Optional Queue Position and Expected Wait Time Announcement with Threshold Controls

Optional Queue Position and Expected Wait Time Announcement with Threshold Controls

Hello Zoho Voice Team,
We would like to request an enhancement to the queue experience that allows callers to be informed of their position in line and estimated wait time, with configurable rules for when and how this information is presented.

Current Limitation:

At present, callers waiting in a queue are not provided with visibility into How many callers are ahead of them and The expected wait time before reaching an agent

This lack of transparency can increase uncertainty and lead to higher abandonment rates, especially during peak load periods.

Use Case:

A caller joins a support queue during high volume periods.
Without any indication of their position or expected wait time, the caller has no way to understand:

  1. Whether the wait will be short or long
  2. Whether the queue is moving quickly or slowly
  3. Whether it is worth continuing to wait or requesting a callback

In many cases, callers abandon the queue simply due to uncertainty, not necessarily due to long wait times.

Requested Enhancement:

We would like Zoho Voice to introduce an optional queue intelligence announcement feature that can inform callers of:

  1. Their current position in the queue (e.g., “You are number 3 in line”)
  2. Estimated wait time (e.g., “Estimated wait time is approximately 4 minutes”)
  3. Configurable Controls

This feature should include flexible configuration options, such as:

  1. Enable/disable per queue
  2. Threshold-based activation (e.g., only announce after X callers in queue)
  3. Time-based thresholds (e.g., only announce when estimated wait exceeds X minutes)
  4. Frequency controls (e.g., announce once at entry, or repeat every X minutes)
  5. Optional suppression during low-volume conditions
Business Benefits:

  1. Reduce caller anxiety by increasing transparency
  2. Improve perceived fairness and trust in the queue system
  3. Reduce abandonment rates caused by uncertainty
  4. Improve callback conversion rates by allowing better-informed decisions
  5. Align Zoho Voice with modern contact center expectations around queue transparency

Providing callers with clear expectations of wait time and queue position is a proven method for improving overall customer experience, even when actual wait times remain unchanged.

Thank you for your consideration.
Kind regards,
Ram