The information in this document is subject to change without notice. AT&T assumes no responsibility
for any errors that may appear in this document.
MERLIN is a registered trademark of AT&T.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
To order copies of this document, call the AT&T Customer Information Center, 1-800-432-6600 and
include the document number 999-501-149 with your order.
September, 1988
Issue 1
Contents
Section 1: Introduction
How to Use the CMS Documents
Section 2: Understanding CMS
Overview
Key Concepts
A Typical CMS Application
Key Facts and Considerations
Section 3: Your 6300 WGS and CMS
Overview
Duplicating the CMS Diskette Duplicate
Installing the CMS Software
Using Your PC with CMS
Section 4: Administering CMS
Overview
Getting Started
Building or Editing Shift Configurations
Assigning Agent IDs
Administering Lines and Line Groups
Setting Options
Selecting Exceptions
Backing Up Shift Configurations
1-1
2-1
2-2
2-5
2-8
3-1
3-3
3-5
3-9
4-1
4-3
4-5
4-21
4-24
4-28
4-31
4-47
Section 5: Supervising CMS
Overview
The Administrator/ Supervisor’s Responsibilities
The Attendant Console
Startup Procedures
Making Agents Available for CMS Calls
Monitoring Call Management
Dynamic Reconfiguration
Section 6: Handling CMS Calls
Overview
The MERLIN II System Voice Terminal
Selecting a Voice Terminal for Your Agents
Programming a Voice Terminal
5-1
5-3
5-4
5-8
5-12
5-15
5-27
6-1
6-2
6-5
6-9
Section 7: Generating Reports
Overview
Types of CMS Reports
How to Generate Reports
Section 8: Archiving Data
Overview
Section 9: Troubleshooting
Overview
Startup Problems
Call Management Problems
System Errors
Voice Announcement Unit Problems
External Alert Problems
Printer Problems
Agent Problems
Managing Calls if CMS is Disabled
Section 10: Quick Reference Guides
Overview
Quick Reference Guide to Your PC Keyboard
Quick Reference Guide to Entering and Editing Data
Quick Reference Guide to Dynamic Reconfiguration
Map of Screens for CMS Administration
Map of Screens for Call Management
7-1
7-2
7-16
8-1
9-1
9-2
9-10
9-14
9-15
9-16
9-17
9-19
9-22
10-1
10-2
10-3
10-5
10-6
10-7
Glossary
Index
Overview
CMS Terms
CMS Status Screens
CMS Reports
Index
G-1
G-2
G-8
G-15
I-1
How to Use the CMS Documents
The Call Management System (CMS) is the automatic call distributor (ACD)
for the MERLIN® II Communications System with Feature Module 2. The
CMS component of the MERLIN II system answers calls and connects them to
available agents.
connects the call to the agent who has been idle the longest. If no agent is
available, CMS connects the call to a delay message and then places the call
on hold until an agent becomes available.
It’s important that your MERLIN II system be administered to work smoothly
with CMS and that the CMS options and parameters are set to meet your call
management needs.
documents discussed in the following paragraphs can contribute to a fully
integrated CMS/MERLIN II system.
documents and plan how to use them to get your system up and running
quickly and efficiently.
Then, as you observe how CMS manages your incoming call traffic day to
day, you can use the documents to fine-tune the system for more efficient call
management and more useful call-management reports.
When there’s more than one agent available for a call, CMS
The explanations and instructions in each of the
Take a few minutes now to review these
PLANNING GUIDE
CMS
INSTALLATION
CMS
GETTING STARTED GUIDE
AND
You should have received The MERLIN II Communications System Planning
Guide for the Call Management System when you ordered your CMS. This
guide, used in conjunction with the MERLIN II System Planning Guide, shows
you how to plan a fully integrated CMS/MERLIN II system oriented to the
way your business operates.
The CMS Planning Guide includes forms for recording the decisions you
make during planning.
planning forms will help insure a trouble-free system installation and
administration.
If you don ‘t have a completed set of planning forms at this point, the CMS Planning
Guide is the place to start.
The MERLIN II Communications System Installation and Getting Started Guide for
the Call Management System comes packaged with the system manual. For the
CMS supervisor with a fully installed CMS/MERLIN II system and a set of
completed planning forms, this guide is the place to begin. It moves rapidly
through checklists of planning, hardware installation, and the operating
system that must be instaIled on the hard disk of either the AT&T Personal
Computer 6300 or AT&T Personal Computer 6300 WGS (Work Group Station)
that runs the CMS software. Then it tells you how to install the CMS
program on the hard disk and get a shift configuration up and running. It
shows you how to enter and edit data in response to prompts on the screens.
It also shows you how to monitor the system as you decide how to fine-tune
it to meet your call management needs.
A complete set of CMS and MERLIN II system
CMS USER’S CARD
Once you have a shift configuration up and running, keep the Installation
and Getting Started Guide in the CMS binder for future reference.
Copies of MERLIN II Communications System User’s Card for the Call ManagementSystem comes packaged with the system manual. The User’s Card is a handy
reference for programming and using the MERLIN II system features you’ll
use most often with CMS. Each CMS supervisor and agent should have one
of these cards.
How to Use the CMS Documents 1-1
CMS SYSTEM MANUAL
This is the manual you’re reading now.
aspect of the CMS operation and administration, from understanding CMS to
troubleshooting.
contents of the system manual, and offers suggestions on the best ways to
use it.
What’s in This Manual
The MERLIN II Communications System Manual for the Call Management System is
intended for the supervisor or administrator who oversees the setup and
operation of CMS. Here you’ll find an overall description of the system — all
the concepts, procedures, and other information you’ll need to make the most
of CMS in your business. This information is organized as follows:
1 Introduction. This section previews the contents of the manual and
2 Understanding CMS. This section of the manual describes key CMS
It contains information on every
“ What’s in This Manual” previews the structure and
explains what the special symbols and typefaces mean.
concepts such as line groups, agent splits, intraflow, and call
management.
hypothetical business, uses CMS.
You’ll also find a description of how Bon Voyage Travel, a
3 Your 6300 WGS and CMS. This section provides instructions on how to
make a duplicate of the CMS diskette and install the CMS software,
depending on whether you are using the 3 1/2 inch disk for the 6300 WGS
or the two 5 1/4 inch disks for either the 6300 WGS or the PC 6300. (If
you have not already installed the hardware, do so according to the
instructions in the MERLIN II Communications System Installation and Getting
Started Guide for the Call Management System. )
4 Administering CMS. This section tells you how to use your personal
computer (PC) to perform the administration activities that get CMS up
and running. These include identifying agents, identifying CMS lines,
and building at least one shift configuration (an arrangement of line
groups and agent splits for call management).
This section also describes other administration tasks that can be done at
any time. These include setting options and exception thresholds to alert
you of unusual and undesirable situations, and making a backup copy of
your shift configuration(s). A menu map shows you the relationship of
the administration screens.
5 Supervising CMS. This section discusses the administrator’s
responsibilities with regard to CMS, such as setting up the attendant
console.
From the information in this section, you’ll also learn how to activate a
configuration, monitor system status, and dynamically reconfigure the
system. Dynamic reconfiguration involves changing the configuration that
is currently being used to manage calls, for example, moving an agent
from one split to another.
using.
A menu map shows you the screens you’ll be
1-2 How to Use the CMS Documents
6
Handling CMS Calls. This section helps you make decisions about which
size voice terminal your agents need, and which features they’ll use to
handle CMS calls. It also includes information on programming and using
these features.
7
Generating Reports. This section describes the types of reports available
from CMS, and how to select and print these reports.
Archiving Data. The information in this section tells you how to archive
8
historical data on floppy diskettes for storage and analysis.
Troubleshooting.
9
and tells you how to correct them.
10
Quick Reference Guides. The guides that make up this section provide
easy access to frequently used procedures and information.
Glossary. The Glossary defines CMS terms and describes how CMS statistics
are calculated.
Index. The index provides page references for screens, terms, and
procedures.
Documentation Conventions
This section helps you identify system problems quickly
Several special symbols and typefaces appear in this manual. For instance,
keys that appear on your keyboard are shown like this:
F1), or like this: [ ^ ] + [ > ] (press both of these keys simultaneously to
<
[ F1 ] (function key
print a screen).
These typefaces are used to distinguish information you type from
information that appears on your PC screen:
This ita/ic typeface represents information that you type on the PC screen.
This bold typeface represents information that the system displays, such as
prompts.
This italic typeface represents a MERLIN II system response.
In some instances, prompts that take up only one line on the display are
represented in the text on two lines.
How to Use the CMS Documents 1-3
Overview
The Call Management System for the MERLIN II Communications System
with Feature Module 2 is a powerful tool for managing your incoming calls.
With CMS, you can handle calls efficiently, distribute the workload equally
among your agents, and collect data on call traffic and call handling
performance.
This section includes information that is basic to understanding CMS and
using this manual effectively. It is organized as follows:
● Key Concepts explains important CMS terms.
● A Typical CMS Application describes how Bon Voyage Travel, a
hypothetical business, uses CMS to manage its incoming call traffic. This
example reappears elsewhere in this manual and other CMS documents to
illustrate CMS concepts.
● Key Facts and Considerations provides a checklist
important information regarding CMS installation,
operation.
for referencing
administration, and
Overview 2-1
Key Concepts
To administer and use CMS, you should be familiar with the following terms,
which are briefly defined:
Automatic call
Line groups
Agents
Agent splits
Shift configurations
Main and secondary splits
Intraflow
Intraflow threshold
Logged out state
Available state
After-call-work (ACW) state
Automatic after-call-work state (Auto ACW)
Supervisory Login/Logout
Call management
Answer delay
Force delay
Priority lines
distributor (ACD)
CMS is the automatic call distributor (ACD) for the MERLIN II system. As an
automated attendant, CMS distributes calls that come in on the MERLIN II
system telephone lines assigned to CMS.
The MERLIN II system telephone lines assigned to CMS are organized into
line groups. Usually the incoming calls for a line group are of the same type.
For instance, the lines for incoming sales calls are in one line group and the
lines for service calls in another. Up to 28 lines may be assigned to up to four
line groups.
Incoming calls are answered by agents who are divided into agent splits, A
split is a team of agents who handle the same type of incoming calls. Each
split is assigned to answer calls for one or more line groups. You can have
up to six splits, with a maximum of 28 agents in a split. However, no more
than 28 agents can be active in CMS at any one time.
A shift configuration is an arrangement of line groups and agent splits for
managing calls. You can create up to six different configurations to handle
different calling patterns in your business. However, only one shift
configuration can be active at a time, and no more than 28 agents can be in
that configuration.
In a configuration, some splits are main splits and others are secondary splits. A
main split has primary responsibility for answering calls for a line group. A
secondary split answers calls for a line group only if the main split for that
group is overloaded. Sending calls to agents in a secondary split is called
intraflow. The number of seconds that the call waits in the main split before it
is sent to the secondary split is called the intraflow threshold. Intraflow can be
turned on and off.
2-2 Key Concepts
When call management begins for a shift, the agents in the shift configuration
are in the logged out state.
CMS neither sends calls to nor keeps statistics on
agents who are logged out, so the agents have to signal CMS that they are
now ready to receive calls.
They do so by touching the programmed button
labeled Available on their voice terminals (MERLIN II system telephones) to
enter the available state.
When agents need time to complete work on their most recent CMS call (such
as processing an order or updating a record), they can leave the available
state and enter the after-call-work (ACW) state by pressing the programmed
button labeled ACW on their voice terminals. CMS does not send calls to
agents who are in the after-call-work state, but it does keep statistics on them.
To return to the available state from the after-call-work state, agents simply
touch their Available button.
The automatic after-call-work (Auto ACW) feature allows you to administer a
specific amount of time for the after-call-work state. Auto ACW automatically
places agents into after-call-work upon completion of an ACD call. During
that time, agents receive no calls as they complete their work, When the time
specified in the Auto ACW parameters elapses, agents are automatically made
available. Agents can make themselves available before the specified time
elapses by touching their Available button.
In addition to using the Available and ACW buttons on their phones to move
from work state to work state, agents in an active shift configuration always
know what state they’re in by the status of the lights next to the buttons.
Available light on = available state
ACW light on
= after-call-work state
Both lights off = logged out state
(To have both lights on is not possible.)
When agents touch the Available button to enter the available state, the light
next to the Available button goes on.
When they touch the ACW button to
move from the available state to the after-call-work state, the light next to the
Available button goes off, and the light next to the ACW button goes on.
Agents who plan to be away from their phones for an extended period or
who are doing work unrelated to CMS can also log themselves out of CMS.
They move from the available state to the logged out state by touching the
Available button and thus turning off its light. Likewise, they move from the
after-call-work state to the logged out state by touching the ACW button and
turning off its light.
A CMS supervisor can change an agent’s work state from the CMS PC by
using the Supervisory Login/Logout feature. From the Split Status Information
screen, a supervisor can simply enter the agent’s ID at the appropriate
prompt and enter the new status (Logged out/Available/ACW).
Call management is the automatic distribution of calls within a shift
configuration.
When a call comes into CMS, the system goes through this
basic sequence of steps:
● CMS looks for an available agent in the main split assigned to the line
group for the incoming call.
● If an agent is available, CMS answers the call and transfers it to the agent
who has been available the longest.
Key Concepts 2-3
If no agent is available, CMS waits a certain number of seconds, then
answers the call and connects it to a delay message. The length of time
CMS waits before answering the call is known as the answer delay. If an
agent becomes available at any time during the answer delay interval or
during the delay message, the call is immediately transferred to the agent.
If no agent has become available and the delay message is finished, CMS
puts the call on hold. If your MERLIN II system has Music-on-Hold, the
caller hears music.
As soon as an agent is available, CMS transfers the longest waiting call to
the agent.
If the call has waited a certain amount of time (the intraflow threshold), it
may be sent (intraflowed) to an available agent in the secondary split (if
intraflow is on).
You can modify this basic sequence by using the CMS answer delay and forcedelay options, and by making one or more CMS lines priority lines. When no
agent is available to answer the call, the answer delay setting determines how
long a call rings before CMS answers and connects it to the delay message.
With force delay active, all calls are connected to the delay message whether
or not there are available agents, and callers are forced to hear the entire
message before being connected to an agent. Calls coming in on lines that
have been designated priority are answered before any other waiting calls.
More information about each of these aspects of CMS is included in the
relevant sections of this manual. Additional CMS terms are included in the
Glossary.
2-4 Key Concepts
A Typical CMS Application
The following example shows how Bon Voyage Travel Agency, a hypothetical
business, uses CMS.
CMS AND BON VOYAGE
TRAVEL
FIGURE 2-1 Bon Voyage Travel’s CMS.
Special Line Group
555-8532
555-8518
555-8531
Public Line Group
555-1816
555-1808
555-1818
555-8515
At Bon Voyage Travel, agents plan and book trips for several types of
customers. Most of the travel agency’s orders are placed by phone, so CMS
is an important part of the agency’s daily business transactions.
In order to handle three different types of customers and to manage the
frequent overflow of calls, Bon Voyage’s CMS administrator has divided the
telephone lines customers use into four line groups and organized the travel
agents into four splits.
CMS.
Calls routed to main spilt
Calls Intraflowed to secondary split
A Typical CMS Application 2-5
The Personal Travel split handles calls from customers wanting to plan and
book their personal vacations.
There are seven agents in this split.
Calls come into this split on two line groups: the Public line group and the
Special line group. In this example, the Public line group consists of four
lines (555-1816, 555-1808, 555-1818, and 555-8515), which are advertised in
the Yellow Pages, local newspapers, and national travel magazines.
The Special line group has three lines (555-8532, 555-8518, and 555-8531),
which are reserved for valued repeat customers who may book several
trips with Bon Voyage Travel each year.
The agents in the Charter Travel split arrange trips for groups and
frequently book trips for local and national holiday clubs. There are seven
agents in this split.
Calls to this split come in on one group of lines, the Charter line group,
which consists of six numbers: 555-0911, 555-0912, 555-0913, 555-0914,
555-0915, and 555-0916. Occasionally a customer who has previously
made travel arrangements through a holiday club will call one of these
numbers to make personal travel arrangements. In such cases the agent
in the Charter split who receives the call transfers it to an agent in the
Personal Travel split. (This feature, called Transfer-to-Split, is explained in
detail later in this guide and in the CMS System Manual.)
The Corporate Travel split handles business trips for large corporations.
This split, consisting of two agents, is the main split for the Corporate line
group. The telephone numbers for the Corporate line group are 555-0917
and 555-0918.
BON VOYAGE TRAVEL’S
OTHER CALL TRAFFIC
Since both the Charter Travel split and the Corporate Travel split handle
group trips, the Corporate Travel split serves as a secondary split (a
backup split) to handle call overflow from the Charter Travel split.
Likewise, the Charter Travel split backs up the Corporate Travel split
during peak calling hours.
The number of agents available for CMS calls in Bon Voyage Travel’s
fourth split, the Support split, varies according to the incoming call traffic.
The employees who staff this split have primary responsibilities that do
not involve CMS—such as bookkeeping, advertising, and trip packaging.
But since these people have some experience as travel agents, they are
often asked to back up the Personal Travel split when call traffic is heavy
on the lines in the Public line group.
That is, the Support split becomes a
secondary split covering the Public line group.
People assigned to the Support split are often away from their desks, so
calls coming into the Support split on the Public lines ring at all phones in
the split. Then the Support person who is free to answer the call can pick
up the nearest voice terminal. (This feature, called All-Ring operation, is
explained in more detail later in this guide and in the CMS System
Manual.)
All of Bon Voyage Travel’s phones and outside telephone lines are part of the
agency’s MERLIN II Communications System, but some phones and outside
lines are not assigned to the Call Management System. They operate outside
of CMS.
2-6 A Typical CMS Application
Agents and nonagents use lines not assigned to CMS for all outgoing calls and
nonrevenue producing incoming calls. Because this guide focuses on
planning CMS, it refers to the components of Bon Voyage Travel’s MERLIN II
system that are not assigned to CMS only when necessary to clarify some
point about CMS planning and operation.
CMS AND OTHER
BUSINESSES
Bon Voyage Travel’s line groups and agent splits are typical for a travel
agency. Other businesses would have other names for their line groups and
splits. For example, a wholesale distributor might have line groups and splits
for inside sales and customer service (such as order tracking), while a bank
may have line groups and splits dedicated to specific types of loans and
customer services (credit card and billing inquiries). A brokerage firm may
have line groups and splits for stock quotes and customer orders.
A Typical CMS Application 2-7
Key Facts and Considerations
Key facts and considerations concerning proper CMS installation,
administration, and operation are emphasized throughout this guide.
However, as a quick reference, the most fundamental CMS requirements are
listed below. You may need to refer to either the CMS Planning Guide or the
CMS Installation and Getting Started Guide for more information on some
items presented in the checklist.
SYSTEM
CONSIDERATIONS
This version of CMS is designed to work solely with the MERLIN II
Communications System with Feature Module 2.
CMS will work on either the AT&T PC 6300 or the AT&T PC 6300 WGS,
operating under MS-DOS® version 3.2 or later. (The PC 6300 can also
use MS-DOS version 3.1). It is not designed to work on any other
personal computer.
The PC must have at least 512K RAM.
The CU1 and CU2 ports on the CMS PC must be attached to two
attendant ports on the same module on the MERLIN 11 system. This
module must be either a 408 or 008 analog circuit pack module.
On both of these modules, the first attendant port is the bottom jack, the
second attendant port is the fifth jack from the bottom. Both of these
jacks must be designated as attendant jacks during MERLIN II system
administration.
The CU1 and CU2 ports must have lines administered in the same order
to insure proper operation of the Voice Announcement unit.
The MERLIN II system must always be set to “large” in order for CMS to
work.
The MERLIN II system cannot be in Behind-switch mode during CMS
operation. (It can, however, operate behind a switch in standard mode).
Do not use the MERLIN II system flexible numbering feature with CMS.
SUPERVISOR’S CONSOLE
AND AGENT VOICE
TERMINALS
LINE ASSIGNMENTS
2-8 Key Facts and Considerations
The CMS supervisor can use only one type of administrator/attendant
console: the MERLIN II System Display Console.
The CMS supervisor’s MERLIN II System Display Console must be
plugged into a station attendant port on a MERLIN II system analog
circuit pack module.
Agents can use any of the MERLIN II system analog or digital voice
terminals; they cannot use the basic voice terminals.
