How to transfer a call directly to another agent with AGENTDIRECT

Most transfers go to a queue, but sometimes you need a specific person: the agent who already spoke to this customer, or a named specialist who owns a particular account. VICIdial handles that with an AGENTDIRECT in-group, which lets you point a transfer at one agent instead of a whole queue, so the call lands exactly where you intend.

How AGENTDIRECT works

AGENTDIRECT is a special kind of Ingroup built for one-to-one transfers. When you use LOCAL CLOSER with an AGENTDIRECT in-group selected, you can supply the specific agent in the optional phone number field, and the call goes to that one Agent rather than to whoever is next in line. The AGENTDIRECT mechanism is what makes a direct agent-to-agent handoff possible.

The steps

1. On a live call, click TRANSFER CONF.
2. Select an AGENTDIRECT in-group from the Local Closer pull-down.
3. Click the AGENTS link to choose the target agent, then click LOCAL CLOSER to send the call.

Keeping transfers landing on the right person

There is a setting called Agent Transfer In-Group Validation that is worth turning on. With it enabled, the agents who show up in the selection screen are only the ones who have actually selected the same AGENTDIRECT in-group you chose. So if you pick AGENTDIRECT_2, the AGENTS link only lists agents who are taking calls from AGENTDIRECT_2. That stops you from transferring to someone who cannot actually receive the call.

Picking the target agent

flowchart TD
  A[Agent on live call] --> B[Open Transfer Conf]
  B --> C[Select AGENTDIRECT in group]
  C --> D[Click AGENTS link]
  D --> E{Validation on}
  E -->|Yes| F[Only matching agents listed]
  E -->|No| G[All agents listed]
  F --> H[Click Local Closer]
  G --> H
  H --> I[Call lands on chosen agent]

Want to introduce the customer before you let go? Do a Warm transfer by using DIAL WITH CUSTOMER against the AGENTDIRECT in-group, brief the other agent, then click LEAVE 3-WAY CALL. The two of them keep talking while you land on the Disposition screen.

One setting to leave alone for agent transfers

There is a Transfer No Dispo option that skips the disposition screen after a transfer. It is fine for external numbers, but avoid enabling it when calls go to other agents, because it can lead to data inconsistencies on agent-to-agent handoffs. When you are routing through AGENTDIRECT, let the disposition screen do its job so the lead record stays accurate.

Naming and numbering your AGENTDIRECT groups

You can have more than one AGENTDIRECT in-group, like AGENTDIRECT, AGENTDIRECT_2, and so on, and assign different teams to each. That is what makes the validation setting useful: it scopes the agent list to the exact group you chose, so a transfer meant for the retention team never offers you a sales agent by mistake. Plan your group names around how your floor actually splits up, and the AGENTS link stays short and correct.

If you want a queue instead of one named person, read how to transfer to an in-group with Local Closer. The full set of handoff options lives in the transfers and closers guide.

If direct agent-to-agent transfers are part of how your floor runs, our pricing page shows how fast we can get AGENTDIRECT in-groups and the validation setting configured for your team, so handoffs land on the right person from day one.