Building Quick Connects

What is a Quick Connect?

A quick connect enables agents to quickly transfer calls to common destinations with a single click. Instead of manually dialing numbers or searching for queues, agents can select pre-configured transfer destinations from a list in their Contact Control Panel (CCP).

Quick connects support three types of transfer destinations:

Type	Purpose	Requirements
Phone Number	Transfer to external phone numbers	Phone number only (E.164 format)
User	Transfer directly to a specific agent	User ID + Transfer to Agent flow
Queue	Transfer to a queue for routing	Queue ARN + Transfer to Queue flow

Real-World Examples

Emergency Line: One-click transfer to emergency services
Supervisor: Direct transfer to shift supervisor for escalations
Sales Queue: Transfer to sales team during product inquiries
Main Office: Transfer to reception desk
External Support: Transfer to third-party vendor support line

How Quick Connects Work

Admin creates quick connects → Configures destinations
Quick connects associated with queues → Agents see them in CCP
Agent clicks quick connect → Transfer initiated
Amazon Connect executes transfer → Uses configured flow (if needed)

When You Need Quick Connects

Create quick connects whenever you want to:

Enable one-click transfers to common destinations
Standardize transfer procedures across agents
Reduce transfer errors from manual dialing
Speed up escalation workflows
Provide consistent external transfer options

Creating Your First Quick Connect

Let's build a simple phone number quick connect step-by-step.

Step 1: Use QuickConnectBuilder

The easiest way to create a quick connect:

csharp

var emergency = QuickConnect
    .Create("Emergency Line")
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
    .Build();

That's it! This creates a phone number quick connect.

Step 2: Add to Stack

Add the quick connect to your CDK stack:

csharp

var app = new App();
var stack = new SwitchboardStack(app, "MyContactCenter", "my-center");

QuickConnect
    .Create("Emergency Line")
    .SetDescription("Emergency hotline for critical escalations")
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
    .AddTag("Type", "Emergency")
    .Build(stack);

app.Synth();

Step 3: Deploy

Deploy your stack:

bash

cdk deploy

Congratulations! You've created your first quick connect. Agents can now transfer calls to this number with one click.

Quick Connect Types

Phone Number Quick Connects

For transferring calls to external phone numbers. No transfer flow required - Amazon Connect handles the transfer directly.

csharp

// Emergency hotline
QuickConnect
    .Create("Emergency Line")
    .SetDescription("Emergency hotline for critical escalations")
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
    .AddTag("Type", "Emergency")
    .AddTag("Priority", "Critical")
    .Build(stack);

// Main office reception
QuickConnect
    .Create("Main Office")
    .SetDescription("Main office reception line")
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005555678")
    .AddTag("Type", "Internal")
    .AddTag("Department", "Reception")
    .Build(stack);

// External vendor support
QuickConnect
    .Create("External Tech Support")
    .SetDescription("External vendor technical support")
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005559999")
    .AddTag("Type", "External")
    .AddTag("Department", "TechSupport")
    .Build(stack);

Phone Number Format:

Use E.164 format: +[country code][number]
Example US: +18005551234
Example UK: +442071234567

Queue Quick Connects

For transferring calls to queues within your contact center. Requires a Transfer to Queue flow.

csharp

// Get the queue and transfer flow
var salesQueue = stack.GetQueue("Sales");
var transferFlow = stack.GetFlow("TransferToQueue");

// Transfer to Sales Queue
QuickConnect
    .Create("Transfer to Sales")
    .SetDescription("Transfer call to Sales queue")
    .ForQueue(salesQueue, transferFlow)
    .AddTag("Type", "Queue")
    .AddTag("Department", "Sales")
    .Build(stack);

// Transfer to Support Queue
var supportQueue = stack.GetQueue("Support");

QuickConnect
    .Create("Transfer to Support")
    .SetDescription("Transfer call to Technical Support queue")
    .ForQueue(supportQueue, transferFlow)
    .AddTag("Type", "Queue")
    .AddTag("Department", "Support")
    .Build(stack);

