# Set up Skill-based Routing for a Queue

Skill-based routing lets you rank the agents in a queue by proficiency and have Cloud Voice offer each call to the strongest agents first, working down the list only when they are unavailable. Sending inquiries to your most capable people first improves the quality of each interaction and keeps the queue running efficiently.

## Before you begin

Confirm both of the following:

- **Firmware**: version 84.14.0.24 or later.
- **Plan**: Enterprise Plan (EP) or Ultimate Plan (UP).

## How calls are distributed

The way a call moves through the queue depends on whether any agents share the same skill level.

### Every agent has a distinct skill level

When each agent in the queue holds a different skill level, an incoming call goes straight to the top-ranked agent (level **1**). If that agent cannot take the call, Cloud Voice offers it to the next agent, continuing down the ranking one agent at a time.

![Queue routing a call to a single top-ranked agent, then falling through to lower-ranked agents in turn](/images/pbx/skill-based-routing-uniqueskills.png)

### Some agents share a skill level

When two or more agents are set to the same skill level, an incoming call is offered to everyone at the highest level (**1**) at once, and Cloud Voice decides who rings first using the ring strategy you choose for equal skill levels. If none of the top-level agents answer, the call moves down to the agents at the next level.

![Queue offering a call to a group of agents that share the top skill level before stepping down to lower levels](/images/pbx/skill-based-routing-equal-skills.png)

## Turn on skill-based routing

1. Sign in to the PBX web portal and go to **Call Features > Queue**.
2. Click the edit icon next to the queue you want to change.
3. On the **Basic** tab, enable the feature and pick a ring strategy.

   ![Basic tab of a queue with the skill-based routing option and the equal-skill ring strategy selector](/images/pbx/enable-skill-based-routing-1.png)

   a. Select the **Skill-based Routing** checkbox.

   b. From the **Ring Strategy of Equal Skill Level** drop-down, choose how agents who share a skill level should be rung.

   :::note
   If every agent in the queue has a unique skill level, Cloud Voice always rings agents strictly from highest to lowest skill level and ignores the ring strategy.
   :::

   | Ring strategy | Behavior |
   |---------------|----------|
   | **Ring All** | Rings every agent at the same skill level at once until one of them answers. |
   | **Least Recent** | Among agents at the same skill level, rings whoever has gone the longest without a call. |
   | **Fewest Calls** | Among agents at the same skill level, rings whoever has completed the fewest calls. |
   | **Random** | Rings agents at the same skill level in no set order. |
   | **Rrmemory** | Round robin with memory. In a queue of static agents only, Cloud Voice recalls the last agent it tried and rings the next agent in the static list. In a queue of dynamic agents only, it recalls the last agent tried and rings the next in the order agents logged in. In a mixed queue, it rings the next static agent in the list; if no static agents are free, it rings dynamic agents in login order. |
   | **Linear** | Rings agents at the same skill level in a fixed order that depends on agent type. In a queue of static agents only, it follows the order of the agents list. In a queue of dynamic agents only, it follows login order. In a mixed queue, it follows login order. |

4. On the **Members** tab, assign a skill level to each agent.

   :::note
   Every agent starts at skill level **1**, the highest level.
   :::

   ![Members tab of a queue showing the skill level assigned to each agent](/images/pbx/set-skill-level-for-agent.png)

   a. Click the edit icon next to an agent.

   b. In the dialog, enter the agent's skill level.

   :::note
   - The value can be **1** through **99**. A lower number means a higher skill level and therefore higher priority when calls ring.
   - The skill level you set here applies only within this queue.
   :::

   c. Click **Confirm**.

   d. Repeat steps a through c for each agent you want to rank.

5. Click **Save**, then **Apply**.

   :::caution
   Your changes do not take effect until you click **Apply**. Clicking **Save** on its own only stores the settings, so the queue keeps distributing calls with its old configuration until you apply.
   :::

## Result

Callers reaching the queue are connected to agents in order of skill level, starting with the highest-ranked agents and stepping down through the lower levels as needed.