You can assign up to 28 lines to CMS, using any block
MERLIN II system from 1 to 56. If you want all of the
button appearances, use only line 1 through 32.
Do not mix CMS line or line pool assignments in with non-CMS line or
line pool assignments.
The line assignments for the CMS PC and the order in which they are
assigned at both CU1 and CU2 attendant ports, must be exactly the same.
Do not mix CMS lines covered by different splits in the same pool.
of line ports on the
lines to have line
All CMS lines must have the MERLIN II system ringing option feature set
for No Ring (at the main
attendant console).
STATION ASSIGNMENTS
LINE GROUP AND AGENT
SPLIT CONSIDERATIONS
Each line of a line group
assigned to an agent
must be assigned to the
agent’s voice terminal.
CMS agent stations can be assigned any block
of stations on the MERLIN
II system from 10 through 69. Keep in-mind that only 28 stations can be
operational at one time.
CMS uses only the default intercom numbers assigned to the MERLIN II
system (10 through 69).
CMS can have up to six shift configurations.
Each shift configuration can have up to four line groups and up to six
agent splits.
Each line group may have one and only one main split assigned to it.
Line groups do not require secondary splits.
An agent split may be designated the main split for one, more than one,
or all line groups.
An agent split may be designated the secondary split for one, more than
one, or all line groups.
An agent split assigned as the main split to one or more line groups can
also be assigned as the secondary split to one or more additional line
groups.
EXTERNAL ALERTS
OTHER
CONSIDERATIONS
Up to four wall-mounted alerts can be used with CMS. They are
connected to line jacks on the MERLIN II system control unit, and
administered to light up when thresholds set by the administrator are
exceeded. The line jacks used for alerts are in addition to the maximum of
28 lines that can be assigned to CMS. (For example, if all 28 outside lines
were assigned, the line button numbers for four alerts would be 29, 30, 31
and 32).
Do not use flexible numbering with CMS.
If you are going to use flexible numbering with non-CMS portions of your
MERLIN II system, do not press
[ InitSp ] (initialize space) when
administering the MERLIN II system. Instead, use block or single
renumbering. (For more information, see “Perform Flexible Numbering” in
Section 4 of the MERLIN II System Installation and Administration Manual).
Key Facts and Considerations 2-9
Overview
If you are already familiar with this information from reading the MERLIN II
Communications System Installation and Getting Started Guide for the Call
Management System, skip over this section of the manual, and continue with
Section 4, “Administering CMS.”
The personal computer is an integral part of CMS. Two types of personal
computers work with CMS: The 6300 WGS (Work Group Station) and the
PC 6300. By using the CMS menus and screens and entering data into your
computer, you can ensure that your CMS is working smoothly and that your
statistics are accurate. The instructions in this manual refer to the 6300 WGS
and its keyboard. This section of the manual helps you to use your computer
to begin CMS operation.
The information in this section is organized as follows:
UPGRADE
INFORMATION
● Duplicating the CMS Diskette.
Describes how to make a working copy of
the CMS diskette.
● Installing the CMS Software.
Describes how to copy the CMS program
onto the PC hard disk, start up the CMS program automatically, and set
the time and date on your PC.
● Your PC with CMS. Describes how to use CMS screens, enter and
edit data, and access help screens.
This version of CMS is designed to work with both the AT&T PC 6300 and
AT&T 6300 WCS, operating under MS-DOS version 3.2 or later. (The PC 6300
can also use MS-DOS version 3.1). It is not designed to work with any other
personal computer.
CMS Enhancements
Some of enhancements to the previous CMS release include:
● Assigning up to 28 agents into one split
● Administering an automatic after-call-work state (Auto ACW)
● Changing agents’ work states from the PC (Supervisory Login/Logout)
● Generating cumulative reports
● Generating reports while CMS is managing calls
● Using updated and improved help screens
● Viewing color screens (if you have a color monitor)
● Using headset adapters for hands-free operation
● Utilizing external alerts to help you keep the system functioning efficiently
You are making a new beginning when you install CMS to work with the
MERLIN II Communications System with Feature Module 2. Earlier CMS
versions are not designed to work with this latest MERLIN II system, nor can
the administered information in them be transferred to the new CMS. (For
more information, see the CMS Planning Guide for the MERLIN II
Communications System with Feature Module 2.)
Overview 3-1
Software Considerations
This CMS release is available on both a single 3 and 1/2 inch disk (to be used
with the 6300 WGS) and on two 5 1/4 inch disks (to be used with either the
6300 WGS or the PC 6300). Previous releases of CMS were on a single 5 1/4
inch disk.
New copy and installation procedures for both types of disks are described in
this section.
IMPORTANT: Before installing the new Call Management System, you
must delete all existing files from the CMSMGMT and CMSREPT
directories of your earlier version of CMS. See “Step 4. Installing
Your Software” in the Installation and Getting Started Guide for more
information.
Once CMS is installed, the agent directories, line and station number
assignments, thresholds, exceptions and other information must be entered
into the new CMS from the keyboard.
Hardware Considerations
If you have been using an AT&T PC 6300 to manage CMS (or have purchased
an AT&T 6300 WGS) and you have MERLIN II System Console to be used as
an administrator attendant, you don’t require any more hardware. If using
the PC 6300, make sure it has at least 512K RAM. If using the 6300 WGS,
make sure it has the VDC 400 installed (not the VDC 750).
If you have an older version of CMS and have used a PC 6300 PLUS with it,
you can remove the CMS expansion card and put it in the PC you will use
with the new system.
You can use the same the voice announcement unit with the new CMS that
you were using with your earlier version of CMS. You should, however, use
the AT&T 473 printer.
The instructions in this manual refer to the 6300 WGS keyboard. However,
the function, tab, shift, cursor directional, backspace, and enter keys function
the same way on the PC 6300 keyboard. Only the key locations are different
for each keyboard.
You can find keyboard illustrations in the Quick Reference Guide to Your PC
Keyboard in Section 10 of this manual. You may want to make a copy the
Quick Reference Guide to Your PC Keyboard and keep it handy.
3-2 Overview
Duplicating the CMS Diskette Duplicate
To protect your original CMS diskettes from damage or wear, make duplicates
on the blank diskettes packaged with your software. Then you can store the
originals in a safe place in case you need them later.
You’ll need the following to make the duplicate:
● Your PC
● The original CMS diskettes, labeled “Call Management System for the
MERLIN II CS,” and stored in the cardboard sleeve at the back of the
manual. These are either:
3 1/2 inch diskette
or
Two 5 1/4 inch floppy diskettes (labeled “1 of 2“ and “2 of 2“ )
● Blank diskettes appropriate for your PC:
One blank 3 1/2 inch diskette (on which to copy the 6300 WGS CMS
diskette)
or
Two 5 1/4 inch diskettes (on which to copy the PC 63005 1/4 inch
diskettes)
DUPLICATING THE CMS
DISKETTE
NOTE: Be certain that the diskettes you will use to duplicate the CMS
diskettes do not have files on them that you want to keep. All files on
the duplicate diskettes will be overwritten when you copy the CMS
diskettes.
In order to make a duplicate of the CMS diskettes, the MS-DOS® system
program (including the “diskcopy” command) should be on your hard disk.
If you need to install the MS-DOS system program, use the MS-DOS diskette
labeled “MS-DOS/GW BASIC System Diskette” and follow the directions in
the guide that comes with that diskette.
Also you should set your PC for the correct date and time. For directions, see
the user’s guide for the 6300 WGS or follow the instructions under “Setting
the Time and Date” later in this section.
make a duplicate copy of the original CMS diskette, do as follows:
To
1
Turn on the PC.
2
When the C> prompt appears, type:
diskcopy a: a:
and press [ ↵ ] .
This message then appears:
Insert SOURCE diskette in drive A:
Strike any key when ready . . .
NOTE: PC responses may be slightly different from the ones printed here,
depending on the version of the MS-DOS program that you are using.
Insert the original CMS diskette, labeled “Call Management System for the
3
MERLIN II CS,” into drive A. This diskette is the “source” diskette, the
diskette that contains the information being copied.
Duplicating the CMS Diskette Duplicate 3-3
When inserting the diskette, the label of the diskette should face upwards,
and the notch in the side of the diskette (5 1/4 inch diskette) should be on
the left. When you hear a click, indicating that the diskette has been fully
inserted, press down the latch on drive A until you feel the latch lock.
NOTE: The procedure is essentially the same whether you are using the
5 1/4 inch floppies or the 3 1/2 inch diskette. However, if you are using
the 5 1/4 inch floppies, insert the diskette labeled “1 of 2“ at this first step.
4 When you are ready, press any key.
The red in-use light on disk drive A comes on while the system is reading
the source diskette.
WARNING: Do not remove a diskette from the drive while the red in-use
light is on.
When the system has read the first part of the diskette, this message is
displayed:
Insert TARGET diskette in drive A:
Strike any key when ready . . .
5 When the red in-use light on drive A is off, remove the source diskette,
insert the blank diskette, and press any key. This diskette is the “target”
diskette, the diskette on which the information is being copied. The in-
use light comes on while the system is copying the source diskette onto
the target diskette.
If the blank diskette is not formatted, the message,
Formatting While Copying
appears on the screen.
NOTE: Depending on the amount of memory on your PC, the system may
prompt you to swap diskettes during diskcopy.
When the copying process is finished, you see:
Copying complete
Copy another diskette (Y/N)?
6 If you are using the 3 1/2 inch diskette, type n. You don’t need to press
[ ↵ ] .
If you are copying the 5 1/4 inch diskettes, type y. Then insert the second
diskette (labeled “2 of 2“ ). (After it has been completely copied, type n
and go on to the next step).
7 When the C> prompt appears, remove the duplicate diskette, prepare an
appropriate label, such as “CMS Duplicate Copy,” and apply the label to
the diskette.
NOTE: Label the 5 1/4 inch diskettes “CMS Duplicate Copy 1” and “CMS
Duplicate Copy 2,” respectively.
8 Store each original diskette in a safe place.
You are now ready to install the CMS software.
3-4 Duplicating the CMS Diskette Duplicate
Installing the CMS Software
Perform the following software installation procedures the first time you
install the CMS software or if errors occur that you cannot fix and you need
to begin again.
required for CMS operations onto the PC hard disk.
When you are finished, the system has copied the programs
INSTALLING THE
SOFTWARE
To install the software do the following:
1
If the A> prompt does not appear on your screen, type
a:
and press [ ↵ ] .
The A> prompt should then appear on your screen.
2
Insert the duplicate copy of the CMS software into drive A. (If using the
5 1/4 inch floppies, use the diskette you’ve labeled “1 of 2”)
Type
3
cmsinstall
and then press [ ↵ ] .
The following message appears in the upper portion of the screen:
❈❈❈❈
Call Management System for the MERLIN CS
❈❈❈❈
Installation Procedure
This message remains on the screen throughout the installation procedure.
Additional messages appear in the lower area of the screen.
If the system has less then 51X RAM (memory), the following error
message appears:
❈❈❈❈
Insufficient System Memory for CMS
A Minimum of 512K System Memory is Required
Increase System Memory and Repeat Installation
If this message appears, you must upgrade your system by increasing its
RAM to a minimum of 512K before you can continue the installation
procedure.
4
While the installation procedure is in progress, the following message
usually appears on your screen:
❈❈❈❈
Installation Now In Progress. Please Wait...
If you are using the first of the two 5 1/4 inch diskettes and the installation
is error-free, the installation procedure will stop when the first diskette
has been completely copied onto the system. When this happens, the
following request for the second diskette will be displayed:
❈❈❈❈
Insert Floppy #2. Press Enter to Continue.
Remove the first diskette, insert the second disk, and press [ ↵ ] to
continue with the installation.
Installing the CMS Software 3-5
However, there are other ways in which the installation procedure could
be interrupted:
If there are errors on your CMS duplicate copy that prevent the
installation program from continuing, the following message appears
on your screen:
❈❈❈❈
Error on Installation Floppy Disk
Try Installation from another Floppy
Discard the CMS duplicate copy, make another duplicate copy using
the original CMS diskette, and then begin the CMS installation
procedure again.
Also, there may be insufficient storage space on the hard disk for new
information. In that case you will see the following message on your
screen:
❈❈❈❈
Insufficient Disk Space for CMS.
An additional xxxK is required.
Delete Old Files and Try Installation Again.
Your PC should be dedicated entirely to CMS operation; non-CMS
files should be cleared from the hard disk. If you need directions on
using the MS-DOS “del” (delete) and “dir” (directory) commands to
delete files, see the user’s guide that comes with the MS-DOS
diskette.
5 Once the installation program has copied all the CMS programs and files
onto the hard disk, the final installation message appears on your screen:
❈❈❈❈
Call Management System Successfully Installed
When this message appears, the program returns control to MS-DOS and
the A> prompt appears.
6 Return to the C> prompt by typing
c:
and press [ ↵ ] .
7 Remove the CMS duplicate copy from the disk drive and store it in a safe
place.
Starting the CMS Program Automatically
If you are using your PC exclusively for CMS, you may want the CMS
program to start automatically each time you turn on the PC. For this
purpose, you must have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that includes the
appropriate commands. Then, whenever you turn on your PC, the CMS
Menu will appear.
3-6 Installing the CMS Software
For information on setting up or adding to an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, see the
user’s guide that comes with the MS-DOS diskette.
In order to set up or add to this file on your PC you need to use a text editor.
Use either EDLIN, the MS-DOS line editor, or another text editor you are
familiar with.
The following are the commands you need in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to
start CMS automatically:
cd cms
cms
If your hard disk does not have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you can use EDLIN
(the MS-DOS line editor) to create one for the cms commands as follows:
1 At the C> prompt, type cd , then press
2 Type edlin autoexec.bat , then press
3 At the
4 At the 1: prompt, type
5 At the 2: prompt, type cms , then press [ ↵ ] .
6 At the 3: prompt, hold down the [ Ctrl ] and
[ ↵ ] .
7 At the
You should now be at the C> .
Setting the Time and Date
The date and time are important parts of your daily CMS statistics and must
be represented correctly on your PC screen. When you have set up your PC
and copied the MS-DOS program onto the hard disk, the system prompts
you to check the date and the time to be displayed on the screen. If either is
not correct, follow the procedures below. (When in CMS, you can check the
time and date by looking at the right-hand corner of any CMS Menu screen).
❈
prompt, type i ,
❈
❈
❈
❈
prompt, type e , then press [ ↵ ] .
then press
cd cms , then press [ ↵ ] .
[ ↵ ] .
[ ↵ ] .
[ ↵ ] .
[ z ] keys together, then press
SET THE DATE
NOTE: The date must be changed at the beginning of each year, and
the time must be adjusted for daylight savings time.
To check or change the date on your PC, do as follows:
1 When the C> prompt appears, type
date
and press [ ↵ ] .
The following message appears on your screen:
Current date is Wed 4-07-1987
Enter new date: (mm-dd-yy)
2 If the date is correct, press [ ↵ ] .
If the date is incorrect, type in the correct date (for example, 4-08-1987)
and press
[ ↵ ] .
Installing the CMS Software 3-7
SET THE TIME
To check or change the time on your PC, do as follows:
1 When the C> prompt appears, type
time
and press [ ↵ ] .
Current time is 0:01:30.00
Enter new time:
The following message appears on your screen:
2 If the time is correct, press [ ↵ ] .
If the time is incorrect, type in the correct hour and minute (for example,
9:03 ) and press
[ ↵ ] .
MS-DOS works on the basis of a 24-hour clock, so
if you want to enter the time as 2:30 p.m. you must type 14:30.
MS-DOS keeps track of the seconds and hundredths of seconds for you.
3-8 Installing the CMS Software
Using Your PC with CMS
This section describes the format of CMS screens, entering and editing data,
and accessing help screens. If you have questions about MS-DOS, the layout
of your keyboard, or other information about your 6300 WGS, refer to the
manuals that accompanied it.
SCREEN FORMATS
The following screen shows a typical CMS screen format:
1
Bon Voyage Travel
❍
AGENT SPLITS
SplitPos ID
1 PERS
2
❍
2 CHART
Configuration #1 - DAILY
3 You can not cancel this prompt.
❍
4 CLEAR CONFIG: Are You Sure? (Y/N):
❍
5 F
Cancel
❍
1 Prompt
AgentAgent
16 TOM
17 CLIFF
19 ERNIE
21 DEB
23 BOB
24 SHERM
25 WALT
27 BEN
28 SAM
29 NORM
31 DI
32 CARLA
33 BJ
35 MAX
Split
3 CORP
4 SUPPT
5 6 -
Answer ‘Y’ or ‘N’
Pos IDGroup Lines Delay Delay ACW
37 IKE
39 TINAB SPECL
40 DIANA
42 ROND CORP
43 NANCY
Grp Main Sec Flow 1
A
B
C
D
F Previous
5
Field
ADMIN CMSIIR2
LINE GROUP OPTIONS
Num
A PUBLIC
C CHART
Splits
1 3 On
1 3 On
2 4 On 430s Off
3 - Off
F
Next
6 Field
10:51a 06/13
Answer Force Auto
4 5s
3 5sOff 10s
6 5s
2 5s
CALL FLOW
Intra Spl Thresh Ring
On 5s
Off 5 s
On 5s
Flow All
10s Off
2 5s Off
330s Off
5
30s O f f
630s Off
F Enter
8 Data
The following types of information may appear in each area of the screen.
Each number below corresponds to a number to the left of the screen.
1 ID line. The ID line contains:
Business name.
Status indicators concerning problems with the PC hard disk, the
connections between CMS and the MERLIN II system control unit, or
the connections between CMS and the voice announcement unit
and/or printer.
For information on resolving problems, see Section 9,
“Troubleshooting.”
Current CMS mode:
CMS appears when the system is first started.
DAY or NIGHT indicates calls are being managed using Day Service or
Night Service mode (explained later in this manual).
ADMIN indicates
CMS is being used for administration instead of call management.
REPT appears when you use the Print Reports screen.
CMS Release number (for example, CMSIIR2)
Time and date.
2 Information area. This area contains screen names, menus, or status
information for a particular screen.
Using Your PC with CMS 3-9
3 Error line. Three types of messages can appear in the error line:
● Error messages indicate you made an invalid entry, such as entering a
number in a field where only letters are valid.
● Exception messages indicate that one of the exception thresholds you
have set has been reached, and an unusual or undesirable situation
may be occurring,
● System messages indicate that part of CMS is malfunctioning (for
instance, the voice announcement unit is not working),
In many cases, the PC beeps when a message appears in the error line.
Exception messages and system messages remain on the screen until
another message overwrites them or until you move to another screen.
Error messages remain on the screen until you correct the error.
4 Prompt line.
after you press most function keys or in response to certain error
conditions.
When no prompt appears,
the prompt line to remind
screens.
For more information, see
5 Function keys. The labels
meaning of the function keys on your keyboard. The function key labels
depend on the screen you are viewing (except
access to a help screen). When you press a function key, usually a new
screen or a prompt appears. When a prompt appears, the function key
labels change to provide data entry functions.
Entering and Editing Data
Entering and editing data with CMS is easy. You enter data by pressing
function keys and responding to the prompts that appear on your screen.
Whenever a prompt appears, the function keys are relabeled. For example,
compare the next two screens.
the first screen, it changes as shown on the second screen, In addition to
highlighting the Line Group area, the function keys provide the options listed
for the line groups. If you were to choose one, the prompt line would display
the fields for entering and editing data for that option, and the data entry
keys would replace the Configuration screen’s function keys,
This line contains requests for your input. Prompts appear
the words
[ F10 ]
- Help
appear to the far right in
you that pressing [ F10 ] lets you access the help
“Entering and Editing Data,” in this section.
in this area of the screen tell you the current
[ F10 ] , which is always
If you press
[ F2 ] (labeled “Line Groups”) on
3-10 Using Your PC with CMS
Bon Voyage TravelADMIN CMSIIR2
Split
1 PERS
2 CHART
aGENT SPLITS
Agent
Pos ID
l6 TOM
17 CLIFF39 TINA
19 ERNIE
21 DEB
23 BOB
24 SHERM
25 WALT 6 27 BEN
28 SAM
29 NORM
31 DIA 1 3 On
32 CARLA
33 BJC 2 4 On4
35 MAXD3-
Split
3 CORP
4 SUPPT
5 -
Agent
Pos ID
37 IKEA PUBLIC 4
49 DIANA
42 ROND CORP 2
43 NANCY
Grp Main Sec Flow110s Off
B 1 3 On3
LINE GROUP OPTIONS
N
Group Lines Delay Delay ACW
B SPECL 3
C CHART 6
UM Answer Force Auto
5s On 5s
5s Off 10s
5s Off 5s
5s On 5s
CALL FLOW
Splits IntraSpl Thresh Ring
Off 5
Configuration #l - DAILY
F Splits
1
F Line
2 Groups
F Call
3 Flow
F Clear
5 Config
F Config
7 List
ll:00a 06/0l
Flow All
5s Off
2
30s Off
30s Off
30s Off
6 30s Off
F10 - Help
F Admin
8 Menu
ENTERING DATA AT
PROMPTS
Bon Voyage TravelADMIN CMSIIR2
Split Pos ID
Agent
1 PERS16 TOM
17 CLIFF
19 ERNIE
21 DEB
23 BOB
24 SHERM
25 WALT
2 CHART
27 BEN
28 SAM
29 NORM
31 DI
32 CARLA
33 BJ
35 MAX
AGENT SPLITS
Split
3 CORP
4 SUPPT
5 6 -
Agent
Pos ID
37 IKE
39 TINA
40 DIANA
42 RON
43 NANCY
Grp Main Sec Flow 1
A 1 3 On 2
B 1 3 On 3
C 2 4 On
D3-
LINE GROUP OPTIONS
Num Answer Force Auto
Group Lines Delay Delay ACW
A PUBLIC 4
B SPECL 3
C CHART 6
D CORP 2
CALL FLOW
Splits Intra
Off
3:56p 06/02
5s On
Off 10s
5s
5sOff 5s
5s On
Flow All
Spl Thresh Ring
l0s Off
5s Off
30s Off
4
30s Off
30s Off
5
630s Off
Configuration #l - DAILY
F10 - Help
F
Answer
1 Delay
F Force
2 Delay
F Auto
3 ACW
F Config
7 Screen
Instructions on entering data in prompts are usually presented as follows:
Prompt:
The CMS prompt on your screen appears here in a special
typeface. For instance:
5s
5s
SELECT CONFIGURATION Config #_
Using Your PC with CMS
3-11
Action:
Your instructions for entering data in response to the prompt
appear here. For instance:
1 Enter a configuration number.
MOVING THE CURSOR
2 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled Enter Data).
Many CMS prompts contain several empty fields, as in the following
example:
ADD AGENT: Last Name:
First:
ID:
When a prompt appears, the cursor is positioned at the beginning of the first
field. Use these keys to move the cursor within a prompt:
PressTo move
[ F5 ] (labeled Previous Field)To the beginning of the
or
[ SHIFT ] - [ > ]
<
(both
previous field.
keys at once)
[ F6 ] (labeled Next Field on
your screen) or
<
[ > ]
To the beginning of the
next field.
(the tab key)
[ > ] (the right arrow keyone character to the
located on the numeric
keypad on your
right. This key does not
work in a blank field.
keyboard)
ENTERING DATA
[ < ] (the backspace key) or
[ < ] (the left arrow key
on the numeric
One character to the left.
This key does not work
in a blank field.
keypad)
Follow these guidelines when completing the fields in a prompt:
You may use uppercase or lowercase letters in your entries. In the
examples in this manual, entries are usually shown lowercase. On your
screen, almost all entries appear as uppercase, even if you typed
lowercase letters.
Some field entries can be numbers or special characters. In some fields,
such as the Business Name, you indicate spaces with an underscore.
[ F8 ] (labeled Enter Data) or [ ↵ ] when you finish typing your
Press
response.
cursor can be in any field when you press
in this manual usually tell you to press
prompt. You may press either
This tells the PC to process the data you have entered. The
[ F8 ] or [ ↵ ] . The instructions
[ F8 ] after your last entry in a
[ F8 ] or [ ↵ ] , however.
3-12 Using Your PC with CMS
●
Your PC beeps and an error message appears if you skip a required field
in a prompt and press
[ F8 ] or [ ↵ ] .
EDITING DATA
Important: To cancel any prompt, press
[ DELETE ] . Any data you entered in the prompt fields is ignored, the
or
[ F1 ] (labeled Cancel Prompt)
prompt disappears, and the function key labels change from editing
labels to the labels for the particular CMS screen.
To
change a character in a field:
●
Move the cursor to the incorrect character and simply type another
character over it.
To
add characters at the end of an entry:
●
To
●
[ > ] after the last character and type additional characters.
Press
insert characters in an entry:
Move the cursor to the first character you want to change and retype the
entire entry from that character onward.
You cannot use
[ INSERT ]
a character between other characters.
replace a long entry with a shorter one:
To
●
Type over any characters you want to change, then Press
,
[ SPACE ] (the
space bar) after the last character of the new entry. The remaining
characters in the previous entry disappear. For example, to change
“Joseph” to “Joe”, move the cursor to “s”,
type “e
",
and press
[ SPACE ]
The letters “eph” disappear.
to insert
.
USING THE HELP
SCREENS
You can press
screen and its prompts.
[ F10 ] on any screen to receive more information about that
To exit a help screen and return to your previous
place, press any key. If you press a function key to exit a help screen, you
will exit help and then perform the function of that particular function key.
Using Your PC with CMS 3-13
Overview
The starting point for administration is the Administration Menu, shown
below. You can get to it from the CMS Menu and from several other screens.
Bon Voyage TravelADMIN CMSIIR2
Administration Menu
F1 Build/Edit Shift Configurations
F2 Build Agent Directory (Names and IDs)
F3 Administer Lines and Line Groups
F5 Set Options
F6 Select Exception Thresholds to be Monitored
F8 Exit From the Administration Module
SELECT ADMINISTRATION FUNCTION
F Config
1 List
F Agent
2 Directry
F
F Lines/
3 Groups5 Options
Set
F Select
6 Exceptions
10:36a 06/13
F10 - Help
F
8 Admin
As the list in the information area of the screen suggests, administration
involves a variety of tasks. A brief explanation follows:
Building crediting Shift Configurations. Assign CMS agents to agent
splits and assign agent splits to cover line groups.
Exit
Assigning Agent IDs.
Identify the CMS agents in your business.
Administering Lines and Line Groups. Identify your CMS telephone
lines and assign them to line groups.
Setting Options.
Tailor CMS for your business by defining your business
name, service threshold, abandoned call threshold, and message length.
You can also set your PC to beep whenever an unusual or undesirable
situation occurs.
Selecting Exceptions.
Select the exceptions (such as talk time and refused
calls) that are appropriate for your business.
Backing Up Shift Configurations. Make a backup copy of your shift
configurations in case you need to restore your system. (See “Backing Up
Shift Configurations”
near the end of this section).
If you are administering a newly installed CMS that as yet has no shift
configurations, go to the CMS Installation and Getting Started Guide that
came with this manual, and follow the procedures for building an initial shift
configuration to begin managing calls. If you are building additional
configurations or changing established configurations, review “ Key Facts and
Considerations” at the end of Section 2, then go on to the next heading in
this section,
Figure 4-1, “A map for CMS administration
interrelationships among the administration
“Getting Started.”
screens,” shows the
screens you’ll be using.
Overview 4-1
FIGURE 4-1 A map of CMS administration screens.
CMS MENU
STORED SHIFT
CONFIGURATIONS
CONFIGURATION
AGENT
SPLITS
GROUPS
FLOW
START CALL
MANAGEMENT
DIRECTORY
LINE
CALL
AGENT
ADMINISTRATION
MENU
ADMINISTER LINES
AND LINE GROUPS
PRINT
REPORTS
SET
OPTIONS
SERVICE
LEVEL
ABANDON
THRESHOLD
ALARM
ON/OFF
DELAY MSG
LENGTH
BUSINESS
NAME
ADMINISTER
EXCEPTIONS
AGENT
EXEPTIONS
SPLIT
EXCEPTIONS
LINE GROUP
EXCEPTIONS
ASSIGN
ALERTS
4-2 Overview
Getting Started
These procedures describe turning on the PC and selecting an administration
activity from the Administration Menu.
and Considerations” at the end of Section 2 before
You may want to review “Key Facts
administering
CMS.
START
CMS
ADMINISTERING
To start administering CMS follow these steps:
1 Turn on your PC.
If you use an AUTOEXEC.BAT file to automatically start the CMS
program, the CMS Menu appears. Go to step 4. (For information on
creating an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, refer to “Starting the CMS Program
Automatically” in Section 3.)
If the A> prompt appears instead of the C> prompt, type c: and press
[ ↵ ] to change to disk drive C.
2 When the
C> prompt appears, type
cd cms
and press [ ↵ ] .
3 When C> reappears, type
cms
and press [ ↵ ] ,
This starts the CMS program.
The CMS Main Menu, shown below, appears.
Bon Voyage Travel
CMS CMSIIR22:03p 06/27
F Start
1
CALLMGT
CALL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS)
FOR THE MERLING(r) II CS
(c) 1986, 1987, 1988 by AT&T
MAIN MENU
Start Call Management
F1 -
Administer CMS
F4 -
(Agents, Lines, Configurations>
Print Reports
F5 -
F8 -
Exit to DOS
F Admin
4
CMS
F Print
5 Reports
F10 - Help
F
Exit
8 to DOS
Getting Started 4-3
4 Press [ F4 ] (labeled “Admin CMS” ) to begin administering CMS.
The Administration Menu screen, shown below, appears.
Bon Voyage Travel
F1 Build/Edit Shift Configurations
F2 Build Algent Directory (Names and IDs)
F3 Administer Lines and Line Groups
F5 Set Options
F6 Select Exception Thresholds to be Monitored
F8 Exit From the Administration Module
F
Config
F
1 List 2 Directry 3 Groups
Agent
F
Lines/
Administration Menu
SELECT ADMINISTRATION FUNCTION
F Set F Select
5 Options 6 Exceptions
ADMIN CMSIIR2
10:36a 06/13
F10 - Help
F
Exit
8 Admin
5 Press the function key for the administration activity you want to perform.
6 Turn to the corresponding instructions in this part of the manual.
4-4 Getting Started
Building or Editing Shift Configurations
A shift configuration is an arrangement of line groups and agent splits for
managing calls. Before CMS can operate, you must build at least one shift
configuration.
different calling patterns in your business. If you do not name the
configurations when you begin to build them, the system supplies the default
name of “Configx,” where x is the number of the configuration (1 - 6). We
recommend, however, that you name the configurations so that their identity
is meaningful for your business.
You can build as many as six configurations to handle
For instance, a business may require these
● Shift 1
● Shift 2
● Night
● Weekend
configurations:
In this example shift 1 and shift 2 configurations are for the two weekday
shifts of agents. The night configuration is for calls after business hours that
are answered at a central answering position, such as a guard’s desk. The
weekend configuration is for weekends and holidays.
NOTE: Night Service mode is different from a night configuration.
During Night Service, CMS connects all incoming calls to a message
and automatically disconnects the calls when the message is over. For
more information, see “Selecting Day or Night Service” in Section 5.
In a shift configuration, splits are assigned to line groups as main splits and
secondary splits.
A main split has primary responsibility for answering calls
for a line group (or line groups). A secondary split answers calls for a line
group only if the main split for that line group has no available agents. This
is called intraflow. (Intraflow is described in more detail in “Administering
Call Flow.”)
In the shift 1 configuration for Bon Voyage Travel, main splits and secondary
splits are assigned like this:
Line group
Public line
group
Special line
group
Charter line
group
Corporate line
Main split
Personal Travel
split
Personal Travel
split
Charter Travel
split
Corporate
Secondary split
Support split
None
Corporate
Travel split
Charter Travel
groupTravel splitSplit
Building or Editing Shift Configurations 4-5
Administering shift configurations begins with the Stored Shift Configurations
screen shown below. Pressing
[ F1 ] (labeled “Config List” ) from the
Administration Menu screen selects this screen.
Bon Voyage Travel
STORED SHIFT CONFIGURATIONS
1234 - EVENING
5- UNUSED
6-
F
Select
F
Save
1 Config 2 Config 3 Config 4 Startup
F
Rename
F
Choose
DAILY
WEEKEND
NIGHT
UNUSED
ADMIN CMSIIR210:38a 06/13
F10 - Help
F
Config
7 Screen 8 Menu
F
This section describes the following activities you can perform from the
Stored Shift Configurations screen:
Edit a Shift Configuration.
Create a new shift configuration or change an
existing one.
Admin
USE THE STORED SHIFT
CONFIGURATIONS
SCREEN
Save an Edited Configuration.
Store the shift configuration that was last
edited.
Rename a Shift Configuration.
Select a Startup Configuration.
Name or rename a shift configuration.
Select one of your shift configurations to
be invoked automatically during the startup procedure.
Return to Other Screens. If you press
[ F7 ] (labeled “Config Screen” ), you
return to the Configuration Screen, which displays the configuration you
last selected. (That configuration name is shown in reverse video on the
Stored Shift Configurations screen.) If you press
[ F8 ] , (labeled “Admin
Menu” on a shift configuration screen) you return to the Administration
Menu.
use the Stored Shift Configurations screen, do the following:
To
Press the function key for the activity you want to perform.
Perform the activity using the instructions on the following pages.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Menu” ) to return to the Admin Menu when
Press
you are through administering configurations.
4-6 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
Editing a Shift Configuration
This section describes how to build a new shift configuration or change an
existing one. Your CMS will not manage calls while you are using these
procedures.
“Dynamic Reconfiguration” in Section 5.
Building a shift configuration involves these activities:
● Assigning agents to splits
● Administering call flow (assigning main and secondary splits,
administering intraflow, and if you want, designating All-Ring operation
for some splits)
● Administering line group options: Answer Delay (the number of seconds
a call rings before CMS answers it), Force Delay (forces all calls in the line
group to hear the entire recorded message before being connected to an
agent), and Auto ACW (the number of seconds after a completed call that
an agent is automatically in the after-call-work state)
Before you can create or change a shift configuration, you have to identify
your lines and line groups using the procedures under the heading
“Administering Lines and Line Groups” later in this section of the manual.
Turn to those instructions now if you have not already completed that part of
administration.
To edit an active shift configuration, follow the instructions in
BUILD OR EDIT A SHIFT
CONFIGURATION
Refer to the CMS Agent Split Planning Form you created in the MERLIN
Communications System Planning Guide for the (Call Management System to see
how you planned to assign your splits to your line groups.
To build or edit a shift configuration follow these steps:
1 Press
[ F1 ] (labeled “Select Config” ) on the Stored Shift Configurations
screen.
2 Respond to the prompt
SELECT CONFIGURATION: Config #: _
by entering a configuration number 1 through 6.
3 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data“).
The Configuration screen appears with the shift configuration you
selected. The example that follows shows how the Configuration screen
looks when a configuration that has already been built is selected.
Building or Editing Shift Configurations 4-7
Bon Voyage Travel
AGENT SPLITS
Split
1 PERS
2 CHART
Configuration #1 - DAILY
Agent
Pos ID
16 TOM
17 CLIFF
19 ERNIE
21 DEB
23 BOB
24 SHERM
25 WALT
27 BEN
28 SAM
29 NORM
31 DI
32 CARLA
33 BJ
35 MAX
Split
3 CORP
4 SUPPT
ADMIN CMSIIR2
Agent
Pos ID
37 IKE
39 TINA
49 DIANA
42 ROND CORP 2
43 NANCY
Group Lines Delay Delay ACW
A PUBLIC 45s On 5s
B SPECL 3
C CHART 6
Splits Intra Spl Thresh Ring
Grp Main Sec Flow 110s Off
A 1 3 On
B 1 3 On
C 2 4 On
D3-Off 530s Off
11:00a 06/01
LINE GROUP OPTIONS
Num Answer Force Auto
5sOff10s
5s
Off 5s
5s On
CALL FLOW
Flow All
25s Off
3
30s Off
430s Off
630s Off
5s
F Splits F Line F Call
1 2 Groups 3 Flow
F Clear
5 Config
F Config F Admin
7
F10 - Help
List
8
Menu
If you are editing a configuration that you built earlier, go to step4.
If you are building a new configuration, note that all areas on the screen
involving splits are either blank or display hyphens. The defaults for the
system are also displayed.
Study the following initial settings that are supplied for a new
configuration and determine which, if any, you want to change.
Answer delay is set to 5 seconds.
Force delay is turned off.
Automatic after-call-work is set to O seconds (off).
Split numbers 1 through 6 are displayed in the Agent Splits area.
Intraflow thresholds are set to 30 seconds.
Intraflow is turned off.
Main and secondary splits are unassigned (indicated by hyphens).
All-Ring is turned off.
4 Select the activity you want to perform from the following list and turn to
the instructions. If you are building your first configuration, your must
perform the first two activities.
4-8 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
Administering Splits.Add, move, or remove agents in the splits in a
configuration.
Administering Call Flow. Assign splits to groups, set intraflow
thresholds, turn intraflow on or off, and designate splits for Ail-Ring
Operation (optional).
Administering Line Group Options. Program how you want CMS to
control answering calls.
Administering Splits
Clearing a Configuration.
Delete the contents of a configuration.
Returning to Other Screens. Return to the Stored Shift
Configurations screen and save the configuration you just built or
edited, Return to the Admin Menu and select another administration
activity.
The list of agents you created on the Agent Directory screen is your master list
of agents. Any of the agents on the master list can be assigned to splits,
Pressing
[ F1 ] (labeled “Splits”) from the Configuration screen selects the
Configure Splits screen, shown below. If you are building a new
configuration, first use
[ F1 ] (labeled “Add Agent”) to identify which of the
agents listed in the agent directory will be active in this configuration. Then
[ F6 ] (labeled “Change Split ID”) to assign an ID to each split,
use
Bon Voyage Travel
AGENT SPLITS
Split
1 PERS
Agent
Pos ID
16 TOM
17 CLIFF
19 ERNIE
21 DEB
23 BOB
24 SHERM
25 WALT
-
2 CHART27 BEN
28 SAM
29 NORM
31 DI
32 CARLA
33 BJ
35 MAX
Configuration #1 - DAILY
Split
3 CORP
4 SUPPT
56-
Agent
Pos ID
37 IKE
39 TINA
40 DIANA
42 RON
43 NANCY
Grp Main Sec Flow
A 1 3 On
B 1 3 On
C 2 4 On
D3-Off 5
ADMIN CMSIIR2
10:48a 06/13
LINE GROUP OPTIONS
Group Lines Delay Delay ACW
A PUBLIC 45s On5s
B SPECL 35s
C CHART 65sOff 5s
D CORP 2
Num Answer Force Auto
Off 10s
5s On
CALL FLOW
Splits Intra
Flow All
Spl Thresh Ring
10s Off
1
2
3
430s Off
630s Off
5s Off
30s O ff
30s Off
5s
F
Add
1
Agent
F
Remove
2
Agent
F
Move
3
Agent
F
Replace
4
F
Agent
5
New
F
Agent
6
Change
Split ID
F
7
Config
F1O - Help
F
Screen
Agent
8
Directry
Building or Editing Shift Configurations 4-9
ADMINISTER SPLITSTo administer splits, press the function key for the activity you want to
perform:
[ F1 ] Add Agent. Use this function key to assign an agent to a split. The
agent must already be listed on the Agent Directory screen. A split may have
up to 28 agents.
Prompt:
Action:
ADD AGENT: ID:
Pos # : Split #:
1 Enter an agent ID.
2 Enter a position number (a MERLIN II system default intercom
number), 10 through 69.
NOTES: If administered, attendant numbers are 10, 14, 18, 22,
26, 30, 34, and 38. Two of these have been connected to the
PC; and another will be used by the console during CMS
administration as the CMS administration port.
Most likely, there are other circuit pack modules in the control
unit, such as the 008D (digital circuit pack) or the 012 (basic
voice terminal circuit pack). These circuit packs reduce the
number of attendant ports available for CMS.
The most probable MERLIN II system configuration would
allow for the following:
The attendant port for the MERLIN II system administrator
would be port number 10;
The attendant port for the CMS administrator would be
port number 14;
The attendant ports for CU1 and CU2 would be port
numbers 18 and 22.
Subsequent analog modules would allow for additional
attendant ports to be administered.
3 Enter a split number (1 through 6).
4 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) to save your data and return
you to the Configure Splits screen.
HINT: Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Agent Directry” ) again to return to the
Agent Directory if you need to refer to or change agent
information. Press
[ F7 ] (labeled “ Config Splits” ) on the Agent
Directory screen to return to the Configure Splits screen.
[ F2 ]
Remove Agent.
Use this function key to remove an agent from a split.
(The agent entry will still be listed on the Agent Directory screen.)
Prompt:
Action:
REMOVE AGENT: ID:
Enter an agent ID and press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
You are prompted to enter Y or N to confirm your request.
4-10 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
[ F3 ] Move Agent. Use this function key to shift an agent from one split to
another or from one position to another.
Prompt:
Action:
MOVE AGENT: ID:
New Pos #: _
1 Enter an agent ID.
2 Enter a new position number, or press
New Split #: _
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next
Field” ) to skip this field. If you skip this field, the agent keeps
the same position number.
3 Enter the number of the agent’s new split,
4 Press
[ F4 ] Replace Agent. Use this function key to substitute one agent for another
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
at a particular position.
Prompt:
Action:
REPLACE AGENT: Pos # : _
New Agent ID:
Enter the position number and the ID of the agent you want to
substitute at that position.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
Press
The agent originally assigned to that position is removed.
[ F5 ] New Agent. Use this function key to add an agent who is not already
listed on the Agent Directory screen.
The agent is simultaneously added to a
split and to the Agent Directory screen.
Prompt:
Action:
NEW AGENT: Last Name:
First:
ID:
Pos: _
1 Make entries in these fields as follows:
Split #: _
Last name: up to 12 letters, numbers, or special characters
First: up to 8 letters, numbers, or special characters
ID: up to 5 letters, numbers or special characters
Position: a 2-digit MERLIN II system intercom number (10 - 69)
Split: a number from 1 through 6
Remember, IDs must be unique.
2 Press
[ F6 ] Change Split ID. Use this function key to assignor change the ID for a
split.
Split IDs make it easier to identify splits on screens and in reports.
Each split ID must be unique.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
However, a split and a line group can have the
same ID.
Prompt:
Action:
CHANGE SPLIT ID: Split #: _ New Split ID:
1 Enter a split number from 1 through 6.
2 Enter a split ID (up to 5 letters, numbers, or special
characters).
3 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled ‘r Enter Data”).
Building or Editing Shift Configurations
4-11
[ F7 ] Config Screen.
screen.
[ F8 ] Agent Directory. Press this function key to return to the Agent Directory
screen if you need to refer to or change agent information. Press
“Config Splits” ) on the Agent Directory screen to return to the Configure
Splits screen.
Administering Line Group Options
You can administer your CMS to use any, some, or all of the following line
group options when handling incoming calls:
● Answer Delay
● Force Delay
● Automatic after-call-work (ACW)
Use this function key to return to the Configuration
[ F7 ] (labeled
ANSWER DELAY
If an agent is not available when a call first rings, CMS lets the call continue
to ring for a certain number of seconds before it answers the call and connects
it to the voice announcement unit. The number of seconds calls ring before
CMS answers them is called the answer delay. You should use CMS for a
few days before you change the answer delay from its initial setting of five
seconds.
Think of answer delay as a trade-off between the time a customer spends
listening to ringing and the time the customer spends on hold. You can set a
different answer delay value for each line group, depending on the type of
lines in the group and the amount of time the caller is likely to wait before an
agent is available.
Consider these factors when choosing an answer delay value for a line group:
●
Someone begins paying for a call as soon as CMS answers it. If calls are
likely to wait on hold before an agent is available, increasing the answer
delay value will decrease time on hold and the cost of the call.
●
You can increase the answer delay if you know callers have to wait for an
agent. Callers may be less likely to hang up if they wait longer for CMS
to answer but spend less time on hold.
To
administer Answer Delay, do the following:
From the Configuration screen, press
1
[ F2 ] (labeled “Line Groups”), A box
appears around the Line Group Options portion of the screen and the
Line Group Options function keys are displayed.
2
Press
with this prompt:
Enter a group letter (A-D).
3
4-12 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
[ F1 ] (labeled “Answer Delay”) and the editing function keys appear
ANSWER DELAY: Group Letter: _ How Many Seconds: —
4 Enter a number from 0 through 99 for the number of seconds a call is to
be delayed for that group.
The initial setting is five seconds, the approximate time from the
beginning of one ring to the beginning of the next.
5 Press [ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”). The Configuration will reappear and
the answer delay for the specified line group will be updated.
FORCE DELAY
AUTOMATIC AFTERCALL-WORK (ACW)
The force delay option controls the transfer of calls to and from the voice
announcement unit. If force delay is on, calls that arrive for a group will not
be transferred to an agent until callers have heard the entire message, even if
an agent is free. If it is off, they will be transferred to an agent as soon as
one becomes available. If answer delay is set to zero and force delay is on, all
incoming calls will connect directly to the voice announcement. This means
that calls may be waiting to hear the delay message even when agents are
available.
To administer Force Delay, do the following:
1 From the Configuration screen, press
[ F2 ] (labeled “Line Groups”). A box
appears around the Line Group Options portion of the screen and the
Line Group Options function keys are displayed.
2 Press
[ F2 ] (labeled “Force Delay”) and the Force Delay editing keys appear
with this prompt:
FORCE DELAY: Group Letter: _
3 Type in the group letter for the line group you want to administer.
4 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”). The setting will toggle automatically to
on or off, depending on the setting before you made the change. (The
initial setting is off.)
This feature provides hands-free operation and allows an agent to use an
automatic answer headset adapter.
After an agent completes a call, the
automatic after-call-work option automatically puts that agent into the ACW
state for an administered period of time. When that time has elapsed, Auto
ACW automatically makes an agent available to receive calls.
The agent remains in the ACW state for the number of seconds administered
for that line group (l-999). During the ACW period, the agent can complete
the necessary paper work related to that call and does not have to worry
about pressing the ACW or Available buttons on the voice terminal. An
agent does not need to wait for the administered time period to pass before
being available to receive the next call. An agent can manually override the
automatic ACW state by pressing the Available button on the voice terminal.
To administer for Auto ACW, do the following:
1 Press
[ F2 ] (labeled “Line Groups”) on the Configuration screen which
produces a box around the line group options portion of the screen.
2 Press
[ F3 ] (labeled “Auto ACW” ) to display the following prompt near the
bottom portion of the screen:
Prompt:
AUTOMATIC ACW: Group Letter : _ Seconds: _
Building or Editing Shift Configurations
4-13
3 Enter a group letter (A through D) for the group to be administered.
4 Enter the number of seconds (O through 999), for the number of seconds
agents are to be in the ACW state.
NOTE: “0” means the Auto ACW feature is not in effect.
5 Press
Administering Call Flow
The activities in administering call flow do the following:
● Assign a main split and an optional secondary split for each line group
● Turn intraflow on or off
● Set an intraflow threshold for each split
● Designate splits for AlI-Ring operation (optional)
A main split has primary responsibility for answering calls for a line group (or
groups). A secondary spit covers calls to a line group only if no agent in the
main split is available. lntraflow is the process of transferring waiting calls
from a main split to an available agent in the secondary split.
The intraflow threshold is the number of seconds a call in a main split must
wait before it can be sent to an available agent (if there is one) in the
secondary split. This waiting time begins when the call first rings. If calls
already in the secondary split have exceeded the intraflow threshold,
however, the secondary split will not accept intraflowed calls until the calls
waiting have been answered. For a detailed description of how and when
calls are intraflowed, see “How Intraflow Works” in this section of the
manual. Consider these points when establishing your intrafiow threshold(s):
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
● How long do you want your customers to wait for an agent in the main
split if there are agents available in your secondary split? Remember, the
waiting time starts as soon as the call begins ringing. Answering this
question helps determine a reasonable intraflow threshold for the main
split.
● If your secondary split serves as a main split for another line group, you
may not want that split to accept intraflowed calls if it is busy with its
own calls. The secondary split’s intraflow threshold determines how long
its own calls may wait before the split refuses to accept intraflowed calls.
If a secondary split is not a main split as well, you don’t need to set a
threshold for that split.
Pressing
Configure Call Flow screen shown below. All-Ring operation can also be
administered from this screen.
4-14 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
[ F3 ] (labeled “Call Flow”) on the Configuration screen selects the
Bon Voyage Travel
AGENT SPLITS
Spilt
1 PERS
2 CHART27 BEN
Configuration #1 - DAILY
AgentAgentNum Answer Force Auto
Pos ID
16 TOM
17 CLIFF39 TINAB SPECL 3 5s
19 ERNIE
21 DEB
23 BOB
24 SHERM
25 WALT
28 SAM
29 NORM
31 DI
32 CARLA
33 BJ
35 MAX
SplitPos ID
3 CORP37 IKE
4 SUPPT
5 -
6-
40 DIANAC CHART 6 5s
42 ROND CORP 2
43 NANCY
ADMIN CMSIIR2
LINE GROUP OPTIONS
Group Lines Delay Delay ACW
A PUBLIC 4 5s
CALL FLOW
Splits Intra Spl Thresh Ring
Grp Main Sec Flow 1
A 1 3 On
B 1 3 O n 3
C 2 4 On 4
D3-
Off 5 30s Off
On 5s
5s On 5s
2
6
10:49a 06/13
Off 10s
Off 5s
Flow All
10s Off
5s Off
30s Off
30s Off
30s Off
F Assign
1 Splits
F Flow
2 On/Off
F Set
3 Thresh
F All-Ring
5 On/Off 7 Screen
F Config
F10 – Help
HOW INTRAFLOW WORKS This example assumes there are main and secondary splits assigned to the
Iine group and no agent is available in the main split. If an agent becomes
available at any step, CMS immediately transfers the canto that agent.
If a call comes in and no agent is available in the main split, the call is treated
as
follows:
1
The call continues to ring for the answer delay interval you have
—
established.
2
CMS answers the call and connects it to the voice announcement unit for
a delay message.
3
The call is put on hold (or connected to Music-on-Hold) and is added to
the waiting calls in the main split.
4
The call is intraflowed (sent) to an agent in the secondary split if all of the
following conditions are met:
The call is the oldest call eligible for intraflow into the secondary split.
The amount of time the call has waited (that is, from the time the call
started ringing until now) has exceeded the intraflow threshold for the
main split.
There is no available agent in the main split.
There is an available agent in the secondary split.
The oldest waiting call in the secondary split has not waited longer
than the intraflow threshold for the secondary split.
Building or Editing Shift Configurations 4-15
5 If there is no agent available in the secondary split, the call remains
waiting in the main split.
The call will be answered by the first available
agent in either the main split or the secondary split (if the secondary
split’s intraflow threshold is not exceeded by another call).
HINT: If your only consideration in building a shift configuration is to
have every call answered as quickly as possible by any available
agent, you can assign all of your agents to one split and make that
split the main split for all of your line groups.
You cannot have more than 28 agents in a split, If you assign all 28 to
one split, there will be no agents in other splits to receive intraflow
calls. Therefore, there are no secondary splits and you would not
need to administer for intraflow in that shift configuration.
ADMINISTER CALL FLOW
OR ALL-RING OPERATION
To administer Call Flow or All-Ring, press the key for the task you want to
perform:
[ F1 ] Assign Splits. Use this function key to assign main splits and secondary
splits to line groups.
Initially, all splits are unassigned; you choose which
split answers calls for each line group. If you do not want to assign a
secondary split, leave that field blank. To remove a secondary split already
assigned to the line group, type a hyphen in that field.
Prompt:
ASSIGN SPLITS: Line Group Letter: _ Main Split #: _
Secondary Split #: _
Action:1 Enter a line group letter (A through D).
2 Enter the number of the main split (1 through 6) that will
answer calls for the line group. (Leaving the field blank leaves
it unchanged, )
3 Enter a secondary split number, or enter a hyphen if you do
not want to assign a secondary split for intraflow. (Leaving
the field blank leaves it unchanged.)
4 Press
[ F2 ] Flow On/Off. Use this function key to turn intraflow on or off for a
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
particular line group. Each line group’s intraflow status appears in the
Intraflow column of the Call Flow area of the screen.
Prompt:
Action:1 Enter a line group letter (A through D).
4-16 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
CHANGE INTRAFLOW: Line Group Letter: _
2 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”). The intraflow designation
for that line group automatically changes from Off to On or
vice versa.
[ F3 ] Set Thresh. Use this function key to set the intraflow threshold for each
split .
This threshold is based on the number of seconds the oldest call has
been waiting in a split. The initial setting is 30 seconds.
Prompt:
SET INTRAFLOW THRESHOLD: Split #: _ Threshold (seconds):
Action:1 Enter a split number (1 through 6).
2 Enter the number of seconds from O through 999.
3 Press
[ F5 ] AlI-Ring On/Off. All-Ring operation is useful for splits in which agents
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
are not always near their voice terminals. Each call rings at all the agents’
voice terminals, and an available agent closest to a voice terminal can answer
the call. (In normal CMS operation, a call rings at only one agent’s voice
terminal.)
All-Ring operation is dependent on both your CMS configuration and your
MERLIN II system administration.
To make an All-Ring split, you must
assign a “ghost” agent as the only member of the split. Your MERLIN II
system administrator must give you an unused intercom (position) number
for your “ghost” agent.
Your “real” agents must have Cover buttons on their voice terminals that
correspond to (cover) the “ghost agent’s” intercom number.
The real agents do not need to be assigned to a split. If you do assign them
to a split, they cannot be in the same split as the “ghost” agent. Consult your
CMS Agent Splits Planning Form to see which of your splits, if any, should
be All-Ring.
NOTE: For more information on setting up an All-Ring split, see the
discussion of this topic in “Agent Splits” under the general heading
“Planning Your Call Management System” in the MERLIN
Communications System Planning Guide for the Call Management System.
For more detailed information on how “real” agents use a Cover
button to pick up calls to a “ghost” agent in an All-Ring split, see
“All-Ring Operation” and “Answering Calls in All-Ring Operation” in
Section 6, “Handling CMS Calls,” in this manual.
Building or Editing Shift Configurations
4-17
Use [ F5 ] (labeled “All-Ring On/Off”) to change a split from All-Ring operation
to normal automatic call distributor (ACD) operation, or vice versa. In the
All-Ring column of the Call Flow area of the screen, On indicates that a split
has All-Ring operation, and Off indicates normal ACD operation.
Prompt:
Action:Enter a split number (1 through 6) and press [ F8 ] (labeled “Enter
[ F7 ]
screen after you have finished administering call flow.
Clearing a Configuration
Pressing [ F5 ] (labeled “Clear Config” ) on the Configuration screen “clears”
the contents of a shift configuration. (The contents of the shift configuration
are not deleted, just emptied so that a “clean” configuration exists. ) You
might want to do this if you have made several configuration mistakes and
want to begin again instead of making changes.
CHANGE ALL-RING OPERATION: Split #: _
Data”).
NOTE: If you turn on All-Ring operation for a split, you must
assign a “ghost” agent as the only member of the split. If you
change a split from All-Ring operation to normal operation,
remove the “ghost” agent and add the real agents to the split.
Config Screen.
Use this function key to return to the Configuration
Prompt:
CLEAR CONFIG: Are you sure? (Y/N): _
Action:Type y or n and press [ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”). If you delete
the contents of the configuration, the Configuration screen returns
to its default information.
If you accidentally clear a configuration, you can restore it by
pressing
Shift Configurations screen.
[ F7 ] (labeled “Config List” ), which selects the Stored
On this screen, press
[ F1 ] (labeled
“Select Config” ). A prompt asks if you want to save your
previous editing changes (which include clearing the
configuration). If you type n , the cleared configuration will be
restored.
4-18 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
Returning to Other Screens
You can select two other screens from the Configuration screen. If you have
just created or edited a configuration, the word (changed) appears next to the
configuration name on the screen.
Configurations screen to save your new configuration or the old one you have
edited. Pressing
Configurations screen, from which you can:
● Edit a configuration
● Save your editing changes (or save a new configuration you’ve just built)
[ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Menu” ) selects the administration menu. It
lists the main CMS administration activities.
Saving an Edited (Changed) Configuration
When you build a new shift configuration or make changes in an existing
one, the word (changed) appears on the configuration list to the left of that
configuration number. You can store the last edited configuration in a
previously unused configuration or store it in place of another configuration.
For example, you could edit configuration 1 (shift 1 in our example) and
replace the original with the updated copy. If you want to keep the original
shift 1 configuration as well as the edited copy, store the copy in an unused
configuration number.
Pressing
screen selects this activity. The word
configuration you last edited.
Prompt:
Action:1 Press [ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) to save the edited
[ F2 ] (labeled “Save Config”)
SAVE CONFIGURATION: Into
configuration under the same configuration name and number
as the original (in other words, to replace the original with the
updated copy).
on the Stored Shift Configurations
(changed) appears next to the
Config #: _
or
Enter a configuration number and press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter
Data”) to save the edited configuration under a different
configuration number.
2 A second prompt appears:
SAVE CONFIGURATION:
NAME? (Y/N):_
Replace Contents of Config X
The number and name of the configuration you edited appear
in this prompt.
it. Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
Type y to confirm your request or n to deny
Building or Editing Shift Configurations
4-19
Renaming a Shift Configuration
To name or rename a configuration, press [ F3 ] (labeled “Rename Config”) on
the Stored Shift Configurations screen.
many as 10 letters, numbers, or special characters. Spaces are not allowed, so
you may want to use underscores instead.
Configuration names can contain as
Prompt:
Action:
RENAME CONFIGURATION: Config #: _ New Name: _
1 Enter the configuration number (1 through 6)
2 Enter the new name (up to 10 letters, numbers, or special
characters).
3 Press
Selecting a Startup Configuration
You can select one of the six shift configurations to be invoked automatically
during the CMS startup procedure. Don’t select a startup configuration,
however, if you want to choose a configuration each time you begin
managing calIs,
[ F4 ] (labeled “Choose Startup”) on the Stored Shift Configurations
Press
screen to choose this activity.
Prompt:
Action:
CHOOSE STARTUP CONFIGURATION: (Enter ‘-’ for none) Config #: _
1 Enter the number of the configuration you want to use as the
startup configuration, or enter a hyphen if you do not want a
startup configuration.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
2 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”). The words (startup default)
appear next to the configuration you selected.
4-20 Building or Editing Shift Configurations
Assigning Agent IDs
The first step in administering agents is creating a “master list” of agents on
the Agent Directory screen. Later on, you assign these agents to splits (teams
of agents) that answer calls that come in on lines assigned to line groups.
Each CMS agent needs a unique ID of up to 5 characters. You use this ID
when you add, move, or remove an agent. Agents are also identified by ID
in exception messages.
can be active in a single shift configuration).
You can assign up to 60 agent IDs. (Up to 28 agents
Pressing
[ F2 ] (labeled “Agent Directry”) from the Administration Menu screen
selects the Agent Directory screen, shown below. It lists all CMS agents
alphabetical] y by last name.
Use this screen to add agents, remove agents, or
edit agent information.
Bon Voyage Travel
Last Name
Anders
Bakerson
Chanleys
Chapman
Claren
Clover
Easttree
Fielding
Fielding
Hall
Honelly
Kiley
Kloner
Mailer
F
Add
1 Agent
F Remove
2 Agent
AGENT DIRECTORY
First
Harry
Tom
Diane
Charlie
Clifford
Ward
Clive
Sally
William
Benny
BillyJoe
Gene
Maxwell
Sam
F Change
3 Agt Info7 Splits 8 Menu
ID
HARRY
TOM
DI
CHUCK
CLIFF
WARD
CLINT
SALLY
BILL
BENNY
BJ
GENE
MAX
SAM
First
Beth
Walter
Ernie
Bob
Norman
Benjamin
Sherman
Nancy
Ronald
Diana
Carla
Ike
Tina
Debra
F Config F Admin
ID
BETH
WALT
ERNIE
BOB
NORM
BEN
SHERM
NANCY
RON
DIANA
CARLA
IKE
TINA
DEB
F10 - Help
USING THE AGENT
DIRECTORY SCREEN
To
use the Agent Directory screen:
●
Press the function key for the activity you want to perform.
●
Perform the activity using the instructions on the following pages.
●
[ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Menu”) to return to the Administration Menu
Press
when you are finished.
[ F1 ] Add Agent. Use this function key to add new agents to the Agent
Directory. This activity does not add agents to an active configuration; it
merely identifies them in the Agent Directory.
