Why your scheduled callbacks aren't firing

You set a callback, the trigger time came and went, and nothing happened. No alert on the agent screen, no call placed. This is one of the most common VICIdial head-scratchers, and it almost always comes down to one of a handful of causes. A Scheduled callback only fires when several settings line up, so the trick is to check them in order. Here is the decision tree.

The diagnosis flow

flowchart TD
  A[Callback not firing] --> B{Agent user option enabled?}
  B -->|No| C[Enable scheduled callbacks on user]
  B -->|Yes| D{Campaign callbacks enabled?}
  D -->|No| E[Enable callbacks on campaign]
  D -->|Yes| F{Trigger time reached?}
  F -->|No| G[Wait for callback time]
  F -->|Yes| H{ANYONE callback?}
  H -->|Yes| I[Check it loaded into hopper]
  H -->|No| J{Calltime block on?}
  J -->|Yes| K[Inside campaign calltime?]
  J -->|No| L[Callback should fire]

Cause 1: the agent user option is off

Callbacks need a switch in two places, and people usually forget the user side. Every Agent who sets callbacks must have their VICIdial user option for scheduled callbacks enabled on their own profile. If that option is off, the agent can disposition a call but the callback machinery never engages for them. Fix it on the user detail screen. See the agent callback user option for exactly where it lives.

Cause 2: callbacks are off at the campaign

The other half of the switch is on the Campaign. If Scheduled Callbacks is not enabled there, the CALLBK Disposition either won't be available or won't reschedule the Lead properly. Confirm it is on. If you have not done this step, walk through enabling scheduled callbacks on the campaign first.

Cause 3: the trigger time has not actually arrived

Sounds obvious, but timezones make this sneaky. A callback fires at its trigger date and time, and that time can be evaluated against the lead's local timezone, not yours. A callback that looks overdue on your clock may still be in the future for the lead. Check the actual trigger time on the callback before assuming it is broken.

Cause 4: an ANYONE callback never reached the hopper

If the missing callback is an ANYONE callback rather than one reserved to a specific agent, it has to be staged into the Hopper before the dialer can place it. ANYONE callbacks return to the general pool and are dialed like normal leads, so if they are not loading into the hopper, they sit there untouched. A DNC filter or a lead state issue can quietly hold them back. Read how anyone callbacks go back to the hopper to trace this path.

Cause 5: a calltime block

If Scheduled Callbacks Calltime Block is enabled on the campaign, a callback in the agent Callback queue will not be dialed when it falls outside the campaign's allowed calltime hours. The callback is not lost, it just waits until you are back inside calltime. A callback set for 6 p.m. won't fire if your calltime ends at 5 p.m. Check the campaign calltime against the trigger time.

Working through it

Run the tree top to bottom and you will land on the cause almost every time. The scheduled callbacks overview ties all these settings together if you want the full picture. And if you would rather not hunt through campaign and user options on a box someone else half-configured, our managed VICIdial dialers provision clean in under 40 seconds. See our pricing to start fresh.