module connects the customer with an operator. AI answerers have their own Callback channel, where the customer leaves a number and the answerer calls them back.
Related features
Try it on your own phone lines
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