How to change agent callbacks to ANYONE callbacks in bulk

In VICIdial, a Scheduled callback can be set as USERONLY or ANYONE. A USERONLY callback is reserved for the specific Agent who scheduled it — the system will only offer that callback to that agent when they are logged in. An ANYONE callback is available to any logged-in agent in the campaign. When agents leave or when you need a callback pool handled by the whole team rather than one person, converting USERONLY callbacks to ANYONE in bulk is a critical operational step.

Why USERONLY callbacks cause problems when agents are absent

A USERONLY Callback queue entry only fires when the owning agent is logged in and available. If that agent has left the company, those callbacks will simply never be presented to anyone. They do not automatically reassign. They do not expire and re-enter the general pool. They sit in the callbacks table indefinitely, holding contacts who were expecting a follow-up call. The only way to address this is to explicitly convert them to ANYONE status or transfer them to a different agent.

stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> USERONLY: Agent sets personal callback
  USERONLY --> WaitsForAgent: Only fires when agent is logged in
  WaitsForAgent --> USERONLY: Agent logs out
  WaitsForAgent --> Presented: Agent logs in and is available
  USERONLY --> ANYONE: Admin bulk-converts via Transferral page
  ANYONE --> PresentedToAny: Any logged-in agent can take it
  PresentedToAny --> [*]: Callback handled

Two tools that handle this conversion

There are two places in VICIdial where you can do this bulk conversion, and they approach the problem from different angles.

The first is the Callbacks Transferral page. Select the source agent, then choose ANYONE as the destination instead of naming a specific agent. Submit, and every callback owned by that agent becomes an ANYONE callback in one step. This is the right tool when you are handling a specific agent's departure and want to convert that one person's callbacks.

The second is the Advanced Lead Management Tools page, which includes a Switch Callbacks function. This function queries for agent-only callbacks within a date range — matching on both entry date and callback date — and flips them to ANYONE. This is useful when you want to convert callbacks based on a time window rather than by specific agent. For example, you could convert all USERONLY callbacks scheduled within the next seven days across the entire system, regardless of which agent set them. Note that the Switch Callbacks utility requires the list to be inactive unless your system settings override that requirement.

Step by step using the Transferral page

1. Open the Callbacks Transferral page in VICIdial admin.
2. Select the agent whose callbacks you want to convert in the source agent field.
3. In the destination field, choose ANYONE rather than a named agent.
4. Optionally set a new list ID if you want the leads moved to a different list as part of the same operation.
5. Submit and confirm the count of converted callbacks in the result.

When to convert to ANYONE vs. transferring to a named agent

Converting to ANYONE is the right move when you do not want to nominate a specific replacement agent — for example, when the original agent's accounts will be handled by whoever is available rather than reassigned to a single person. It is also the right choice when an agent is going on extended leave but may return, and you want their callbacks to flow to the team in the meantime without permanently reassigning them to a specific colleague.

Transferring to a named agent is better when a specific person is taking over an account — a dedicated closer, a team lead, or someone with established rapport with the contact. A Disposition update can accompany either option if your workflow tracks which callbacks have been redistributed. Setting a distinct status at the time of conversion makes it straightforward to pull a list later and verify that all of a departed agent's callbacks were handled correctly.

For the companion article on moving callbacks to a specific agent rather than ANYONE, see how to move all callbacks from one agent to another in bulk. For the full context on all callback management tools, read our VICIdial admin bulk tools guide.

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