AT&T Call Management System Supervizor's Manual

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Page 1

585-214-071 Issue 1 October 1991

Call Management System

for MERLIN LEGEND Communications System

Supervisor’s Guide

Page 2

AT&T 585-214-071 Issue 1 October 1991

Notice

Every effort was made to ensure that the information in this book was complete and

accurate at the time of printing. However, information is subject to change.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interference Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable

protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference, in which case the user will have to correct the interference at his or her own expense. For additional FCC interference, registration, and repair information, see the information located at the back of this book.

This

equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy

Trademarks

MERLIN LEGEND is a trademark of AT&T. MERLIN is a registered trademark of AT&T. MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Warranty

AT&T provides a limited warranty to this product. Refer to the “Limited Use Software

License Agreement” card provided with this package.

Ordering Information

The order number for this book is 585-214-071. TO order additional books, call

1800432-6600 in the U.S. and 1800255-1242 in Canada. For more information

on how to order this and other system reference materials, see “About This Guide.”

Support Telephone Numbers

AT&T provides a toll-free customer helpline 24 hours a day. In the U.S. call the AT&T Helpline at 1800628-2888 if you need assistance when installing, programming, or using your system. In Canada, call one of the following Technical Assistance Centers for service or technical assistance:

Eastern Canada and Ottawa: Ontario: Central and Western Canada:

1800363-1882 1800387-4268 1800663-9817

Page 3

Contents

About This Guide

■

Documentation Conventions

■ Related Documentation

How to Order Documentation

Introduction to CMS

■

CMS Supervisor’s Responsibilities

■ Basic Terms and Key Concepts

Automatic Call Distributor

Lines and Line Groups Agents and Agent Splits Shift Configuration

Main Splits and Secondary Splits

lntraflow and Intraflow Threshold

Logged Out State and Available State After-Call-Work (ACW) State Automatic After-Call-Work (Auto ACW) State

Supervisory Login/Logout

Call Management Answer Delay, Force Delay, and Pri

■ A Typical CMS Application

CMS and Bon Voyage Travel Bon Voyage Travel’s Other Call

CMS and Other Businesses

Day-to-Day Operation of CMS

Traffic

ority Lines

xiii xiii

xiv xv

1-1 1-2

1-3 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-4

1-4 1-4 1-4 1-4 1-5

1-6 1-6 1-7

1-7

1-10 1-11 1-11

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Contents

Using Your PC with CMS

Starting CMS Setting the Date and Time

Set the Date

Set the Time 2-4 CMS Screen Layouts 2-5 Entering and Editing Data

Editing Prompt and Function Keys

Guidelines for Entering

Alternate Editing Keys Simple Editing Procedures Getting Help

Leaving CMS

Data

2-1 2-1

2-3 2-3

2-8 2-9 2-10 2-11 2-11 2-12 2-12

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

■

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

Assigning Splits

Add Agent Remove Agent Move Agent Replace (Substitute) Agent New Agent Change Split ID

Agent Directory

Assigning Line Group Options

Changing Answer Delay

3-1 3-3

3-8 3-9

3-10 3-11 3-11 3-12 3-13 3-14 3-17 3-18

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Contents

Changing Force Delay Programming Automatic After-Call-Work (ACW)

Programming Call Flow

How Intraflow Works Programming Considerations Programming Instructions Assigning Splits Turning Flow On/Off Setting the Intraflow Threshold Turning All-Ring On/Off

■ Clearing Agents

■ Saving a Changed Configuration .

■

Naming or Renaming a Shift Configuration

■

Selecting a Startup Configuration

■

Backing Up and Restoring Shift Configurations

Backing Up Shift Configurations Restoring Shift Configurations

3-20 3-20 3-22 3-22 3-23

3-24 3-25 3-26 3-26 3-27 3-29 3-30 3-32 3-33 3-34 3-34 3-35

Changing System Options and

Programming Exceptions

■ Changing System Options

Adjusting the Service Level Limit Adjusting the Abandoned Call Threshold Setting the Audible Alarm Adjusting the Delay Message Length Entering Your Business Name

■ Programming Exceptions

Instructions for Selecting Exceptions

4-1

4-3 4-5 4-6 4-7 4-7 4-8 4-9 4-10

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Contents

Agent Exceptions

Talk Time ACW (After Call Work) ACW Time Limit Refused Call

Split Exceptions

Abandon Calls (Number of Abandoned Calls) Calls Waiting (Number of Calls Waiting) Oldest Call (Oldest Call Waiting)

Avg Speed (Average Speed of Answer)

Line Group Exceptions

Lines Busy (All Lines Busy) HoldTime Maximum (Maximum Line Holding Time) HoldTime Minimum (Minimum Line Holding Time)

Assigning External Alerts to Exceptions

Conditions for Assigning Alerts Assigning Alerts to Line Buttons

4-13 4-14 4-15 4-16

4-17 4-17 4-18 4-19 4-20 4-21 4-22

4-23 4-24

4-25 4-26 4-28 4-29

Changing or Removing Line Button Assignments Assigning Exceptions and External Alerts

Simultaneously

4-31

4-32

CMS Telephones and Telephone Programming 5-1

■

CMS Supervisor’s Telephone

Supervisor’s Mode Changing Agent Status Group Page Barge-In Lights

5-2 5-6 5-7

5-7 5-8 5-8

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Contents

■ Agent Phones

Line Buttons

Work State Buttons (Available, ACW)

Announcing Availability

Automatic ACW

■ Call Handling

Answering CMS Calls Answering Non-CMS Calls Answering Extension Calls

Placing Outside Calls

Placing Extension Calls

Conferencing a Call Transferring Calls

■

Optional Headset and Headset Adapter

Headsets with MLX Telephones

Headset Buttons

5-10 5-10 5-11 5-11 5-12 5-13 5-14 5-15 5-15 5-15 5-16 5-17 5-18 5-19 5-19 5-19

Headset Operation Considerations Feature Interactions

Headsets with Analog Phones

Optional Headset Button

■

Using MERLIN LEGEND Features with CMS

Feature Button

inside Auto Dial

Notify

Manual Signaling

Agent Assist Transfer to Split or Queue . All-Ring Operation Ghost Telephones and Cover Buttons

Ringing Options

5-20 5-20 5-21 5-21 5-21 5-22 5-23 5-23 5-24 5-24 5-25 5-25 5-26 5-27 5-28

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Contents

Personalized Ringing

■ Telephone Programming

Telephone Programming Instructions

Supervising CMS

■ Startup Procedures

■

Making Agents Available for CMS Calls

Agent Telephone Button Requirements Agent Telephone Work States Changing Agent Status

■ Monitoring Call Management

Using the System Status Screen

Line Group Information Split Information Function Keys

Using the Split Status Screens

Agent Status Split Status Call Flow Information

Function Keys

Using the Line Status Screen

Line Status

Line Group Summary Split Status Call Flow Information Function Keys

Using the Events Log Screen

Function Keys

5-29 5-31 5-31

6-1

6-3 6-7 6-7 6-8 6-10

6-11 6-13 6-14 6-15

6-17 6-18 6-20 6-21 6-22

6-22 6-24 6-25

6-26 6-27 6-27 6-28 6-29

6-30

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Contents

Multiple View Only Monitors

■ Dynamic Reconfiguration

Beginning Dynamic Reconfiguration

Function Keys

Reconfiguring Splits

Add Agent

Remove Agent Move Agent Replace Agent New Agent Change Split ID Go to Configuration Screen