HINT: If any agent is regularly assigned to more than one split, give
that agent a different ID for each split. Then use the appropriate ID
when you add the agent to a configuration. The different IDs permit
separate tracking of the agent’s statistics in each split. For example,
Tom works in split 1 sometimes and in split 4 other times. Tom’s
supervisor added him to the directory once with the ID TOM1 and
again as T0M4.
Assigning Agent IDs
4-21
Prompt:
Add AGENT: Last Name:
First:
ID:
Action:
1 Make entries in these fields as follows:
Last name: up to 12 letters, numbers, or special characters such
as
*or#
First: up to 8 letters, numbers, or special characters
ID: up to 5 letters, numbers, or special characters
Remember, each ID must be unique. The IDs appear on the
screen in uppercase letters, even if you enter lowercase ones.
2 Press
[ F2 ]
Remove Agent.
Directory. To help you avoid removing an agent by accident,
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
Use this function key to delete an agent
from the Agent
CMS prompts
you to confirm your request.
If you have been managing calls and recording historical data
for an agent,
removing the agent may delete the agent’s historical data. If you have any
historical reports that have not yet been printed, print them before you remove
the agent. Otherwise, you may lose the data for that agent. If you are
archiving the historical data, be sure to copy the system tables as well as the
data files. For more information, see Section 8, “Archiving Data.”
Prompt:
Action:
REMOVE AGENT: ID:
1 Enter the ID of the agent to be removed.
2 When the confirmation prompt appears, type y to confirm
your request or n to deny it.
3 Press
[ F3 ] Change Agt Info. Use this function
or first name. (To change an agent’s ID,
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter
Data”).
key to change an agent’s last name
remove the agent and then add the
agent with a different ID.)
Prompt:
Action: 1
CHANGE AGENT INFO: ID:
Last Name:
First:
Enter an agent ID.
2
Move to the field(s) you want to change. Leaving either name
field blank means that information won’t be changed in the
Agent Directory.
When you finish editing, press
3
[ F5 ]
Next/Prev
[ F5 ] is labeled “Next Page”.
Page. If the Agent Directory contains more than 30 agents,
Pressing this key allows you to look at the
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
second page of agent information. When the second page of agent
information is being displayed,
[ F5 ] is labeled “Previous Page”, and pressing
it accesses the first page of the Agent Directory. This key appears only if
there are two pages (more than 30 agents) in the Agent Directory.
4-22 Assigning Agent IDs
[ F7 ] Config Splits. Press this function key to select the Configure Splits
screen. This function key only works if you have already selected a particular
configuration to build or edit.
[ F8 ] Admin Menu. Press this function key to return to the Administration
Menu screen.
Assigning Agent IDs
4-23
Administering Lines and Line Groups
Your CMS supports up to 28 telephone lines. You can arrange your lines in
up to four line groups.
line group. Y
OU should have determined the following information when you
filled out the Line Groups Planning Form in the MERLIN II Communications
System Planning Guide for the Call Management System:
● How many departments or predefine groups of agents will need CMS
lines.
The number of line groups you need depends, in part, on the number
of departments or groups of agents requiring CMS lines.
All lines whose telephone numbers are published for a particular
department or product, or that are part of a hunt group, should
belong to the same line group.
● How you want summary statistics organized.
If you want to keep statistics for certain lines together, assign those
lines to their own line groups. For example, if the Sales Department
handles four local lines and two WATS lines, you may want to place
the local lines in one group and the WATS line in another in order to
get separate summary reports on each type of line.
You should have also determined which lines should have priority status. If
you have lines that should be answered before other lines in a line group,
such as 800 numbers that you pay for or a line for special customers, you can
assign priority status to those lines.
decreases in proportion to the number of lines to which you assign it.
If you want, you can assign all your lines to a single
Remember, though, that true priority
Pressing
[ F3 ] (labeled “Lines/Groups”) on the Administration Menu screen
selects the Administer Lines and Line Groups screen. Use the following
screen to do any of the following:
Identify the MERLIN II system lines that are part of CMS.
Identify priority lines (lines that are answered first).
Assign lines to line groups.
Change line IDs.
Assign or change line group IDs.
4-24 Administering Lines and Line Groups
Bon Voyage Travel
Group
A PUBLIC
ADMINISTER LINES AND LINE GROUPS
BtnID PriorityGroup
LineLine
1 1816
2 1808
3 1818
4 8515
D CORP
ADMIN CMSIIR210:57a 06/13
ID Priority
Btn
15 0918
ADMINISTER LINES AND
GROUPS
B SPECL
C CHART
D CORP
F Add F Remove
1 Line
2 Line
5 8532
6 8518
7 8531
8 0911
9 0912
10 0913
11 0914
12 0915
13 0916
14 0917
F Move
3 Line 4 Priority
F Change F Change
5 Line ID
F Change
6 Group ID
F10 - Help
F Admin
8
To administer lines and groups, do as follows:
● Keep your CMS Planning forms and your MERLIN II System
Configuration Form handy. They list your voice terminal button numbers,
CMS line numbers, and line groups.
● Press the function key for the activity you want to perform. If you are
administering line groups for the first time, you should first add lines,
then assign line group IDs (with
possibly designate certain lines as priority lines (with
[ F6 ] , labeled “Change Group ID”), then
[ F4 ] , labeled
“Change Priority”).
Menu
● Perform the activity using the instructions on the following pages.
● Press [ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Menu”) to return to the Administration Menu.
NOTE: When you add, move, or remove a line, you may cause
inaccuracies in the historical data for that line. So if you have been
managing calls with CMS and decide to add, move, or remove lines,
print any outstanding historical reports before you make changes to the
Administer Lines and Line Groups screen. If you archive the data, be
sure to copy the old system tables, too. For more information, see
Section 8, “Archiving Data.”
Administering Lines and Line Groups
4-25
[ F1 ] Add Line. Use this function key to add a line to CMS and assign it to a
line group.
IMPORTANT: Before adding a line to CMS, you must first assign the
line to the PC. For information on how to do this, see “Assign Lines
to the CMS PC” in the MERLIN II Communications System Getting
Started Guide for the Call Management System.
This procedure also affects the CU1 and CU2 port assignments to the
CMS PC. Have the MERLIN II system administrator check that both
CU1 and CU2 attendant port assignments are exactly the same and
assigned in the same order.
Prompt:
ADD LINE: Button #:
_ Line ID:Group Letter: _
Action:1 Enter the button number you want to assign to the line. It
must be a number from 1 to 32 that is not already assigned to
another CMS line.
2 In the Line ID field, enter the last four digits of the telephone
number or some other identifier (up to 5 letters or numbers)
such as WATS1 or WATS2.
3 Enter. the letter (A through D) for the line group to which you
are assigning a line.
4 Press
[ F2 ] Remove Line.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
Use this function key to remove a line from CMS. To
help you avoid removing a line by accident, CMS prompts you to confirm
your request.
NOTE: When removing lines from the CMS PC, make sure you
update your CMS Line Button Planning Form and your MERLIN II
System Configuration Form, so you know which line buttons are
available for future use.
Prompt:
REMOVE LINE: Line ID:
Action:1 Enter a line ID and press [ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
[ F3 ] Move Line. Use this key to shift a line from one line group to another.
Prompt:
Action:
4-26 Administering Lines and Line Groups
2 When the confirmation prompt appears, type y to confirm
your request or n to deny it, and press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter
Data”).
MOVE LINE: Line ID:
New Group Letter:_
1 Enter a line ID.
2 Enter a line group letter.
3 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
[ F4 ] Change Priority. Use this function key to assign priority to a line or to
change a priority line to a nonpriority line.
The priority of a line determines
its position among the calls waiting to be answered by an agent. Priority
lines are answered first and are indicated by a “+“ in the Priority column of
the Administer Lines and Line Groups screen.
Prompt:
Action:
[ F5 ] Change Line ID. Use this function key to rename a line.
Prompt:
Action:
CHANGE PRIORITY: Line ID:
Enter a line ID and press
CHANGE LINE ID: Old Line ID:
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
New Line ID:
1 In the first field, enter the line ID you want to change.
2 Type a new line ID (up to 5 letters or numbers).
3 Press
[ F6 ] Change Group ID. Use this function key to assign or change the ID for
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
a line group. The IDs help you identify the line groups on the status screens
and reports. A line group and a split can have the same ID.
Prompt:
Action:
CHANGE GROUP ID: Group Letter: _ New Group ID:
1 Enter a line group letter (A through D).
2 Enter a line ID (up to 5 letters or numbers).
3 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
[ F8 ]
Admin Menu.
Menu screen.
Press this function key to return to the Administration
Administering Lines and Line Groups
4-27
Setting Options
After you have used CMS for a few days, you will have enough information
to set several system options.
Initial settings are in effect for these options
until you define new values. The options are:
● Service Level Limit
● Abandoned Call Threshold
● Adible Alarm
● Delay Message Length
● Business Name
NOTE: You may want to enter new values for the delay message
length and the business name right away.
SERVICE LEVEL LIMIT
ABANDONED CALL
THRESHOLD
The service level is a measure of how quickly your customers’ calls are
answered. The service level is the percentage of calls that were connected to
agents within a specified number of seconds (called the service level limit). For
instance, during a particular hour your agents may answer 90% of the CMS
calls within 20 seconds.
The initial value for the service level limit is 20 seconds. Since the length of
time between the beginning of one ring and the beginning of the next is
about 5 seconds, 20 seconds equals about four rings.
The service level is displayed on the System Status screen and is continually
updated while CMS is managing calls. If the service level drops below an
acceptable level, it may indicate the need to activate intraflow or to add more
agents to a split.
The service level limit you choose depends on your particular business. The
service level limit is measured from the time a call first rings until the call is
connected to an agent. This can include answer delay time (if any), time
connected to the voice announcement unit (if any), and time on hold (if any).
You need to decide how quickly you want the majority of your calls
answered.
One important function of CMS is tracking the number of abandoned calls,
that is, the number of callers who hang up before they’ve been connected to
an agent. Occasionally an abandoned call gets transferred to an agent. When
this happens, the agent answers the call and finds no one on the line.
4-28 Setting Options
The purpose of the abandoned versus incoming call threshold is to
discriminate between those abandoned calls that are connected to agents and
calls that are actually handled by the agents. Distinguishing serviced calls
from abandoned ones gives a more accurate picture of the service level of
your system.
To establish a realistic abandoned call threshold, you need to know how long
agents usually spend talking to callers.
If your agents usually spend at least
30 seconds talking to each customer, then you can assume that most calls that
took less than 15 seconds were probably abandoned calls. However, if your
agents often receive calls that take only a few seconds to handle, you will
want to set a low abandoned call threshold, and know that the possibility of
mistaking an abandoned call for a “real” call, or vice versa will increase. The
initial value for the abandoned call threshold is 10 seconds.
AUDIBLE ALARM
You can have your PC beep every time an exception message, a system
message, or an error message appears.
An exception occurs when a service
or performance threshold you set has been exceeded. Turning on the alarm is
helpful since it will alert you to potential problems, should you not be looking
at your PC screen.
Initially, the alarm is on.
DELAY MESSAGE LENGTH You can set the delay message length so that CMS can check for errors in the
delay message unit. The message length must be properly set for your call
traffic because of its effect on the number of calls CMS cart manage within a
given period of time.
For this reason you will want to keep the message as
short as possible.
When the message starts playing to a caller, a timer is started. If the message
has not ended within five seconds of the delay message length you specify on
the options screen, the following warning message appears on your screen:
WARNING - Message Unit Problem. Check Message Length.
The initial value of the message length option is 10 seconds.
Pressing
[ F5 ] (labeled “Set Options”) on the Administration Menu screen
selects the Set Options screen shown below.
Bon Voyage TravelADMIN CMSIIR2
ll:08a 06/13
F Service
1 Level
F1
Service Level
F2
Abandoned vs.
F3
Audible Alarm
F4
Delay Message
F5
Business Name
F Abandon F Alarm
2 Thresh
3 On/Off 4 Length
SET OPTIONS
OptionValue
Limit
Incoming Call Threshold2 sec
(On/Off)
Length
Bon Voyage Travel
F DelayMsg
F Business
5
Name
10 sec
Off
10 sec
F10 - Help
F Admin
8 Menu
Setting Options 4-29
zET OPTIONS
To set options, press the function key for the option you want to change.
[ F1 ] Service Level. The service level is the percentage of calls connected to
agents within a specified number of seconds (the service level limit).
Prompt:
SERVICE LEVEL: Percent of Calls Answered
within n seconds. n: _
Action:1 Enter a number 1 through 999.
2 Press
[ F2 ] Abandon Thresh. Sometimes a call is transferred to an agent even
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
though the caller has disconnected (abandoned the call). This threshold sets
the limit for the shortest amount of time that a call must be handled in order
for it to be counted as processed call. Calls that do not last as long as the
time specified are counted as abandoned, assuming the caller disconnected
before the call reached the agent.
Prompt:
Action:
[ F3 ] Alarm On/Off. You can choose to have your PC beep every time an
exception message, system message, or error message appears. Press
ABANDON THRESHOLD: Seconds: _
1 Enter a number 1 through 99.
2 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
[ F3 ]
(labeled “Alarm On/Off”) to change the setting that appears in the Audible
Alarm field on your screen.
In this field, On means the PC beeps, and Off
means the PC doesn’t beep. Initially, the alarm is on.
[ F4 ] DelayMsg Length. Each time you record a new delay message, you
should time the message and enter the number of seconds in this field.
Prompt:
Action:
[ F5 ] Business Name. You can enter the name of your business (up to 20
SET DELAY MESSAGE LENGTH: Seconds:_
1 Enter a number 1 through 99.
2 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
characters) in this field and it will appear on all CMS screens and reports.
You can use both upper and lower case letters. The system does not,
however, accept the space character. Use the underscore character (“_” ) to
designate a space.
Prompt:
Action:
[ F8 ] Admin Menu. Press [ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Menu”) to return to the
ENTER BUSINESS NAME
1 Enter a business name, maximum of 20 characters.
2 Press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
Administration Menu screen.
4-30 Setting Options
Selecting Exceptions
An exception message indicates that a particular performance threshold has
been reached or exceeded and an unusual or undesirable situation may be
occurring. Exceptions allow you to customize performance goals for each split
or line group. For instance, you may establish a threshold of 3 minutes as an
acceptable talk time for one split and 4 minutes as an acceptable talk time for
another split.
You may want to use CMS for a few days before you select your exceptions
and set your exception thresholds. In the meantime, all exceptions are set to
off .
When you turn on an exception, you receive an exception message on your
PC screen whenever a threshold for that exception has been reached or
exceeded. For instance, you may choose to receive an exception message
when an agent has refused a call or when all the lines in a line group have
been busy for a certain number of seconds. If you want your PC to beep
when an exception occurs, turn on the audible alarm option described in
“Setting Captions.”
External lamps can also be used as alerts to visually notify agents when an
exception is occurring.
Exceptions are an important management tool because they free you to do
more productive work.
your PC, you can administer exceptions to notify you when problems arise.
Instead of constantly monitoring system status on
Most businesses need only two or three exceptions. Using all the exceptions
available or setting unrealistic exception thresholds merely gives you unusable
or inappropriate data.
for your business:
● In sales line groups, the exceptions that indicate the length of time all
lines are busy and the number of abandoned calls are important. When
all lines are busy, potential customers may not be able to get through and
may call a competitor. This means lost revenue for your business.
Abandoned calls (instances where a caller hangs up before being
connected to an agent) signal that there are callers who are tired of
waiting for an agent and who might not call back— again, lost revenue.
The thresholds for these exceptions depend on the dollar value of each call
versus the expense of an additional agent:
In businesses where each call generates high revenue (or where
customer service directly affects sales), the thresholds should be set
low. Thus the exception messages can alert the supervisor before too
many calls are lost.
In businesses where the revenue per call is low, it may not be
economical to have enough lines and agents to handle all calls.
Exception thresholds could be set high.
● In a service business, agent productivity and cost per call may be
important concerns. In this situation, the length of time an agent spends
on a call (talk time) and in the after-call-work state may be the most
important exceptions to monitor.
Consider these points when choosing the exceptions
Selecting Exceptions 4-31
Instructions for Selecting Exceptions
Pressing [ F6 ] (labeled “Select Exceptns”) on the Administration Menu screen
selects the Administer Exceptions screen shown below.
Bon Voyage Travel
ExceptionOn/Off 1/A
AGENTS
Talk Time >= xxx sec
After Call Work >= xxx min
Agent Logout ACW >= xxx min
Refused CallOff
LINE GROUPS
All Lines Busy >= xxx sec
Line Hold Time >= xx min
Line Hold Time <= xx sec
ALERTS
Alert Line Button Numbers
F Agent
1
Exceptions
F Split
2
Exceptions
F Group
3 Exceptions
EXCEPTION SETTINGS
Off - Off - Off - -
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off - Off - - - -
2/B
-
3/1 -/- -/- -/- -/10s/2 -/--/12s/3
5s/4 -/- -/-
1: 29 2: 30 3: 31 4: 32
F Assign
4 Alert
ADMIN CMSI IR2
Split / Line Group
3/C
- -
-
- -
-
-/-
- - - -
-/--/--/--/-
4/D
-
-/-
-/-
- -
11:12a 06/13
5
6
-
-
--
-/-
-/-
-/-
F10 - Help
F
Admin
8 Menu
-
-
Use this screen to turn exceptions on or off and set exception thresholds for
each split or line group. From this screen you may assign line button
numbers to external wall-mountable lamps to be used as external alerts. The
external alerts can be associated with those exceptions that are displayed with
the dividing slash (-/-). When assigned, the external alert lamp will light
when the corresponding exception occurs.
Initially, all exceptions are set to Off and all thresholds are blank.
Exceptions are divided into three types–agent, split, and line group. General
instructions for administering exceptions and assigning external alerts to them
are listed below. After you familiarize yourself with the procedures, turn to
the descriptions of the type of exceptions you want to administer.
ADMINISTER EXCEPTIONS To administer exceptions, do as follows:
1
Press the function key for the type of exceptions you want to
administer—agents, splits, or groups.
A box appears around the corresponding area of the Exception Settings
screen, and the function key labels change.
2
Press the function key for the exception you want to administer. For
example, you could press
[ F1 ] (labeled “Talk Time”)on the Agent
Exceptions screen.
If you decide not to administer that exception, press
Prompt”) to cancel the prompt.
Type on in the ON/OFF field of the prompt to turn the exception
3
type off to turn the exception off.
[ F1 ] (labeled
“Cancel
on, or
4-32 Selecting Exceptions
4
Enter thresholds for splits or line groups. Keep these points in mind:
You do not need to enter a threshold for each split or line group. If
you don’t want to enter a threshold for a particular split or line group,
simply leave it blank. This feature allows you to turn on an exception
for some splits or groups, but not all of them.
To delete a threshold value, type a hyphen (-) over the value you want
to erase.
You may enter thresholds even if you turn off an exception, For
example, you may want to turn on the talk time exception when call
traffic is heavy. During slow periods, however, you might not care
how long an agent talks to customers. You may want to turn off the
talk time exception then, but still keep the thresholds.
Skip over fields that you don’t want to change.
5
Assign an alert number for an external alert at this point, if desired.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after you make an entry in the last field.
Press
6
Press a different function key to administer another exception on that
7
screen.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Exceptns”) to return to the Administer
Press
8
Exceptions screen when you finish administering exceptions.
Assigning External Alerts to Exceptions
External alerts are small incandescent lamps that are designed to be mounted
on a wall in full view of the CMS supervisor and, possibly, the agents. They
provide a visual alert by lighting up whenever an exception to which they are
assigned is occurring.
These alerts, like most other equipment compatible with the MERLIN II
system, must be installed, connected to the appropriate ports in the MERLIN
II system, and administered.
External alerts are connected to line jacks on the MERLIN II System control
unit either directly or through building wiring. CMS will support up to four
external wall-mountable visual alerts connected to one control unit. Each alert
must be clearly marked as to whether it is alert number 1, 2, 3, or 4.
During MERLIN II system administration, the alerts must be assigned to lines
that are not assigned to CMS. During CMS Administration, the alerts must be
assigned to the line button numbers that correspond to the outside lines to
which the alerts are connected.
IMPORTANT: The line ports for the external alerts must first be
assigned during MERLIN II System administration at intercom 10 by
the MERLIN II system Display Console. The line button numbers for
the external alerts must correspond to those line ports and the alerts
must be connected to those line ports.
