Routing, Queues, and Skills

Contact Center AI routes conversations to the best available agents using intelligent, configurable logic based on skills, language, availability, and business rules.

Feature	Description
How Routing Works	How incoming conversations pass through queues and the routing engine before reaching an agent.
Routing Methods	Overview of Named, Standard, Advanced, and Load Balanced routing methods.
Standard Routing	Routes conversations to the agent with the highest skill and proficiency match.
Advanced Routing	Prioritizes a preferred agent, then falls back to skill-based routing if unavailable.
Load Balanced Routing (V3)	Distributes conversations evenly across agents without proficiency weighting.
Conditional Group Routing	Expands the agent pool beyond a single queue to reduce wait times while maintaining service levels.
Priority-Based Routing	Assigns priority levels (1–10) to conversations so higher-priority conversations are matched to agents first.
Language-Based Routing	Routes conversations to agents proficient in the customer’s detected language.
Winning Agent Selection	How the routing engine ranks and selects the best available agent for a conversation.
Percentage-Based Routing	Splits conversations across destinations by percentage using a Script node.
Routing Fallbacks	Handles scenarios when no agents are available, including wait messages, callbacks, and voicemail.
Routing Rules	Creates complex routing logic using conditions and actions.
Queues	Virtual waiting areas that hold conversations until an agent is assigned.
Skills	Agent attributes used to route conversations to the most qualified agent.
Testing Routing	Validates routing configuration using the Routing Simulator before deployment.

How Routing Works

Incoming conversations pass through the following stages before reaching an agent:

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Incoming Conversation │ │ (with skills & language) │ └───────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Queue │ │ (Virtual waiting area) │ └───────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Routing Engine │ │ │ │ 1. Check preferred agent (if configured) │ │ 2. Match required skills │ │ 3. Match language │ │ 4. Consider proficiency levels │ │ 5. Check availability & capacity │ │ 6. Apply routing strategy │ └───────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ ▼ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Agent Assignment │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Before transfer: Conversations are queued and required skills are attached. Queues are holding areas independent of skills. Skills represent agent attributes such as expertise or language. During transfer: The routing engine selects the best agent based on the configured routing method.

Routing Methods

Method	Description	Best For
Named	Routes directly to a specific agent	Account managers
Standard (V2)	Matches all required skills and language; ranks by proficiency	Most use cases
Advanced (V2)	Adds preferred-agent priority and time-based skill relaxation	VIP customers
Load Balanced (V3)	Distributes by oldest last-assignment time; ignores proficiency	High-volume, similar-skill teams

Standard Routing

Routes conversations to the agent with the highest skill and proficiency match.

How It Works

Find agents with all required skills.
Filter by language match.
Rank by proficiency level.
Apply tiebreakers for equal proficiency:
- Fewest active conversations (lowest utilization)
- Longest idle time

Configuration Reference

Standard Routing:
  matching:
    skills: all_required    # All required skills must match
    language: required      # Language must match
    proficiency: weighted   # Higher proficiency preferred

  tiebreakers:
    1: highest_proficiency  # Most skilled agent
    2: lowest_utilization   # Fewest active conversations
    3: longest_idle         # Waiting longest

Advanced Routing

Prioritizes a preferred agent, then falls back to skill-based routing if the preferred agent is unavailable.

Preferred Agent Flow

┌──────────────────┐ | Customer Calls | └──────────────────┘ | | | ▼ ┌────────────────────────┐ | Check Preferred Agent | └────────────────────────┘ | | | ┌─────────┐ | ▼ ▼ ┌───────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ | Available | | Unavailable | └───────────┘ └─────────────┘ | | | | ▼ ▼ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ | Route to | | Wait up to 30s | | Preferred | └────────────────┘ └────────────┘ | | ▼ | ┌───────────────────┐ | | Still Unavailable | | └───────────────────┘ | | | ▼ | ┌────────────────────────────┐ | | Standard Skill-Based Route | | └────────────────────────────┘

While checking for a preferred agent, the system ignores skills. If the preferred agent times out, the system expands to all agents and applies skill matching.

Skill Relaxation

When no agents match all required skills, the system progressively relaxes requirements over time:

Time	Relaxation
0–60s	Full requirements enforced
60–120s	Optional skills dropped
120–180s	Proficiency requirement dropped
180s+	Secondary skills dropped

Configuration Reference

Advanced Routing:
  preferred_agent:
    enabled: true
    timeout: 30s
    ignore_skills: true    # Skills checked only on fallback

  skill_relaxation:
    enabled: true
    intervals:
      - after: 60s
        relax: optional_skills
      - after: 120s
        relax: proficiency_requirement
      - after: 180s
        relax: secondary_skills

Load Balanced Routing (V3)

Distributes conversations evenly without proficiency weighting.