Agent Directory

Changing Line Group Options

Answer Delay

Changing Force Delay Changing Automatic ACW

Reconfiguring Call Flow

Assign Splits

Flow On/Off Set Intraflow Threshold All-Ring On/Off

Using the Stored Shift Configurations Screen

Select Configuration

Save Configuration

Rename Configuration

Choose Startup

■

Selecting Day or Night Service

Change to Night Service Change to Day Service

■ Printing CMS Screens

6-30 6-31 6-32 6-33 6-34 6-35 6-35 6-36 6-37 6-37 6-38 6-38 6-38 6-39 6-40

6-41 6-41 6-42 6-43 6-44 6-45 6-46 6-47 6-48 6-49 6-50 6-50 6-51 6-52 6-53 6-54

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Contents

Generating Reports

■ Keeping Historical Data Accurate

■ Types of CMS Reports

Daily Agent Split Summary

Daily ACD Calls Other Daily Calls Additional Data

Cumulative Agent Split Summary Daily Split Report

Time ACD Calls Other Calls

Additional Data for Daily Calls

Cumulative Split Report By Day Cumulative Split Report By Hour Daily Line Group Report

Time ACD Calls Traffic Num Delay Anne Other Calls

Additional Data for Daily Calls Cumulative Line Group Report By Day Cumulative Line Group Report By Hour Events Log Report

■ How to Generate Reports

Generating Reports Summary on Generating individual Reports Summary on Generating All Reports

7-1

7-2 7-4 7-5 7-6 7-7

7-8 7-8

7-10 7-10 7-10

7-12 7-13

7-14 7-16 7-18 7-20 7-20

7-20

7-21 7-21 7-22 7-22 7-24 7-26

7-28 7-28 7-32 7-32

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Contents

Report Screen Messages Exiting from Reports

Archiving and Restoring Data

■

Transferring Historical Data onto Diskettes

Saving the System Tables File Saving Historical Data Files Erasing Files from the Hard Disk

■

Generating Historical Reports

Saving the Current System Tables Restoring the Historical System Tables Restoring the Historical Data Files

■ Resuming Data Collection

Erasing the Historical Data from the Hard Disk

7-33

7-34

8-1

8-2 8-4 8-5 8-6 8-6 8-7 8-7

8-8 8-9 8-9

Restoring the Current System Tables

Troubleshooting

■ Error Messages

■ Warning Messages

■ System Errors

What They Mean What to Do

If CMS is Managing Calls Correctly If CMS has Stopped Managing Calls

■ Other Messages

8-10

9-1 9-2

9-7 9-17 9-17 9-17 9-18 9-18 9-18

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Contents

■ Other Problems

Call Management Problems Agent Problems External Alert Problems

■ Fallback Plan

MERLIN LEGEND CMS Factory Settings

GL Glossary

9-21 9-21 9-25 9-26 9-28

A-1

GL-1

IN Index

xii

IN-1

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About This Guide

This guide assumes the Call Management System (CMS) has been initially installed and programmed. It provides the CMS Supervisor with information on each aspect of CMS operations and CMS programming for effective management, maintenance, and customization of CMS.

Documentation Conventions

Several special symbols and typefaces appear in this manual. For example,

keys that appear on your

[F1]

(function key

(up arrow)

[^]

[ v ] (down arrow)

[< ] (left arrow)

[ >] (right arrow)

[ ] (tab key)

[ ] (enter key)

When two keys must be pressed simultaneously, it is shown like this:

[^] +[ ] press the up arrow and tab key simultaneously).

keyboard are shown like this:

F1)

xiii

Page 14

About This Guide

Different typefaces are used throughout this guide:

This typeface represents information the system displays,

This bold typeface represents information you enter.

This italic typeface represents a system response:

such as prompts.

Sample screens from Bon Voyage Travel (a hypothetical business) are used throughout this guide. Explanatory material is often “keyed” to these screens with circled numbers (callouts) such as:

Refer to the callouts on the

screens as you read the explanatory text.

In some instances, prompts that take up only one line on the display are represented in the text on two lines. When this is the case, a backslash (\) is used to show the break occurs in the text but not on the screens.

Prompt lines on screens show blanks (and a cursor) where you need to enter information. In the text, an underscore is used to identify where you enter information, as shown below.

ANSWER DELAY :

Group Letter: _

How Many Seconds:

PC responses may differ from the ones printed here, depending on the ver-

sion of the MS-DOS® program you are using.

Introduction to CMS

This section provides a brief overview of the Call Management System (CMS), and the responsibilities of the CMS supervisor. A typical CMS application is shown using the example of an imaginary business called Bon Voyage Travel.

CMS is an automatic call distributor (ACD) that answers calls and connects them to available agents. When there’s more than one agent available for a call, CMS 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.

Your MERLIN LEGEND Communications System and CMS work together to meet your call management needs. Your AT&T account manager or authorized dealer configured MERLIN LEGEND and CMS configurations based on your particular call management needs. The implementor installed and initially programmed your system based on these configurations.

You, the CMS supervisor, should become familiar with the basic configuration of your system. As you observe how CMS manages your incoming call traffic on a day-to-day basis, you can begin to fine-tune your system for more efficient call management and more useful call-management reports. As your needs change, you will want to change the system’s option settings to meet

these needs.

1-1

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Introduction to CMS

CMS Supervisor’s Responsibilities

In many cases the MERLIN LEGEND system manager and the CMS supervisor are the same person; in other cases, the two roles may be assigned to different people. However, if different people are assigned to each role, the MERLIN LEGEND system manager and the CMS supervisor must work closely together to define the needs of both the MERLIN LEGEND system and CMS.

While the MERLIN LEGEND system manager is responsible for systemwide CMS options and features (such as line types, line assignments, and System Speed Dial codes), most of the CMS operation is the responsibility of the CMS supervisor. The primary function of CMS is to distribute incoming calls to available agents. If agents are not available, CMS cannot perform its primary function. Therefore, keeping agents available to answer calls is one of your main duties as the CMS Supervisor. Anything you can do to ensure agents are actively taking calls, not placing calls or doing anything other than CMS activities, is in the best interests of your call handling goals.

The CMS Supervisor’s responsibilities include:

Creating shift configurations of line groups and agent splits. (See Chapter 3, “Programming CMS Shift Configurations.”)

Changing system options and programming exceptions as business

needs change. (See Chapter

“Changing System Options and Pro-

gramming Exceptions.)

Programming the attendant console and agent telephones and assist-

ing agents in the use of the MERLIN LEGEND system features that they use to handle CMS calls. (See Chapter 5, “CMS Telephones and Telephone Programming.”)

Monitoring line status, split status, call traffic, and system problems during call management. (See “Monitoring Call Management” and “Dynamic Reconfiguration,” in Chapter 6.)

Generating reports. (See Chapter

“Generating Reports.”)

Using system status information and the Management Information System (MIS) data in the CMS reports to maintain efficient call

1-2

CMS Supervisor’s Responsibilities

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Introduction to CMS

management and agent productivity (See Chapter 7, “Generating Reports,” for ongoing data collection and Chapter 8, “Archiving and Restoring Data,” for storing CMS report data.)

■

Troubleshooting (See Chapter 9, “Troubleshooting.”)

Basic Terms and Key Concepts

The terms and descriptions in this section provide the key to understanding

how CMS works. 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.

Automatic Call Distributor

CMS is the automatic call distributor (ACD) for the MERLIN LEGEND system. CMS distributes calls that come in on the MERLIN LEGEND system telephone lines assigned to CMS.

Lines and Line Groups

The MERLIN LEGEND 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 example, the lines for incoming sales calls are in one line group and the lines for service calls in another. CMS accommodates up to a total of 28 lines assigned to up to four line groups.

Agents and Agent Splits

Incoming calls are answered by agents who are assigned to 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. There can be 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.