If a line port is not properly associated with the alert you assign
during CMS administration, the alert will not light up when an
exception threshold has been met or exceeded.
Selecting Exceptions 4-33
External exception alerts provide a signal that alerts you to unusual or
undesirable situations affecting splits or line groups. For instance, the All
Lines Busy exception notifies you when all lines in a line group have been
busy more than a certain number of seconds. An alert may be triggered for
any or all of the following exceptions:
● Number of Calls Waiting
● Oldest Call Waiting
● Average Speed of Answer
● All Lines Busy
An alert can be assigned to one or more splits or groups for one or more of
these exceptions.
If a single external alert is assigned to more than one
exception, the alert will be activated as long as at least one exception is
triggered.
Pressing
[ F4 ] (labeled “Assign Alert”) from the Exception Settings screen
selects the Exception Alerts prompt shown below.
Bon Voyage Travel
Exception
AGENTS
Talk Time >= xxx sec
After Call Work >= xxx min
Agent Logout ACW >= xxx min
Refused Call
LINE GROUPS
All Lines Busy >= xxx sec
Line Hold Time >= xx min
Line Hold Time <= xx sec
ALERTS
Alert Line Button Numbers
ALERT LINE BUTTON NUMBER: 1: 29 2: 30 3: 31 4: 32
F Cancel
1 Prompt
EXCEPTION SETTINGS
On/Off
l/A
Off Off - Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off -- - -
1: 29 2: 30 3: 31 4: 32
2/B
- - - - -
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
3/1
10s/2
l0s/3
5s/4 -/- -/-
- - - -
-/-
-/-
-/--/-
F Previous
5 Field
ADMIN CMSIIRZ11:29a 06/13
Split / Line Group
3/C
F Next
6 Field8 Data
4/D
- - - -
-/--/-
-/-
5
-/-
-/-
-/-
6
-/--/-
-/-
-/-
F Enter
-/-
-/-
4-34 Selecting Exceptions
Notice the “Alert Line Button Number” prompt near the bottom of the
Exceptions Setting screen. In this example, the first alert number field has
been assigned to line button number 29. Whether an alert is assigned to one
or more exceptions or to one or more lines or splits, an alert must be assigned
to a line button in order to function.
CONDITIONS FOR
ASSIGNING ALERTS
Generally, assigning alerts to line button numbers is the first step in
administering alerts. An exception may have an alert assigned only under the
following conditions:
A line button number must be assigned to the alert number being used
and it can only be assigned through CMS Administration (CMS is not
managing calls).
The external alert itself must be assigned to a line button number before it
can be assigned to an exception.
The alert number can be assigned to an exception while CMS is managing
calls. However, the actual external alert cannot be assigned a line number
while CMS is managing calls; that can only be done during
administration.
The appropriate exception setting parameters to which the alert(s) will be
assigned has been entered in the “SPLITS” and “LINE GROUPS” screen
fields.
The exception threshold is set.
If you need more information on administering exceptions, see “Administer
Exceptions” under the heading,
“Instructions for Selecting Exceptions,” earlier
in this section.
ASSIGNING EXTERNAL
ALERTS TO LINE
BUTTONS
To assign an external alert to an exception, follow these steps:
1 Press either
[ F5 ] (labeled “Previous Field”) or [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to
select the alert number field (1, 2, 3, or 4) to which you are assigning a
line button number.
2 Enter the line number (1 through 32) in the appropriate alert number field.
You can enter a line number in each of the four alert number fields or
enter a hyphen in any field that will not be used.
NOTE: Alerts cannot be marked unused if the alert has been assigned to
an exception.
3 When you are finished assigning line button numbers (or entering
hyphens), press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) to enter the data.
The alert number to which the exception line button number has been
assigned is automatically posted in the appropriate fields when the Exceptions
Settings screens are displayed. The following screen shows line button
number 29 posted for the first alert number and the first alert number posted
in the appropriate “SPLITS” field.
Selecting Exceptions 4-35
Bon Voyage Travel
Exception
AGENTS
Talk Time >= xxx sec
After Call Work >= xxx min
Agent Logout ACW >= xxx min
Refused Call
NOTE: You must be sure that the alert is physically connected at the
specified line port. No message can tell you that the alert is or isnot
actually connected to the MERLIN II system control unit.
EXCEPTION SETTINGS
On/Off 1/A
Off Off -
Off -
Off
Off
Off
Off
Offl0s/3
Off
Off Off -
F Group
3 Exceptns4 Alert
3/1
10s/2
5s/4
1: 29
F Assign
ADMIN CMSIIR2
Split / Line Group
2/B
-
2: 30
-/-
-/-
-/-
-/-
3/C
-
-
-
-
-
-
3: 31
-/-
-/-
-/-
-/-
4/D
-
-
-
-
-/-
-/-
-/-
-/-
-
-
4: 32
-
-
-
-
-
-
11:12a 06/13
5
-
-
-
-
-/-
-/-
-/-
F10 -
6
-/-
-/-
-/-
Help
F Admin
8 Menu
-
-
-
-
Changing or Removing Line Button Assignments
You shouldn't remove a line button assignment unless you are sure of the
following:
The alert is not assigned to an exception,
The alert number field shouldn't have a number assigned and instead
should have a hyphen.
To
remove a line button number from an alert, do as follows:
Press either
1
[ F5 ] (labeled “Previous Field”) or [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to
select the alert number field (1, 2, 3, or 4) from which you are removing a
line button number.
2
Enter a hyphen in the appropriate alert number field.
When you are finished, press
3
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) to enter the data.
Changing a line button number assignment requires all the care you would
undertake when initially assigning one—you must be sure that the all the
conditions for assigning alerts have been met (see “Conditions for Assigning
Alerts,” above). To change an alert line button number, do as follows:
1 Press either
[ F5 ] (labeled “Previous Field”) or [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to
select the alert number field (1, 2, 3, or 4) to which you are assigning a
new line button number.
4-36 Selecting Exceptions
2 Enter the line number in the appropriate alert number field (1 through 32).
You can simply type over the previous line number.
3 When you are finished changing line button numbers, press [ F8 ] (labeled
“Enter Data”) to enter the data.
ASSIGNING EXCEPTIONS
AND EXTERNAL ALERTS
simultaneously” You can assign some of the exception thresholds at the same
time you assign external alerts to the exceptions. The prompts for Calls
SIMULTANEOUSLYWaiting, Oldest Call, Avg Speed Ans, and All Lines Busy provide two fields,
separated by a “/” character, for each split or line group. For example:
OLDEST CALL: ON/OFF?
(s/a)1:_/_2;_/_3;_/_4:_/_5:_/_6:_/_
To enter threshold values and assign alerts at the same time, proceed as
follows :
1 For the first portion of the prompt (ON/OFF?), type ON or OFF to set the
threshold on or off.
[ F6 ] to keep the current value).
(Press
2 To activate an exception, enter a threshold value into the first field (left of
slash) for each split or group-either 1-999 seconds or 1-99 calls,
depending on the exception type.
NOTE: If the threshold value is too low, the exception and alert will be
triggered each time a call comes in for that split or group.
3 Enter a hyphen into each field where you do not want to activate an
exception.
4 To have that exception trigger an external alert, enter into the second field
(right of slash) for each split or group an alert number (1 - 4).
NOTE: Alerts cannot be assigned if a threshold for that split or group has
not been set. Also, alerts cannot be assigned if a line button has not been
assigned to the alert.
5 Enter a hyphen into each field where you are not assigning an external
alert.
6 After you have entered the desired exception thresholds and their
corresponding alert numbers, press
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) to enter
the data into the system.
For more information on assigning thresholds and alerts, see the specific
agent, split, or line group procedures below.
Selecting Exceptions 4-37
Selecting Agent Exceptions
Agent exceptions allow you to monitor the activity of individual agents. You
can use these exceptions to indicate reasonable expectations for call handling,
and to see where extra training is necessary. You can set different exception
thresholds for each split to tailor the exception for the type of calls each split
handles. For instance, some splits may need more after-call-work time than
others.
Pressing
[ F1 ] (labeled “Agent Exceptns”) from the Administer Exceptions
screen selects the Agent Exceptions screen shown below. The box in the
screen indicates the four agent exceptions: talk time, after call work, agent
logged out, and refused calls.
Bon Voyage Travel
Exception
AGENTS
Talk Time >= xxx sec
After Call Work >= xxx min
Agent Logout ACW >= xxx min
Refused CallOff
LINE GROUPS
All Lines Busy >= xxx sec
Line Hold Time >=
Line Hold Time <= xx secOff - - - -
ALERTS
Alert Line Button Numbers
F Talk
1 Time
F ACW
2
XX minOff - - - -
F Agent
3 Logout
EXCEPTION SETTINGS
On/Off 1/A
Off - - - - - Off - - - - - Off - - - - - -
Off - - - - - Off
Off
Off
1: 29 2: 30 3: 31 4: 32
F Refused
4 Call
2/B
3/1-/-
10s/2 -/- -/- -/-
5s/4-/-
ADMIN CMSIIR2
Split / Line Group
3/C
-/-
-/-
-/-
-/-
4/D
11:12a 06/13
5 6
-/-
-/--/-
-/-
-/--/--/-
-/-
F10 -Help
-/-
F Admin
8 Exceptns
ADMINISTER AGENT
EXCEPTIONS
4-38 Selecting Exceptions
To administer an agent exception, follow these steps:
1 Press the function key for that exception and refer to the description and
instructions that follow this list. The exception message that appears
when an exception threshold is reached or exceeded is also listed. An
example is
❈❈❈
Split X - Agent XXXXX - Talk Time > = XXX sec
2 Press a function key to administer another agent exception, or press [ F8 ]
(labeled “Admin Exceptns”) to return to the Administer Exceptions screen
when you are finished.
[ F1 ] Talk Time. Talk time is the number of seconds an agent is connected to
a call. If you turn on this exception, CMS notifies you when an agent’s talk
time meets or exceeds the threshold set for that split.
Prompt:
Action:
TALK TIME (seconds): ON/OFF?
4:
1
5:6:
Type on or off . Press [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
Split 1:
2:
3:
the current value.
Enter the number of seconds (1 through 999) for the
2
maximum talk time for each split.
To leave the exception turned off for a split, enter a
hyphen.
3
Exception:
] ACW (After Call Work). The after-call-work state refers to the time
[ F2
❈❈❈
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Press
Split X - Agent XXXXX - Talk Time > = XXX sec
agents make themselves temporarily unavailable for calls. If you turn on this
exception, CMS notifies you when an agent has been in the ACW state as
long as or longer than the threshold set for that split.
Prompt:
ACW (minutes): ON/OFF?
4:
5:
6:
Split 1:
2:
3:
Action:1 Type on or off . Press [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
the current value.
2 Enter a number of minutes (1 through 999) for each split.
To leave the exception turned off for a split, enter a
hyphen.
3 Press
Exception:
] Agent Logout. If you turn on this exception, CMS puts agents in the
[ F3
❈❈❈
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Split X - Agent XXXXX - After Call Work > = XXX min
logged out state when they have remained in ACW state for the specified
threshold.
Prompt:
AGENT OUT (minutes): ON/OFF?
4:
5:
6:
Split 1:
2:
3:
Action:1 Type on or off . Press [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
the current value.
2 Enter a number of minutes (1 through 999) for each split.
To leave the exception turned off for a split, enter a
hyphen.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Split X - Agent XXXXX - Logged Out - ACW > = XXX minutes
Exception:
3 Press
❈❈❈
Selecting Exceptions
4-39
[ F4 ] Refused Call. If you turn on this exception, CMS notifies you whenever
an agent refuses a call.
Prompt:
Action:1 Type on or off.
Exception:
] Admin Exceptions.
[ F8
the Administer Exceptions screen.
Selecting Split Exceptions
Split exceptions alert you to unusual or undesirable situations affecting a
whole split.
waiting in a split meets or exceeds a threshold you set. Split exceptions can
alert you to a need for more agents or faster call handling.
Pressing
selects the Split Exceptions screen shown below. The box indicates the split
exceptions.
REFUSED CALLS: ON/OFF?
2 Press
❈❈❈
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
Split X - Agent XXXXX - Refused Call
[ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Exceptns” ) to return to
Press
For example, you can be notified when the number of calls
[ F2 ] (labeled “Split Exceptns”) from the Exception Settings screen
Bon Voyage Travel
Exception
AGENTS
Talk Time >= xxx sec
After Call Work >= xxx min
Agent Logout ACW >= xxx min
Refused Call
All Lines Busy >= xxx sec
Line Hold Time >=
Line Hold Time <= xx sec
ALERTS
Alert Line Button Numbers
F Abandon
1 Calls2 Waiting
F Calls
XX min
F Oldest
3 Call
EXCEPTION SETTINGS
On/Off 1/A
Off - - Off - - Off - - - - - Off
Off - - - - - Off
Off
Off
Off
Off - - - Off - - - -
F
Avg
4 Speed
2/B 3/C
3/1 -/10s/2 -/- -/- -/- -/10s/3
5s/4-/-
1: 29 2: 30 3: 31 4: 32
ADMIN CMSIIR2
Split / Line Group
-/-
-/-
-/-
-/--/-
4/D
11:15a 06/13
5 6
- - -
- - -
-/-
-/-
-/-
-/-
F10 - Help
F Admin
8 Exceptns
-/-
-/-
-/-
4-40 Selecting Exceptions
ADMINISTER A SPLIT
EXCEPTION
To administer a split exception, follow these steps:
1 Press the function key for that exception and refer to the description and
instructions that follow this list. The exception message that appears
when an exception threshold is met or exceeded is also listed. A typical
example is
❈❈❈
Split X - # Calls Waiting > = XX
If you need more detailed instructions on administering exceptions, see
the information in “Administering Exceptions” under the heading,
“Instructions for Selecting Exceptions,” earlier in this section.
2 Press a function key to administer another split exception or press
[ F8 ]
(labeled “Admin Exceptns”) to return to the Administer Exceptions screen
when you are finished.
[ F1 ] Abandon Calls (Number of Abandoned Calls). When a caller hangs up
before speaking to an agent, the call is considered an abandoned call. If you
turn on this exception, CMS notifies you whenever the number of abandoned
calls in an hour reaches or exceeds the threshold you set.
Prompt:
# ABANDON CALLS: ON/OFF?
4:
5:
6:
Split 1:
2:
3:
Action:1 Type on or off to turn this exception on or off. Press
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep the current value.
2 If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number 1
through 99 for each split. If you do not want to activate
this exception for a particular split, type a hyphen.
3 Press
Exception:
] Calls Waiting (Number of Calls Waiting). The calls waiting exception
[ F2
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
❈❈❈
Split X-
# Abandoned Calls > = XX
refers to the number of calls on hold and waiting to be connected to agents,
as well as calls in the main split that are eligible for intraflow to the secondary
split. If you turn on this exception, CMS notifies you when the number of
calls waiting in a split meets or exceeds the threshold you set for that split.
The maximum number of calls that can be waiting for a split is equal to the
number of lines assigned to that split.
You can assign an external alert to this
exception.
Prompt:
# CALLS WAITING: ON/OFF?
5:_/_6:_/_
(#/a)1:_/_2:_/_3:_/_4:_/_
Action:1 Type on or off . Press [ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
the current value.
2 If you want to enter threshold values, enter numbers
(before the slash) that are less than or equal to the number
of lines assigned to each split (l-99). If you do not want to
activate this exception for a particular split, type a hyphen.
Selecting Exceptions 4-41
3 If you wish to assign an alert to this exception, enter an
alert number in the field to the right of the slash. If not,
enter a hyphen.
4 Press [ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Exception:
] Oldest Call (Oldest Call Waiting). The oldest call is the call that has
[ F3
❈❈❈
Split X - # Calls Waiting > = XX
been waiting the longest (to be answered by an agent) in a split. If you turn
on this exception, CMS notifies you when the number of seconds the oldest
call has been waiting meets or exceeds the threshold you set. You can assign
an external alert to this exception.
Prompt:
Action:
OLDEST CALL: ON/OFF?
5:_/_6:_/_
1 Type on or off . Press
(s/a)1:_/_2:_/_3:_/_4:_/_
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
the current value.
2 If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of
seconds (1 through 999) for each split. If you do not want
to activate this exception for a particular split, type a
hyphen.
3 Assign an alert number or enter a hyphen in the field to
the right of the slash.
4 Press
Exception:
] Avg Speed (Average Speed of Answer). The average speed of answer is
[ F4
❈❈❈
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Split X - Oldest Call Waiting > = XXX sec
the average time it takes from the time a call rings until it is connected to an
agent in a given split.
This includes the answer delay (the amount of time a
call rings before CMS answers it), the time connected to the voice
announcement unit, the time on hold, and the time it takes to transfer the call
to an agent.
If you turn on this exception, CMS notifies you when the average speed of
answer in a split meets or exceeds the threshold you set. You can assign an
external alert to this exception.
4-42 Selecting Exceptions
Prompt:
Action:
AVG SPEED ANS:ON/OFF?
5:_/_6:_/_
1 Type on or off . Press
(s/a)1:_/_2:_/_3:_/_4:_/_
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
the current value.
2 If you want to enter threshold values, enter, to the right of
the slash, a number of seconds (1 through 999) for each
split. If you do not want to activate this exception for a
particular split, type a hyphen.
3 To assign an alert number, enter the number in the field to
the left of the slash. If not, enter a hyphen.
4 Press
Exception:
] Admin Exceptions.
[ F8
❈❈❈
the Administer Exceptions screen.
Selecting Line Group Exceptions
Line group exceptions alert you to unusual or undesirable situations affecting
lines or line groups.
when all lines in a line group have been busy more than a certain number of
seconds.
Pressing
selects the Line Group Exceptions screen shown below. The box indicates the
line group exceptions.
Bon Voyage Travel
Talk Time >= xxx sec
After Call Work >= xxx min
Agent Logout ACW >= xxx min
Refused Call
All Lines Busy >= xxx secOff5s/4
Line Hold Time >= xx min
Line Hold Time <= xx secOff
[ F3 ] (labeled “Group Exceptns”) from the Exception Settings screen
Exception
AGENTS
SPLITS
LINE GROUPS
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Split X - Avg Speed Answer > = XXX seconds
[ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Exceptns”) to return to
Press
For instance, the all lines busy exception notifies you
EXCEPTION SETTINGS
On/Off l/A
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off
Off12s/3
Off -
2/B
- - - - --
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
3/1
10s/2
-/-
-/-
-/--/-
-/-
- - - -
ADMIN CMSIIR2
Split / Line Group
3/C4/D
-/-
-/--/-
-/--/-
- - -
-/-
-/-
11:18a 06/13
5
-/-
-/-
-/-
6
-/-
-/-
-/-
ALERTS
Alert Line Button Numbers
F Lines F HoldTime F HoldTime
1 Busy
2 Maximum
3 Maximum
1: 29 2: 30 3: 31 4: 32
F10 - Help
F Admin
8 Exceptns
Selecting Exceptions 4-43
ADMINISTER A LINE
GROUP EXCEPTION
To administer a line group exception, follow these steps:
1 Press the function key for that exception and refer to the description and
instructions that follow this list. The exception message that appears
when each exception threshold is exceeded is also listed. A typical
example is
❈❈❈
Group B - All Lines Busy > = XXX seconds
If you need more detailed instructions on administering exceptions, see
the information in “Administer Exceptions” under the heading,
“Instructions for Selecting Exceptions,” earlier in this section.
2 Press a function key to administer another group exception, or press
[ F8 ]
to return to the Administration Menu.
[ F1 ] Lines Busy (All Lines Busy). The all lines busy exception refers to the
number of seconds all lines in a line group are busy. If you turn on this
exception, CMS notifies you when the length of time all lines are busy meets
or exceeds the threshold you set.
When all lines in a line group are busy,
incoming calls are blocked and callers receive a busy signal.
Prompt:
Action:
ALL LINES BUSY: ON/OFF?
1
Type on or off . Press
(s/a)A:_/_B:_/_C:_/_D:_/_
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
the current value.
If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of
2
seconds (1 through 999) for each group. If you do not
want to activate this exception for a particular group, type
a hyphen.
Assign an alert number or enter a hyphen in the field to
3
the right of the slash.
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Press
4
❈❈❈
Exception:
] HoldTime Maximum (Maximum Line Holding Time). The line holding
[ F2
Group X - All Lines Busy > = XXX seconds
time refers to the number of seconds a line has been in use for a single call.
