Inboxes
Unhandled Calls
Unhandled Calls is a shared follow-up list for finished calls that may still need your team's attention. Each inbox can choose whether Missed, Voicemail, Abandoned, and Outbound No Answer outcomes appear there, helping teammates return calls, review messages, and confirm that follow-up is complete.
Unhandled is not another call status
Unhandled means that the call finished with an outcome your inbox is configured to track for follow-up. It does not necessarily mean something went wrong with the call or its routing. The call keeps its original outcome and remains available in Call History.
Why Unhandled Calls is helpful
Instead of searching the entire call history, teammates can open one list of calls that may require action. This creates shared visibility, helps prevent callers from being forgotten, and allows each inbox to track the outcomes that matter to that team.
When Waveline recognizes that a caller has been successfully followed up with by phone, the earlier call automatically leaves the Unhandled list. Teammates can also mark a call Handled, making it easy to see what still needs attention.
Use the Unhandled list as a daily working queue. Call History remains the complete record of activity, while Analytics helps identify broader patterns such as missed-call or abandonment trends.
Understand the four outcomes
Missed
An incoming call reached a teammate, ring group, or ringing device, but nobody answered. This includes a caller hanging up after the ring order has started, as well as a ringing attempt ending without an answer.
Voicemail
The caller left a voicemail recording. Simply reaching or hearing the voicemail greeting does not count as Voicemail unless a recording is left.
Abandoned
The caller disconnected before the call reached a teammate or ringing device. For example, the caller may hang up while listening to a greeting, navigating a phone menu, or waiting for the call to reach its first answering destination.
Outbound No Answer
A teammate placed an outbound customer call or callback, but the person being called did not answer.
Choose which outcomes require follow-up
New inboxes track Missed and Voicemail by default. Adjust each inbox around the team's actual follow-up process.
- Missed: Include when unanswered incoming calls should be reviewed.
- Voicemail: Include when each new voicemail should remain visible until someone reviews or responds.
- Abandoned: Include when the team wants to follow up with callers who disconnect before reaching someone. This may also surface brief or accidental calls.
- Outbound No Answer: Include when unsuccessful outbound calls or callbacks should remain visible for another attempt.
Do not enable every outcome automatically. An inbox's Unhandled list is most useful when the team intends to act on everything that appears there.
Changing which outcomes an inbox tracks requires its Manager role or an organization role that lets you manage the inbox. See Inbox Participants.
Configure Unhandled Calls
Ready to choose what requires follow-up?
Open Inboxes, select the inbox, and scroll to Unhandled calls.
- Open Inboxes from the Waveline dashboard.
- Select the inbox you want to configure.
- Scroll to Unhandled calls.
- Select each completed call outcome that should require follow-up.
- Clear any outcome the team does not need in this queue.
- Allow the changes to save automatically.
- Repeat these steps for other inboxes that need different rules.
- Test the selected outcomes and confirm that they appear as expected.
Unhandled Call settings are configured separately for each inbox. They are currently managed from the web app.
These settings organize follow-up—they do not change call routing
Selecting an outcome adds future qualifying calls to the inbox's Unhandled list and badge count. It does not change the call flow, ring order, voicemail destination, recorded outcome, or Analytics.
Unselected outcomes still appear in regular Call History. Changing these settings does not reclassify older calls that have already finished.
Find Unhandled Calls on web and mobile
On the web
Open Phone → Calls, then select Unhandled above the call list. The badge includes calls awaiting follow-up in inboxes you work in or follow as a Viewer.
On mobile
Open Phone → Calls, then select Unhandled in the filter row below the Calls title.
Narrow or clear the Unhandled list
Unhandled shows qualifying calls across the inboxes you work in or follow as a Viewer, rather than only the inbox you previously selected. Status and Date filters, and an active mobile search, can further restrict the list. See Viewing and notifications to choose which eligible inboxes you follow.
If an expected call is missing, clear the Status and Date filters, and on mobile clear the search. Select Unhandled again to leave the Unhandled view, then find the call in regular Call History. Choosing an inbox alone does not clear the other filters.
Review and follow up on a call
Viewers can review an inbox's activity, but their Viewer role does not let them call or text from it or mark its calls handled. To complete follow-up for that inbox, you must work in it as a Member or Manager. Reading a call does not by itself mark it handled.
- Open Unhandled from the Calls page.
- Select a call to review its outcome, inbox, timeline, and any voicemail recording.
- Call or message the customer when appropriate.
- Coordinate with teammates if someone else is completing the follow-up.
- Select Mark handled (the check icon in the call details) on the web, or Handled on mobile, when no further action is needed.
When Waveline recognizes successful call follow-up with the same person, the earlier call can leave the Unhandled list automatically. If the follow-up happened another way or the call remains listed, select Mark handled on the web, or Handled on mobile.
Handled does not delete the call
Marking a call Handled removes it from the Unhandled list for that inbox and updates the badge count. The call remains under All in Calls with its original outcome, timeline, and other available details.
Best practices
- Review the Unhandled list throughout the workday.
- Agree on when a call is considered handled.
- Configure each inbox around that team's responsibilities.
- Avoid selecting outcomes the team does not intend to review.
- Use Call History for individual investigations and Analytics for broader trends.
Troubleshooting
A call I expected does not appear under Unhandled
Confirm that the call belongs to an inbox you can access and that its outcome was selected before the call finished. Remember that Voicemail requires an actual recording. Refresh after allowing the call time to finish processing.
A caller hung up, but the call is marked Missed instead of Abandoned
If Waveline had already offered the call to a teammate or ringing device, the outcome is Missed. Abandoned applies when the caller disconnects before the call reaches an answering attempt.
An outbound call does not appear as Outbound No Answer
Confirm that Outbound No Answer is selected for the inbox used to place the call. This outcome applies to outbound customer calls and callbacks that finish without an answer.
The call remains Unhandled after I followed up
A callback that does not complete may leave the earlier call awaiting follow-up. Open the call and select Mark handled on the web, or Handled on mobile, if no further action is needed.
I cannot change the Unhandled Call settings
Use the web app and confirm that you are an inbox Manager or have an organization role that lets you manage it. Members and Viewers cannot change these settings. See Inbox Participants.
I can see an unhandled call, but cannot mark it handled
A Viewer can see the inbox's calls without working in it. Ask a Member or Manager of that inbox to complete the follow-up, or ask an eligible administrator to change your inbox role if you should work there.
A handled call still appears under All
This is expected. Handled removes the call from the follow-up queue but does not delete it from Call History.
The badge count has not updated
Allow the call or handled action time to finish processing, then refresh the Calls page.