Using ARNs directly:

csharp

// If you have the ARNs as strings
QuickConnect
    .Create("Transfer to Sales")
    .ForQueue(
        "arn:aws:connect:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/id/queue/queue-id",
        "arn:aws:connect:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/id/contact-flow/flow-id"
    )
    .Build(stack);

User Quick Connects (Agent-to-Agent)

For transferring calls directly to specific agents. Requires a Transfer to Agent flow and the user's ID.

csharp

// Get the Transfer to Agent flow
var transferToAgentFlow = stack.GetFlow("TransferToAgent");

// Transfer to Supervisor
QuickConnect
    .Create("Call Supervisor")
    .SetDescription("Transfer call to shift supervisor")
    .ForUser("supervisor-user-id", transferToAgentFlow)
    .AddTag("Type", "User")
    .AddTag("Role", "Supervisor")
    .Build(stack);

Using ARNs directly:

csharp

QuickConnect
    .Create("Call Supervisor")
    .ForUser(
        "supervisor-user-id-or-arn",
        "arn:aws:connect:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/id/contact-flow/flow-id"
    )
    .Build(stack);

User IDs

User IDs are typically retrieved from Amazon Connect at runtime or during deployment. You can get user IDs via:

Amazon Connect Console → Users
AWS CLI: aws connect list-users
Connect API: ListUsers

Quick Connect Configuration

Setting Name and Description

csharp

QuickConnect
    .Create("Emergency Line")                              // Name (required)
    .SetDescription("Emergency hotline for escalations")   // Description (optional)
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
    .Build(stack);

Naming Guidelines:

Maximum 127 characters
Use descriptive, action-oriented names
Include the destination type when helpful

Description Guidelines:

Maximum 250 characters
Explain when to use this quick connect
Include any special instructions

Adding Tags

Tags help organize and filter quick connects:

csharp

QuickConnect
    .Create("Emergency Line")
    .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
    .AddTag("Type", "Emergency")
    .AddTag("Priority", "Critical")
    .AddTag("Department", "Operations")
    .AddTag("Environment", "Production")
    .Build(stack);

Common Tag Patterns:

Type: Emergency, Internal, External, Queue, User
Department: Sales, Support, Billing, HR
Priority: Critical, High, Normal, Low
Environment: Production, Staging, Development

Using the Provider Pattern

For larger contact centers, use the IQuickConnectProvider interface to organize quick connect creation:

csharp

public class QuickConnectResourceProvider : IQuickConnectProvider
{
    private readonly IResourceRegistry _registry;

    public QuickConnectResourceProvider(IResourceRegistry registry)
    {
        _registry = registry;
    }

    // Quick connects execute at Order = 380 (after flows are built)
    public int Order => 380;

    public void ConfigureQuickConnects(ISwitchboardStack stack, SwitchboardOptions options)
    {
        // Get resources from registry
        var salesQueue = _registry.Get<QueueConstruct>("SalesQueue");
        var supportQueue = _registry.Get<QueueConstruct>("SupportQueue");

        // Phone number quick connects
        CreatePhoneNumberQuickConnects(stack);

        // Queue quick connects (if transfer flow exists)
        var transferFlow = stack.GetFlow("TransferToQueue");
        if (transferFlow != null)
        {
            CreateQueueQuickConnects(stack, salesQueue, supportQueue, transferFlow);
        }
    }

    private void CreatePhoneNumberQuickConnects(ISwitchboardStack stack)
    {
        QuickConnect
            .Create("Emergency Line")
            .SetDescription("Emergency hotline")
            .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
            .AddTag("Type", "Emergency")
            .Build(stack);

        QuickConnect
            .Create("Main Office")
            .SetDescription("Main office reception")
            .ForPhoneNumber("+18005555678")
            .AddTag("Type", "Internal")
            .Build(stack);
    }

    private void CreateQueueQuickConnects(
        ISwitchboardStack stack,
        QueueConstruct salesQueue,
        QueueConstruct supportQueue,
        FlowConstruct transferFlow)
    {
        QuickConnect
            .Create("Transfer to Sales")
            .ForQueue(salesQueue, transferFlow)
            .AddTag("Type", "Queue")
            .Build(stack);

        QuickConnect
            .Create("Transfer to Support")
            .ForQueue(supportQueue, transferFlow)
            .AddTag("Type", "Queue")
            .Build(stack);
    }
}

Execution Order

Quick connect providers execute at Order = 380, which is:

After flows are built (so you can reference transfer flows)
Before post-flow configuration (Order = 400)

This ensures all queues, flows, and other resources are available.