Basic Terms and Key Concepts 1-3

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Introduction to CMS

Shift Configuration

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.

Main Splits and Secondary Splits

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.

secondary split answers calls for a line group only if the

main split for that group is overloaded.

Intraflow and Intraflow Threshold

The sending of calls to agents in a secondary split is called intraflow.

Intraflow can be turned on and off. 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.

Logged Out State and Available State

When call management begins for a shift, the agents in the shift configuration are in the logged out state. CMS keeps statistics on other calls made by agents who are logged out, but doesn’t send calls to them, so the agents have to signal CMS that they are ready to receive calls (in available state).

They do so by touching the programmed button labeled

Available

on their

telephones (MERLIN LEGEND system telephones).

After-Call-Work (ACW) 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 telephones. CMS does not send calls

to agents who are in this after-call-work state, but it does keep statistics on

1-4

Basic Terms and Key Concepts

Page 20

Introduction to CMS

them. To return to the available state from the after-call-work state, agents simply touch their

Available

button.

Automatic After-Call-Work (Auto ACW) State

The automatic after-call-work (Auto ACW) feature automatically places agents into the after-call-work state upon completion of an ACD call. During that time, agents receive no calls as they complete their work. The CMS supervi-

sor can program a specific amount of time for this after-call-work state. 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

■ ACW light on=

■ Both lights off= logged out state

When agents touch the

next to the

light on = available state

after-call-work state

Available

button goes on. When they touch the

button to enter the available state, the light

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

able

call-work state to the logged out state by touching the

button and thus turning off its light. Likewise, they move from the after-

ACW

button and turn-

Avail-

ing off its light. Also, agents will be placed in the logged out state if they fail

to answer calls transferred to them by CMS.

Basic Terms and Key Concepts 1-5

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Introduction to CMS

Supervisory Login/Logout

The CMS supervisor can change an agent’s work state from the CMS PC or the supervisor’s console. From the Split Status Information screen, the supervisor simply enters the agent’s ID at the appropriate prompt and enters the new status (Logged out/Available/ACW). From the console, the supervisor presses the agent’s Inside Auto Dial button then a programmed feature but-

ton for the desired work state.

Call Management

Call management is the automatic distribution of calls within a shift configuration. When a call comes into CMS, the system goes through this sequence of steps:

1. CMS looks for an available agent in the main split assigned to the line group for the incoming call.

2. If an agent is available, CMS answers the call and transfers it to the agent who has been available the longest.

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 transferred to the agent.

4. If no agent has become available and the delay message is finished, CMS puts the call on hold.

5. As soon as an agent is available, CMS transfers the oldest waiting call to the agent.

6. If the call has waited a certain amount of time (the intraflow threshold), it may be sent (intraflowed) to an avail

able agent in the secondary split (if

intraflow is on).

1-6

Basic Terms and Key Concepts

Page 22

Introduction to CMS

Answer Delay, Force

Delay, and Priority Lines

The CMS supervisor can modify the basic call management 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 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.

Typical CMS Application

The following example shows how Bon Voyage Travel Agency, an

business, uses CMS to manage revenue-producing incoming call

CMS and Bon Voyag

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 general, Bon Voyage’s customers fall into one of three groups: those who

plan personal travel, those who plan charter group travel, and those who plan corporate travel. To handle these three types of calls and to manage the frequent overflow of calls, the agency divides the customer telephone lines into

four line groups and organizes agents into four splits, as shown in Figure 1-1.

e Travel

imaginary

traffic.

A Typical CMS Application 1-7

Page 23

Introduction to CMS

Public Line Group

555-1816 555-1808 555-1818 555-8515

Special Line Group

555-8532 555-8518 555-8531

Charter Line Group

555-0911 555-0912

555-1913

555-0914 555-0915 555-0916

Corporate Line Group

555-0917 555-1918

Calls routed to main split

Calls intraflowed to secondary split

Figure 1-1. Bon Voyage Travel’s CMS

The following description of each split and its line groups is keyed to the figure with circled numbers (callouts).

1-8 A Typical CMS Application

Page 24

Introduction to CMS

Personal Travel Split

The Personal Travel split 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

lines (555-1 816, 555-1808, 555-1818, and 555-851 5), 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 5558531 ), which are reserved for valued repeat customers who may book several trips with Bon Voyage Travel each year.

Charter Travel Split

The agents in the Charter Travel split arrange trips for groups and fre-

quently book trips for local and national holiday clubs. There are

seven agents in this split.

Calls to this split come in on the Charter line group of six numbers: 555-0911,555-0912, 555-1913, 555-0914, 555-0915,

and 555-0916. Occasionally a customer who has previously made

travel arrangements through a holiday club may 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, or

Transfer-to-Queue, is explained in detail later in this guide and in the

CMS Installation and System Programming Guide.)

handIes calls from customers wanting to plan

The Public line group consists of four

which consists

Corporate Travel Split

The Corporate Travel split handles business trips for large corpora-

tions, This split, consisting of two agents, is the main split for the Cor-

porate line group

group are 555-0917 and 555-1918.

Since both the Personal Travel split and the Corporate Travel split han-

dle individual trips, the Corporate Travel split serves as a secondary

split (a backup split) to handle call overflow from the Personal Travel

split.

The telephone numbers for the Corporate line

A Typical CMS Application 1-9

Page 25

Introduction to CMS

Support Split

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 Charter Travel split when call traffic is heavy on the lines in the Charter line group the Support split becomes a secondary split covering the Charter line group.

People assigned to the Support split are often away from their desks, so calls coming into the Support split on the Charter lines ring at all phones in the split. Then the Support person who is free to answer the call can pick up the nearest telephone. (This feature, called All-Ring

operation, is explained in more detail later in this guide and in the CMS

Installation and Programming Guide.)

Bon Voyage Travel’s Other Call Traffic

That is,

All of Bon Voyage Travel’s phones and outside telephone lines are part of the agency’s MERLIN LEGEND Communications System. However, some

phones and outside lines are not assigned to the Call Management System.

They operate outside of CMS. Agents and non-agents use the lines not assigned to CMS for all outgoing

calls and all non-revenue-producing incoming calls. It is recommended that CMS lines not be used to place outgoing calls or to accept non-revenue producing incoming calls.

Because this guide focuses on the operation of CMS, it refers to the components of Bon Voyage Travel’s MERLIN LEGEND system that are not assigned to CMS only when necessary to clarify some point about CMS

operation.

1-10

A Typical CMS Application

Page 26

Introduction to CMS

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.

Day-to-Day Operation of CMS

Your day-to-day interaction with CMS primarily involves monitoring system status during call management and using dynamic reconfiguration to make any needed changes in the configuration being used to manage calls.

The following example illustrates how the CMS supervisor at Bon Voyage Travel interacts with the system during a typical day.

9 a.m. each business day, Pat P. switches on Bon Voyage’s PC and starts managing calls with the weekday configuration. All agents are automatically in the logged out state when call management begins. Pat uses the MERLIN LEGEND system Group Page feature to ask the agents in some splits to touch the

Available

button on their telephones to signal they are available to begin answering calls. Another split is using a line group with Auto After Call Work; they automatically become available when the calls start coming in.

Pat makes several changes to the current configuration during the day. First, Pat removes Tom Baker from his position in the Personal Travel split because he is on vacation. He moves a new agent into Tom’s position in that split, and

tells the agent to move himself to the Available state. As the peak calling hour approaches, Pat turns on intraflow for the Charter

line group. Pat uses the Group Page feature to tell the agents in the Support split that they may now receive calls for the Charter line group. The Support split is a secondary split for the Charter line group.

