Customer callbacks requested from phone tree

Ref: B13 · Track: Channels · Time to complete: ~3 min

Why this matters

Customers hate queueing on the phone. The callback option lets them hang up and be called back when an agent is free — same place in the queue, no hold music. For you, it behaves almost exactly like a normal inbound call.

How the customer experiences it

1. Customer calls your support number.
2. IVR offers choices: "Press 1 to hold, press 2 to request a callback."
3. Customer presses 2.
4. IVR confirms their number (either the one they called from, or a different one they key in).
5. Customer hangs up and goes about their day.
6. Their "place in line" is kept. When their turn comes up, Zendesk dials them back.

How you experience it

1. The callback's turn comes up.
2. A pop-up appears in your agent workspace — but it says Callback instead of Call.
3. Click Accept.
4. Zendesk dials the customer's number.
5. When they answer, you're connected — same as any inbound call.
6. Handle the call normally.

If the customer doesn't answer your callback: - The callback is retried once (or N times — admin config) after a short delay. - If they still don't answer, a ticket is created tagged callback-missed and dropped in your queue. - You (or a colleague) can try again manually via the ticket (see B04 for outbound).

Before you accept

Check the ticket briefly — the callback request ticket often contains: - The line they originally called (Billing, Support, Sales). - How long they waited. - If you have CTI / CRM integration, their account info.

A 10-second glance at context means you don't greet with "what's this about?" when they pick up.

Differences from a normal call

Functionally very similar, but:

• You're calling them, not the other way around. Their phone rings.
• Introduce yourself first: "Hi, this is Hugo from Gravity — returning your call from earlier." Customers often need a second to switch mental context.
• You may hit voicemail. Leave a short message and log the ticket.
• Call recording works the same way — attached to the ticket when you hang up.

Gotchas

• Wrong number in the callback request. Sometimes the customer keys in a bad number. The callback fails or reaches a wrong number. Log the attempt, try once more if your org allows, then close.
• Time zone mismatch. If they requested a callback in the morning but by now it's 9pm their time, consider whether it's still appropriate to call. Some orgs define callback windows.
• Declining a callback. Looks identical to declining a call — logged, tracked. Only decline if you genuinely can't take it.

Quick check — have you got this?

• Customer presses 2 in the IVR. What status keeps them in the queue?
• When your turn comes, who dials whom?
• Customer doesn't answer your callback. What happens?

Related articles

• B04 — Outbound calls and calling back from a ticket
• B05 — Voicemails and queue wait time
• B06 — Abandoned calls: handling them per line