With the general availability of the pick-based assignment method for work items in Dynamics 365 Contact Center (tracked under Microsoft's AI at Work roadmap ID 576837), Microsoft is formally handing the keys back to human operators and supervisors when the workflow demands it. First reaching general availability on August 18, 2026, according to Microsoft Learn's 2026 release wave 1 plan for Dynamics 365 Contact Center, and marked as launched for web-based Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) cloud instances on the roadmap in October 2026, this capability uses the No auto assignment method at the queue level so routed conversations wait patiently until a representative claims them or a supervisor assigns them by hand.
If your IT or customer operations team manages Dynamics 365 Contact Center—whether standalone, embedded, or alongside Dynamics 365 Customer Service—here is a complete look at how pick-based queue assignment works, how it compares to traditional push models, and how administrators can configure it without letting conversations fall through the cracks.
Push vs. Pick: Why Stop the Routing Engine at the Queue Door?
To understand why a "do nothing" assignment rule is actually a major operational feature, it helps to look at how unified routing normally behaves in Dynamics 365.
In a standard setup, unified routing operates in two main phases: classification/routing to the appropriate queue, and continuous assignment cycles that match queued work items to individual service representatives. As documented on Microsoft Learn, automated assignment continuously evaluates the top unassigned work items against representative availability, presence status, capacity, and required skills. If no eligible representative is found, the item returns to the queue and the cycle retries.
Out of the box, Microsoft provides four assignment methods for advanced queues in the Copilot Service admin center:
| Assignment Method | Distribution Model | How Unified Routing Handles the Work Item | Channel / Operational Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest capacity | Push (Automated) | Assigns the work item to an eligible representative with the highest available capacity (matching required skills and allowed presence), using round-robin to break ties. | Supports Exact Match or Closest Match skill algorithms. |
| Advanced round robin | Push (Automated) | Assigns work to representatives matching skills, presence, and capacity based on when they were added to the queue and their earliest last-assignment timestamp. | Ordering is maintained per queue; tie-breakers use earliest last assignment. |
| Least active | Push (Automated) | Routes to the qualified representative with the longest time since their last capacity was released for a voice or messaging conversation. | Available for voice and messaging channels only; default when creating those queues. |
| No auto assignment | Pick / Manual | Routes the conversation to the queue and stops. The item remains unassigned until a representative picks it or a supervisor assigns it manually. | Requires regular queue monitoring so unattended items do not stagnate. |
While Highest capacity, Advanced round robin, and Least active are built to maximize velocity and balance workloads automatically, they share one trait: the algorithm decides who takes the next conversation.
By contrast, selecting No auto assignment switches the queue to a pick-based work distribution model. Unified routing still classifies the incoming interaction and routes it to the right queue, but it intentionally halts before the representative-matching step.
Where Pick-Based Assignment Makes Sense
According to Microsoft's roadmap and documentation, leaving conversations unassigned in the queue is designed for environments that prioritize manual oversight over raw automated speed:
- Specialized or Regulated Interactions: Teams handling compliance-heavy, sensitive, or specialized escalations can review the incoming work in the queue first and decide which specific specialist is best positioned to take it.
- Representative-Led Triage: Service representatives can browse waiting items and pull conversations directly from their Inbox when they are ready to take ownership.
- Supervisor-Managed Allocation: Team leads and supervisors can evaluate current floor conditions, agent skill nuance, and real-time availability, then manually assign conversations from the ongoing conversation dashboard in Copilot Service workspace.
Summary: The pick-based assignment method doesn't disable unified routing; it uses unified routing to get the conversation to the correct queue, then replaces automated representative matching with human selection via the agent Inbox or supervisor dashboard.
How to Configure Pick-Based Assignment in Copilot Service Admin Center
Because Microsoft classifies this feature as enabled for "Users by admins, makers, or analysts" (or "Enabled by admins/makers/marketers for end users" in the roadmap listing), it will not suddenly alter your existing contact center queues on its own. An administrator must explicitly switch a queue's assignment method to No auto assignment.
According to Microsoft Learn's administration documentation for configuring assignment methods and rules, the setup is straightforward and applies across Dynamics 365 Contact Center—embedded, Dynamics 365 Contact Center—standalone, and Dynamics 365 Customer Service:
- Open the Copilot Service admin center and navigate to the site map.
- Under Customer support, select Queues.
- On the Queues page, find Advanced queues and select Manage.
- Select the specific queue where you want to enable pick-based distribution.
- In the Assignment method section, choose No auto assignment (listed alongside Highest capacity, Advanced round robin, and Least active).
- Select Save and close the configuration page.
Once saved, conversations routed to that advanced queue will remain unassigned in the queue until a representative picks them up from their Inbox or a supervisor assigns them from the ongoing conversation dashboard in the Copilot Service workspace.
Summary: Enabling pick-based work distribution requires just a few clicks inside the Copilot Service admin center under Customer support > Queues > Advanced queues, where admins can set individual queues to No auto assignment.
The Operational Catch: Queue Hygiene and Monitoring
Giving human teams full control over work selection comes with an obvious operational trade-off. When you turn off the automated conveyor belt, somebody has to watch the loading dock.
In its official documentation on queue assignment methods, Microsoft includes a direct warning for administrators using No auto assignment: because work items aren't automatically assigned to representatives, you must monitor the queue regularly to ensure no items remain unattended.
From a general IT and contact center operations perspective, this is where rollouts of pick-based queues usually succeed or stumble. In a push-based model, if an agent rejects a notification or lets it time out, unified routing tracks that decline—retrying up to a configurable limit (three declines by default, adjustable between one and five across the organization) before moving on to other eligible representatives. Even when 100 representatives decline a work item or all matching agents reject it, the item falls back to sitting in the queue for supervisor intervention or manual pick-up.
When you configure No auto assignment, every item in that queue starts in that waiting state. Before flipping a production queue to pick-based mode, administrators and support managers should consider a few practical guardrails:
- Define Clear Ownership: Make sure supervisors know who is watching the ongoing conversation dashboard in Copilot Service workspace during every shift so high-priority conversations aren't ignored while representatives cherry-pick easier tickets.
- Segregate Queues by Workflow: Rather than turning off auto-assignment across the board, keep high-volume, general-inquiry traffic on Least active, Highest capacity, or Advanced round robin, and reserve No auto assignment for dedicated escalation, VIP, or regulatory queues.
- Verify Inbox Visibility: Confirm that the service representatives assigned to that queue have their Inbox properly configured in their workspace profile so waiting items are immediately visible for manual pickup.
By combining automated unified routing for intake with pick-based assignment on specialized queues, Dynamics 365 Contact Center administrators get a pragmatic middle ground: AI and rules-based routing to sort the mail, and human expertise to decide who opens it.