LIVE vs ACTIVE callbacks explained

If you have ever looked at an agent's scheduled callbacks list and seen the words LIVE and ACTIVE, you may have wondered whether they mean the same thing. They do not. Both describe reserved callbacks that belong to one Agent, but they sit at different points in the callback's life, and knowing which is which keeps your follow-ups on schedule.

ACTIVE: set but not yet due

An ACTIVE callback is a reserved, agent-only callback that exists in the system but has not yet reached its trigger date and time. Think of it as scheduled and waiting. The customer agreed to a time, the agent booked it, and now it sits patiently until that moment arrives. It is real and counted, but it is not ready to be dialed yet.

LIVE: due and ready to call

A LIVE callback is a reserved callback that has hit its trigger date and time. The wait is over, and the Agent who owns it can call the Lead whenever it suits them by using the scheduled callbacks link on their VICIdial client screen. The same Scheduled callback simply moves from ACTIVE to LIVE the moment the clock reaches the time it was set for.

It is worth noting how this differs for team-wide callbacks. When an open, anyone-can-call callback goes LIVE, it is put back into the Hopper and its Status (lead status) flips to CALLBK so it can be dialed quickly. Reserved callbacks behave differently: even when LIVE, they stay on the owner's personal list rather than rejoining the general flow.

So the same word, LIVE, means two different routes depending on the callback type. A LIVE team callback is handled like a fresh dial in the campaign. A LIVE reserved callback waits on a personal list for one agent to choose when to call it. That is why two callbacks set at the same time can behave completely differently the moment they trigger.

From ACTIVE to LIVE

stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> ACTIVE
  ACTIVE --> LIVE : trigger time reached
  LIVE --> Dialed : agent calls the lead
  Dialed --> [*]
  ACTIVE --> Rescheduled : agent moves the time
  Rescheduled --> ACTIVE

Which ones the agent sees

A campaign setting decides what shows up in the agent's callback alert section. You can limit it to only LIVE callbacks, so agents see just the ones ready to dial right now. Or you can show both ACTIVE and LIVE with the ALL_ACTIVE option, which lets an agent see what is coming up as well as what is due. ALL_ACTIVE is the default, so unless an administrator has narrowed it, agents see the full picture.

• LIVE only keeps the list focused on what to dial now.
• ALL_ACTIVE shows due and upcoming together for planning.

Picking the right view is a small workflow decision with real impact. A focused LIVE-only list cuts noise for high-volume floors, while ALL_ACTIVE helps an agent who likes to see their day laid out. For how all this fits the wider Campaign flow, read our scheduled callbacks guide, and to see the agent side of setting one, read how to set a callback from the agent screen.

Run callbacks on a dialer that keeps time

LIVE and ACTIVE only behave correctly on a healthy, well-tuned server. VICIfast provisions a dedicated, secured VICIdial box in under 40 seconds. See our pricing to get one running.