Throughout his shift, Pat takes time out from other work to monitor the System Status screen, the Line Status screen, and the Split Status Information

A Typical CMS Application 1-11

Page 27

Introduction to CMS

screen. He can use the [^] + [Prt Sc] keys to print any of these screens if he

wants to. The screens provide a detailed picture of activity throughout the system. Using different screens, Pat can tell when to turn intraflow on or off,

when a new agent may be having trouble handling calls, or when all lines in

line group are busy. Pat can use Dynamic Reconfiguration to correct these

situations as they occur.

Pat has set an external alert to be triggered whenever more than three calls are waiting. This way he can be immediately aware of this condition no matter where he is in the room. Also, agents are immediately aware of this condition and know, without Pat telling them, that they have to move on to the next calls quickly.

When Pat notices that three calls are waiting in the Personal Travel main split, and there have been several abandoned calls, he turns on intraflow to allow waiting calls to be sent to the Corporate Travel split (the secondary split for the Personal line group). Pat also increases the answer delay (the length of time calls ring before CMS answers them) so callers spend a little less time on hold and any long distance charges on their line could be reduced.

Pat has a new agent in the Corporate Travel split. Yesterday, Pat spent time with the new agent, explaining the telephone features he’ll be using. As the new agent answers CMS calls for the first time, Pat watches the Split Status screen to see when the new agent is on a call, and then joins the call using the Barge In feature or by pressing the line button for the agent’s call. (A tone is heard when the call is joined.) In this way, Pat is able to give the agent advice on handling calls.

Pat also looks at the Management Information System (MIS) reports to determine if Bon Voyage Travel has an efficient number of lines and agents. He prints some of the daily reports to review hourly call activity for the day and prints cumulative daily and hourly reports to help develop a CMS profile for

the business.

If the Events Log Report lists many occurrences of the all lines busy exception, it signifies that many people hear a busy signal when they call. Pat can use exception information like this to decide if more lines should be added to some line groups.

1-12

A Typical CMS Application

Page 28

Using

This chapter gives instructions for using your PC for the CMS Supervisor’s

activities. The basic operations described here are starting CMS, setting the time and date, and entering and editing data. For further information about the operation of your PC, refer to the manuals provided with your PC.

Your PC with CMS

Starting CMS

The first step in using CMS is to start the program. The first CMS screen that appears is the CMS Main Menu (Figure 2-1). This menu is the gateway to CMS programming and to running call management. To start CMS and display the CMS Main Menu:

1. Turn on the computer.

CMS starts automatically from the autoexec.bat file, and displays the CMS

Main Menu

2. To select an item from the Main Menu, press the appropriate function key (for example, [F4] to program, or administer, CMS).

Starting CMS 2-1

Page 29

Using Your PC with CMS

Bon Voyage Travel

CALL

FOR

F Start

lCall Mgt

MANAGEMENT

THE AT&T MERLIN

MAIN MENU

F1 -

Start Call Management

- Administer CMS (Agents, Lines,

Print Reports

F5 -

F8 -

Exit to DOS

F Admin F Print 4 CMS

SYSTEM

Configurations )

5Reports

CMS

LEGENDS

CMS R3.O 5:47p 03/04

(C MS)

F1O -

Help F Exit 8 to DOS

Figure 2-1. CMS Main Menu

2-2 Starting CMS

Page 30

Using

Your PC with CMS

Setting the Date and Time

CMS uses the date and time from MS-DOS. The date and time are important parts of your daily CMS statistics and must be represented correctly on your PC screen. To change either the date or the time, follow the procedures below. (When in CMS, you can check the time and date by looking at the

upper right-hand corner of any CMS Menu screen).

NOTE:

The date must be changed at the beginning of each year, and the time must

be adjusted for daylight savings time.

Set the Date

To check or change the date on your PC:

. When the CMS Main Menu appears upon starting CMS, press [F8] (Exit

to DOS).

2. When the DOS prompt appears, type date then press [ ] .

The following message appears on your screen:

(Example):

Current date is mm - dd – 19yy Enter new date: (mm-dd-yy)

The current date is displayed, where Day= day of the week, mm = month, dd = day, and yy = year.

3. If the date is correct, press [ ].

If the date is incorrect, type in the correct date (for example,

4-08-19XX) then press [ ]. XX represents the year.

4. To return to CMS, at the prompt, type cms.

The CMS Main Menu screen appears.

Setting the Date and Time 2-3

Page 31

Using Your PC with CMS

Set the Time

To check or change the time on your PC:

1. When the CMS Main Menu appears upon starting CMS, press [F8]

(Exit

to DOS).

2. When the DOS prompt appears, type time and press [ ]

The following message appears on your screen:

(Example):

Current time is HH:MM:SS. XX Enter new time:

where HH = hour, MM = minute, SS = second, and XX = one hundredths of a

second.

3. If the time is correct, press [ ] .

If the time is incorrect, type in the correct hour and minute (for example,

19:03

then 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.

4. To return to CMS, at the prompt, type

cms.

The CMS Main Menu screen appears.

2-4 Setting the Date and Time

Page 32

Using Your PC with CMS

CMS Screen Layouts

This section describes the layout of CMS screens. If you have questions about MS-DOS, the layout of your keyboard, or other information about your PC, refer to the accompanying manuals.

Figure 2-2 shows a typical CMS screen layout.

Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS

Agent

Split 1 PERS 2 CHART 3 CORP 4 SUPPT 56-

Configuration #2 - CONFIG_2 You cannot cancel this prompt. Answer ‘Y’ or ‘N’ CLEAR AGENTS: Are You Sure? (Y/N):

F Cancel

1 Prompt

Pos ID

Split

Agent

Pos ID

Group Lines Delay Delay ACW A PUBLC 4 B SPECL 3 C CHART 6 D CORP 2

Splits Intra

Gp Main Sec Flow

A-B-C-D--

FPrevious F 5 Field 6 Field

ADMIN CMS R3.0

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Num Answer Force Auto

5s 5s 5s 5s

CALL FLOW

off off off off

4:llp

off off off off 0s

Flow All

Spl Thresh Ring

30s off

03/04

0s 0s 0s

F Enter 8 Data

Figure 2-2. Typical CMS Screen

CMS Screen Layouts 2-5

Page 33

Usinq Your PC with CMS

The following types of information appear in each area of the screen. Each

number below corresponds to a number to the left of the screen,

ID line.

Information area.

information for a particular screen.

The ID line contains: Business name. Status indicators concerning problems with the PC hard disk, the

connections between CMS and the MERLIN LEGEND system control unit, or the connections between CMS and the voice announcement unit and/or printer. For information on resolving problems, see Chapter 8, “Troubleshooting.”

CMS

Current CMS mode: started. DAY or NIGHT indicates calls are being managed using Day Service or Night Service mode (explained later in

manual). ADMIN indicates CMS is being used for programming

instead of call management. Print Reports screen.

CMS Release number.

Time and date.

This area contains screen names, menus, or status

appears when the system is first

REPT

this

appears when you use the

2-6 CMS Screen Layouts

Error line.

■

Error messages indicate that 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 thres-

holds 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

Three types of messages can appear in the error line:

Page 34

Using Your PC with CMS

screen. Error messages remain on the screen until you correct the error.

Prompt line.

appear after you press most function keys or in response to certain error conditions.

When no prompt appears, the words F10 - Help appear to the far right in the prompt line to remind you that pressing [F10] lets you access

the help screens.

Function keys.

current meaning of the function keys on your keyboard. The function

keys are used for different activities on each screen (except [F10], is always access to a help screen). When you press a function key, a new screen or a prompt appears. When a prompt appears, the function key labels change to permit data entry functions.

