What Inbound Calls Credits do on a user

Inbound Calls Credits is a per-user field that puts a hard ceiling on how many inbound calls one agent can take. Unlike most call limits in VICIdial, this one does not reset overnight. Once the credits run out the agent is locked out of inbound work until a manager deliberately tops them back up. If you have ever needed to hand a contractor a fixed batch of calls and have it stop on its own, this is the field for the job.

What the number actually means

Set the field to 0 or higher and it becomes a running balance. Every inbound call the agent answers subtracts 1. While the balance stays above 0 the agent keeps receiving calls from their selected Ingroup queues as normal. The moment the balance hits 0 their ability to take inbound calls is switched off. A value of -1, which is the default, means the feature is disabled entirely and the agent has no credit-based cap at all.

The key word is non-resetting. A separate setting, Max Inbound Calls, gives each agent a daily cap that clears at midnight. Inbound Calls Credits is the opposite: it sits there and counts down across days, weeks, even months, until somebody changes it. That makes it the right tool for a fixed allotment rather than a daily rhythm.

What happens when credits hit zero

When the balance reaches 0 the agent is blocked from selecting inbound groups. To bring them back you change the field to a value other than 0, and then the agent has to log out and log back in for the new balance to take effect. There is no live refresh here, so do not expect a mid-session top-up to wake the queue back up. If your campaign has the Max Inbound Calls Outcome setting enabled, that outcome routing also kicks in when the credit cap is triggered, so the Status (lead status) and Next agent call behaviour you configured there will apply.

How a credited agent moves through a call

flowchart TD
  A[Inbound call arrives] --> B{Credits greater than 0}
  B -->|yes| C[Route call to agent]
  C --> D[Subtract 1 credit]
  D --> E{Credits now 0}
  E -->|no| F[Agent stays available]
  E -->|yes| G[Block inbound for agent]
  G --> H[Manager resets credits]
  H --> I[Agent logs out and back in]
  B -->|no| G

When to reach for it

Credits shine when you owe a defined number of calls and want the system to enforce it without anyone watching a Real-time report. Think of a pay-per-call arrangement, an overflow Agent you only want answering a set quantity, or a trial seat you are keeping on a short leash. Because the cap survives a shift change, you can set it on a Friday and trust it through the weekend.

For day-to-day load balancing you usually want Max Inbound Calls instead, since that clears every night and needs no manual intervention. Reserve Inbound Calls Credits for the cases where the number genuinely should not refill on its own.

Where this fits

Inbound Calls Credits is one of several per-user throttles you can stack on top of campaign and User group rules. To see how it interacts with the rest of the account settings, read the VICIdial users and groups guide. If you are still setting up the account itself, our walkthrough on how to modify a VICIdial user shows where this field lives on the screen.

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