What the Scheduled Callbacks Hours Block setting does

Scheduled Callbacks Hours Block is a campaign-level setting that holds a USERONLY Scheduled callback back from the agent callback list for a set number of hours after it was created. A USERONLY callback is one an Agent reserved for themselves; this setting puts a cooling-off window between the moment they set it and the moment it can appear as something to call.

How the block works

You set Hours Block to a number of hours. The default is 0, which means no block at all — a callback can appear as soon as its trigger time arrives. Set it to, say, 4, and a USERONLY callback will not show up on the agent's list until at least four hours have passed since it was set, even if the agent picked a sooner trigger time. The block is measured from when the callback was created, not from its scheduled trigger.

flowchart LR
  A[Agent sets USERONLY callback] --> B[Clock starts]
  B --> C{Hours Block = 0?}
  C -- Yes --> D[Eligible when trigger time hits]
  C -- No --> E{X hours elapsed since set?}
  E -- No --> F[Stays hidden from list]
  E -- Yes --> G[Now eligible to display]
  G --> D

This matters because an agent might disposition a call as CALLBK and choose a trigger time only a few minutes out — sometimes by mistake, sometimes out of habit. Without a block, that callback could pop back onto their list almost immediately. The Hours Block enforces a minimum gap so a fresh Disposition cannot turn into an instant re-dial of the same Lead.

Worth being precise about two things this setting does not do. First, it does not move the trigger time the agent picked — the callback still triggers when scheduled; the block only governs whether it is allowed to appear on the list yet. Second, it counts from creation, not from the trigger. So if an agent sets a callback for two hours out and your Hours Block is four, the callback's own trigger arrives first, but it still will not display until four hours after it was set. The two timers are independent: the trigger says "this is due," and the Hours Block says "but not before this much time has passed since you booked it." Whichever is later wins.

When it earns its keep

Hours Block is handy on campaigns where calling someone back too soon is a problem — for compliance reasons, for customer experience, or just to stop agents from churning the same contacts. It only affects USERONLY callbacks, so ANYONE callbacks that flow back through the Hopper are untouched.

A common reason to reach for it: agents who set short callbacks to keep a contact "warm" but end up effectively re-dialing the same person every few minutes. A modest block — even one or two hours — breaks that loop without anyone having to police it by hand. Pick the number based on how soon a second attempt is actually reasonable for your audience, not on what is technically possible. If you are unsure, start small and raise it only if you see agents gaming the short callbacks. Because the block is per-campaign, you can run a tight gap on a sensitive list and a looser one elsewhere.

If you want to understand the USERONLY-versus-ANYONE distinction before tuning this, read ANYONE vs USERONLY callbacks, and for the full feature map see our pillar, VICIdial scheduled callbacks explained.

We run the dialer, you run the campaign

Tuning callback timing is a lot calmer when the server underneath is already solid. We provision a secured VICIdial box in under 40 seconds and keep it maintained. See our pricing.