If you turn on this exception, the maximum line holding time exception
allows you to set an upper limit on the length of time a line is in use. CMS
notifies you when the length of time a line has been seized meets or exceeds
the threshold you set for its line group.
4-44 Selecting Exceptions
Prompt:
Action:
Exception:
MAXIMUM HOLDTIME (minutes): ON/OFF?
B: C: D:
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep
1 Type on or off .
Press
Line Group A:
the current value.
2 If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of
minutes (1 through 99) for each group. If you do not want
to activate this exception for a particular group, type a
hyphen.
3 Press
❈❈❈
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Group X - Line XXXXX Hold Time > = XX minutes
[ F3 ] Hold Time Minimum (Minimum Line Holding Time). The line holding
time refers to the number of seconds a line has been in use for a single call.
If you turn on this exception, CMS notifies you when the length of time a line
has been in use is less than the threshold you set. If the holding time of a
line is consistently short, it may signal a line problem.
Prompt:
Action:
Exception:
[ F8 ]
the Administer Exceptions screen.
External Alert Checklist
SUMMARY CHECKLIST
The summary below provides a checklist for assigning external alerts to CMS.
MINIMUM HOLDTIME (seconds): ON/OFF?
B: C:
1 Type on or off to turn this exception on or off. Press
[ F6 ] (labeled “Next Field”) to keep the current value.
2 If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of
seconds (1 through 99) for each group. If you do not want
to activate this exception for a particular group, type a
hyphen.
3 Press
❈❈❈
Group X - Line XXXXX - Hold Time < = XX seconds
Admin Exceptions.
Line Group A:
D:
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”) after the last field.
Press [ F8 ] (labeled “Admin Exceptns”) to return to
1
Line button numbers for the alerts are assigned to line ports on the
MERLIN II System control unit by the MERLIN II system administrator.
External alerts are mounted on the wall and connected to the line ports
2
either directly or through building wiring.
Each alert is clearly marked and identified as Alert #1, Alert #2, Alert #3,
3
and Alert #4.
NOTE: Each external alert has a corresponding line button number.
In CMS, each external alert is represented by the number you have
assigned to it in this step. In the step 5, the CMS administrator has to
match the line button number to its corresponding alert number.
4
From the CMS Administration screen, the CMS administrator presses
(labeled “Assign Alert” ) to display the Exception Alerts screen with the
following prompt:
ALERT LINE BUTTON NUMBER: 1:_ 2:_ 3:_ 4:_
5
The CMS administrator matches the assigned line button numbers (1
through 32) to their corresponding alert numbers (1 through 4), and enters
the data.
NOTE: CMS cannot be managing calls at this point.
[ F4 ]
Selecting Exceptions
4-45
6 The CMS administrator sets exception thresholds for various groups and
splits.
7 The CMS administrator assigns the alert numbers to any of the splits or
line groups for which thresholds are set and for which visual alerts are to
light Up when the thresholds are met or exceeded.
NOTE: If all external alert wiring and administration procedures are
complete, alerts may be assigned to specific exceptions (from the
Exception Setting screen) while CMS is managing calls.
4-46 Selecting Exceptions
Backing Up Shift Configurations
If you routinely make a backup copy of your shift configurations, you will
have a current version to use if you need to restore your system after a
problem.
You should also copy the system tables at the same time you copy the shift
configurations.
assignments CMS needs to interpret the shift configurations.
NOTE: If you plan to archive your historical data, you should copy
the system tables each time you make a change in your shift
configurations. That way you will have the correct system tables to
interpret each day’s historical data.
system tables will fit on one floppy diskette.
The system tables contain the agent directory and line
Both the shift configurations and
COPY SHIFT
CONFIGURATIONS
To make a backup copy of your shift configurations and system tables, follow
these steps:
1 Insert the diskette labeled “CMS Duplicate Copy” into disk drive A.
Instructions for making a duplicate copy are found in Section 3, “Your
6300 WGS and CMS.”
2 At the C> prompt, type the following commands to change to the
cmsmgmt directory (a directory within the CMS program) on the hard
disk. Press
[ ↵ ↵ ] after each command. (If you just exited to MS-DOS
from the CMS program, you will be in the cms directory. Skip the first
command below.)
C> cd cms
C> cd cmsmgmt
3 To get into the cmsmgmt directory on the floppy diskette, type the
following commands, Press
C> a:
A> cd ems
A> cd cmsmgmt
[ ↵ ↵ ] After each command.
4 To copy all your shift configurations from the hard disk onto the floppy
diskette, type
copy c:shift .cms a:
❈
5 To copy the system tables onto the floppy diskette, type
copy c:systbls. cms a:
6 Remove the duplicate copy when the red light on disk drive A goes out.
7 Write the current date on a label and attach it to the duplicate.
8 To return to the cms directory on disk drive C, type these commands:
A> c:
C> cd. .
Backing Up Shift Configurations
4-47
If you ever lose a shift configuration (for instance, if you clear a configuration
by accident), copy the desired configuration (or all configurations) from the
duplicate as follows:
1 Repeat steps 1 through 3 in the previous procedure.
2 To copy all your shift configurations from the duplicate onto the hard
disk, type
copy a:shift .cms c:
❈
To copy a single shift configuration from the duplicate, type
copy a:shiftX. cms c:
(Replace X with the number of the shift configuration.)
3 To copy the system tables from the duplicate copy onto the hard disk,
type
copy a:systbls.cms c:
4 Remove the duplicate when the red light on disk
For more information on restoring CMS after system
“Troubleshooting.”
drive C goes out.
problems, see Section 9,
4-48 Backing Up Shift Configurations
Overview
You must complete several initial administration activities before you can
manage calls with CMS. These activities, described in Section 4,
“Administering CMS,” involve identifying your CMS lines and agents and
building at least one shift configuration.
activities, refer to Section 4 and return to this section after you build your
shift configuration(s).
“Supervising CMS” describes the task of setting up your attendant console
and the following activities involved in the day-to-day operation of CMS:
The Administrator/Supervisor’s Responsibilities. Lists the primary CMS
activities of the administrator or shift supervisor.
The Attendant Console. Describes the three available consoles and what
lines and features you should assign to the voice terminal buttons.
If you have not completed these
Startup Procedures.
collection and call management.
Making Agents Available for CMS Calls. Describes how agents make
themselves available for CMS calls and how they can enter after-call-work
state or logged out state.
Monitoring Call Management. Explains the status screens that give you
current information on agent and split activity, call traffic, and system
problems.
Dynamic Reconfiguration.
CMS is managing calls.
are reassigning agents or turning on intraflow. This part also describes
saving your dynamic reconfiguration changes, if you want, and selecting a
different configuration for call management.
Selecting Day or Night Service. Describes changing CMS from Day
Service mode (where a shift configuration is in use and CMS routes calls
to agents) to Night Service mode (where CMS answers calls, connects
them to a delay message, and disconnects the calls).
Day-to-Day Operation of CMS: An Example. Describes how the
administrator at Bon Voyage Travel, a hypothetical business, interacts with
CMS on a typical day. You may want to read this brief part first to
become more familiar with the types of activities involved in using CMS.
Figure 5-1 shows the screens you use to monitor call management and
perform dynamic reconfiguration.
Describes turning on your PC and starting data
Describes changing a shift configuration while
Typical activities during dynamic reconfiguration
Overview 5-1
FIGURE 5-1 Map of the screens for call management.
CMS MAIN MENU
SPLITS
ADD
AGENT
REMOVE
AGENT
MOVE
AGENT
REPLACE
AGENT
NEW
AGENT
CHANGE
SPLIT
ID
AGENT
DIRECTORY
LINE
GROUPS
ANSWER
DELAY
FORCE
DELAY
AUTO
ACW
START CALL
MANAGEMENT
INITIALIZE
STORED SHIFT
CONFIGURATIONS
SELECT AND
INITIALIZE ONE
CONFIGURATION
INITIALIZATION
COMPLETE
CONFIGURATIONS
CALLEVENTS
FLOW
LOGSTATUS
ASSIGN
SPLITS
FLOW
ON/OFF
SET
THRESH
ALL-RING
ON/OFF
ADMINISTRATION
SYSTEM
PRINT
REPORTSSTATUS
LINE
CHANGE
PRIORITYAGT STAT
SPLIT
STATUS
CHANGE
MENU
MENU
CONFIG
LIST
SELECT
CONFIG
SAVE
CONFIG
RENAME
CONF
CHOOSE
STARTUP
REPORT
MENU
AGENT SPLIT
SUMMARY
SPLIT
REPORT
LINE GROUP
REPORT
REPORTS
EVENTS LOG
REPORT
DAYSETSELECT
NIGHTOPTIONS
SERVICE
LEVEL
ABANDON
THRESH
IG
ALARM
ON/OFF
DELAY
LENGTH
BUSINESS
NAME
ALL
MSG
DAILY
CUMULATIVE
DAILY
CUMULATIVE BY DAY
CUMULATIVE BY HOUR
DAILY
CUMULATIVE BY DAY
CUMULATIVE BY HOUR
DAILY
CUMULATIVE BY DAY
CUMULATIVE BY HOUR
EXIT CALL
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
EVENTS
LOG
EXCEPTIONS
AGENT
EXPECTATIONS
SPLIT
EXCEPTIONS
GROUP
EXCEPTIONS
ASSIGN
ALERTS
STATUS
LINE
SPLIT
STATUS
CONFIG
SCREEN
NOTE 1:
Additional Call Management screens and function keys are provided to allow for easy navigation between configuration and system status displays as well as easy
access to the Events Log.
NOTE 2:
After initialization is complete and another menu is selected, the system menu screen can be used to select Configurations rewiew system status screens,
print reports, and exit call management.
5-2 Overview
The Administator/Supervisor's Responsibilities
The MERLIN II system administrator is responsible for establishing certain
systemwide options and features, such as setting the system for square or
pooled lines, assigning the lines that a voice terminal can access, or storing
System Speed Dial codes in the MERLIN II system. In many systems the
administrator may also be given the responsibilities of the CMS super-visor; in
other systems the two roles will be assigned to different people. If the latter
is the case, the MERLIN II system administrator and the CMS supervisor
must work closely together in defining the needs of both the MERLIN II
system and CMS and making decisions about how the MERLIN II system and
CMS will work together.
The CMS shift supervisor has many responsibilities, all of which are described
in this manual. Typically, the role of the CMS supervisor involves:
Creating shift configurations of line groups and agent splits (See Section 4,
“Administering CMS.”)
Monitoring line status, split status, call traffic, and system problems
during call management (See “Monitoring Call Management” and
“Dynamic Reconfiguration” in this section.)
Helping agents understand the MERLIN II system features that they
to handle CMS calls (See Section 6, “Handling CMS Calls.”)
Generating reports (See Section 7, “Generating Reports.”)
Using system status information and the Management Information System
(MIS) data in the CMS reports to maintain efficient call management and
agent productivity (See Section 7, “Generating Reports,” for ongoing data
collection; see Section 8, “Archiving Data,” for storing past CMS data. )
Troubleshooting (See Section 9, “Troubleshooting.”)
To
better understand the duties of the CMS supervisor, you may also find it
helpful to read the description of the supervisor’s role at Bon Voyage Travel,
a hypothetical business, and how he interacts with CMS, (See “A Typical
CMS Application” in Section 2, “Understanding CMS,” and “Day-to-Day
Operation of CMS” in this section.)
use
The Administrator/Supervisor's Responsibilities 5-3
The Attendant Console
The system administrator should have set your MERLIN II system for a large
system, that is, for a system with more than eight lines or more than 20 voice
terminals. A
accommodate a large system.
For CMS to work with the MERLIN II System with Feature Module 2, you
must have a MERLIN II System Display Console. The display console (Figure
5-2) has Auto Intercom buttons on the right side of the console which can be
used to represent up to 72 voice terminals. The buttons on the left side of the
console are available to show the status of up to 56 lines. All lines and
intercom numbers are assigned to buttons on the console automatically when
the system is activated for the first time.
The display provides information that helps you handle calls and program
your voice terminal more easily. You can also use the display to set an alarm,
time calls, and check the time, day, and date.
The requirements for setting up your MERLIN II system display console are
as follows:
● The console must be plugged in to one of the attendant jacks on the
MERLIN II system control unit.
console to an attendant jack, see “Other Attendant Positions” under the
heading “Complete the Master Planning Form” in Section 2 of the
MERLIN II Communications System with Feature Module 2 Installation and
Administration Manual
S CMS supervisor, you therefore must have a console that will
For more information on connecting your
LINE BUTTONS
AUTO INTERCOM
BUTTONS
● Your console also needs buttons for lines and the Auto Intercom feature.
If you need information on using the line buttons and the Auto Intercom
feature, see the procedures described in Section 6, “Handling CMS Calls.”
● You may also want to use the Group Page feature.
Use a Voice Terminal Configuration Form to help you keep a record of your
decisions for your voice terminal. See the MERLIN II Ccmmunications SystemPlanning Guide for the Call Management System for instructions on how to fill
out the forms.
On your console you need the following kinds of line buttons:
● One button for each line (not line group) assigned to CMS.
● Lines or line pools not associated with CMS for personal lines or for
outgoing calls, if applicable.
For additional information on line buttons, see the MERLIN II Communications
System Getting Started Guide for the Call Management System.
You should have an Auto Intercom button for each CMS agent so that you
can contact any agent with the touch of a button. Also, use the lights next to
the Auto Intercom buttons to see which agents are busy on calls and which
are not.
5-4 The Attendant Console
Conversely, a CMS agent can have either a Manual Signaling button or an
Auto Intercom button to contact you.
And, you can tell which agent is calling
because the light next to that agent’s Auto Intercom button on your voice
terminal flashes rapidly, If the agent has a Manual Signaling button for you
on his or her voice terminal, the agent and you should have a prearranged
meaning for the signal, such as “Please pick up on this call. I need help.”
You can determine which line the agent is on by using the CMS Split Status
screens (see “Using the Split Status Screens” in this section) and pick up on
that line.
GROUP PAGE
Sometimes, it may be necessary for you to use the MERLIN II system Group
Page feature to make group announcements to agents of a particular split or
to all agents on duty. (In order to administer the Group Page feature, see the
administration procedures for Group Page in the MERLIN II System Manual. )
A typical message might be that CMS is starting up for the day and the
agents should touch their Available buttons to signal CMS that they are ready
to receive calls. The agents will hear your voice through their voice terminal
speakers.
However, the agents must not lift their handsets during the
announcement or the announcement is terminated.
NOTE: If you want to assign paging groups to buttons, you need one
button for each paging group.
To use the Group Page feature to make a paging announcement, you can use
the programmed button or you may choose to use a dial code, To program a
Group Page button on your console for each paging group, follow the
directions in “Programing a Voice Terminal” in Section 6, “Handling CMS
Calls.”
Use the Group Page feature as follows:
1
Touch the Group Page button for the group you want to page.
2
When you hear a beep, lift your handset and make the announcement,
(You hear a busy signal if all the voice terminals in the group are busy.)
or
Touch Intercom-Voice.
1
2
Lift your handset.
3
Dial the code for the group you want to page:
881 for group 1
882
883
884
885
886
887
group 2
group 3
group 4
group 5
group 6
group 7
The Attendant Console 5-5
4 When you hear a beep, speak into your handset. (You hear a busy signal
if all the voice terminals in the group are busy.)
NOTE: The above group page codes are default codes. If the
MERLIN II system has non-CMS activity, some codes may have
undergone flexible numbering.
If so, check the Master Planning Form
and the Group Page Planning Form to see what the new numbers are.
CMS does not operate properly with flexible numbering. If Group
Page will not work with the assigned flexible numbers; use the above
default codes. If Group Page doesn’t work with either the flexible
numbers or the default codes, see your MERLIN II system
administrator.
To program other MERLIN II system features onto your own or your agents’
voice terminals, such as Last Number Redial or Saved Number Redial, see the
entry for that feature in Section 2, “Reference” of the MERLIN II System
Manual.
5-6 The Attendant Console
FIGURE 5-2 The MERLIN II System Display Console.
❑
Message
❑
555-4372
❑
❑❑
555-5184
❑❑❑❑❑
❑
555-5062
❑
Intercom
❑
❑
Voice
Intercom
❑
Ring
❑
Disconnect
❑
Speaker
❑
555-7183
❑
555-7182555-1808555-0917
❑
555-7181
❑
❑❑
555-1415
❑
❑
555-1414
❑
Hold
❑❑❑
❑
555-1816
❑❑
❑❑
❑
555-1818
❑❑
555-8515Alert (CMS)
❑❑❑
❑
555-8532Alert (CMS)
❑❑
❑
555-8518
❑
❑
555-8531
❑❑❑
❑
555-0911
❑
❑
555-0912
❑
❑
555-0913
❑❑
❑
555-0914
❑
❑
555-0915
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑❑
❑
555-0916
555-0918
❑❑
10
50
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Transfer
Shift 1
❑
11
51
❑
12
❑
52
13233343
53
❑
14
❑
54
15
55
❑
16
❑
56
17
57
❑
1828
❑
58
19
59
❑
Recall
❑
Shift 2
❑
2030
60
213141
61
22
62
63
24
64
25
65
26
66
27
67
68
29
69
700
❑
❑
701
3242
702
❑
703
❑
3444
704
❑
3545
❑
705
36
❑
706
37
❑
707
38
❑
708
39
❑
709
Conference
❑
Shift 3
Clock
❑
Functions
❑
❑
❑
712
713
❑
❑714
715
❑
❑716
717
❑
❑
718
❑
719
Drop
❑
Message
Status
40
710
711
46
47
48
49
The Attendant Console 5-7
Startup Procedures
To activate CMS, follow these steps:
1 Turn on your PC.
If you use an AUTOEXEC.BAT file to automatically start the CMS
program, the CMS Menu appears.
creating an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, refer to “Starting up the CMS Program
Automatically” in Section 3.)
Go to step 4. (For informatiom on
2 When the C> prompt appears, type cd cms and press
3 When C> prompt appears again, type cms and press
the CMS program. The CMS Main Menu, below, appears.
Bon Voyage Travel
CALL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS)
FOR THE MERLIN(r) II CS
(c)1986, 1987, 1988, by AT&T
MAIN MENU
F1 - Start Call Management
F4 - Administer CMS
(Agents, Lines, Configurations)
F5
- Print Reports
Exit to DOS
F8 -
F StartF Admin F Print
1 Call Mgt
4
CMS
5 Reports
CMS CMSIIR22:03p 06/27
[ ↵ ↵ ] .
[ ↵ ↵ ] .This starts
F10 - Help
F Exit
8 to Dos
5-8 Startup Procedures
4 Press [ F1 ] (labeled “Start Call Mgt” ) to begin call management. If you
have not preselected a shift configuration, the Initialization screen (below)
appears with a list of configurations and a prompt.
Bon Voyage Travel
DAY CMSIIR23:46p 06/02
INITIALIZATION IN PROGRESS ... SELECT CONFIGURATION
While this screen is displayed, CMS checks cable connections and CMS
files and checks to see if sufficient file space exists to store data. (If you
receive an error or warning message, turn to Section 9, “Troubleshooting,”
for instructions).
5 At this point, enter the number of the configuration you want to use and
[ F8 ] (labeled “Enter Data”).
press
The screen clears except for the following message:
INITIALIZATION IN PROGRESS...PLEASE WAIT
Another series of system checks begins and the configurations complete
their initialization.
6 When, after a successful system check, CMS is ready to begin call
management, the following screen appears.
Startup Procedures 5-9
Bon Voyage Travel
INITIALIZATION COMPLETE ... READY FOR INPUT
F Config
1 Screen3 Status
F System
DAY CMSIIR2
F Reports
5
3:47p 06/02
F10 -
F Exit
8 Call Mgt
NOTE: You can choose to have a particular shift configuration begin
automatically during system startup, CMS performs another series of
system checks. For more information on activating a configuration
automatically, refer to the Select Startup function in “Building or Editing
Shift Configurations” in Section 4.
Help
When call management begins, all agents are automatically in the logged
out state, To make themselves available, they have to touch the Available
button on their voice terminals. This turns on the light next to the
Available button and signals CMS that they are ready to receive calls.
If administered, the Auto ACW feature begins working after an agent
receives his first call. Upon completion of the call, the agent is placed into
ACW for the administered time and then returned to the Available state
automatically.
