Queues and distribution
A queue is the destination of a channel. Every conversation that arrives through a channel falls into its default queue and is distributed among the members.
Create a queue
In Queues → New queue:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | How the queue appears in the Inbox and in the reports |
| Members | The agents enabled to receive its conversations |
| Capacity per member | How many simultaneous conversations each agent can accumulate |
| Distribution mode | How the next conversation chooses the agent |
| Triage question | Questions shown when taking the conversation (optional) |
Distribution modes
- Automatic (round-robin) — the system assigns the conversation to the next available agent, respecting capacity.
- Manual — conversations stay in Awaiting response until someone clicks Take.
An agent with away status or who has reached maximum capacity does not receive new conversations.
Capacity
Capacity is calculated per member and summed per queue. In the live queue dashboard you see, per queue, how many conversations are open against the total allowed by the members.
If conversations stay too long in Awaiting response, the cause is usually capacity: increase the capacity per member or add more people to the queue before creating a new queue.
Triage questions
When taking the conversation, the agent can answer questions configured on the queue. The answers are recorded in the conversation and can feed reports and contact fields.
Distribution by AI
When a channel has an AI agent configured, the first reply can be automatic. When transferring to a human, the conversation enters the chosen queue and the history generated by the AI is visible to the agent — including the session's CX Score, when the company has the feature enabled.
Best practices
- One queue per subject or level, not per channel: channels change, the process doesn't.
- Keep the capacity per member between 5 and 10 active conversations.
- Review each channel's default queue after any team change.