Using the Fluent Stack API

You can also create quick connects directly on the stack with a fluent API:

csharp

stack
    .AddQuickConnect("Emergency Line", qc => qc
        .SetDescription("Emergency external line")
        .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
        .AddTag("Type", "Emergency"))

    .AddQuickConnect("Main Office", qc => qc
        .SetDescription("Main office reception")
        .ForPhoneNumber("+18005555678")
        .AddTag("Type", "Internal"))

    .AddQuickConnect("Transfer to Sales", qc => qc
        .SetDescription("Transfer to Sales queue")
        .ForQueue(salesQueue, transferFlow)
        .AddTag("Type", "Queue"));

Complete Example

Here's a comprehensive example showing all quick connect types:

csharp

public class CallCenterResources : IQuickConnectProvider
{
    private readonly IResourceRegistry _registry;

    public CallCenterResources(IResourceRegistry registry)
    {
        _registry = registry;
    }

    public int Order => 380;

    public void ConfigureQuickConnects(ISwitchboardStack stack, SwitchboardOptions options)
    {
        var salesQueue = _registry.Get<QueueConstruct>("SalesQueue");
        var supportQueue = _registry.Get<QueueConstruct>("SupportQueue");

        // ============================================
        // Phone Number Quick Connects
        // ============================================

        // Emergency - highest priority external transfer
        QuickConnect
            .Create("Emergency Line")
            .SetDescription("Emergency hotline for critical escalations")
            .ForPhoneNumber("+18005551234")
            .AddTag("Type", "Emergency")
            .AddTag("Priority", "Critical")
            .Build(stack);

        // Internal - main office
        QuickConnect
            .Create("Main Office")
            .SetDescription("Main office reception line")
            .ForPhoneNumber("+18005555678")
            .AddTag("Type", "Internal")
            .AddTag("Department", "Reception")
            .Build(stack);

        // External vendor support
        QuickConnect
            .Create("Vendor Support")
            .SetDescription("External vendor technical support")
            .ForPhoneNumber("+18005559999")
            .AddTag("Type", "External")
            .AddTag("Department", "TechSupport")
            .Build(stack);

        // ============================================
        // Queue Quick Connects
        // ============================================

        var transferToQueueFlow = stack.GetFlow("TransferToQueue");

        if (transferToQueueFlow != null)
        {
            QuickConnect
                .Create("Transfer to Sales")
                .SetDescription("Transfer call to Sales queue")
                .ForQueue(salesQueue, transferToQueueFlow)
                .AddTag("Type", "Queue")
                .AddTag("Department", "Sales")
                .Build(stack);

            QuickConnect
                .Create("Transfer to Support")
                .SetDescription("Transfer call to Technical Support queue")
                .ForQueue(supportQueue, transferToQueueFlow)
                .AddTag("Type", "Queue")
                .AddTag("Department", "Support")
                .Build(stack);
        }

        // ============================================
        // User Quick Connects (Agent-to-Agent)
        // ============================================

        var transferToAgentFlow = stack.GetFlow("TransferToAgent");

        if (transferToAgentFlow != null)
        {
            // Note: Replace with actual user IDs from your Connect instance
            QuickConnect
                .Create("Call Supervisor")
                .SetDescription("Transfer call to shift supervisor")
                .ForUser("supervisor-user-id", transferToAgentFlow)
                .AddTag("Type", "User")
                .AddTag("Role", "Supervisor")
                .Build(stack);
        }
    }
}