7 Press the function key for the activity you want to perform next. For
information on moving the cursor in
-
prompts, entering data, and editing
data, see “Using Your PC with CMS” in Section 3.
The function keys active on this screen are:
[ F1 ]
Config Screen.
Use this function key to select the Configuration
screen, which displays the current shift configuration, From this screen
you can change the configuration while it is managing calls. For instance,
you may want to replace an agent who is absent. For more information,
see “Dynamic Reconfiguration, ” in this section.
[ F3 ]
System Status.
Use this function key to select the System Status
screen, the “home” screen of the running CMS. It summarizes the
activity in each agent split and line group. For information on interpreting
this screen, see “Using the System Status Screen.”
5-10 Startup Procedures
[ F5 ] Reports. Use this function key to select the Report Menu screen.
You can select reports from the Report Menu and print them out. This
screen is accessible even while CMS is managing calls. For more
information, see Section 7, “Generating Reports.”
[ F8 ] Exit Use this function key to stop call management. You are
prompted to confirm your request.
Your CMS stops answering incoming
calls but continues to function until all calls already in the system are
completed. This includes any call already answered by CMS, whether it is
connected to the voice announcement unit, waiting in a queue, or
connected to an agent. The status screens continue to be updated as long
as calls are being handled.
Once all calls are completed, the historical data are written to the disk and
the CMS Menu screen appears.
From the CMS Menu you can choose to
administer CMS, print reports, exit to MS-DOS, or start call management
again.
Startup Procedures
5-11
Making Agents Available for CMS Calls
Since it is important that your CMS knows when an agent is available for
CMS calls, agents must understand how to designate the work state they are
in. In this way, your CMS can run efficiently and maintain accurate records.
AGENTS' VOICE
TERMINAL BUTTON
REQUIREMENTS
AGENTS' VOICE
TERMINAL WORK STATES one of three alternate work states:
Each agent must have on his or her voice terminal both an Available button
and an ACW button. For programming procedures, see Section 6, “Handling
CMS Calls.”
Agents assigned to splits in an active configuration can place themselves in
Logged out state.
in the logged out state.
available to take calls, and time spent in this state is not included in report
statistics. It is also possible for agents to log themselves out. Agents are
considered to be in the logged out state when the lights next to Available
and ACW are off.
Available state. An agent is available for CMS calls when the light next to
the Available button on the agent’s voice terminal is on.
after-call-work (ACW) state. When an agent is completing work related to
CMS, such as filling out forms for a previous CMS call, the light next to
the ACW button on the agent’s voice terminal must be on. As the CMS
supervisor, you must decide how to define this work state for your
business.
NOTE: An enhancement to the ACW state is the automatic after-call-work
(Auto ACW) state. The agent does not have to touch the voice terminal
buttons to determine work states, except to log out. This hands-free
operation allows an agent the option of using a headset adapter. The
after-call-work state occurs automatically upon completion of a call, and
stays in that state until the time administered for the auto ACW state has
passed (l-999 seconds). When the specified time has passed, the agent is
automatically available to receive the next incoming call for that line
group. As the CMS administrator, you must determine the length of time
for the Auto ACW state.
In particular circumstances your CMS can place agents
When agents are logged out, they are not
For additional information about the Available state, see “Announcing
Availability for CMS Calls,” in Section 6.
LOGGED OUT STATE
5-12 Making Agents Available for CMS Calls
When call management begins, all agents are automatically in the logged out
state. Use the MERLIN II system Loudspeaker Page or Group Page feature to
tell your agents that call management has begun and they should make
themselves available for calls. (For directions on using the paging features,
see the MERLIN II System Manual.) At this time, those agents who are
available for CMS calls can turn on the light next to the Available button at
their voice terminals by touching Available.
NOTE: While CMS is in the Night Service mode, any agents on duty
are in the Night state. Time spent in this state is not counted as time
logged in for reporting purposes.
All agents are automatically placed in the logged out state when you stop
managing calls with one shift configuration and begin managing calls with
another. Individual agents are automatically placed in the logged out state in
the following instances as well:
● When you add, move, or replace an agent
● When an agent has been in the after-call-work state for longer than the
Agent Logout exception threshold, if you have specified one
● When an agent refuses a call
You can use the Auto Intercom feature to tell agents when they are being
moved to new splits and to let them know they should make themselves
available for calls after you have moved them.
Agents can place themselves in the logged out state when they are not
available for CMS calls and not doing work associated with CMS. Agents are
logged out when the lights next to Available and ACW are off. This signals
the system that the agent is not available for CMS calls. When the agent is
available for CMS calls again, he or she can touch Available and the light
next to that button goes on.
AVAILABLE STATE
AFTER-CALL-WORK
STATE
When agents no longer need to be in the after-call-work or logged out state
and are available again for CMS calls, they can announce their availability by
turning on the light next to Available. When agents are not available for
CMS calls, they can do one of the following:
● If they want to enter the logged out state, they can turn off the light next
to the Available button by touching Available.
● If they want to enter the after-call work state, they simply turn on the
light next to the ACW button by touching ACW. The light next to
Available automatically turns off.
An agent can announce unavailability when he or she is finishing paperwork
connected with the previous CMS call by turning on the light next to ACW.
● When the agent has completed the after-call-work and is available for
CMS calls again, he or she should touch Available so that the light next to
that button goes on.
If the light next to ACW is on, the light next to that
button goes off when the agent touches Available,
● If agents want to enter the logged out state, they can turn off the light
next to the ACW button by touching ACW.
Making Agents Available for CMS Calls
5-13
AUTOMATIC AFTER-An agent receiving a call from a line group with automatic ACW does not
CALL-WORK STATE
have to touch the ACW button to announce unavailability upon completion of
a call. The agent has a set period of time that was administered for the
agent’s line group for finishing paperwork connected with the previous CMS
call. This hands-free operation allows an agent the option of using a headset
adapter.
● When the specified time for the automatic ACW has passed, the light next
to the ACW button goes off and the light next to the Available button
turns on. The agent is made available automatically for the next incoming
call.
● If an agent is finished with the paperwork before the specified time has
elapsed, the agent can touch Available on the voice terminal, which turns
on the light next to the button.
● To enter the logged out state, an agent can turn off the light next to the
ACW button by touching ACW,
SUPERVISORY
LOGIN/LOGOUT
The supervisor can use the Split Status screens on the CMS PC to place
agents in either the available, ACW, or logged out work status. See “Using
the Split Status Screens” later in this section.
5-14 Making Agents Available for CMS Calls
Monitoring Call Management
Once you begin call management (as described earlier in “Startup
Procedures“), you can monitor activity in the line groups and splits through
the status screens. These screens, described in this chapter, are as follows:
● System Status screen.
This screen is considered the “home” screen during
call management. It summarizes the activity in each line group and split.
● Split Status screens. You can view a Split Status screen for each split.
This screen describes the activity of each agent in a particular split and
summarizes the activity for the entire split.
● Line Status screen. This screen summarizes the activity for each line and
line group.
● Events Log screen. This screen lists the 19 most recent exception
messages and system problems and the time they occurred.
By monitoring the status screens, you can discover problems as they occur
and correct them through dynamic reconfiguration. (See “Dynamic
Reconfiguration.”)
To print a copy of any screen, press
[ ^ ] - [ Prt Sc ] while the screen is
displayed.
NOTE: If you see the message Don’tPrtSc on the ID line or Printer Not
Ready. Using Prt Sc Key will Halt CMS
on the error line, do
not
attempt to
print a screen. If you attempt to print a screen while either of these
messages is displayed, CMS will stop running,
If the printer is not ready, you can perform the following checks:
Make sure the printer is plugged in and turned on. The Ready light
should be on.
Make sure there is paper in the printer and that it is aligned properly and
not jammed.
Press the Form Feed button on the printer to make sure the paper feeds
properly.
Turn to “Printer Problems” in Section 9, “Troubleshooting,” for more
information about troubleshooting your printer.
Using the System Status Screen
The System Status screen, shown below, summarizes the activity in each line
group and agent split. It is considered the “home” screen during call
management. For an explanation of the data on this screen, see “Key to
System Status Data.”
Monitoring Call Management
5-15
Bon Voyage Travel
SYSTEM STATUS
Line
Group
A PUBLIC0 4 1 3
B SPECL
C CHART
D CORP
LINE GROUP INFORMATION
Lines Split
Busy
TotalMain Sec Flow
0 3 1 3
0 6 2 4
0 2 3 -
DAY CMSIIR2
On
On
On
Off
4:04p 06/02
SplitACD Avail ACW Out Oth Num Old Num Delay
1 PERS00070000
2 CHART
3 CORP
4 SUPPT
5-00000000
6-
So you can tell at a glance if CMS is operating efficiently, the System Status
screen lists:
● The status of line groups such as the number of busy lines and the total
number of lines in the line group
● How splits are assigned to line groups and whether intraflow is active
● Status information on each split such as the number of agents on CMS
calls and the number of available agents
● The number of calls waiting for each split
● Important data collected since the beginning of the report hour such as the
number of calls handled and the service level
5-16 Monitoring Call Management
NOTE: The System Status screen shows an agent to be on an ACD
call while the call is ringing at the agent’s voice terminal. The CMS
supervisor should be aware that agents are not credited with an ACD
call until they actually pick up their handset to answer the call.
When CMS transfers a call to an agent, the call disappears from the
group of calls waiting to be answered by an agent. If the call is
refused, it reappears in the same group of waiting calls.
If the System Status screen indicates a problem that needs immediate
correction, you can make that correction through dynamic reconfiguration.
For more information, see “Dynamic Reconfiguration,”
You can also change the system from Day Service mode to Night Service
mode using
[ F1 ] (labeled “Day/Night”) on the System Status screen. In Day
Service mode, CMS routes calls to agents. In Night Service mode, CMS
connects incoming calls to the voice announcement unit and disconnects them
when the announcement is over. For more information, see “Selecting Day
or Night Service,”
later in this section.
To access another screen from the System Status screen, to change to Day or
Night Service, or to exit call management, press the corresponding function
key:
[ F1 ] Day/Night. Press this function key to change the system from Day
Service mode to Night Service mode or vice versa. For more information, see
“Selecting Day or Night Service,” later in this section.
[ F2 ] Set Options.
Use this function key to select the Set Options screen to
change options such as the service level and the abandoned call threshold.
For more information, refer to “Setting Options” in Section 4.
[ F3 ] Select Exceptns.
Use this function key to view the Exception Setting
screen. That screen enables you to select different exceptions or change
exception thresholds. For more information, see “Selecting Exceptions" in
Section 4.
[ F4 ] Events Log. Press this function key to select the Events Log screen.
This screen displays the 19 most recent exceptions and system errors. For
more information, see “Using the Events Log Screen,” later in this section.
[ F5 ] Line Status. Press this function key to select the Line Status screen.,
This screen displays information about every line and every line group. For
more information, see “Using the Line Status Screen,” later in this section.
[ F6 ] Split Status.
Press this function key to view a Split Status screen for a
particular split. (You are prompted for the split number.) The Split Status
screens give you a detailed picture of the activity in each split. For more
information, see “Using the Split Status Screen,” later in this section.
[ F7 ] Config Screen. Press this function key to select the Configuration
screen. From that screen you can begin dynamic reconfiguration of your
system. This involves modifying the configuration that is currently managing
calls. For more information, see “Dynamic Reconfiguration,” later in this
section.
[ F8 ] System Menu.
Use this function key to get to the System Menu for
performing dynamic reconfiguration, review system status, generate reports,
and exit call management.
Once all calls are completed, the historical data are written to the disk and the
CMS Menu screen appears.
From the CMS Menu you can choose to
administer CMS print reports, exit to MS-DOS, or start call management
again.
Monitoring Call Management
5-17
Key to System Status Data
Bon Voyage Travel
Split
1 PERS
2 CHART
3 C0RP
4 SUPPT
56-
F Day/
1 Night
ACD Avail ACW Out Oth Num Old Num Delay
00070000
00070000
00030000
00020000
00000000
00000000
F
Set
2 Options
Agents
3
❍
F Select
3 Exceptns
LINE GROUP INFORMATION
Line
GroupBusy
A PUBLIC
B SPECL
C CHART
D CORP
DAY CMSIIR2
SYSTEM STATUS
Lines
Total
0413
1
❍
0313
0624
023-
SPLIT INFORMATION
Waitng Abandon Intrflow Calls Handled
4
❍
F Events
4
Log
Splits
Main Sec Flow
❍
In Out Num AvgTalk ASA Levl
0s 0
0s 0
5
6
❍
❍
0s 0
0s 0
0s 0
0s 0
F Line
5 Status
F Split
6 Status
On
2
On
On
Off
00
00
00
00
000:00 0s 0%
000:00 0s
F Config
7 Screen
4:04p 06/02
0:00 0s 0%
0:00 0
7
❍
0:00 0s 0%
0:00 0s
F10 - Help
F System
8 Menu
s 0%
The numbers in the following list are keyed to the circled numbers in the
screen above.
❍
Serv
8
0%
0%
LINE GROUP
INFORMATION
SPLIT INFORMATION
1 Number of busy lines and total number of lines
2 Main and secondary split assignments and intraflow status
Current Status of Agents and of Waiting Calls
3 Number of agents on ACD calls; available to take calls; in the after-call-
work, logged out, or night state (”Out”); or on other than ACD (”Oth” )
calls
4 Number of calls now waiting and length of time the oldest call has been
waiting
Record of Calls Received during Current How’
5 Number of abandoned calls and average length of time these calls spent in
system
6 Number of calls intraflowed into and out of each split
7 Number of ACD calls handled, average talk time, and average speed of
answer
8 Service level (percentage of calls answered within your service level limit)
5-18 Monitoring Call Management
Using the Split Status Screens
With the Split Status screens, you can get a detailed picture of the activities of
each agent in each split. For instance, you can see how many calls each agent
has answered and the average time an agent spends on a call.
The same data are collected for each split. Each Split Status screen contains
one split’s data.
screen prompts you to enter the split number for the Split Status screen you
want to see. A typical Split Status screen appears below.
Pressing
[ F6 ] (labeled “Split Status”) from any other status
The left section of the screen describes the activities of each agent in a
particular split and summarizes the activity in the entire split. The right side
of the screen keeps you in touch with the system as a whole by summarizing
calls waiting for all splits and intraflow assignments. For an explanation of
each type of data on this screen, see “Key to Split Status Data.”
If a Split Status screen indicates a problem that needs immediate correction,
you can do so through dynamic reconfiguration. For more information, see
“Dynamic Reconfiguration,” later in this section.
To select another screen or perform a function from the Split Status screen,
press the corresponding function key:
[ F1 ] Change Press this function key to change an agent’s work status
(Supervisory Login/Logout feature).
When the function key is pressed, the following prompt appears:
CHANGE AGENT STATUS: AGENT ID:
NEW STATUS (AVAIL/ACW/OUT):
Enter the agent ID in the AGENT ID field and the desired status in the NEW
STATUS field, then press
[ F8 ] to enter the data.
The agent’s work state (under the “Status” column) will change from its
previous status to the new status.
The supervisor can change an agent’s
work state at any time in an active split.
Monitoring Call Management
5-19
Error messages are displayed if an agent is already in the status entered, or if
an ID is entered for an agent that is not in the split, or if either of the prompt
fields is left blank. If an ACD call is in progress when the supervisor initiates
the change, the new status takes effect upon completion of the call, and a
message to that effect is displayed.
NOTE: This feature is not in effect when CMS is in Night Service.
When in Night Service, CMS does not display the F1 function key in
the Split Status screen.
[ F3 ] Next Page/Previous Page.
Press this function key to toggle between the
pages of the “SPLIT STATUS INFORMATION” screen when there are more
than 14 agents in a split.
If you are on the first page of the screen, Next Page is presented at the
bottom of the screen. If you are on the second page of the screen, PreviousPage is presented at the bottom of the screen.
[ F4 ] Events Log. Press this function key to select the Events Log screen. It
lists the 19 most recent exceptions and system errors. For more information,
see “Using the Events Log Screen,” later in this section.
[ F5 ]
Line Status.
Press this function key to select the Line Status screen. It
displays information about every line and every line group. For more
information, see “Using the Line Status Screen,” later in this section.
[ F6 ] Split Status. Press this function key to view another Split Status screen.
You are prompted to enter a split number.
[ F7 ] Config Screen. Press this function key to select the Configuration
screen. From that screen you can begin dynamic reconfiguration of your
system. For more information, see “Dynamic Reconfiguration,” later in this
section.
[ F8 ] System Status. Press this function key to select the System Status
screen, It summarizes the activity in each split and line group. For more
information, see “Using the System Status Screen,” earlier in this section.
The numbers in the following list are keyed to the circled numbers in the
screen above.
❍
0s
10
0s
0s
0s
0s
0s
AGENT STATUS
Individual Agents
1 Position number (MERLIN II system intercom number) and ID of agent
2 Current status, i.e., busy with ACD call, (including ID of line that agent is
using), available to take call (”Avail”), in after-call-work state (”ACWork”),
in logged out state (”LoggedOut”), in night state (” Night”), or on an other
than ACD (”OtherCall”) call
3 Number of ACD calls answered during this hour, average talk time per
call, and average length of time spent in the after-call-work state
4 Number of ACD calls transferrd by the agent and calls refused during
this hour
5 Number of “Other” (not ACD) calls and average talk time per call during
this hour
Agent Summary Line
6 Number of agents currently available out of total number of agents active
in split
7 Total number of calls answered during this hour, average talk time per
call, and average time spent in the after-call-work state
8 Total number of ACD calls transferred by agents in the split and calls
refused during this hour
9 Total number of other than CMS calls during this hour and average talk
time per call
Monitoring Call Management
5-21
SPLIT STATUS
10 Number of calls waiting in each split and length of time the oldest call has
been waiting
CALL FLOW
11 Main and secondary split assignments and intraflow status
Using the Line Status Screen
The Line Status screen, shown below, summarizes the activity for each line in
each line group. Pressing
screen selects the Line Status screen.
Bon Voyage Travel
Grp Line
A 1816
A 0 Busy/4 Total
B 8532
B 0 Busy/3 Total
C 0911Idle 0 0m
P Stat Num HoldTGrp Line P Stat Num HoldT
1808
1818
8515
8518
8531
0912Idle 0 0mB 1 3 On
0913Idle 0 0mC 2 4 On
0914
0915
0916
[ F5 ] (labeled “Line Status”) from any other status
The left section of the Line Status screen summarizes the activity for each line
and line group. The right side of the screen keeps you in touch with the
system as a whole by summarizing calls waiting for all splits and call flow
assignments. (For an explanation of the data on this screen, see “Key to Line
Status Data.”
If the Line Status screen indicates a problem that needs immediate correction,
you can do so through dynamic reconfiguration. (For more information, see
“Dynamic Reconfiguration,”
later in this section.) You can also change the
priority of a line from this screen. Calls on priority lines are answered before
calls on nonpriority lines.
To change a line’s priority or select another screen, press the corresponding
function key:
[ F1 ] Change Priority. Use this function key to change a line from a priority
line to a nonpriority line, or vice versa.
The priority of a line determines its
position among the calls waiting to be answered by an agent. Priority lines
are answered first and are indicated by a “+“ in the P (priority) column of
the Line Status screen.
After you press
[ F1 ] (labeled “Change Priority”), the following prompt
appears.
Prompt:
Action:
CHANGE PRIORITY: Line ID:
Enter a line ID to change the priority of that line. Press
[ F8 ]
(labeled “Enter Data”).
[ F4 ] Events Log. Press this function key to select the Events Log screen. It
displays the 19 most recent exceptions and system errors. For more
information, see “Using the Events Log Screen,” later in this section.
[ F6 ] Split Status. Press this function key to view a Split Status screen for a
particular split. (You are prompted to enter a split number.) The Split Status
screens summarize the activity in each split. For more information, see
“Using the Split Status Screens,” earlier in this section.
[ F7 ] Config Screen. Press this function key to select the Configuration
screen. From that screen you can begin dynamic reconfiguration of your
system.
Reconfiguration, ”
[ F8 ] System Status. Press this function key to select the System Status
For more information and instructions, see “Dynamic
later in this section.
screen. It summarizes the activity in each split and line group. For more
information, see “Using the System Status Screen,” earlier in this section.
Monitoring Call Management
5-23
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