Offer callers a callback instead of waiting

Smart Callback calls back callers who hang up while waiting in an enhanced ring group, or who time out after waiting as long as you allow. Your team still reaches the caller, and the caller doesn't have to keep holding.

This feature needs the Contact Center Lite or Contact Center Pro plan. See plans and pricing

Some labels in your portal or apps may look slightly different from this guide.

When Smart Callback steps in

• The caller gives up and hangs up. The group can call them back.
• The caller waits too long. Once a caller reaches the longest wait you allow, the group can offer a callback instead of sending them on.

Smart Callback covers those two cases only. Your group's settings may also list other points where a callback can be offered, such as when the line is full, no one is available, a caller presses an exit key, or a call ends soon after it's answered. Leave those off.

Turn on Smart Callback

1. 1
   Step 1:

   Open the group

   In the admin portal, open the enhanced ring group and find its callback settings.

2. 2
   Step 2:

   Call back callers who hang up

   Turn on Activate For Abandoned.

3. 3
   Step 3:

   Call back callers who time out

   In the group's timer settings, enter the longest wait you allow in Max Wait Seconds, then turn on Activate Callback in the same block.

4. 4
   Step 4:

   Choose the caller ID

   In Outgoing CallerID, enter the name and number the callback shows, such as Support and your main number.

5. 5
   Step 5:

   Set the retries

   Use Callback Retries for how many times to try the caller, Callback Ring Timeout for how long each try rings, and Retry Timeout Seconds for the gap between tries.

6. 6
   Step 6:

   Set when to give up

   Enter a limit in the callback block's own Max Wait Seconds. If no member comes free within that many seconds, the system drops the callback. This is separate from the caller's wait limit in the timer settings.

7. 7
   Step 7:

   Save and test

   Save the group. Call in from a phone outside your company, hang up while you wait, and check that the callback arrives.

Other callback settings

• Which number gets the call. Leave Use Caller ID Only set to Yes, so the callback goes to the number the caller called from. The setting can also let callers enter a different number, but Smart Callback doesn't cover that, so leave it off.
• Messages. Caller Announce and Agent Announce each take a recording: one for the caller, and one for the member who handles the callback.
• The callback menu. A group of settings sets the keys and timing for the short menu callers hear during a callback. Leave these as they are unless support suggests a change.

Get an email when someone gives up waiting

Under the abandoned calls notification settings, turn on Enable Notification and enter an address, such as frontdesk@example.com, in Notification E-mail address. Whenever someone gives up and ends the call before a member answers, that address gets an alert. To keep a record of callers who give up before anyone answers, also turn on Detect caller early hangup in its general settings.

What to expect

• An agent message can help members tell a callback from a new call. Let your team know what it sounds like.
• To see who missed calls and which callers keep trying, use ring group statistics.
• On Contact Center Pro, queues offer Smart Callback too, with their own settings. See offer callers a Smart Callback instead of holding.