Configuring breakouts

In this page

How do I configure breakouts?

Using Interaction Plans Architect you can configure various breakout options. The following types of breakouts are available:

  • Voluntary breakouts. Voluntary breakouts enable a caller to voluntarily break out of the queue. To break out of the queue, the caller presses a key on their keypad. Vonage Contact Center routes the call to the applet that corresponds to the pressed key.
  • No Agents Breakout. If you configure a No Agents Breakout and no appropriately skilled (where relevant) agents are logged in to handle calls, Vonage Contact Center routes calls to another applet.
  • Agent Decline Breakout. If you configure an Agent Decline Breakout applet and the call is in an agent's personal queue, the agent will be able to decline the interaction from within ContactPad and Vonage will route the call to the configured applet. For information about personal queues, see Personal queues.
  • Queue length breakout. If you configure a breakout based on queue length, when a queue reaches its maximum length, Vonage Contact Center routes any new calls entering the queue to another applet.
  • Queue duration breakout. If you configure a breakout based on queue duration, when an interaction has been in the queue for the maximum length of time, Vonage Contact Center routes the interaction to another applet.
  • Estimated Wait Time Breakout. If you configure a break out based on estimated wait time, if the estimated wait time for a call exceeds the configured breakout time, Vonage Contact Center routes the call to another applet.

    To calculate the estimated wait time, Vonage Contact Center must have at least three calls waiting in the queue.

Most breakouts apply only to calls. Queue duration breakouts apply to all types of interactions, except when using Salesforce's external routing to route non-call interactions.

Voluntary breakouts

To configure voluntary breakouts, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet, or edit an existing ACD or UCD applet. For information about creating or editing an applet, see Creating an applet or Editing an applet. A new or existing ACD or UCD applet appears.

  2. In the Voluntary Breakouts section:

    • Specify when the breakouts are available. In the Breakout Available list, click one of the following options:
      • Click Always to enable the callers to use the breakout keys at any time.
      • Click First (or Second or Third) Retry to enable callers to use the breakout keys only after Vonage Contact Center plays the first (or second or third) announcement.
    • Determine whether Vonage Contact Center should keep the caller's position in the queue after breaking out. This option is only available for applets with Skills Based router behavior type. Select or clear the Maintain position in queue if re-entering after breakout check box as appropriate. If you select the check box, if a call re-enters the same UCD applet after a breakout, the call enters the queue in the same position as when it was previously in the queue. If, after the breakout, the call enters a different UCD, the setting has no effect and the call enters at the back of the queue.
    • Specify the applet that Vonage Contact Center must route the call to if the caller presses a breakout key. In the Breakout Key Press 0 list, click the name of the target applet. Repeat for Breakout Key Press 1 to Breakout Key Press 9 lists as required.
  3. Continue to configure the applet as required. For information about the fields in the applet, see Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet.
  4. To save your changes, click Update.

Optionally configure an announcement either in the ACD or UCD applet, or in a separate Announcement applet, that announces the available breakout options. For information about the Announcement applet, see Announcement applet. Include the Announcement applet, if configured, in your interaction plan.

Now, if a caller presses one of the configured breakout keys, Vonage Contact Center routes their call to the corresponding applet.

No Agents Breakout

To configure a No Agents Breakout, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet, or edit an existing ACD or UCD applet. For information about creating or editing an applet, see Creating an applet or Editing an applet. A new or existing ACD or UCD applet appears.

  2. In the No Agents Breakout section, specify the applet that Vonage Contact Center must route the call to if no appropriately skilled agents are logged in. In the No Agents Logged In Applet list, click the name of the target applet.

  3. Continue to configure the applet as required. For information about the fields in the applet, see Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet.
  4. To save your changes, click Update.

Now, if no appropriately skilled (where relevant) agents are logged in to answer calls, Vonage Contact Center routes call to the applet in the No Agents Logged In Applet list.

Agent Decline Breakout


You can only configure an agent decline breakout in an ACD applet in skills based mode.

To configure an Agent Decline Breakout, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet, or edit an existing ACD or UCD applet. For information about creating or editing an applet, see Creating an applet or Editing an applet. A new or existing ACD or UCD applet appears.

  2. Ensure that Behaviour Type in the Routing section is Skills Based. UCD only sections are available.
  3. In the Agent Decline Breakout section, specify the applet that Vonage Contact Center must route the call to if an agent clicks to decline the call. In the Agent Decline Breakout Applet list, click the name of the target applet.

  4. Continue to configure the applet as required. For information about the fields in the applet, see Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet.
  5. To save your changes, click Update.

Now, if an agent declines a call in their personal queue, Vonage Contact Center routes call to the applet in the Agent Decline Breakout Applet list. For information about personal queues, see Personal queues.

Queue length breakout

To configure a queue length breakout, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet, or edit an existing ACD or UCD applet. For information about creating or editing an applet, see Creating an applet or Editing an applet. A new or existing ACD or UCD applet appears.

  2. In the Queue Settings section, specify the queue length settings. Settings include the applet that Vonage Contact Center must route a call to if the queue length exceeds its maximum length:

    • Clear the Unlimited Queue Length check box.
    • In the Maximum Queue Length box, type the maximum queue length.
    • In the Maximum Queue Next Application list, click the name of the target applet. If you do not select an applet and the maximum queue length is exceeded, the call ends.
  3. Continue to configure the applet as required. For information about the fields in the applet, see Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet.
  4. To save your changes, click Update.

Now, if a call enters a queue with more than the maximum number of interactions, Vonage Contact Center routes the call to the applet in the Maximum Queue Next Application list.

Queue duration breakout

You can only configure a queue duration breakout in an ACD applet in skills based mode. In skills based mode the ACD applet becomes a UCD applet.

To configure a queue duration breakout, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet, or edit an existing ACD or UCD applet. For information about creating or editing an applet, see Creating an applet or Editing an applet. A new or existing ACD or UCD applet appears.
  2. Ensure that Behaviour Type in the Routing section is Skills Based. UCD only sections are available.

  3. In the Queue Duration Settings section, specify the queue duration settings. Settings include the applet that Vonage Contact Center must route the call to if the queue length exceeds its maximum length:

    • In the Queue Timeout (seconds) box, type the maximum time, in seconds, that a call can wait in a queue.
    • In the Queue Timeout Applet list, click the name of the target applet.
  4. Continue to configure the applet as required. For information about the fields in the applet, see Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet.
  5. To save your changes, click Update.

Now, if a call spends more than the maximum amount of time in a queue, Vonage Contact Center routes the call to the applet in the Queue Timeout Applet list.

Estimated wait time breakout

You can only configure a queue duration breakout in an ACD applet in skills based mode. In skills based mode the ACD applet becomes a UCD applet.

The breakout only takes affect at the point that Vonage Contact Center initially calculates the estimated wait time. Vonage Contact Center calculates the estimated wait time after routing the call to the ACD applet. If the estimated wait time increases while the call is waiting, the breakout is not triggered.

To calculate the estimated wait time, Vonage Contact Center must have at least three calls waiting in the queue. Contact your account manager if you want to change the number of calls that must be waiting in the queue.

To configure an estimated wait time breakout, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet, or edit an existing ACD or UCD applet. For information about creating or editing an applet, see Creating an applet or Editing an applet. A new or existing ACD or UCD applet appears.
  2. Ensure that Behaviour Type in the Routing section is Skills Based. UCD only sections are available.

  3. In the Estimated Wait Time Breakout section, specify the breakout settings. Settings include the applet that Vonage Contact Center must route the call to if the estimated wait time exceeds the maximum length:

    • In the Breakout Time (seconds) box, type the maximum estimated wait time, in seconds.
    • In the Breakout Applet list, click the name of the target applet.
  4. Continue to configure the applet as required. For information about the fields in the applet, see Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) or Universal Contact Distributor (UCD) applet.
  5. To save your changes, click Update.

Now, if the estimated wait time for a call exceeds the maximum estimated wait time, Vonage Contact Center routes the call to the applet in the Breakout Applet list.

Support and documentation feedback

For general assistance, please contact Customer Support.

For help using this documentation, please send an email to docs_feedback@vonage.com. We're happy to hear from you. Your contribution helps everyone at Vonage! Please include the name of the page in your email.