How It Works

Routes to the agent with the oldest last-assignment time.
Checks skill eligibility only — proficiency ranking is not applied.
Prevents recently assigned agents from being prioritized again.

Use Cases

High-volume queues requiring even workload distribution
Teams with similar skill levels
Reducing the risk of agent burnout

Configuration Reference

Load Balanced Routing:
  strategy: oldest_last_assignment
  skill_matching: eligible_only    # No proficiency ranking
  distribution: even_across_agents

  considerations:
    - agent_capacity
    - current_workload
    - channel_limits

Conditional Group Routing

Conditional Group Routing (CGR) reduces customer wait times by expanding the agent pool beyond a single queue — without affecting other queues’ service levels. Configure CGR at the queue level for queues with a single channel type. Enable it using the toggle in the queue’s routing settings.

How It Works

Initial routing: The system attempts to route within the originating queue (for example, Queue A) using standard skill and proficiency matching. This runs for a configurable period, such as 30 seconds.
Conditional expansion: If no eligible agent is found, the system checks other queues based on KPI conditions such as Estimated Wait Time (EWT) or Average Handle Time (AHT).

Eligibility rules:

Only queues meeting configured KPI conditions are considered.
Agents must satisfy the skill and proficiency requirements for the conversation.
Queues with EWT above the threshold are skipped to avoid service-level impact.

Example

Step	Action
Conversation arrives at Queue A (EWT = 5 min)	System searches for an agent in Queue A for 30s
After 30s, checks Queue B	If QB EWT < 1 min → adds QB agents to the pool
If QB EWT ≥ 1 min	Evaluates Queue C
Agent found	Routes to the most suitable agent in the expanded pool

Benefits

Reduces wait times in high-load queues
Maintains service levels using KPI-based conditions
Preserves service quality by considering skill and proficiency

Priority-Based Routing

Assigns priority levels (1–10) to conversations. Higher-priority conversations are matched to agents first.

Priority Factors

Factor	Example
Intent	Account closure requests routed to expert agents at priority 1
Ticket value	VIP customers with transactions > $10,000 given higher priority
Location	Specific regions prioritized for faster or localized response
Wait time	Conversations waiting longer than 5 minutes automatically escalated

Multi-Queue Agent Assignment

When agents belong to multiple queues:

Higher-priority conversations are matched first.
For equal priority, preference goes to conversations with a preferred agent match.
If no preferred agent exists, skill match determines assignment.

Dynamic Priority Adjustment

Priorities can change while a conversation waits in queue:

Priority Escalation:
  rules:
    - condition: wait_time > 120
      action: increase_priority
      amount: 1
      max_priority: 2

    - condition: sentiment == "very_negative"
      action: set_priority
      value: 2

Configuration Reference

Priority Rules:
  - name: VIP Customers
    condition: customer_tier == "platinum"
    priority: 1    # Highest (1-10 scale)
    queue_jump: true

  - name: High Value Transaction
    condition: ticket_value > 10000
    priority: 2

  - name: Critical Intent
    condition: intent in ["complaint", "cancellation", "legal"]
    priority: 2

  - name: Long Wait Time
    condition: wait_time > 300
    priority: 3

  - name: Standard
    condition: default
    priority: 5

To implement flexible prioritization, use the Set Queue node and Script node in the Flow Editor.

Language-Based Routing

Routes conversations to agents who speak the customer’s language. Both conversations and agents are assigned language attributes. Only agents proficient in the detected language are eligible for assignment.

Configuration Reference

Language Routing:
  detection:
    method: auto    # auto, specified, ask
    fallback: en

  agent_languages:
    - agent_id: agent_001
      languages:
        - language: en
          proficiency: native
        - language: es
          proficiency: fluent

  matching:
    mode: required    # required, preferred, none
    fallback_language: en
    allow_translation: false

Winning Agent Selection

The routing engine selects the best agent based on:

Routing method — preferred agent, skill-based, or skill relaxation over time
Agent availability
Skill and language match
If enabled: skill proficiency and current load (for digital interactions)

Agents are ranked by these parameters. The top-ranked available agent receives the conversation.

If a preferred agent is configured, the conversation waits until the preferred agent’s timeout expires before routing to other agents.

Percentage-Based Routing

Use a Script node in the flow to split conversations across destinations by percentage.

