The Wait for unavailable agents feature lets you control whether inbound calls remain in the queue for the maximum queue time configured for a team when agents are Offline or set to Unavailable. This article explains how Wait for unavailable agents works, how to enable it, and how agent statuses affect call routing.
What is Wait for unavailable agents
Wait for unavailable agents determines how Aircall handles calls when agents are unavailable.
- When Wait for unavailable agents is turned off, calls skip the queue as soon as all agents are offline or set to Unavailable.
- When Wait for unavailable agents is turned on, calls remain in the queue for the configured maximum queue time, even if all agents are Offline or set to Unavailable, except when all agents actively decline the call.
By default, Wait for unavailable agents is turned off for each number.
How Wait for unavailable agents affects call routing
Wait for unavailable agents turned off
When Wait for unavailable agents is disabled, calls immediately move to the next distribution level if no agents are available.
Wait for unavailable agents turned on
When Wait for unavailable agents is enabled, calls continue waiting in the queue for the full queuing time, regardless of whether agents are Offline or set to Unavailable.
IMPORTANT:
If all agents in a team decline a call, the call skips to the next distribution level even when Wait for unavailable agents is enabled.
Enable Wait for unavailable agents
Administrators can enable Wait for unavailable agents from the Aircall Dashboard for each number.
Steps:
- Go to Aircall Dashboard > Numbers > Numbers.
- Select the number for which you want to enable Wait for unavailable agents. You can also search for the number using the search bar.
- Go to the Settings tab and navigate to Call distribution options.
- Toggle Wait for unavailable agents on.
Agent statuses and Wait for unavailable agents behavior
The way calls are handled depends on agent availability and whether Wait for unavailable agents is enabled.
| Agent status | Wait for unavailable agents on | Wait for unavailable agents off |
|---|---|---|
| Offline or disconnected | Call remains in the queue | Call skips |
| Unavailable | Call remains in the queue | Call skips |
| Busy (in-call, wrap-up, after-call work) | Call skips | Call skips |
| Available | Call rings | Call rings |
NOTE:
Wait for unavailable agents does not affect Busy agents (in-call, wrap-up, or after-call work). Whether a call rings a Busy agent is controlled separately by the Wait for busy agents toggle in the Ring to Widget step of your Smartflow. See Smartflows widgets: Ring to and Redirect to for details.Wait for unavailable agents and calls ringing agents directly
When Wait for unavailable agents is enabled, ring time is also respected for calls that ring agents directly, outside of a team. This includes calls routed through call distribution or calls made by dialing an extension.
Admins can configure a custom ring duration, starting from a minimum of 10 seconds. With Wait for unavailable agents enabled, these calls ring for the configured duration even if the agent is set to Unavailable.
When Wait for unavailable agents is disabled and an agent is set to Unavailable:
- Calls routed directly to the agent are skipped.
- Calls dialed by extension go directly to voicemail.
NOTE:
Agents who change their availability from **Busy** or **Available** to **Unavailable**, or who log out while a call is ringing, are counted as declining the call.
Additional resources
To learn more about using this feature, see the following resources: