AT&T 999-501-149 User Manual

AT&T

999-501-149

MERLIN ® lI

COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

Feature Module 2

Call Management System System Manual

Printed in USA NOTICE

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 Management System 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

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.

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

historical data on floppy diskettes for storage and analysis.

Troubleshooting.

and tells you how to correct them.

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 force delay 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.

Figure 2-1 shows a diagram of Bon Voyage Travel’s

Personal

Travel

Split

❍

Support

Split

Charter Line Group

555-0911 555-0914 555-0912 555-0915 555-0913 555-0916

Corporate Line Group

555-0917 555-0918

❍

Charter

Travel

Split

❍

Corporate

Travel

Split

❍

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

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)

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:

Turn on the PC.

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

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:

If the A> prompt does not appear on your screen, type

and press [ ↵ ] . The A> prompt should then appear on your screen.

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

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.

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

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:

Bon Voyage Travel

❍

AGENT SPLITS

Split Pos ID

1 PERS

❍

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

Agent Agent

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 ID Group Lines Delay Delay ACW

37 IKE 39 TINA B SPECL 40 DIANA 42 RON D 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 4 30s Off 3 - Off

6 Field

10:51a 06/13

Answer Force Auto

4 5s 3 5s Off 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 3 30s Off

30s O f f 6 30s 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 Travel ADMIN CMSIIR2

Split

1 PERS

2 CHART

aGENT SPLITS

Agent

Pos ID

l6 TOM 17 CLIFF 39 TINA

19 ERNIE 21 DEB 23 BOB 24 SHERM 25 WALT 6 27 BEN 28 SAM 29 NORM 31 DI A 1 3 On 32 CARLA 33 BJ C 2 4 On 4 35 MAX D3-

Split

3 CORP

4 SUPPT

5 -

Agent

Pos ID

37 IKE A PUBLIC 4

49 DIANA 42 RON D CORP 2 43 NANCY

Grp Main Sec Flow 1 10s Off

B 1 3 On 3

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

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 Intra Spl 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

30s Off 30s Off 30s Off

6 30s Off

F10 - Help

F Admin 8 Menu

ENTERING DATA AT PROMPTS

Bon Voyage Travel ADMIN CMSIIR2

Split Pos ID

Agent

1 PERS 16 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 5s Off 5s 5s On

Flow All

Spl Thresh Ring

l0s Off

5s Off

30s Off

6 30s Off

Configuration #l - DAILY

F10 - Help

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:

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:

Press To move

[ F5 ] (labeled Previous Field) To the beginning of the

[ 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 key one 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

[ F1 ] (labeled Cancel Prompt)

prompt disappears, and the function key labels change from editing labels to the labels for the particular CMS screen.

change a character in a field:

●

Move the cursor to the incorrect character and simply type another character over it.

add characters at the end of an entry:

●

[ > ] 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:

●

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 Travel ADMIN 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 Lines/ 3 Groups 5 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

+ 194 hidden pages