If inbound calls to your CloudTalk number aren't ringing your agents or don't show up in Call History, this guide will help you check what's happening and get things working again.
User level: Admin
Symptoms
You might notice one or more of the following:
The call doesn't appear in Call History
The call appears in Call History but no agents are notified
The call rings the wrong destination or goes straight to voicemail
The issue happens only with specific CloudTalk numbers
Callers hear the IVR menu but no agent ever rings
An inbound call is connected to an agent who is already on another call
The call appears in Call History as missed with 0 duration, even though it reached CloudTalk
The call disconnects immediately after the greeting with no voicemail and no agent ring
Root Cause
Inbound call issues can happen for several reasons:
Call routing setup: missing or incorrect steps in your Call Flow
Business Hours or Holiday rules: calls arriving outside open hours
Agent or queue settings: no available agents or queue limits reached
Number activation or porting: number not yet active or still in transition
Carrier routing problems: external carriers not delivering calls properly
IVR Menu timeout too short: callers have no time to press a key before the flow moves on
Ring duration too short: the Ring to step disconnects the call before the agent's phone has time to ring
No queue configured: without a queue, a second inbound call can be connected to an agent who is already on a call
Empty queue: if no agents are logged in when a call reaches a queue, the call ends immediately with no fallback
Step-by-Step Solution
1. Check if the call appears in Call History
Go to Dashboard > Call History and make a quick test call to your CloudTalk number.
If you see the call in Call History, CloudTalk received it. Continue with Step 2.
If you don't see the call, it means the call never reached CloudTalk. Skip ahead to Step 4.
2. Review your Call Flow configuration
Open Dashboard > Numbers > Basic Settings > Sequence of steps for incoming call > Configure call flow for the affected number.
Make sure the flow ends with a Call to Group or Call to Agent step.
If other numbers work fine, you can copy their flow as a shortcut.
Check that no steps block routing, for example, a missing destination or an unintended Hang Up.
Check your IVR Menu timeout. If your call flow includes an IVR Menu step, check the "Seconds to wait on this step" setting. A very low value (such as 1 second) means callers have no time to press a key, so the flow exits the IVR before reaching any agent or queue step. Set this to at least 10 seconds.
Check your Ring to duration. If your call flow includes a Ring to step (Agent or Group), check the "Ring for" setting. A very low value (such as 1 second) means the call disconnects before the agent's phone has time to ring, causing the call to appear as missed with 0 duration. Set this to at least 20 seconds.
You can find step-by-step instructions for call flow setup in our guide.
3. Confirm Business Hours and agent availability
Business Hours and Holidays
Check your Business Hours and Holiday overrides to make sure calls are allowed at the time you're testing.
If not, adjust the hours or add an Outside Hours branch in the Call Flow.
Learn how to configure call flows in our dedicated guide.
Agent and Queue Settings
Confirm that at least one agent in the destination group is Available (You can view the list of all agents and their current availability in the Dashboard > Account > Users section).
Review the queue settings, such as maximum ring time and simultaneous calls, to avoid calls being skipped or dropped.
Empty queue = dropped calls. If no agents are logged in or available when a call reaches a queue, the call ends immediately with no voicemail or fallback. To prevent lost calls when the queue is unstaffed, add a Voicemail step after the queue's timeout branch in your call flow.
Check that agents are assigned to the group
A common reason calls go straight to hold, rather than ringing anyone, is that the group your Call Flow routes to has no agents added to it yet.
To verify:
Go to Dashboard > Groups and open the group your Call Flow routes to.
Under Assigned Users, confirm that at least one agent is listed.
If the group is empty, click + Add user, search for the agent(s) you want to receive calls, and select them.
Click Update group to save.
After saving, make a test call to confirm calls now ring the assigned agents.
Tip: If you're not sure which group your Call Flow routes to, open Dashboard > Numbers > Configure call flow for the affected number and look for the Call to Group step — the group name is shown there.
If your call appears in Call History and all these settings look fine but the call still doesn't ring, continue with Step 4.
4. Check number activation or porting status
If your number is new
Make sure it supports inbound calls in your country. Some numbers are outbound-only.
You can find details here: Phone number coverage, requirements and functionality.
If your number is ported
Check that your port-in process has been completed and the number is active in CloudTalk.
If the port was finalized recently, allow a few hours for carrier routing to stabilize.
5. Test from different networks
Try calling the same CloudTalk number from another mobile network or landline.
If it works from one network but not another, the issue is most likely with the originating carrier.
If the issue persists
If the call doesn't appear in Call History, it isn't reaching CloudTalk. Contact your telecom provider or reach out to CloudTalk Support with the number, call time, and a few sample call attempts.
If the call appears in Call History but still doesn't ring your agents, double-check your Call Flow, Business Hours, and agent availability again. Then contact CloudTalk Support if the problem continues.
Inbound calls connecting to an agent who is already on a call
If an inbound call is connected to an agent who is already handling another call, this usually means the call flow routes directly to the agent (or to a group without a queue), so there is nothing holding the second caller while the agent is busy.
CloudTalk agents handle one call at a time. Without a queue, the platform may still offer a second inbound call to an agent who is already on a call, which can result in the caller hearing silence or the agent being interrupted.
To prevent this, make sure your call flow uses a Call to Group step with a queue enabled. The queue holds the second caller (with a queue announcement or hold music) until an agent becomes available, instead of connecting them to a busy agent.
To check your queue settings:
Go to Dashboard > Groups and open the group your call flow routes to.
Check that Queue is enabled and that a queue announcement or hold music is configured.
Review the Maximum waiting time in queue setting to make sure callers are held long enough for an agent to become free.
For more on configuring ring groups and queues, see Create and Manage Ring Groups.
Additional tips
After making any changes, run a new test call to confirm everything works.
If you recently duplicated or deleted a number, make sure integrations and automations use the correct number ID.
For issues that come and go, try to collect details like timestamps, caller numbers, and what exactly happens during the failed call. This information helps identify patterns faster.
Need help or have a question? Just reach out through our Support portal — we're here for you.