Example: 60/40 Split

Add a Script node that generates a random integer between 0 and 9.
Map values 0–5 (60%) to Destination A.
Map values 6–9 (40%) to Destination B.
Add a Split node (If-Else) to evaluate the generated number.
Route to the appropriate destination based on the result.

Routing Fallbacks

Handle scenarios when no agents are available.

Configuration Reference

Fallback Configuration:
  no_agents_available:
    wait_time: 300s
    actions:
      - type: message
        content: "All agents are currently busy. Estimated wait: {{estimated_wait}}"
      - type: offer_callback
        after: 120s
      - type: voicemail
        after: 300s

  out_of_hours:
    actions:
      - type: message
        content: "We're closed. Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm EST"
      - type: route_to_flow
        flow: after_hours_ivr
      - type: voicemail
        enabled: true

  skill_timeout:
    timeout: 300s
    actions:
      - type: relax_skills
        after: 60s
      - type: expand_queues
        after: 180s
        queues: [overflow_support]
      - type: escalate
        after: 300s

Routing Rules

Create complex routing logic using conditions and actions.

Example Rules

Routing Rules:
  - name: Enterprise Technical Support
    conditions:
      - field: customer.tier
        operator: equals
        value: enterprise
      - field: intent
        operator: in
        value: [technical_issue, bug_report]
    actions:
      - type: set_queue
        queue: enterprise_tech_support
      - type: add_skill
        skill: enterprise_products
        required: true
      - type: set_priority
        priority: 2

  - name: Billing Disputes
    conditions:
      - field: intent
        operator: equals
        value: billing_dispute
      - field: amount
        operator: greater_than
        value: 500
    actions:
      - type: set_queue
        queue: billing_escalations
      - type: set_priority
        priority: 1

Queues

Queues are virtual waiting areas that hold conversations until the system assigns an agent. A conversation can only be in one queue at a time. To access Queues, go to Contact Center AI > ROUTING > Queues.

The Queues live board displays:

Column	Description
Queue	Name and description of the queue
Actions	Edit Queue option
Agents	Agents available for the queue
Mode	Simple or Advanced routing mode
ACW	After Call Work configuration
Status	Active or Inactive

Use the Search field to find queues by name.

Add a Queue

Select New Queue at the top-right of the Configuration page.
Configure the queue using the tabs below.

Settings

Available in both Simple and Advanced routing modes.

Setting	Description
Name	Identifies the queue
Description	Optional short description
Hours of Operation	Select from configured hours
Transfer Rules	Restrict agents to transfer only to specified queues; if disabled, agents can transfer to any queue
Maximum Wait Time	Maximum time a conversation waits before the No Available Agent flow is triggered
After Call Work (ACW)	See ACW options below
Advanced Routing	Enable to configure preferred agents and skill drop-offs

Transfer Rules: Enable the toggle, select the target queues, and select Done.

If the customer ends the chat before transfer completes, the transfer is dropped and the interaction is not assigned to any queue or agent. This applies to chat conversations using WebSDK v1.0.

ACW Options:

Option	Behavior
Immediate Slot Release	Slot opens as soon as the conversation ends; agents finalize disposition at their convenience
Timed Slot Release	Slot remains occupied until the agent completes disposition or the timer (10 seconds–15 minutes) expires
Indefinite Slot Release	Slot remains occupied until the agent submits the disposition

Assignments

Assign agents, agent groups, or both to the queue. To assign agents:

Select Add Agent.
Select the checkbox next to an agent’s name and select Done.

To assign agent groups:

Select Add Agent Group.
Select the checkbox next to a group name and select Done.

Note: Agents added through an agent group are not displayed in the agents list. Both individual agents and agent groups are listed separately.

Preferred Agents (Advanced Routing only)

In the Preferred tab, find the agent and select the Preferred checkbox.
Under Advanced Settings, configure the preferred agent timeout.

During a preferred agent check, skills are ignored. If the preferred agent times out, the system expands to all agents and applies skill matching.

Skills (Advanced Routing only)

In the Skills tab, search for a skill to assign to the queue.
Choose whether the skill should expire and set the expiry time. When a skill expires, the conversation routes based on remaining assigned skills.

Select Create to save the queue.

Additional Configuration

Outbound Phone Numbers:

Enter phone numbers or select from the list.
Select Apply.

Outbound Email IDs:

Enter email IDs or select from the list.
Select Apply.

Administrators can enable Queue-level Outbound Numbers or Emails in System Settings to restrict agents to only see outbound contacts assigned to their queue.

