Docs/TroubleshootingTroubleshooting
Why is my message queued, pending, or deferred?
None of these three statuses mean the message failed. Each one means the message has not sent yet, for a different and usually expected reason.
On this page
Queued, pending, and deferred are not failures
Queued
Waiting its turn
Pending
Sent, awaiting a result
Deferred
The AI is holding it on purpose
Only fails means a message could not be delivered. That is a different article: why are some of my messages failing.
What each status means
| Status | What it means | Why it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Queued | The message is waiting to be sent | The line is currently working through other messages, or it has exceeded its hourly conversation allowance |
| Pending | The message has been handed to a line and is awaiting a delivery result | Normal for a short window. Staying pending indefinitely usually means the line is down and cannot reach the gateway |
| Deferred | The AI is intentionally waiting before sending | Configured business hours, or the initial wait time configured on the AI. Deferred does not occur on manually sent messages |
These are the same definitions used in Sendify analytics and the glossary.
Where each status sits
A message either waits for capacity, waits for a configured time window, or is already on its way to the lead.
Not every message passes through every state
What to do about each one
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| A few queued messages during your busiest hour | Wait. This is pacing working as intended |
| Queued messages all day, every day | Check daily line usage in analytics. You are probably sizing capacity too tightly, see how many lines do I need |
| Messages pending briefly then sending | Nothing to do |
| Messages stuck pending with nothing sending | Check line health, then contact us. This usually means the line cannot reach the gateway |
| Deferred messages overnight or on a weekend | Expected if the AI has business hours configured. Review the AI's timing settings if the window looks wrong |
| Deferred right after a lead enters | Expected if the AI has an initial wait time configured |
When to contact us
Reach out when messages sit pending indefinitely, when a line shows nothing moving at all, or when queued volume keeps growing after you have added capacity. Bring today's line usage, response rate, and failure count with you.
Still need a hand?
If your volume is going to run past the daily or hourly limits, or something is not behaving the way these docs describe, talk to our team.