What the Show Previous Callback panel does

Show Previous Callback is a campaign setting that controls a small yellow panel on the agent screen. When it is on, an Agent can see, right on the call, that a Scheduled callback has already been set for the Lead in front of them. It is enabled by default.

What the panel shows

When the option is enabled, VICIdial draws a separate yellow panel on the agent screen carrying information about the previously set callback for the lead the agent currently has up. That gives the agent context before they say anything: this person was already promised a return call. Disable the option and that panel simply does not appear.

The detail in that panel comes straight from the existing callback record on the lead, so an agent can see at a glance that a return call was scheduled rather than having to dig through notes or open a history view. It is the kind of small surface that saves a few seconds on every callback and prevents the awkward moment where a customer says they were expecting a call and the agent has no idea what they mean.

The yellow color is deliberate. It stands out from the rest of the agent layout so a busy agent notices it without hunting through fields. The default is ENABLED, so unless someone turned it off, your agents already see it. The panel is tied to the lead the agent currently has up, which means it appears only when the record on screen actually has a callback attached, and it disappears for fresh leads with no callback history.

Why it matters on a live call

flowchart TD
  A[Lead comes up on agent screen] --> B{Callback already set?}
  B -->|No| C[No yellow panel]
  B -->|Yes| D[Show yellow panel]
  D --> E[Agent sees prior callback details]
  E --> F[Agent avoids double-booking]
  E --> G[Agent references the prior promise]

Without this panel, an agent might set a second callback on a lead that already has one, or fail to mention a promise the customer remembers clearly. The yellow panel closes that gap. It is purely informational, so it does not change how you Disposition the call, but it makes the agent's choice better informed.

When you might turn it off

Most teams leave it on. You might disable it if your agent screen is already crowded and previous-callback context is irrelevant to the campaign, for example a one-and-done survey where nobody ever schedules a return call. For everything callback-related, though, more context usually helps, and the panel costs nothing in performance to display.

Think of it as a guardrail rather than a feature agents interact with. They do not click it or fill anything in; it simply reminds them what was already promised so the next conversation picks up where the last one left off. On busy callback campaigns that small reminder is the difference between a customer feeling remembered and feeling like they are starting over.

If you are still learning how agents set these callbacks in the first place, read how to set a callback from the agent screen, and the scheduled callbacks overview ties the whole feature together.

Run VICIdial without the maintenance

We host dedicated, secured VICIdial servers so you can flip settings like Show Previous Callback from the admin screen without managing the box. A new server is ready in under 40 seconds. See the pricing to begin.