ACD v3 (currently in EAP - Early Access Program) is the new routing model in babelforce for skill-based call distribution. It brings predictable queue handling, guaranteed FIFO ordering within a priority level, and prioritization as a real, explicit setting instead of a workaround.

You select the version directly in the ACD module, so you can move over one queue at a time or your whole setup at once.

What ACD v3 offers

A new routing perspective

• ACD v2 asked: "Which waiting call needs an agent?" — it walked the queue over and over looking for a match.
• ACD v3 asks: "An agent just became free — which waiting call deserves them most?"
• Small change in wording, big change in fairness and predictability.

Guaranteed FIFO (First In, First Out)

• The caller who has waited longest is served first — within the same priority level.
• Newer calls no longer overtake older ones unpredictably.
• FIFO does not mean "the oldest call in the whole system always wins". It means the oldest eligible call wins inside its own priority context.
• Same priority + same agent pool → exact timestamp order decides.
• Different priorities → priority decides first, then FIFO applies inside that level.

Prioritization as a native setting

• In ACD v2, priority had to be faked with triggers and automations (for example switching other queues off). Fragile and hard to maintain.
• In ACD v3, priority is a direct field on the agent selection. Priority 1 is the highest, priority 2 is lower, priority 3 lower again, and so on.
• Lets you express business intent directly: VIP before standard, critical lines before general enquiries, specific callback flows before lower-priority work.

Less accidental blocking

• Priority only matters when two selections compete for the same agents.
• If selections use different agent pools, they work independently — lower-priority work is still served quickly when its own agents are free.

Queued callbacks fully integrated

• A callback is just another work item in the queue and follows the same FIFO and priority rules as an inbound call.
• Flow: caller is offered a callback in the IVR → the callback is created and placed in the queue → a matching agent becomes free → the agent gets an outbound call to the customer.

New visibility for supervisors

• The new Agent selections view shows live metrics per queue:
  • Waiting — calls currently waiting for that selection
  • Avg. wait — average waiting time for that selection
• You can also change the priority order of your selections directly in this one view, without opening each ACD.

The building blocks

ACD v2 vs. ACD v3

Good to know

• Not every queue is one simple FIFO line — a queue can contain several selections.
• Priority does not ignore skills. A high-priority call still needs a matching eligible agent.
• FIFO is not global across all traffic. It is shaped by selection eligibility and priority.

Best fit for: support organisations with VIP and standard service levels, partner setups with overlapping and dedicated agent groups, controlled callback scenarios, and multi-skill teams where routing transparency matters.

How to set up ACD v3

Step 1 — Decide on the scope. Decide whether you want to move all of your queues to ACD v3 or only part of them.

• All queues → no preparation needed, everything can be switched over.
• Only some queues → make sure each agent belongs either to ACD v3 queues or to ACD v2 queues, never to both. Agents that sit in both worlds cause overlaps in routing.

Step 2 — Switch the version in the ACD. Open the ACD module and change the Version field from your current version to v3.

Step 3 — Set queue-positioning triggers to "Always". In the ACD, any trigger that was only there to emulate queue positioning or priority is no longer needed — priority is now a native setting. Set those triggers to Always.

 

Step 4 — Define the priority. Set the priority you want per agent selection. Priority 1 is the highest, 2 is lower, 3 lower again. Remember: priority only takes effect where selections compete for the same agents.

Step 5 — Review everything in the Agent selections view. Open the Agent selections overview (IVR/Voicebot → Queues → Agent selections) to see all agent selections in your environment in one place — waiting calls, average wait time, queue, selections and trigger — and change the priority directly there. 

If you are interested in using ACD v3, please get in touch with the success team for further guidance.