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Cascade groups allow multiple sets of teams or agents to answer calls
for a specific queue. It also allows for tiered routing by notifying
Group 1 first, then the next group or groups sequentially.
If your call isn't answered by one agent or group of agents, you can set
up a custom routing configuration to make sure it's taken care of by the
right agents. Cascade groups operate the same with human and virtual agents.
Cascade group behavior
Groups are notified in numerical order. Group 1 will be notified first, then
Group 2, then Group 3. Each group in the process will be notified along with
previous groups after the time limit selected in Operation Management >
Group Settings. The setting affects the entire environment (all queues and
channels).
If a call has moved to the next group but an agent from a higher level group
becomes available, the call will always go to the agent in the highest level
group. If no agents are available in the first group, the first group is skipped
and the call is offered to the second group. If there are no agents assigned to
the first group, the group will be skipped until Contact Center AI Platform (CCAI Platform) finds a
queue with agents assigned.
Groups of agents receiving notifications will continue to receive them after
more groups are notified until the call is answered. The Estimated Wait Time
(EWT) is calculated based on all assigned cascade group agents.
When Scheduled
Calls are
enabled for a queue with cascade groups, the first available agent from any
cascade group will be offered the call if no agents are available to assign a
call to.
When cascade groups are used with
Deltacast
routing, the deltacast timer and the cascade group timer start at the same time.
The call will only be routed using deltacast for the first attempt and will
subsequently alert all agents using multicast until the call is answered.
Create groups and assign agents
In the CCAI Platform portal, go to Settings > Queue.
Under IVR, click Edit / View.
Select the queue you want to add a cascade group to.
Only leaf queues with no sub-queues can use cascade groups.
Parent queues cannot use cascade groups.
In the Settings panel that appears, scroll to Channel Settings and
click either Assign Virtual Agent or Assign Human Agent.
Click Add New Cascade Group to create a cascade group. Each time you
create a new group, it is added in sequence. Enter the names of
agents or teams to add them to the group.
Click Save.
Configure a cascade group globally
To configure a cascade group globally, follow these steps:
In the CCAI Platform portal, click Settings>Operation
Management. If you don't see the Settings menu, click menuMenu, and then click Settings>Operation Management.
In the General pane, go to Group Settings.
Under Cascade Group, set the number of seconds after which the next
group is offered the call.
Click Save General.
Configure a cascade group at the queue level
To configure cascade group at the queue level, follow these steps:
In the CCAI Platform portal, click Settings > Queue. If you don't
see the Settings menu, click menuMenu, and then click Settings > Queue.
Depending on the type of queue you are editing, click either IVR
(Interactive Voice Response), Mobile, or Web.
Click the queue that you want to edit.
In the Settings pane for your queue, go to the Routing
section, and then click Configure.
In the Cascade Group Timer section, set the number of seconds after
which the next group is offered the call.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eCascade groups route calls to multiple sets of teams or agents sequentially, starting with Group 1 and proceeding in numerical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIf a call is unanswered by one group, it will be offered to the next group, with the system ensuring that the highest-level group is prioritized if an agent becomes available.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eBoth human and virtual agents can be included in cascade groups, and the groups continue to receive notifications until the call is answered, impacting the Estimated Wait Time.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCascade group timers, which determine how long a call is offered to a group before moving to the next, can be configured globally or at the queue level.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhen using cascade groups with Deltacast, both the deltacast timer and cascade group timer start simultaneously, with deltacast only being used on the first routing attempt.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Cascade groups allow multiple sets of teams or agents to answer calls\nfor a specific queue. It also allows for tiered routing by notifying\nGroup 1 first, then the next group or groups sequentially.\n\nIf your call isn't answered by one agent or group of agents, you can set\nup a custom routing configuration to make sure it's taken care of by the\nright agents. Cascade groups operate the same with human and virtual agents.\n\nCascade group behavior\n----------------------\n\nGroups are notified in numerical order. Group 1 will be notified first, then\nGroup 2, then Group 3. Each group in the process will be notified along with\nprevious groups after the time limit selected in **Operation Management** \\\u003e\n**Group Settings**. The setting affects the entire environment (all queues and\nchannels).\n\nIf a call has moved to the next group but an agent from a higher level group\nbecomes available, the call will always go to the agent in the highest level\ngroup. If no agents are available in the first group, the first group is skipped\nand the call is offered to the second group. If there are no agents assigned to\nthe first group, the group will be skipped until Contact Center AI Platform (CCAI Platform) finds a\nqueue with agents assigned.\n\nGroups of agents receiving notifications will continue to receive them after\nmore groups are notified until the call is answered. The Estimated Wait Time\n(EWT) is calculated based on all assigned cascade group agents.\n\nWhen [Scheduled\nCalls](/contact-center/ccai-platform/docs/call-settings#scheduled_calls) are\nenabled for a queue with cascade groups, the first available agent from any\ncascade group will be offered the call if no agents are available to assign a\ncall to.\n\nWhen cascade groups are used with\n[Deltacast](/contact-center/ccai-platform/docs/routing#multicast_and_deltacast)\nrouting, the deltacast timer and the cascade group timer start at the same time.\nThe call will only be routed using deltacast for the first attempt and will\nsubsequently alert all agents using multicast until the call is answered.\n\nCreate groups and assign agents\n-------------------------------\n\n1. In the CCAI Platform portal, go to **Settings** \\\u003e **Queue**.\n\n2. Under **IVR** , click **Edit / View**.\n\n3. Select the queue you want to add a cascade group to.\n\n - Only leaf queues with no sub-queues can use cascade groups.\n\n - Parent queues cannot use cascade groups.\n\n4. In the **Settings** panel that appears, scroll to **Channel Settings** and\n click either **Assign Virtual Agent** or **Assign Human Agent**.\n\n5. Click **Add New Cascade Group** to create a cascade group. Each time you\n create a new group, it is added in sequence. Enter the names of\n agents or teams to add them to the group.\n\n6. Click **Save**.\n\nConfigure a cascade group globally\n----------------------------------\n\nTo configure a cascade group globally, follow these steps:\n\n1. In the CCAI Platform portal, click **Settings** \\\u003e **Operation\n Management** . If you don't see the **Settings** menu, click menu **Menu** , and then click **Settings**\n \\\u003e **Operation Management**.\n\n2. In the **General** pane, go to **Group Settings**.\n\n3. Under **Cascade Group**, set the number of seconds after which the next\n group is offered the call.\n\n | **Note:** This value must be greater than highest deltacast timeout value in any of your queues. For more information, see [Multicast and\n | deltacast](/contact-center/ccai-platform/docs/multicast_deltacast#multicast_and_deltacast).\n4. Click **Save General**.\n\nConfigure a cascade group at the queue level\n--------------------------------------------\n\nTo configure cascade group at the queue level, follow these steps:\n\n1. In the CCAI Platform portal, click **Settings \\\u003e Queue** . If you don't\n see the **Settings** menu, click menu\n **Menu** , and then click **Settings \\\u003e Queue**.\n\n2. Depending on the type of queue you are editing, click either **IVR\n (Interactive Voice Response)** , **Mobile** , or **Web**.\n\n3. Click the queue that you want to edit.\n\n4. In the **Settings** pane for your queue, go to the **Routing**\n section, and then click **Configure**.\n\n5. In the **Cascade Group Timer** section, set the number of seconds after\n which the next group is offered the call.\n\n | **Note:** This value must be greater than highest deltacast timeout value in this queue and any of its child queues. For more information, see [Multicast and deltacast](/contact-center/ccai-platform/docs/multicast_deltacast#multicast_and_deltacast).\n6. Click **Save**."]]