This line contains requests for your input. Prompts

The Iabels at the bottom of the screen tell you the

which

CMS Screen Layouts 2-7

Page 35

Using Your PC with CMS

Entering and Editing Data

You can enter and edit data only on certain CMS screens. These screens display the data entry prompt and the editing function keys. For example, the Shift Configuration screen shown in Figure 2-2 is not an editing screen. If we press [F2] tion of the screen with a box (Figure 2-3).

(Line Groups) on that screen, CMS highlights the Line Groups sec-

Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS

Agent

Split

1 PERS

2 CHART

Configuration #1 - DAY

F Answer 1 Delay

Pos ID

16 TOM 17 CLIFF 19 ERNIE 21 DEB

23 BOB 24 SHERM 25 WALT

27 BEN 28 SAM 29 NORM

31 DI A

32 CARLA

33 BJ

35 MAX

F Force 2 Delay

F Auto 3 ACW

Split

3 CORP

4 SUPPT

56-

Agent

Pos ID

37 IKE 39 TINA 40 DIANA 42 RON 43 NANCY

ADMIN CMS R3.O 3:13p 03/04

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Num

Answer Force Auto

Group Lines Delay A PUBLC 4 B SPECL 3 C CHART 6 D CORP 2

CALL FLOW

Splits Intra

Gp Main Sec Flow

1 3 On

1 3 On C 2 4 On D

Off

Delay ACW 5s 5s off 30s 5s 5s

F Config

7 Screen

off

off 10s off 15s

Flow All

Spl Thresh Ring

10s off 2 3 4 5 6

5s off 30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off

F10 -

20s

Help

Figure 2-3. Line Groups Screen

The Line Groups screen is also not an editing screen. However, pressing any of the function keys on that screen brings up an editing screen on which we can enter specific line group information. Figure 2-4 shows the Answer Delay editing screen that appears when we press [F1]

(Answer Delay) on the Line

Groups screen.

2-8 Entering and Editing Data

Page 36

Using Your PC with CMS

Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS

Agent

Split

1 PERS

2 CHART

Configuration #1 - DAY

ANSWER DELAY:

F Cancel

1 Prompt

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

Group Letter:

Split

3 CORP

4 SUPPT

5 6-

How Many Seconds:

Agent

Pos ID

37 IKE 39 TINA 40 DIANA 42 RON 43 NANCY

ADMIN CMS R3.0 3:25P 03/04

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Group Lines Delay A PUBLC 4 B SPECL 3

C CHART 6

D CORP 2

Splits Intra

Gp Main Sec Flow

1 3 On

A B

1 3 On 2 4 On

c D

FPrevious F

5 Field

6 Field

Answer Force Auto

Num

Delay ACW 5s 5s 5s 5s

CALL FLOW

Spl Thresh Ring

1 2 3 4

Off

5 6

off off 30s off off

20s

10s 15s

Flow All

10s off

off

5s 30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off

F Enter

8 Data

Figure 2-4. Answer Delay Editing Screen

Editing Prompt and Function Keys

On each editing screen, an editing prompt appears on the line above the function keys. The cursor moves to the first field of the editing prompt and the function keys change to provide editing capabilities. For the Answer

Delay editing screen, the prompt is:

ANSWER DELAY:

Group Letter: _

How Many Seconds:

Entering and Editing Data 2-9

Page 37

Using Your PC with CMS

The editing function keys for this screen and all editing screens are:

F Cancel

1 Prompt

F Previous F Next

5 Field

6 Field

To enter data at the prompt, simply type in the entry for the field cursor is located. To move to the next prompt field, press [F6]. entry and return to the normal function keys, press [F8]. To cancel the prompt at any time and return to the normal function keys, press [F1].

Guidelines for Entering Data

entering data at a prompt, note the following guidelines:

CMS accepts uppercase or lowercase letters. In the examples in this

manual, entries are usually shown in lowercase letters. On the com-

puter screen, almost all entries appear as uppercase letters, even if

entered as lowercase letters. (However, the system displays agent

names and the business name exactly as you type them.)

Some fields require numbers or special characters. Spaces are not allowed, so use an underscore instead. To enter an underscore, use the shift of the hyphen, located in the top row of the keyboard.

F Enter

8 Data

where the

To save the

Press [F8]

(Enter Data), [Return], or [ ] when you finish typing an entry to tell the computer to process the data you have entered. The cursor can be in any field when you press these keys.

The computer beeps and displays an error message if you have skipped a required field in a prompt and pressed [F8] , [Return], or [ ].

The computer also beeps and displays an error message if you make an invalid entry, such as entering a letter instead of a number. Reenter

the correct data and continue.

2-10 Entering and Editing Data

Page 38

Using Your PC with CMS

Alternate Editing Keys

In addition to the

tasks.

Table Press

Table 2-1

2-1. CMS

[F1]

[F5]

[^] + [ ]

[F6] [F8]

[ ]

editing function keys,

shows these alternate

Editing Keys

Cancel a prompt.

Move to the beginning of the previous field. Move to the beginning of the next field. Indicate you have finished your response.

other keys perform some of the same

keys.

Simple Editing Procedures

After you have entered data, you may need to change the entries. CMS screens include simple editing capabilities as described in Table 2-2.

Table 2-2. Editing Procedures

Change a character in a field

Add characters at end of

an entry

Insert characters in an entry

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

Press [ >] after the last character and type additional

characters.

Move the cursor to the first character you want to change and retype the entire entry from that character. (You cannot use [Insert] to insert a character between

other characters. )

Do this

Entering and Editing Data 2-11

Page 39

Using Your PC with CMS

Replace a long entry with a

shorter entry

Type over the characters you want to change, then press 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”:

1. Move the cursor to “s”

2. Type “e”

3. Press the space bar. The letters “eph” disappear.

Getting Help

You can press [F10] on any screen to receive more information about that screen and its prompts. 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 can exit help and then perform the function of that particular function key.

Leaving CMS

You can leave CMS at any time by using the function keys. The exact procedure changes depending on the screen on which you are working. In gen-

eral, pressing [F7] you are at the CMS Menu, make sure you have saved your changes. Once you have, simply turn the computer off.

2-12 Leaving CMS

or [F8] returns you to the previous level of screens. Once

Page 40

Programming CMS

Shift Configurations

This chapter describes the tasks involved in changing your CMS shift configurations, including:

■

Building and editing shift configurations (assigning splits and line

groups and programming call flow)

■ Saving shift configurations

■ Programming shift configurations

■ Selecting a start-up configuration

■ Backing up shift configurations.

The shift configuration determined by you and your AT&T Account Manager during the system planning process is set up and CMS is managing calls. Use this section only if you want to change the basic configuration and stop managing calls during programming. If, however, you do not want to make changes at this time, go to Chapter 5, “Supervising CMS, ” where you can go through the steps needed to begin operations. If you want to make changes to the shift configurations while CMS is managing calls, go to Chapter 5 and follow the instructions for “Dynamic Reconfiguration.” Before building additional configurations or changing established configurations, review

“CMS Requirements and Capacities” in CMS Planning Guide, then go on to

the next section in this chapter.

Be sure to record your changes on the appropriate planning forms, found in

the back cover pocket of this guide.

3-1

Page 41

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Figure 3-1, “A Map for CMS Configuration Screens,” shows

the relationship

between the various screens used in CMS programming. To use the map, determine which function you wish to perform, then, starting

with the CMS Main Menu, press the indicated function keys to move down the map to the desired action. For example, to configure line groups, press the following keys

1. [F4]

2. [F1]

3. [F1]

4. [F2]

-To

in order: select the Administration Menu. go to the Stored Shift Configurations screen. select a configuration to build or edit. configure line groups.