Edit a Queue

Select the Edit icon next to the queue.
Make your changes and select Save.

Delete a Queue

Select the Edit icon next to the queue.
Select Delete on the left side and confirm.

Deleting a queue removes all corresponding routing rules. A queue cannot be deleted if an active campaign is associated with it — deactivate all campaigns first.

Assign a Conversation to a Queue

You can assign a conversation to a queue in two ways:

Using the Set Queue node in an experience flow.
Using the agentUtils.setQueue() method in a script.

Route to Queue Override for Out-of-Hours

Enable the Route to Queue toggle to transfer conversations to a target queue when a queue enters out-of-hours. Selecting a target queue is required. The transfer preserves routing logic, metrics, and conversation history. To prevent queue bouncing across time zones, the system tracks an Out-of-Hours Count per conversation. Administrators set a Max Out-of-Hours Transfer Limit (default: 10) at the environment level. If the count exceeds this limit, the system closes the conversation gracefully.

When Contact Center Permission Is Disabled

Administrators can restrict selected users from participating in contact center interactions. Disabled users:

Cannot access contact center functionality or appear in agent status lists.
Can still access Automation AI, Agent AI, or Search AI based on their assigned roles.
Appear with a Disabled tag in user management and agent selection lists.
Do not appear in active analytics dashboards.

A pop-up message appears when selecting queues, with a disabled tag displayed next to the user.

Agent permissions cannot be disabled if the agent is the only member of the queue or is engaged in an active conversation.

Skills

Skills represent agent attributes — such as product expertise, process knowledge, or language proficiency — used to route conversations to the most qualified agent. Language is a default skill that every agent must have. Examples:

Languages: English, Hindi, Spanish
Customer interactions: Retention, upselling, cross-selling

To access Skills, go to Contact Center > ROUTING > Skills.

Skills are organized by Skill Groups. Select a group to expand it and view associated skills. Use the Search field to find skills or groups by name.

Proficiency Levels

Every skill has four proficiency levels that determine agent ranking during routing:

Level	Name	Description
1	Novice	Basic knowledge, needs guidance
2	Average	Handles common scenarios
3	Good	Handles complex issues
4	Expert	Deep expertise, can train others

Add a Skill

Before adding a skill, create a skill group (see Skill Groups). Contact Center AI includes a Default Skill Group out of the box.

Select the skill group to expand it.
Select + New Skill.
In the Add New Skill window, enter:
- Skill Name
- Description
- Agent Assignments: Select agents and assign a proficiency level — Novice, Average, Good, or Expert.
Select Create.

Add a Skill Using a Script

You can add skills dynamically using Script nodes in dialog flows or Contact Center AI flows. Available methods:

Method	Description
`setSkills(skillsInfo)`	Appends skills to the current conversation. `skillsInfo` is an array.
`getSkills()`	Returns an array of skills in the current conversation.
`getSkillById(skillId)`	Returns a skill by its ID.
`deleteSkillById(skillId)`	Deletes a skill from the current conversation by ID.
`deleteSkills(skillsToDelete)`	Deletes one or more skills using an ID or array of IDs.
`clearSkills()`	Removes all skills from the current conversation.

Example: setSkills()

var loanType = {
    "Car Loan": {
         name: "Car Loan",
         id: "60b50becxxxxxxxx95b55d88",
    },
    "House Loan": {
         name: "House Loan",
         id: "60b50cxxxxxxxx4195b55d89",
    },
    "Education Loan": {
         name: "Education Loan",
         id: "60b894xxxxxxxx6accc5f466",
    },
    "Gold Loan": {
         name: "Gold Loan",
         id: "60b8943xxxxxxxxaccc5f467",
    },
};

agentUtils.setSkills([loanType[a]]);

Example: deleteSkills()

agentUtils.deleteSkills(["skillAId", "skillBId"]);

Example: Setting skills based on conversation context

// Set skills based on customer input collected earlier in the flow
if (context.session.product === "enterprise") {
  agentUtils.setSkills([{ skillId: "enterprise_software", required: true }]);
}

if (context.session.issue_type === "billing") {
  agentUtils.setSkills([{ skillId: "billing", required: true }]);
}

// Transfer to queue with skills attached
agentUtils.transferToQueue("support");

Edit a Skill

Select the skill group to see its skills.
Select the Edit icon next to the skill.
Make your changes in the Edit Skill window.
Select Save.

Delete a Skill

Deleted skills cannot be restored.

