---
title: "Define inbound phone queue properties"
slug: "vcc-define-inbound-phone-queue-properties"
updated: 2026-07-23T10:07:08Z
published: 2026-07-23T10:07:08Z
canonical: "help.8x8.com/vcc-define-inbound-phone-queue-properties"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.8x8.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Define inbound phone queue properties

**8x8 Contact Center** categorizes phone queues by the direction of the phone calls.

- An inbound phone queue accepts incoming phone calls and directs them to skilled agents. Agents either process these phone calls, or reject them, routing them back to the queue, thus ensuring calls are not discarded.
- An outbound phone queue processes all outgoing interactions including campaign calls, **click-to-dial** calls, and **web callback** calls.

To define an inbound phone queue, **8x8 Contact Center** administrators need to define the primary properties, such as queue name, default priority, post-processing timeout, and more. Open the **Properties** tab to define the properties.

**To define inbound phone queue properties in 8x8 Configuration Manager:**

1. From the **Configuration Menu**, open **Queues/Skills**.
2. Click ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/icon_plus_18x18.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A51%3A45Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A51%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=IYelofvDj7wSC28HYRboQ19RQrysm1bikkBJtBZw6Sk%3D) or **Inbound Phone**.
3. Enter the desired properties in the **Properties** tab. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/cfgmgrqueuesproperties.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A51%3A45Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A51%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=IYelofvDj7wSC28HYRboQ19RQrysm1bikkBJtBZw6Sk%3D)

The following table summarizes the options under **Queues/Skills > Inbound Phone > Properties**:

| Properties Tab Option | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Queue type | Read-only reminder of the type of queue. |
| Queue direction | Read-only reminder of the phone queue direction. Specifies if it is inbound or outbound. It is applicable to phone media only. |
| Queue name | Type a name for the queue. |
| Default Priority | Choose the priority for this queue, where <1> specifies the lowest priority and <10> specifies the highest priority. This defines the priority for interactions of all media. By default, **8x8 Contact Center** prioritizes the queues as follows: - Phone queue = 8 (highest default priority) - Chat queue = 6 - Voicemail queue = 4 - Email queue = 2 (lowest default priority) Based on your business needs, you can assign the desired priority for each queue. |
| Transfer Incoming Calls To | If enabled, **8x8 Contact Center** transfers phone interactions from this queue to an external telephone number (that is not managed by the contact center). The external telephone number must have the following format: - In the United States: 1 + three-digit area code + seven-digit phone number - Outside the United States: Country Code +phone number The telephone number may contain optional dashes, spaces, or parentheses. |
| Post-Processing Timeout | Choose how long **8x8 Contact Center** must wait before assigning a new interaction from the queue to an agent who has just completed an interaction. The post-processing timeout enables agents servicing the selected queue to perform any necessary post-interaction tasks before receiving a new interaction. Choose **Manual** to enable agents assigned to this queue to use their **8x8 Agent Console** to explicitly make themselves available for new interactions. When there are multiple agents available with the same queue and skill level assignment waiting to receive the next interaction, **8x8 Contact Center** routes the call to the agent who has been idle the longest. For details, see our content on how to [reset idle timer for agents](/documentation/docs/vcc-reset-idle-timer-for-agents#work-with-agents-idle-timer). |
| Voice Recording % | Specify the percentage of interactions from this queue recorded by **8x8 Contact Center**. |
| Waiting Music | Choose the audio file played when a caller must wait for an agent to become available. The Waiting Music lists all files defined in the Audio Files tab. For details on the Audio Files tab, refer to [Configure Recorded Greetings](/documentation/docs/vcc-configure-audio-files-and-recorded-greetings). |
| Agent whisper audio | Select an audio file from the drop-down for Agent whisper. By default there is no audio file selected. You can click ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/icon-play.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A51%3A45Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A51%3A45Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=IYelofvDj7wSC28HYRboQ19RQrysm1bikkBJtBZw6Sk%3D) to play the audio. Agent whisper helps agents identify the context of the incoming call even before the customer information pops for preview, thus allowing them to prepare for the call. Agent whisper messages can be heard on both inbound and outbound calls. To set up Agent whisper, you must upload the Agent whisper file first and then assign the file to a queue. For details Agent whisper files see details on how to [create agent whisper for phone queues](/documentation/docs/vcc-create-agent-whisper-for-phone-queues). |
4. Click **Save**.After you define the queue properties, you are ready to assign members to the queue.