CMS MENU

START CALL MANAGEMENT

ADMINISTRATION

REPORTS

STORED SHIFT

CONFIGURATIONS

CONFIGURATION

F2 F3 F5

AGENT

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

3-3

Page 43

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Bon Voyage Travel

F Config 1 List

F Agent F Lines/ 2Directry 3 Groups 5Options

ADMIN CMS R3.O 3:27p 03/04

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 Set

F Select 6Exceptns

F1O -

F Exit 8 Admin

Help

Figure 3-2. Administration Menu

2. At the Administration Menu, press [F1] (Config List).

The Stored Shift Configurations screen (Figure 3-3) appears.

3-4

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

Page 44

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Bon Voyage Travel

Last Name

Anders

Baker son Bakerson Chanleys

Chapman Claren Clover Easttree

Fielding

Fielding Hall Honelly

Kiley

Kloner Mailer

F Add F Remove

1 Agent 2 Agent

First Harry Tom Tom Diane Charlie Clifford Ward Clint Sally William Benny BillyJoe Gene Maxwell Sam

F Change

3Agt Info

AGENT DIRECTORY

ID HARRY TOM TOM2 DI CHUCK CLIFF WARD CLINT SALLY BILL BENNY BJ GENE MAX SAM

Last Name Middon O’Rourke Pantilly Patrick Peters Piers Price Reynolds Rice Rice Turner Turtone Turtone Weiss

ADMIN CMS R3.O

First Beth Walter Ernie Bob Norman Benjamin Sherman Nancy Diana Ronald Carla Ike Tina Debra

F Config F Admin

7 Splits

l:25p 07/19

BETH WALT ERNIE BOB NORM BEN SHERM NANCY DIANA RON CARLA IKE TINA DEB

F1O - Help

8 Menu

Figure 3-3. Stored Shift Configurations Screen

3. From the Stored Shift Configurations screen, press [F1] (Select Config).

The function keys change and the following prompt is displayed:

SELECT CONFIGURATION:

Config #: _

4. To edit an existing configuration, enter the number of that configuration. To build a new configuration, enter a number labeled

UNUSED

5. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The Configuration screen appears with the shift configuration you selected.

If you are editing an existing shift configuration, the fields are populated

with the shift configuration parameters. You can change these parameters by overwriting previously entered data.

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

3-5

Page 45

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Figure 3-4 is an example of a Configuration screen for configuration. Notice that all areas on the screen that

building a new

have to do with splits are either blank or display hyphens. The factory settings for the line group options and call flow are also displayed.

Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Agent

Split 1 PERS 2 CHART 3 CORP 4 SUPPT 56-

Configuration #2 - CONFIG_2

Pos ID

Split

Agent

Pos ID Group Lines Delay

Gp Main Sec Flow

A--

B-c-D--

ADMIN CMS R3.0 3:35p 03/04

Num Answer Force Auto

Delay ACW

A PUBLC 4

B SPECL 3 C CHART 6 D CORP 2

Splits Intra

5s 5s 5s 5s

CALL FLOW

Spl Thresh Ring

off off off off

1 2 3 4 5 6

20s 30s

10s 15s

Flow All

30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off

F Splits

F Line F Call

2 Groups 3 Flow

Figure 3-4. New Configuration Screen

■

Under “Agent Splits” on the left side of the screen:

— Split numbers 1 through 6 are displayed. — Agents are unassigned.

3-6

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

F Clear

5 Agents

F Config 7 List

F10 -

F Admin 8 Menu

Help

Page 46

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

■

Under “Line Group Options” in the upper right corner of the

screen: — Answer delay is set to 5 seconds. — Force delay is turned off. — Automatic After-Call-Work is set to 0 seconds (off).

■

Under “Call Flow” in the lower right corner of the screen:

— Main and secondary splits are unassigned (indicated by

hyphens). — Intraflow is turned off. — Intraflow thresholds are set to 30 seconds. — All-Ring is turned off.

6. Determine which, if any, of the factory settings you want to change. Make the changes as instructed in the following sections of this chapter:

■

Assigning Splits.

Add, move, or remove agents in the splits in a

configuration.

■

Assigning Line Group Options.

Program how you want CMS to

control the answering of calls.

■

Programming Call Flow.

Assign splits to groups, set intraflow

thresholds, turn intraflow on or off, and designate splits for All-

Ring operation (optional).

Press

8. Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

[F7]

(Config Screen) to return to the Configuration screen.

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

9. Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press [F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

3-7

Page 47

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Assigning Splits

Assigning agents to splits is the first step in building a configuration. The list of agents on the Agent Directory screen is your master list of agents. Follow the instructions below to assign agents to splits.

NOTE:

If you want to add an agent who is not listed on the agent directory screen, use the new agent activity ( [F5]

the split and the Agent Directory.

Be sure to add the agent to the Agent Directory P/arming Form and Agent

Planning Form, found in the back cover pocket of this guide.

Split

From the Configuration screen, press [F1] (Splits).

). The agent will simultaneously be added to

The Split Configuration screen (Figure

Follow the instructions given for each activity listed below.

3-5)

appears.

HINT:

You can move between the Agent Directory and the Split Configuration screens by pressing [F8] screen, or [F7]

(Config Splits) from the Agent Directory.

(Agent Directory) from the Split Configuration

3-8

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

Page 48

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS

Agent

Split 1 PERS 2 CHART 3 CORP 4 SUPPT 56-

Configuration #2 - CONFIG_2

F Add 1 Agent

Pos ID

F Remove F Move 2 Agent 3 Agent

Split

ADMIN CMS R3.O

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Agent

Pos ID Group Lines Delay

A PUBLC 4 B SPECL 3 C CHART 6 D CORP 2

Splits Intra

Gp Main Sec Flow

A-B-c-D--

FReplace 4 Agent

F New F Change 5 Agent

Num Answer Force Auto

CALL FLOW

off off off off

6Split ID 7 Screen 8Directry

3:39p 03/04

Delay ACW 5s 5s 5s 5s

F Config

off off off off

Flow All

Spl Thresh Ring

30s off

F10 - Help

0s 0s 0s 0s

F Agent

Figure 3-5. Split Configuration Screen

Add Agent

1. To add an agent to a split, press [F1] (Add Agent). You can now assign any agent listed on the Agent Directory screen to a split. A split may

have

to 28 agents.

The prompt line is displayed as follows:

ADD AGENT: ID:

Pos #:

Split #: _

2. Enter an agent ID.

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

3-9

Page 49

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Enter an unused position (extension) number between 10 and 67.

NOT

Enter a split number (1 through 6). You may have up to six splits.

use extension numbers assigned to the CMS PC.

Press [F8]

5. Configuration screen.

Repeat steps 1 through 5 to add another agent, or press [F7] to return

to the Configuration screen.

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Remove Agent

To choose this activity, press [F2] (Remove Agent). You can now

1. remove an agent from a split. (The agent entry remains listed on the

Agent Directory screen.)

The prompt line is displayed

REMOVE AGENT : ID:

(Enter Data) to save your data and return to the Split

to return

follows:

3-10

Enter an agent ID and press [F8] (Enter Data) to save data and return to

2. the Split Configuration screen.

You are prompted to enter y or n to confirm your request.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 to remove another agent or press [F7] to return to

3. the Configuration screen.

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen. Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

Page 50

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Move Agent

To choose this activity, press [F3] (Move Agent). You can now shift an

agent from one split to another or from one extension to another.

The prompt line is displayed as follows:

MOVE AGENT : ID:

Enter an agent ID.

2. Enter a new position (extension) number, or press [F6] (Next Field) to

New Pos #:

New Split #:

skip this field. If you skip this field, the agent keeps the same extension

number.

