Giving agents access to voice

Agents need voice permission, a working headset and a status that says they are available. All three, or the phone does not ring.

Agents need voice permission, a working headset and a status that says they are available. All three, or the phone does not ring.

Give access

1. Open Admin Center, then People > Team > Team members, and open the person.
2. Find the Voice section and tick the Access checkbox. The role dropdown beside it does nothing until you do, which is where people get stuck.
3. Choose the role: Agent, Team lead or Admin. Then Save.
4. Put them in a group that receives calls.
5. Make sure a capacity rule covers them for the voice channel.
6. Have them set themselves available for voice and take a test call.

The browser has to allow the microphone

The most common first-day problem. The browser asks once for microphone access, and an agent who dismisses that prompt can receive calls but nobody hears them.

Have every new agent make a test call before taking a real one. It takes a minute and it prevents a customer being the one to discover it.

A headset makes a difference

Not a nicety. Laptop microphones pick up the room, and callers hear it. A basic headset is the difference between a call that sounds professional and one that sounds like somebody in a café.

Status is per channel

An agent available for email is not automatically available for voice. That is deliberate, and it is why an agent can be working hard and receiving no calls.

Availability is a shared decision

Phone is exclusive: an agent on a call is on a call. Agree as a team when people are available for voice, because an individual choosing to be unavailable pushes every call to their colleagues.

See also

• Network requirements for voice
• Focus mode for voice and chat
• What unified agent statuses are