What 'Purge uncalled records' does in Callbacks Bulk Move

The Callbacks Bulk Move page in VICIdial has two purge options sitting side by side. One removes callbacks that have already been worked; the other removes callbacks that are still pending. That second option — "Purge uncalled records" — is the more consequential of the two. Where purging called records cleans up finished history, purging uncalled records removes contacts that are actively waiting for a return call. The Callback queue shrinks permanently, not temporarily, and there is no undo inside VICIdial afterward. Before you check this box, it is worth understanding exactly which rows are in scope and whether those rows genuinely need to go.

What it targets

When you check "Purge uncalled records," VICIdial scans the entire callbacks table before your move runs and flags two categories for deletion. First, any callback row with a status of ACTIVE — these are entries the system considers undialed and still in play. Second, any row that is still marked LIVE in the callbacks table and whose corresponding record in vicidial_list still carries a Scheduled callback Disposition, meaning the Lead has not been called, has not called in of its own accord, and no agent has modified the dispo. Both categories represent contacts who are genuinely waiting for outreach. The page computes how many rows fall into both buckets and displays that total before anything happens. You must read that number and explicitly confirm before the deletion proceeds.

flowchart TD
  A[Purge uncalled records checked] --> B[Scan full callbacks table]
  B --> C{Status = ACTIVE?}
  C -->|Yes| D[Mark for deletion]
  C -->|No| E{Status = LIVE in callbacks?}
  E -->|No| F[Skip]
  E -->|Yes| G{vicidial_list status still a callback?}
  G -->|Yes| D
  G -->|No| F
  D --> H[Display purge count to admin]
  H --> I{Admin confirms?}
  I -->|Yes| J[Rows deleted — cannot undo from UI]
  I -->|No| K[Nothing changed]

How to run it safely

1. Open Admin > Callbacks Bulk Move.
2. Select the campaigns, lists, or agents you want to work with for the main move. These filters do not restrict the purge scope, but they help you understand what you are working with.
3. Check "Purge uncalled records." Do not also check "Purge called records" unless you intend both sweeps to run together.
4. Read the count the system presents. Because the scan covers the entire callbacks table across all campaigns, the number may be much larger than you expect.
5. Download a Callbacks Export file first if you want a record of what will be deleted. Only then confirm the purge.

When this is the right tool — and when it is not

The most defensible use case is cleaning up genuinely stale backlog from a Campaign that closed months ago. If hundreds of callbacks are sitting ACTIVE because the campaign ended before agents worked through the queue, and you have confirmed with the business that none of those contacts need a return call, purging uncalled records removes that dead weight cleanly. It is also appropriate when a set of leads has gone out of legal scope — for example, if compliance requires you to stop all outreach to a number group entirely. Removing the pending callbacks prevents any agent from inadvertently dialing them through the normal callback workflow.

Where the option fails is when the callbacks still have business value. A pending uncalled callback represents a commitment to a contact — they may be expecting a return call on a specific date. Purging them without verifying they are genuinely stale can mean broken promises and missed revenue. If you are not certain, use the "Live and uncalled for over X days" filter on the same page to narrow the scope to callbacks that have been sitting past a reasonable threshold. That filter is covered in our post on filtering stale live callbacks by days. For the full context of all bulk callback tools, see the VICIdial admin bulk tools guide.

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