Enter the number of the agent’s new split. Press [F8]

(Enter Data) to save data and return to the Split Configuration

screen. Repeat steps 1 through 5 to move another agent or press [F7] to return

6. to the Configuration screen.

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

to return to the Administration Menu.

[F8]

Replace (Substitute) Agent

To substitute one agent for another at a particular position (extension), both agents must exist in the Agent Directory.

1. To choose this activity, press [F4] (Replace Agent).

The prompt line is displayed as follows:

REPLACE AGENT : Pos #

New Agent ID:

2. Enter the extension number of the agent you want to replace.

3. Enter the agent ID of the agent you want in the extension.

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

3-11

Page 51

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Press [F8] (Enter Data) to save data and return to the Split Configuration

screen.

The agent originally assigned to that extension is removed.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 to replace another agent or press [F7] to

5. return to the Configuration screen.

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7] to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu,

New Agent

1. To choose this activity, press [F5] (New Agent). You can now 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. The prompt line is displayed as follows:

NEW AGENT : First:

Last Name:

ID:

Pos:

Split #: _

2. Complete the fields as follows:

Last name: up to 12 letters, numbers, or special characters First: up to 8 letters, numbers, or special characters

to return

3-12

ID: up to 5 letters, numbers or special characters

Position: a 2-digit MERLIN LEGEND system extension number (1 O

through 67)

(Do Not

use extension numbers assigned to the CMS PC.)

Split: a number from 1 through 6

Remember, IDs must be unique.

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

Page 52

Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Press [F8] (Enter Data) to save data and return to the Split Configuration

3. screen.

The new agent is added to the Agent Directory and is assigned to a split.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 to add another agent or press [F7] to return to

the Configuration screen.

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7] to return to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Change Split ID

To choose this activity, press [F6] (Change Split ID). You can now

assign or change the ID for a split. Split IDs make it easier to identify splits on screens and in reports. Although each split ID must be unique, a split and a line group can have the same ID.

The prompt line is displayed as follows:

CHANGE SPLIT ID:

Enter a split number from 1 through 6. Enter a new split ID (up to 5 letters, numbers, or special characters).

Press [F8]

(Enter Data) to save data and return to the Split Configuration

Split #:

_ New Split ID:

screen.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 to change another split ID or press [F7] to

5. return to the Configuration screen.

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7] to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

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Agent Directory

1. To view the Agent Directory, press [F8] (Agent Directry) from the Configuration screen or press [F2] (Agent Directry) from the Administra-

tion Menu.

An Agent Directory screen like the one shown in Figure 3-6 appears.

You can refer to this screen while building a shift configuration, or you can change agent information.

Bon Voyage Travel

Last Name

Anders Harry

Bakerson Bakerson Chanleys Chapman Claren Clover Easttree Fielding Fielding Hall Honelly Billy Joe BJ Kiley Kloner Maxwell MAX Mailer

Add

1 Agent 2 Agent

F Remove F Change

AGENT DIRECTORY

First

Tom Tom Diane Charlie Clifford CLIFF

Ward

Clint Sally SALLY

William

Benny BENNY

Gene GENE

Sam

3Agt Info

ID HARRY TOM O‘Rourke TOM2 DI CHUCK

WARD CLINT Reynolds

BILL

SAM

ADMIN CMS R3.O

Last Name

Middon

Pantilly Patrick Peters Piers Price

Rice Diana Rice Ronald Turner Turtone Turtone Weiss

First Beth BETH Walter Ernie Bob Norman Benjamin Sherman Nancy

Carla CARLA Ike IKE Tina TINA Debra

F Con fig 7 Splits

l:25p 07/19

WALT ERNIE BOB NORM BEN SHERM NANCY DIANA RON

DEB

F10 - Help

F Admin 8 Menu

Figure 3-6. Agent Directory Screen

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2. If you want to make changes to the Agent Directory, press the function key for the activity you want to perform (add agent, remove agent, or change agent information).

3. Perform the activity as described on the following pages.

NOTE:

Record any changes you make on the Agent Directory Planning Form, found in the back cover pocket of this guide.

4. Press [F7]

[F8]

If the Agent Directory contains more than 30 agents, [F5]

(Config Splits) to return to the Configuration screen, or press

(Admin Menu) to return to the Administration Menu.

is labeled “Next Page.” Pressing this key allows you to look at the second page of agent information. When the second page of agent information is being displayed,

is labeled “Previous Page,” and pressing it returns you to the first page of

[F5] the Agent Directory.

Adding Agents to the Agent Directory NOTE:

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 provide separate tracking of the agent’s statistics in each split. For example, Tom works in split 1 and split 4, depending on the call traffic. Tom’s supervisor added him to the directory twice. Once with the ID TOM1 and again as TOM4.

To add an agent to the Agent Directory do the following:

1. From the Agent Directory screen, press [F1]

The function keys change and the following prompt appears:

ADD AGENT :

ID:

Last Name:

First:

2. Enter the agent’s last name at the prompt (up to 12 letters, numbers, or special characters, such as * or #).

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Enter the agent’s first name at the prompt (up to 8 letters, numbers, or

3. special characters).

Enter the agent’s ID at the prompt (up to 5 letters, numbers, or special

4. characters).

Remember, each ID must be unique. The IDs appear on the screen in uppercase letters, even if you enter lowercase letters.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

Removing Agents from the Agent Directory

IMPORTANT:

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 Chapter 8, “Archiving and Restoring Data.”

To remove an agent from the Agent Directory, do the following:

From the Agent Directory screen, press [F2] .

The function keys change and the following prompt appears:

REMOVE AGENT : ID

Enter the agent’s ID.

A confirmation prompt like the one shown below appears:

3-16

REMOVE AGENT : ID:

Type y to confirm your request or n to deny it.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

Creating or Changing Shift Configurations

TOM2 (Baker son, Tom) ? (Y/N) :

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Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Changing Agent Information

To change agent information in the Agent Directory, do the following:

From the Agent Directory screen, press [F3] (Change Agt Info).

The function keys change and the following prompt appears:

CHANGE AGENT INFO : ID:

First:

Enter the agent’s ID.

2. Move to the field(s) you want to change. Information will not change in

Last Name:

the fields left blank.

Press [F8]

(Enter Data).

Assigning Line Group Options

You can program your CMS to use any, some, or all of the following line

group

Descriptions and programming procedures for these options are given on the following pages.

options when handling incoming calls:

Answer Delay Force Delay Automatic After-Call-Work (ACW)

To program line group options:

1. From the Configuration screen, press [F2]

A box appears around the Line Group Options portion of the screen and the Line Group Options function keys are displayed (Figure

(Line Groups).

3-7).

2. Follow the instructions in this section for the options you want to pro-

gram.

NOTE:

Record any changes you make on the CMS Options Planning Form, found in

the back cover pocket of this guide.

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Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS

Agent

Split 1 PERS 2 CHART 3 CORP 4 SUPPT 56-

Configuration #2 - CONFIG_2

F Answer F Force 1 Delay

Pos ID

2 Delay

F Auto 3 ACW

Split

Agent

Pos ID

ADMIN CMS R3.O 3:57p 03/04

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Num Answer Force Auto

Group Lines Delay A PUBLC 4 B SPECL 3 C CHART 6 D CORP 2

CALL FLOW

Splits Intra

Gp Main Sec Flow

A-B-c-D--

off 2 30s off off off off

Delay ACW 5s 5s 5s 5s

F Config 7 Screen

off off off off

Flow All

Spl Thresh Ring

30s off

F10 -

0s 0s 0s 0s

Help

Figure

3-7.

Line Group Options Screen

Changing Answer Delay

If an agent is not available when a call first rings, CMS allows the call to ring for a certain number of seconds before it answers the call and connects it to the voice announcement unit. If an agent becomes available during that period, the call is transferred immediately to the available agent, not the

voice announcement unit. Answer delay is the number of seconds CMS waits

before it answers a call. The factory setting for answer delay is 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.

