> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.astradial.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manage agents

> Add and remove agents from call queues to control who receives incoming calls.

Agents are the users who answer calls in a queue. You need to add at least one agent to a queue before it can handle calls.

## Add agents to a queue

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the queue settings">
    On the Queues page, click the three-dot menu on the queue and select **Edit**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Scroll to the Members section">
    At the bottom of the edit dialog, you will see the current members list and an **Add member** dropdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a user">
    Click the dropdown and select a user. Only active users who are not already in the queue are shown. The dropdown shows each user's name and extension.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The agent is added immediately">
    The user appears in the members list. They will start receiving calls from this queue right away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Remove an agent from a queue

1. Open the queue's edit dialog
2. Find the agent in the Members list
3. Click the **X** button next to their name
4. The agent is removed and will no longer receive calls from this queue

<Note>
  Removing an agent from a queue does not delete their user account. They just stop receiving calls from that specific queue. They can still be in other queues.
</Note>

## How call distribution works

When a call enters a queue, Astradial checks which agents are available and uses the queue's strategy to decide who to ring:

1. The queue checks all members
2. It filters out agents who are already on a call, paused, or unavailable
3. It applies the strategy (Ring All, Round Robin, etc.) to pick which agent(s) to ring
4. If the agent doesn't answer within the ring timeout, it tries the next agent
5. If no agent answers within the max wait time, the call goes to the timeout destination (if configured)

## Best practices

* **Add at least 2-3 agents** to each queue so there is always someone available
* **Use Ring All strategy** for small teams (under 5 agents) so the fastest person answers
* **Use Round Robin** for larger teams to distribute calls evenly
* **Set a timeout destination** so calls don't get lost if all agents are busy
* **Monitor queue performance** from the Calls page to see wait times and abandoned calls