Use case
Peak load & crisis communication
When everyone calls at once: inform proactively, offer callbacks instead of hold, let AI agents answer the most frequent question and reset teams with forecasting and short-term scheduling. In an order that has been planned in advance.
Flow
From first contact to resolution.
The flow in a few steps. Every step runs on the same platform, without switching systems.
- 01 · EventAn outage, a deadline, a product recall or a storm: one event affects many people at once.
- 02 · AnnouncementOne central message appears in IVR, chat and self-service. Anyone who only wants the status gets it immediately.
- 03 · NoticeNotifications inform those affected proactively, with updates as soon as something changes.
- 04 · CallbackAnyone who wants to talk chooses a callback instead of hold. Their place in line is kept.
- 05 · Re-planForecasting and scheduling show how many people are needed in the next few hours. Teams are reassigned at short notice.
What the platform adds
What carries this flow.
The qualities that count day to day – for customers as much as for the teams.
One message, every channel
The outage message is maintained once and appears in IVR, chat, self-service and notifications.
Proactive notices
Those affected receive messages by SMS, email or messaging before they call. Replies land in the queue.
Callback instead of hold
In IVR and web messaging customers choose a callback. Their place in the order is kept.
AI agents for the main question
An AI agent answers the most frequent question with the current status. It is disclosed as AI and hands over with context.
Forecasting with events
The forecast takes events such as deadlines, campaigns and outages into account, not just history.
Re-plan at short notice
Scheduling moves breaks, training and back-office time and shows gaps in real time.
#The wave arrives within minutes
An outage, a deadline, a recall. Within minutes a great many people want to know the same thing. The queue fills up, the mood turns and the team works at its limit.
Improvisation does not help against the wave; an order planned in advance does. Univerx brings the building blocks for it onto one platform.
#The order when it matters
- Announcement: one central message in IVR, chat and self-service answers the main question before anyone waits.
- Notice: notifications inform those affected proactively and report updates.
- Self-service: an AI agent gives the current status and takes callback requests.
- Callback: anyone who wants to talk chooses a callback instead of hold.
- Re-plan: scheduling reassigns teams for the next few hours.
Each step takes pressure off the next. People who already know the message do not call. People who have a callback do not wait on the line.
#Callback instead of hold
Waiting on the phone is the most expensive kind of waiting, for both sides. In IVR and in web messaging you offer a callback. The customer hangs up and keeps her place.
The platform calls back when a suitable person is free. The post Callback instead of hold shows what matters when setting it up.
#Being prepared: forecasting and scheduling
Many peaks are predictable: filing deadlines, billing runs, campaigns, holidays. Forecasting takes such events into account, not just history.
| Peak | Preparation |
|---|---|
| Deadline or due date | Notification in advance, forecast with the event |
| Billing run | Knowledge article and AI agent for billing questions |
| Outage | Templates for announcement and notice, continuity plan |
| Storm | Short-term re-planning, callback active |
Before the next peak
#After the peak
Once the wave has passed, it pays to look back. Conversation analytics shows which questions came most often and which the announcement did not answer. That turns into better templates and knowledge articles for next time.
#What goes with it
The guide Workforce planning in the contact centre explains forecasting, scheduling and adherence. For utilities, Utilities & telecoms describes outage communication in detail.
Building blocks
The capabilities behind it.
These capabilities and add-ons carry the solution. Each one is described on its own – with flow, use and rules.
- Univerx Outbound
Notifications
Automated reminders and notices with no agent involved: appointment confirmations, delivery status, deadlines, outage information. By SMS, email, messaging or voice message, with a way to reply.
Learn more - Univerx Contact Center
IVR & self-service
Voice menus and speech dialogues resolve simple requests around the clock. Those who need a person arrive with context, and instead of hold music there is a callback on request.
Learn more - Univerx Contact Center
Inbound
Incoming contacts end to end: answering, queueing, callbacks, handover with context and wrap-up. So every request reaches, first time, the place where it gets resolved.
Learn more - Univerx Workforce
Forecasting
Forecasting predicts contact volume and handling time per channel and skill, from history and from events such as holidays, campaigns or outages. It is where every good plan begins.
Learn more - Univerx Workforce
Scheduling
Scheduling turns forecast demand into shift plans that meet service levels and respect the rules. With a swap board, preferred shifts, exceptions and real-time adherence.
Learn more - Univerx AI
AI Agents
AI agents understand the request, act in connected systems and hand over to people with context. On the phone as a voicebot, in chat as a text agent, always disclosed as AI.
Learn more
Industries
Where this flow often starts.
Industries in which this use case is often the first step – each with its own rules and add-ons.
Utilities & telecoms
High volume, many routine requests: AI agents for meter readings, tariffs and bills, outage communication at peak times, payment reminders with consent checks. Documents for your NIS2 obligations on request.
- AI agents for routine
- Outage communication
Public sector
The complete platform for citizen service: every channel in one queue, public service numbers and hotlines with AI agents, appointment booking, video, secure messaging and translation. Plus the digital citizen office for a visit to the authority in one session. Designed for social data protection and accessibility.
- Digital citizen office
- Citizen service on every channel
Logistics & mobility
Communicate shipment status, delivery slots and disruptions proactively, before anyone calls. Driver and customer communication run in one queue; exceptions become tasks with deadlines.
- Proactive status notices
- Drivers and customers in one queue
Healthcare
Hospitals, practices, care services and pharmacies on one platform: appointment service with reminders and callbacks, video consultations in the browser, pre-sorting of requests and patient service on every channel. Designed for the protection of special categories of data.
- Appointments without a phone queue
- Video consultations without a download
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can an outage message be published?
The message is maintained centrally in the admin console; every flow in IVR, chat and self-service that uses it plays it out. Templates for typical events can be prepared.
Do customers lose their place when they choose a callback?
No. The callback keeps the order. The customer does not have to stay on the line and is called when it is her turn.
Can we plan ahead for deadlines such as filing dates?
Yes. Known events feed into the forecast. Notifications before the due date can be planned as a campaign.
What do AI agents do in a crisis?
They answer the most frequent question with the current status, take callback requests and hand over as soon as more is involved. You decide what they may say.
Further reading
Guides2 November 2026 · 11 min readWorkforce planning in the contact centre: the basics
Forecasting, staffing requirements, scheduling, adherence and capacity: how the parts of workforce planning fit together, which terms you need, where working-time law and co-determination come in, and where best to start.
Contact centre2 November 2026 · 5 min readWhen everyone calls at once: communication during outages
In an outage, the best answer is the one that arrives before anyone has to ask. A sequence for the first few hours.
Contact centre30 October 2026 · 5 min readCallback instead of hold: a small switch with a big effect
Waiting is unavoidable when more people call than there are seats staffed. Your customers do not have to stay on the line while they wait.
Workforce31 October 2026 · 4 min readForecasting with events: holidays, campaigns, outages
The past is a good guide as long as the future resembles it. For every other day, a forecast needs events.
See Univerx on your own example.
In a demo we show the platform along your channels and requests, from AI agents to video, workforce scheduling and analytics.
Online, in German or English, with no preparation on your side.