Place in line

Place in line is a caller's numbered position in the Virtual queue: first, second, third, and so on. It answers the question every waiting caller has, which is how many people are ahead of them. VICIdial can read this position aloud, usually right after the Welcome message and then again at intervals as the line moves. Hearing "you are now third in line" reassures a caller that the queue is actually progressing and they have not been forgotten.

By default, callers move up one place each time the person ahead of them connects to an agent. Their position is also what an In-queue callback preserves: if they hang up and accept a callback, the system keeps their place rather than sending them to the back. Announcing place in line alongside an Estimated hold time gives callers a clearer picture and tends to keep them from hanging up, because a concrete number feels more honest than vague reassurance.

When position is not just arrival order

If you use Queue priority or Skills-based routing, a caller's place in line is not strictly first-come, first-served. A higher-priority call can slot in ahead of others, which means the number a caller hears can shift even while they wait. That is expected behaviour, not a bug, but it is worth knowing before you announce positions to callers, because someone who hears their number go up rather than down will be confused if you have not accounted for it.

A caller who hangs up before reaching the front becomes an Abandoned call. Watching how far down the line abandons typically happen is a quick way to judge whether your queue is too long for the staffing you have. If most people give up around the same position, that is your practical limit, and announcing positions deeper than that point may do more harm than good.