IQuickConnectBuilder Methods

Method	Description
`SetName(string)`	Sets the quick connect name (required)
`SetDescription(string)`	Sets the description (max 250 chars)
`ForPhoneNumber(string)`	Configures as phone number type
`ForUser(string, string)`	Configures as user type (userId, flowArn)
`ForUser(string, FlowConstruct)`	Configures as user type with flow construct
`ForQueue(string, string)`	Configures as queue type (queueArn, flowArn)
`ForQueue(QueueConstruct, FlowConstruct)`	Configures as queue type with constructs
`AddTag(string, string)`	Adds a resource tag
`Build()`	Builds the QuickConnect model
`Build(ISwitchboardStack)`	Builds and adds to stack

AWS Limits

Property	Limit
Name length	127 characters
Description length	250 characters
Quick connects per instance	1000
Phone number format	E.164

Important Notes

Queue Association

Quick connects must be associated with queues to appear in the agent's CCP. This association is done via the AssociateQueueQuickConnects API, which is not supported in CloudFormation.

Options for queue association:

Manual: Use AWS Console to associate quick connects with queues
Custom Resource: Create a CDK custom resource to call the API
Post-deployment script: Use AWS CLI or SDK after deployment

bash

# Example: Associate quick connect with queue using AWS CLI
aws connect associate-queue-quick-connects \
    --instance-id your-instance-id \
    --queue-id your-queue-id \
    --quick-connect-ids quick-connect-id-1 quick-connect-id-2

Transfer Flows

Phone Number: No flow required
Queue: Requires a Transfer to Queue flow
User: Requires a Transfer to Agent flow

AWS provides default transfer flows, but you can create custom flows for additional logic (e.g., playing a message before transfer, setting attributes).

Retrieving Quick Connects

Get a quick connect from the stack by name:

csharp

var emergencyQuickConnect = stack.GetQuickConnect("Emergency Line");
if (emergencyQuickConnect != null)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"ARN: {emergencyQuickConnect.QuickConnectArn}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Type: {emergencyQuickConnect.QuickConnectType}");
}

Best Practices

Use descriptive names: Help agents understand the destination
Add descriptions: Explain when to use each quick connect
Organize with tags: Group by type, department, or priority
Limit the list: Too many quick connects can overwhelm agents
Review regularly: Remove outdated quick connects
Test transfers: Verify each quick connect works correctly
Document procedures: Train agents on when to use each option

Building Queues - Create queues for queue quick connects
Building Contact Flows - Create transfer flows
Building Users - Manage users for user quick connects

Building Quick Connects ​

What is a Quick Connect? ​

Real-World Examples ​

How Quick Connects Work ​

When You Need Quick Connects ​

Creating Your First Quick Connect ​

Step 1: Use QuickConnectBuilder ​

Step 2: Add to Stack ​

Step 3: Deploy ​

Quick Connect Types ​

Phone Number Quick Connects ​

Queue Quick Connects ​

User Quick Connects (Agent-to-Agent) ​

Quick Connect Configuration ​

Setting Name and Description ​

Adding Tags ​

Using the Provider Pattern ​

Execution Order ​

Using the Fluent Stack API ​

Complete Example ​

IQuickConnectBuilder Methods ​

AWS Limits ​

Important Notes ​

Queue Association ​

Transfer Flows ​

Retrieving Quick Connects ​

Best Practices ​

Related Topics ​

Building Quick Connects

What is a Quick Connect?

Real-World Examples

How Quick Connects Work

When You Need Quick Connects

Creating Your First Quick Connect

Step 1: Use QuickConnectBuilder

Step 2: Add to Stack

Step 3: Deploy

Quick Connect Types

Phone Number Quick Connects

Queue Quick Connects

User Quick Connects (Agent-to-Agent)

Quick Connect Configuration

Setting Name and Description

Adding Tags

Using the Provider Pattern

Execution Order

Using the Fluent Stack API

Complete Example

IQuickConnectBuilder Methods

AWS Limits

Important Notes

Queue Association

Transfer Flows

Retrieving Quick Connects

Best Practices

Related Topics