Open queue or auto-assign: how to route your support chats

Every support team eventually asks the same question: should agents pick conversations from a shared queue, or should the system assign them? Both work. They suit different teams, and many teams end up using a mix.

Here is how to choose.

Option 1: the open queue

In an open queue, new conversations wait in a shared list. Agents take the next one when they are ready.

Where it works well

• Very small teams, where everyone can see the whole list at a glance.
• Teams with experienced agents who know which chats they are best placed to answer.
• Low or uneven volume, where strict rules would add friction.

Where it breaks down

• Agents tend to pick the easy chats, and the hard ones sit at the bottom.
• During busy periods, two people may start on the same conversation, or both assume the other has it.
• It is hard to see whether the workload is fair.

If you use an open queue, sort it by waiting time and agree a simple rule: take the oldest first, unless you are the right specialist for a different one.

Option 2: automatic assignment

With auto-assign, the system gives each new conversation to a specific person. There are two common methods.

Round robin

Conversations are handed out in turn: first to Agent A, then B, then C, and back to A. It is simple and predictable, and it spreads chats evenly over time.

Round robin can struggle when conversations vary a lot in length. One agent may get three quick questions while another gets three long investigations.

Least busy

Each new conversation goes to the online teammate with the fewest open conversations. It adapts to how the day is actually going, so someone stuck in a long case is not handed more.

For most growing teams, least busy is the better default. Round robin is useful when you want strict fairness in the number of chats, for example for sales leads.

In Inboxbee, both methods are available in routing and automations, per team and within working hours, so chats only go to people who are on shift.

Teams: route by topic first

Before choosing a method, decide whether conversations should go to different groups. Common splits:

• Billing for payments, invoices and refunds.
• Technical for setup, bugs and integrations.
• Orders for delivery and returns, if you sell online.
• Sales for pre-purchase questions and larger deals.

Use automation conditions to send each conversation to the right team, for example by channel, tags or contact attributes. Then use round robin or least busy inside the team.

Working hours and away status

Assignment only helps if it sends chats to people who can answer. Set working hours for each team and make sure agents set themselves away when they step out. Outside working hours, an after-hours message tells customers when to expect a reply, and the AI agent can answer simple questions in the meantime.

A hybrid that works for many teams

Many teams combine both approaches:

1. The AI agent answers the routine questions it can.
2. Handoffs and new conversations are routed to the right team.
3. Inside each team, least-busy assignment gives each chat an owner.
4. A shared view of unassigned and waiting conversations acts as a safety net, so anyone can step in when a chat has waited too long.

This gives every conversation a clear owner while keeping the flexibility of a shared queue.

How to tell if your routing works

Check reports after a couple of weeks:

• First response time. If it drops, chats are reaching someone faster.
• Open conversations per agent. Large differences suggest the method or the teams need adjusting.
• Reassignments. Lots of transfers between teams mean your topic rules need work.
• CSAT by team. A team with consistently lower ratings may be overloaded.

Quick decision guide

• Two or three people, low volume: open queue, oldest first.
• Growing team, mixed questions: least busy within teams.
• Strictly equal distribution needed: round robin.
• Several specialist groups: route by topic first, then auto-assign.

Whatever you pick, keep it simple and review it regularly. For more on reducing wait times, read how to cut your first response time without hiring.