Default Transfer Group for an in-group

When an agent needs to hand a call to another team, they open the transfer panel in their screen and pick a destination. If they pick the wrong one under pressure, the caller ends up in the wrong queue. The Default Transfer Group is a small setting that removes most of that risk by pre-selecting the most likely destination for them, on a per-in-group basis.

What it actually sets

flowchart TD
    A[Set Default Transfer Group on in-group] --> B[Agent takes inbound call]
    B --> C[Agent opens transfer panel]
    C --> D[Default destination pre-selected]
    D --> E{Agent accepts default?}
    E -->|Yes| F[Transfer to default group]
    E -->|No| G[Agent picks another destination]
    G --> H[Transfer elsewhere]

The Default Transfer Group is the in-group that comes pre-selected when an agent moves to the transfer-conference part of their screen. That is the whole job. The agent does not have to scroll a list and find the right team; the common one is already highlighted. They confirm and the call moves. It shaves a few seconds and, more importantly, a few mistakes off every transfer.

Crucially, this is a default, not a rule. The agent can still change the destination before completing the transfer if this particular call needs to go somewhere else. You are setting the path of least resistance, not locking the door.

Why per-in-group matters

Different inbound lines almost always transfer to different places. A billing line probably hands off to a billing team. A sales overflow line probably hands back to senior sales. Because the default lives on the in-group, an agent answering the billing line sees billing pre-selected, and the same agent answering a sales call a minute later sees sales pre-selected. The default follows the call, not the agent, which is exactly what you want when one person covers several lines.

This pairs naturally with how you route calls in the first place. If each DID (direct inward dialing) points at its own Ingroup, and each in-group has a sensible default transfer group, then a call's entire journey, from the number dialed to the team it gets handed to, is already mapped before the agent touches anything.

A note on what it is not

Do not confuse the Default Transfer Group with the drop or after-hours routing. Those reroute a call automatically when no agent answers or the queue gives up. The Default Transfer Group only ever does something when a live agent chooses to transfer. It is a convenience for the Agent in the moment, not a fallback for when things go wrong. If you want automatic handoff when a queue stalls, that is a separate set of fields covered in our drop routing explainer.

Setting it well

Pick the destination your agents transfer to most often for that line and set it as the default. Then watch where transfers actually go for a couple of weeks and adjust if the real pattern differs from what you guessed. A default that matches reality means agents almost never have to change it, which is the whole point. It also pairs well with a transfer talk minimum, which stops agents from punting a call the instant they pick it up. If you find agents constantly overriding the default and sending calls elsewhere, that is a sign your default is wrong for that line, or that the line is taking calls it was never meant to. This setting sits among the in-group transfer controls described in our inbound call handling guide. Smoother transfers are part of a smoother inbound setup, and you can get the whole thing managed for you on our hosted plans.