Advanced Softphone Settings for Admins
Tune auto-answer, Busy statuses, unavailable messages, default dispositions, and live floor monitoring so your team's softphone runs the way you want.
You want every routed call picked up fast, agents taking breaks without leaving callers in dead air, and outcomes logged the same way by everyone. This guide walks an admin through the softphone settings that make that happen, in the order most agencies set them up, and points you to the reference pages when you want the full detail.
What you'll set up
- Busy statuses your agents pick for breaks, lunch, and meetings, with optional timers.
- Login status and auto-answer for the whole team.
- Unavailable messages callers hear when nobody can pick up.
- Default dispositions and the call forms agents use on manual outbound calls.
- Live monitoring on the Wallboard, and the roles that can use it.
Most of this lives on one page: Settings > Organization > Softphone Settings. It has three cards: Agent availability, Unavailable messages, and Default dispositions (with Manual outbound call forms right below it).
Who can change what
Before you start, check that your role covers the parts you need. Owners and Admins have all of this by default.
| To do this | You need |
|---|---|
| See the Softphone Settings page | Organization > View or Campaigns > View |
| Change availability, auto-answer, and unavailable messages | Organization > Update |
| Change default dispositions | Campaigns > Edit |
| Turn on Suppress for a disposition | Phone Suppression > Configure (plus Campaigns > Edit) |
| Choose manual outbound call forms | Call Forms > Edit |
| Open the Wallboard | Wallboard > View |
| Change another agent's status | Status Overrides > Agent |
| Listen in on a live call | Softphone > Listen |
| Whisper or Barge | Softphone > Barge |
The built-in Manager role can view the Wallboard and override agent status, but it can't listen in, whisper, or barge. Built-in Agent and CSR roles have no Wallboard access. To give a team lead monitoring, build a custom role. See Roles and Permissions.
Create your Busy statuses
In the Agent availability card, under Busy statuses, type a name (like Lunch), add an optional Timer (min), and click Add status.
- Leave the timer empty for statuses that should last until someone changes them, like Meeting or Coaching.
- Add a timer (1 to 1,440 minutes) for statuses that should end on their own, like a 15-minute Break.
- Use the arrows to set the order. Agents see them in this order.
- Archive a status you no longer want. Archived statuses still show up in reporting, and you can Restore them later.
Until you add your first Busy status, the card shows Using defaults and agents only have a plain Busy option. Once you've added one, you always need to keep at least one active.
Choose how agents start each session
Next to Login, pick Available or Busy. If you pick Busy, choose the reason (for example, Break). That status is marked Login default in the list, and you can't archive it while it's the login default.
A refresh or a quick network blip doesn't reset an agent's status. Only a full sign-out and sign-in starts a new session.
Decide on auto-answer
The Auto-answer switch in the same card is the team-wide setting:
- On: auto-answer is enforced. Every agent has it, and they can't turn it off.
- Off: each agent chooses for themselves from the Auto-answer switch in their avatar menu.
With auto-answer on, an Available agent is connected to a routed call right away. They skip the incoming call card (Answer or Claim) and, for warm transfers, the summary screen. They land straight in the call workspace, with the handoff summary at the top of the transcript.
Agents in agent-first outbound campaigns need it on. Without it, their top bar shows Auto-answer off and dialer calls don't ring them.
Set your unavailable messages
In Unavailable messages, write what callers hear before the call ends when nobody answers:
- During business hours: plays when no agent answers.
- After hours: plays when a call comes in outside your business hours.
Leave a field blank to use careCycle's default (the gray preview text). Use the variable picker to drop in your agency's main phone number. Click Save messages when you're done.
These are your organization defaults. Any transfer destination can override them under Fallback Handling > Inbound unavailable messages, or offer a callback first. See Agent-First Dialer Campaigns for which message plays when.
Set your default dispositions
In Default dispositions, click Add or create a disposition... to pull one from your library or create a new one. These are the outcomes agents pick on manual outbound calls and on calls to destinations that don't have their own set. Changes save right away.
Pick the Outcome type carefully. It's what reporting and Pulse routing go by, not the name. The Always available ones are built in, so you don't need to add them. See Default Dispositions and Scenarios for every field.
Then, in Manual outbound call forms, check the forms agents can pick from when they dial out themselves.
Watch the floor
Open Wallboard in the sidebar. The Live tab shows every agent's status, how long they've been in it, and, if they're Busy, which reason and when they'll be back. Click an Available or Busy agent's status to set a Busy reason or put them back to Available.
For an agent on a call, open the row's menu and pick Listen in, Whisper, or Barge. A bar at the bottom right shows who you're listening to, lets you switch to Whisper or Barge, and Leave when you're done.
Want a quick read without opening the Wallboard? Add the Ongoing calls widget to your Home dashboard. See The Wallboard and The Dashboard.
Tips
- Be careful mixing timed statuses with auto-answer. When a timed status runs out, the agent goes back to Available even if they aren't at their desk yet. With auto-answer on, the next call connects to an empty chair. If you enforce auto-answer, consider leaving the timer off for longer breaks like Lunch. More in Agent Availability and Auto-Answer.
- Agents can go Busy straight from wrap-up. Save & go busy offers your Busy statuses, so the ones you create here are what agents pick between calls. See Wrap-Up and Dispositions.
- Status overrides only work once you've added Busy statuses. The Wallboard status menu uses the same list.
- Status changes can't interrupt a call. You can't override an agent who's On Call or in Wrap Up.
- Review Busy time by reason on the Wallboard's Productivity tab to see how breaks and meetings add up across the team.
Common questions
An agent says calls aren't ringing them. What should I check? Their status first: only Available agents get routed calls. Then the pill in their top bar, which explains why ("Auto-answer off", "No live sources", or their Busy reason). Their air status on the Wallboard can also take them off air for specific campaigns.
Can I make different teams use different auto-answer settings? Not with the organization switch. It's all or nothing. Leave it off and agents choose for themselves.
What does a caller hear if the dialer reaches them and no agent is free? That's a fixed careCycle message, not the unavailable messages on this page. See Which Message Can I Edit?
Who can listen in on calls? Owners and Admins by default. Everyone else needs a custom role with Softphone > Listen (and Barge to whisper or barge in). Monitoring doesn't come with Wallboard access on its own.
Agent Availability and Auto-Answer
Every availability state, timer, and auto-answer rule in detail.
The Wallboard
The live floor view, air status, and productivity reporting.
Default Dispositions and Scenarios
Fields, outcome types, and suppression for your default outcomes.
Roles and Permissions
Build roles for supervisors, team leads, and agents.
Transfer Destinations
Per-destination dispositions, ring timing, and fallback messages.