Queues in Plivo act as smart distribution engines that route conversations and tasks to the most suitable human agents. When your AI Agent encounters a scenario where human assistance is needed—whether during a voice call, a WhatsApp chat, or a task escalation—a Queue determines how, where, and to whom that conversation is routed. Queues help you operationalize your support, sales, or service workflows by grouping agents and configuring rules for capacity, prioritization, and channel behavior. Each Queue supports multiple communication channels and is fully customizable to match your team’s needs.

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Creating a Queue

  • Queue Name: A unique identifier for the queue. Use descriptive names to indicate the purpose or department (e.g., “Sales Tier 1” or “Technical Escalations”).
  • Queue Priority: Controls the order in which queues are evaluated during routing. Lower numbers (1 being highest) take precedence over higher numbers (10 being lowest).
  • Capacity: Maximum number of concurrent conversations or tasks the queue can hold. Helps prevent agent overload.
  • Channel Configuration: Each queue supports per-channel behavior. You can customize what the customer hears, sees, or receives while waiting for an agent on Voice, WhatsApp, Chat, SMS, or Task-based interactions.

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Using Queues in Agent Flows

In the Flow Builder, when you insert an Assign to Human node, you can select a Queue as the destination. This lets you:
  • Seamlessly transition from AI to human agents.
  • Route based on intent, customer type, or escalation rules.
  • Respect queue priority and availability constraints.

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Channel-Level Settings

Each communication channel under a Queue has its own configuration options that define the customer experience during agent assignment.

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🔊 Call

FieldDescription
Assignment TimeoutTime (in seconds) to try connecting the call to an agent.
IVR Input (Optional)Collect DTMF inputs from users while they wait.
Waiting PromptsOne or more voice prompts played to callers. You can loop prompts until timeout.
Agent Hold MusicBackground music played while trying to connect to an agent.
Custom Hold MusicAlternate or additional music file to personalize the caller experience.

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WhatsApp

FieldDescription
Assignment TimeoutMax wait time before fallback.
Pre-Agent Assignment MessageMessage shown immediately to the user:
“Please hold as we find an agent to help you. Thanks for your patience.”
Post-Agent Assignment MessageConfirms agent has joined:
“<whatsapp.agent.name> has joined the conversation”
Conversation Closed MessageMessage when conversation ends:
“conversation is closed”

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Chat

FieldDescription
Assignment TimeoutWait time before retry or escalation.
Pre-Agent Assignment MessageDefault:
“Please hold as we find an agent to help you. Thanks for your patience.”
Post-Agent Assignment MessageDefault:
“<chat.agent.name> has joined the conversation”
Conversation Closed MessageDefault:
“conversation is closed”

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SMS

FieldDescription
Assignment TimeoutMax wait duration for SMS-based handoff.
Pre-Agent Assignment MessageDefault:
“Please hold as we find an agent to help you. Thanks for your patience.”
Post-Agent Assignment MessageDefault:
“<message.agent.name> has joined the conversation”
Conversation Closed MessageDefault:
“conversation is closed”

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Task

FieldDescription
Assignment TimeoutTimeout for task routing (used in non-realtime flows like tickets, callbacks, or follow-ups).
From the dashboard, you can:
  • Create: Set name, priority, capacity, and channel settings.
  • Edit: Adjust configurations as workflows evolve.
  • Disable: Pause routing temporarily without deleting the queue.
  • Duplicate: Clone an existing queue for quick setup of similar workflows.
  • Delete: Remove queues no longer in use.
Agents can be assigned to one or more queues, and advanced routing strategies (based on skills, status, or business hours) can be layered on top.