Agents

Agents

An agent is an extension with call-center metadata attached: an availability state (Available / Paused / Logged out), optional skill tags, and an optional wrap-up time override. The extension keeps working normally for direct calls — the agent profile only governs how it behaves as a queue member.

Nova PBX → Call Center → Agents lists every agent with their live state, skills, queue membership count, and wrap-up override. Search matches extension number, name, and skills.

Video

Watch on YouTube ↗

Screenshot

Note

Adding an agent here does not enroll them in any queue. Queue membership is managed on each queue’s Members tab — the Queues column on this list shows how many queues the extension currently belongs to.

Agents vs. Extensions

	Extension	Agent profile
What it is	A phone/user endpoint (1001, 1002, …)	Call-center metadata layered on an extension
Direct calls	Always work	Unaffected by agent state
Queue calls	Ring whenever the extension is a queue member	Gated by the agent’s state and Enabled flag
Removing it	Deletes the endpoint	Strips only the metadata — the extension and its queue memberships remain

Adding an Agent

1. Click Add agent (top-right).
2. Pick an Extension that isn’t already an agent.
3. Optionally override the Display name (used on reports and supervisor views).
4. Optionally tag Skills — type and press Enter; names already in the skill catalog auto-suggest. New names you type here are automatically added to the catalog.

Then assign the extension to queues from Call Center → Queues → (queue) → Members.

Availability States

State	Queue calls	Typical use
Available	Ring normally	On shift, taking calls
Paused	Don’t ring	Lunch, breaks, after-call work
Logged out	Don’t ring	Off shift

Cycle a state from the row’s ⋯ menu (Set paused → Set logged out → Set available). Direct calls to the extension ring regardless of state.

A state change pauses or unpauses the agent in every queue they belong to at once, and is staged like any other PBX edit — click Apply Changes in the banner to push it live.

Note

Queues can also auto-pause an agent who misses a queue call — that’s the Auto-pause agents setting on each queue’s Announcements tab.

Editing an Agent

Open ⋯ → Edit on a row:

• Display name — overrides the extension’s name in call-center surfaces.
• Wrap-up time (seconds) — breathing room after each queue call before the next one rings, for this agent only. Leave blank to use the queue’s own wrap-up setting.
• Skills — comma-separated for fast bulk edits (the Add dialog uses tag input). Skills feed skills-based routing.
• Enabled — switch off to take the agent out of queue rotation entirely without deleting the profile, regardless of state.

Monitoring a Live Call (Listen / Whisper / Barge)

Supervisors can drop into an agent’s active call from the row’s ⋯ menu:

Mode	Who hears you
Listen	Nobody — silent QA monitoring
Whisper	Only the agent — live coaching
Barge	Everyone — join/rescue the call

Pick which extension is yours in the dialog, click Start monitoring, and your phone rings — answer it to connect. Hang up to stop. Monitoring requires a live call on the agent’s extension and a reachable PBX node; if the node is offline you’ll get an error toast and nothing is dialed.

Note

Live monitoring is subject to call-recording and disclosure laws in many jurisdictions. Use it only for authorized supervision.

Removing an Agent

⋯ → Remove deletes only the agent profile (state, skills, wrap-up override). The extension itself and its queue memberships are untouched, and any queue pause set by the agent’s state is lifted. To stop the extension’s queue calls entirely, remove it from each queue’s Members tab instead.

Related Pages

Page	Purpose
Skills	The skill catalog and how skills-based routing works.
Queues	Queue list, ring strategies, members.
Wallboard	Fullscreen live queue/agent status.
Reporting	Queue and agent performance statistics.