If you’re wondering what queues signify in Salesforce, you’ve come to the right spot. Generally, queues get used in almost all types of software to hold, distribute, and provide public/private access to work files.
In this article, you will learn:
- How the general purpose of queues contributes to Salesforce
- How to create them
- And a few interesting FAQs regarding their typical user queries.
So, let’s begin!
What is the purpose of a Queue?
Queues are holding structures or waiting areas where the workload gets uploaded and distributed either manually or automatically.
Queues are crucial in support departments or organizations with numerous teams working with further subordinates. The team lead can’t get expected to sit and assign cases or work to each associate one by one. It would be a waste of resources and time.
In such instances, queues come handy where the team lead just puts up work files under a specific queue and sends out a notification to his team. As the team members finish up an ongoing case, they can take up/own a new case from the queue.
In simple terms, queues make work distribution efficient through smart teamwork, so productivity experiences no hiccups.
What do queues represent in Salesforce?
Salesforce is an ever-improving platform and the queue feature is similarly intriguing. Queues in Salesforce allow the admin or queue manager to allot leads/cases into a batch with no specified owner.
Typically, records or allotted leads/cases need to have an owner assigned to them since they can’t remain ownerless within a queue.
In Salesforce, queues get created with the exclusive intention of holding records/leads/cases without owners. These leads remain ownerless until a user volunteers to take up a record or the admin begins assigning them to specific associates.
In this regard, queues also serve as a shared platform from where the team members are free to take up leads as per their shift or working days.
The primary control of the queue lies with the admin, who is free to add a queue member or restrict access to a queue member accordingly. Once team members have access to the queue, they can view and own particular records/leads they wish to work on.
Now, Salesforce allows creating queues for certain custom objects as well as for service contracts, leads, and cases. Areas like accounting are not able to create queues or assign records to queues. Only those objects specified by Salesforce have the authority to take ownership of queues.
The generality behind giving specific objects the credit of creating queues is simple. Queues are needed to take care of huge workloads efficiently.
A mere 10-15 leads can get assigned manually to specific associates within minutes.
However, in a large organization, it is feasible to have queues where the numerous cases/records/leads are selectively available to a team to divide and conquer, and close cases ASAP.
How do you create a Queue in Salesforce?
The procedure to create a Queue in Salesforce is straightforward.
- Go to the ‘Set-up’ menu and search for ‘Queues’ in the quick search panel.
- Select ‘Queues’ from the given options and then ‘New’.
- Decide on an apt label for the Queue and browse the other options from assigning a common e-mail for the team or receiving notifications upon the arrival of new leads.
- Next, select the desired object for which you want to create the queue.
Then select the queue members from the given options: Individual users, Roles, Public groups, and Role and Subordinates.
How do you assign records/cases to a Queue?
The user who creates a queue is primarily the owner of that queue.
However, to begin allotting records/cases to the queue so they are accessible to other queue members requires changing the Lead Owner to the Queue.
Assigning records is possible either automatically or manually.
Automatically: This time-saving feature allows records/cases to get assigned as they’re created, based on set Assignment Rules or criteria.
Manually: The primary user has to change the label of the Lead Owner from User to Queue to allow selective access to the queue members.
How do Queue members access records within a specified Queue?
As mentioned before, once the admin assigns queue members while setting up the queue, selective access is open. Team members can then browse the available records/leads and choose which they want to convert.
A point to get noted is how Role Hierarchy comes into play regarding selective access to the specific queue.
Suppose there exist two queues, A and B.
A member of Queue A is a superior of a member in Queue B.
While queue members can only access records/cases within the queue they’re assigned, due to the Role Hierarchy, the member of Queue A can access records in Queue B while the vice-versa is not possible.
A few features of Queues in Salesforce you should note
In Salesforce, records/cases belonging to two different objects can get grouped under a single queue. Such objects that have a mutual relationship are called Supported objects.
Interestingly, users or queue members can only take up/own records/leads when they have access to the ‘Edit permission’ from the admin. Being a queue member is not the only criteria to own a particular record.
There exist various levels of permissions on the objects available in Salesforce. Administrators and users with ‘Modify All’ permission on the respective object can access the record no matter to which queue the record gets assigned.
Similarly, with the ‘Modify All Data’ permission, users have the authority to access particular records no matter the queue they’re assigned.
Before deleting a queue, you need to first relocate all queue members and existing records/cases to another user or queue to comply with the basic principle of keeping records available to all and not stagnant in an unused queue.
FAQs on Salesforce Queue
Are Queue assigning rules only limited to the creation stage? Or can they change mid-way when certain criteria are met?
Although multiple Assignment Rules can get assigned depending on the criteria you set, only one rule stays active at a time.
You can also select the order in which the rules come into play.
Is it possible to have one lead shared by multiple reps?
One record can only be under one ownership.
If you require access for multiple users, you can use the Sharing Rules and set the accessibility accordingly.
How do we view the Queue IDs?
Follow this thread: Setup > Users > Queues > Select the required queue.
Once the Queue opens, you’ll know the Queue ID from the web browser panel in the website address.