Puhelinjonot

Puhelinjonot, or telephone queues, refer to the sequence of incoming calls waiting to be answered by an agent or automated system. They occur in customer service, help desks, government hotlines and other services that rely on telephone contact. When a call arrives, it enters a queue managed by automatic call distribution (ACD) systems and is held until an agent becomes available. Routing can be based on skill, language, priority, or customer profile. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems can collect information, provide estimated wait times, and offer options such as callbacks or voicemail.

Advances in technology have led to cloud-based, multichannel queueing, where voice, chat and email are integrated. Callers may receive a virtual queue number or be offered a callback instead of staying on hold. In many setups, queue metrics and performance are monitored in real time to adjust staffing and routing.

Performance measures commonly used include service level (the share of calls answered within a target time), average speed of answer, average handle time, queue length, occupancy, and abandonment rate (the percentage of callers who disconnect before being answered). These metrics guide staffing, scheduling and capacity planning, particularly during peak demand, promotions, or emergencies.

From a user experience perspective, long holds can reduce satisfaction. To mitigate this, organizations may offer callbacks, proactive updates, informative prompts, and appropriate music or messages to improve perceived waiting times. Puhelinjonot are a central consideration in the design and operation of modern contact centers.