Select the skill group to see its skills.
Select the Edit icon next to the skill.
Remove all agent assignments:
- Scroll to Agent Assignments.
- Select the Delete icon for each agent and confirm each deletion.
- Select Save.
Select the Delete Skill icon and confirm.

Skill Groups

A Skill Group organizes similar skills. For example, Sales is a skill group containing skills like upselling, cross-selling, and presales.

Skill groups and skills can share names across groups. Within the same group, skill names must be unique.

Organize skills into groups for better management:

Skill Groups
├── Languages
│   ├── English
│   ├── Spanish
│   ├── French
│   └── German
├── Products
│   ├── Enterprise Software
│   ├── Consumer Products
│   └── Hardware
├── Expertise
│   ├── Technical Support
│   ├── Billing
│   ├── Sales
│   └── Account Management
└── Certifications
    ├── Product Certified
    └── Advanced Support

Add a Skill Group

Select + New Skill Group.
In the Add New Skill Group window, enter:
- Skill Group Name
- Description
- Color: Use the color picker, hex value, or preset palette.
Select Create.

Edit a Skill Group

Select the Edit icon next to the group.
Make your changes and select Save.

Delete a Skill Group

Deleted skill groups cannot be restored. You must delete all associated skills before deleting the group.

Delete all skills in the group (see Delete a Skill).
Select the Edit icon next to the group.
In the Edit Skill Group window, select Delete Skill Group and confirm.

Skill Expiration

Skills can be configured to expire automatically. When a skill expires, it is removed from the agent and the agent is notified. This is useful for time-limited certifications or role-specific training. To configure expiration, set an expiry time when assigning a skill to a queue (see Skills tab in queue configuration). When a skill expires, the conversation routes based on the remaining assigned skills.

Testing Routing

Use the Routing Simulator to validate your configuration before deployment.

Enter test conversation attributes.
Select skills and language.
Run the simulation.
View matched agents and their ranking.
Verify the expected routing behavior.

Modules

Platform Services

References

​How Routing Works

​Routing Methods

​Standard Routing

​How It Works

​Configuration Reference

​Advanced Routing

​Preferred Agent Flow

​Skill Relaxation

​Configuration Reference

​Load Balanced Routing (V3)

​How It Works

​Use Cases

​Configuration Reference

​Conditional Group Routing

​How It Works

​Example

​Benefits

​Priority-Based Routing

​Priority Factors

​Multi-Queue Agent Assignment

​Dynamic Priority Adjustment

​Configuration Reference

​Language-Based Routing

​Configuration Reference

​Winning Agent Selection

​Percentage-Based Routing

​Example: 60/40 Split

​Routing Fallbacks

​Configuration Reference

​Routing Rules

​Example Rules

​Queues

​Add a Queue

​Settings

​Assignments

​Preferred Agents (Advanced Routing only)

​Skills (Advanced Routing only)

​Additional Configuration

​Edit a Queue

​Delete a Queue

​Assign a Conversation to a Queue

​Route to Queue Override for Out-of-Hours

​When Contact Center Permission Is Disabled

​Skills

​Proficiency Levels

​Add a Skill

​Add a Skill Using a Script

​Edit a Skill

​Delete a Skill

​Skill Groups

​Add a Skill Group

​Edit a Skill Group

​Delete a Skill Group

​Skill Expiration

​Testing Routing

How Routing Works

Routing Methods

Standard Routing

How It Works

Configuration Reference

Advanced Routing

Preferred Agent Flow

Skill Relaxation

Configuration Reference

Load Balanced Routing (V3)

How It Works

Use Cases

Configuration Reference

Conditional Group Routing

How It Works

Example

Benefits

Priority-Based Routing

Priority Factors

Multi-Queue Agent Assignment

Dynamic Priority Adjustment

Configuration Reference

Language-Based Routing

Configuration Reference

Winning Agent Selection

Percentage-Based Routing

Example: 60/40 Split

Routing Fallbacks

Configuration Reference

Routing Rules

Example Rules

Queues

Add a Queue

Settings

Assignments

Preferred Agents (Advanced Routing only)

Skills (Advanced Routing only)

Additional Configuration

Edit a Queue

Delete a Queue

Assign a Conversation to a Queue

Route to Queue Override for Out-of-Hours

When Contact Center Permission Is Disabled

Skills

Proficiency Levels

Add a Skill

Add a Skill Using a Script

Edit a Skill

Delete a Skill

Skill Groups

Add a Skill Group

Edit a Skill Group

Delete a Skill Group

Skill Expiration

Testing Routing