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Talkdesk will release a routing assignment enhancement for consult transfers (also known as warm transfers) to queues using the Consult option.

What is changing and why

Currently, when a consult transfer to a queue is initiated during a call, the transfer is successful if an agent in the consulted queue is available immediately. If no agents are available, the consultation is canceled, requiring a retry.

Talkdesk will release the consult transfers to queue enhancement starting January 31, 2025, which will impact both Administrators and Agents as follows:

• Agents requesting consult transfers to queues will benefit from a customized in-queue experience. In addition, agents will be prioritized based on idle time, boosting efficiency and fairness in call distribution.

• Administrators will gain control over Transfer preferences which will become available under the Routing section: Queues menu > Preferences tab. Settings will include:
  • Maximum waiting time: Time threshold for the system to find, at least, one agent who can be consulted. When this limit is reached, the consultation will be canceled.
    • Default value: 1 second for current queues in order to maintain current behavior (no waiting experience) and 1800 seconds for new queues. We recommend updating existing queues to 1800 seconds to align with the new standard.
  • Offering timeout: Maximum time an agent has to answer a consultation request.
    • Default value: 35 seconds.
  • Waiting music to play: Music played when one of the call participants is put in the waiting queue (for consult transfers to queue scenario, the waiting music will be played to the agent that requested the consult).
    • Default waiting music: the same “default music” applicable for the Assignment and Dial component.

Action may required 

• Customers who implemented a workaround using a Studio flow assigned to a dedicated phone number used as a consult transfer destination have 2 options:

• • Option 1 (recommended): Customers can adjust the queue transfer settings after the enhancement is in place to set different values for “Maximum waiting time”, “Offering timeout” and “Waiting music to play.”  A new step-by-step guide on how to configure the queue settings impacting consult transfers to a queue will be provided on the week of the release.
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  • Option 2: Choose to take no action. Customers can keep their existing configurations with a Studio flow assigned to a phone number used for consults. Note that this existing workaround has few shortcomings, namely:
    • It creates a new interaction, causing reporting, billing, and recordings to be split in two, making it very difficult to analyze and troubleshoot the interaction;
    • The agent may have trouble deciding where to transfer when wanting to start a warm/consult transfer to a ring group;
    • It increases usage costs.

For blind transfer scenarios, please refer to the new Blind Transfer to Flow feature as a way to leverage Studio tools to build a custom blind transfer experience.

• For customers using legacy Routing Settings: With the new enhancement for consult transfers to queues, the legacy Routing Settings, “Number of Agents to Ring (higher than 1)” and “Agent IVR”, will no longer be applied on consultations. If customers prefer to maintain the legacy settings rather than the new enhancement, they must fill out this opt-out form.

Release date

• January 31, 2025: enhancement for consult transfers to queues will be progressively released.

Resources

• Using the Consult Option (will be updated before the upgrade is released)

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If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Customer Success Manager or the Customer Care team via the Talkdesk Support Portal.