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Consider these factors when choosing an answer delay value for a line group:

■

If you have toll lines (such as 800 lines), you begin paying for a call as soon as the line is answered. If calls are likely to be on hold before an agent is available, you can increase the answer delay value in order to decrease the amount of time on hold.

■

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 change the answer delay, do the following:

From the Line Group Options screen, press [F1] (Answer Delay).

The editing function keys appear with this prompt:

ANSWER DELAY :

Enter a group letter (A-D). Enter the number of seconds (0 through 99) a call should ring for that

Group Letter: _

How Many Seconds:

group before CMS answers. The factory setting is five seconds, the approximate time from the

beginning of one ring to the beginning of the next.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The Line Group Options screen reappears and the answer delay for the

specified line group is updated.

Repeat steps 1 through 4 to adjust the answer delay for another group,

5. or press [F7]

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to return to the Configuration screen.

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

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Changing Force Delay

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 are not transferred to an agent until callers have heard the entire message, even if an agent is free. If it is off, they are 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 connect directly to the voice announcement. This means that callers hear the delay message even when agents are available.

Remember that the force delay option can sometimes cause calls to back up, especially if your delay message is long.

To change force delay, do the following:

From the Line Group Option screen, press [F2] (Force Delay).

The Force Delay editing keys appear with this prompt:

FORCE DELAY :

Type in the group letter for the line group you want to program.

2. Press [F8] (Enter Data),

The setting toggles automatically to on or off, depending on the setting

Group Letter: _

before

you made the change. (The factory setting is off.)

Repeat steps 1 through 4 to adjust the force delay for another group, or

press [F7]

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to return to the Configuration screen.

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

6. [F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Programming Automatic After-Call-Work (ACW)

The automatic after-call-work option provides for hands-free operation allowing an agent to use an automatic answer headset adapter. After an agent completes a call, the automatic after-call-work option automatically puts that

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agent into the ACW state for a programmed period of time. When that time has elapsed, auto ACW makes an agent available to receive calls.

The agent remains in the ACW state for the number of seconds programmed for that line group (1–999). During the ACW period, the agent can complete the necessary paper work related to that call without pressing the

Available

buttons on the telephone. When the agent completes the paper-

ACW

work related to the previous call, he or she can manually override the automatic ACW state by pressing the Available button on the telephone.

To program Auto ACW, do the following:

From the Line Group Options screen, press [F3] (Auto ACW).

The following prompt appears near the bottom portion of the screen:

AUTOMATIC ACW: Group Letter: _ Seconds:

Enter a group letter (A through D) for the group to be programmed. Enter the number of seconds (0 through 999), for the number of

3. seconds agents are to be in the ACW state.

NOTE:

“0” means the Auto ACW feature is not in effect.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

4. Repeat steps 1 through 5 to program auto ACW for another line group,

or press [F7]

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to return to the Configuration screen.

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

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Programming Call Flow

The way CMS routes incoming calls to agents is called call flow. Call flow programming includes the following:

■

Assigning a main split and an optional secondary split for each line

group

■ Turning Intraflow on or off

■

Setting an Intraflow threshold for each split

■

Designating splits for All-Ring operation (optional).

To program call flow, you should understand main and secondary splits, intraflow and intraflow threshold. If you are unclear about these aspects of CMS, refer to the Glossary.

NOTE:

Record any changes you

the back cover pocket of

make on the CMS Options Planning Form, found in this guide.

How Intraflow Works

If a call comes in and no agent is available in the main split, the call is treated

as follows:

The call continues to ring in the main split for the answer delay interval you established (see “Line Group Options,” page 3-17).

CMS answers the call and connects it to the voice announcement unit for a delay message.

The call is put on hold (or connected to Music-on-Hold) and is added to

3. the waiting calls in the main split.

The call is intraflowed (sent) to an agent in the secondary split if all of the following conditions are met:

3-22

— The call is the oldest call eligible for intraflow into the secondary

split.

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— The amount of time the call has waited (that is, from the time the call

started ringing until present) 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.

Once the call is transferred to an agent the caller will hear ringing.

5. If there is no agent available in the secondary split, the call remains waiting in the main split. The call is 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).

If an agent becomes available at any step, CMS immediately transfers the

call to that agent.

Programming Considerations

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 it 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 can be no agents in other splits to receive intraflow calls. Therefore, there are no secondary splits and you would not need to program for

intraflow in that shift configuration. Consider these points when establishing your intraflow threshold(s):

■

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

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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.

Programming Instructions

1.2.From the Configuration screen, press [F3] (Call Flow).

The Call Flow Configuration screen (Figure

Press the key for the task you want to perform. Instructions for each

task are given on the following pages.

Bon Voyage Travel

AGENT SPLITS

Agent

Split 1 PERS 2 CHART 3 CORP 4 SUPPT

Configuration #2 - CONFIG 2

Pos ID

Split

3-8) is

Agent

Pos ID Group Lines Delay

A PUBLC 4 B SPECL 3 C CHART 6 D CORP 2

Splits Intra

Gp Main Sec Flow

A-B-- off c-D--

displayed.

ADMIN CMS R3.0 4:03p 03/04

LINE GROUP OPTIONS

Num Answer Force Auto

5s 5s 5s 5s

CALL FLOW

off

off off

Delay ACW

off off off off

Flow All

Spl Thresh Ring

1 2 3 4 5 6

0s 0s 0s 0s

30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off 30s off

F Assign 1 Splits 2 On/Off 3 Thresh 5 On/Off

F Flow F Set FAll-Ring

Figure 3-8. Call Flow Configuration Screen

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F Con fig 7 Screen

F10 -

Help

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Programming CMS Shift Configurations

Assigning Splits

To choose this activity,

Press [F1] (Assign Splits). You can now assign main splits and secondary splits to line groups.

The prompt is displayed as follows:

ASSIGN SPLITS :

Secondary Split #: _

Line Group Letter: _ Main Split #: _\

Initially, all splits are unassigned; choose which split answers calls for

each line group.

If you do not want to assign a secondary split,

leave that field

unchanged.

To remove a secondary split already assigned

to the line group, type a

hyphen in that field.

Enter a line group letter (A through D). Enter the number of the main split (1 through 6) that is to answer calls

3. for the line group. (If the field is left blank, it remains unchanged.)

Enter a secondary split number, or enter a hyphen if you do not want to assign a secondary split for intraflow. (If the field is left blank, it remains

unchanged.)

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

Repeat steps 1 through 5 to assign a split to another line group, or press [F7]

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

to return to the Configuration screen.

to return

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

to return to the Administration Menu.

[F8]

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Turning Flow On/Off

Main and secondary splits must be identified in the Call Flow section of the

Configuration screen for intraflow to work. To choose this activity:

Press [F2] (Flow On/Off). You can now turn intraflow on or off for a particular line group.

Each line group’s intraflow status appears in the Intraflow column of the Call Flow area of the screen. The prompt is displayed as follows:

CHANGE INTRAFLOW :

Enter a line group letter (A through D).

2. Press [F8]

The intraflow designation for that line group automatically changes from Off to

or vice versa.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 to turn intraflow on or off for another line

(Enter Data).

group, or press [F7]

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

Line Group Letter: _

to return to the Configuration screen.

to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Setting the Intraflow Threshold

To choose this activity:

1. Press [F3] (Set Thresh). You can now 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.

to return

3-26

The prompt is displayed as follows:

SET INTRAFLOW THRESHOLD:

Threshold (seconds) :

Split #: _\

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2. Enter a split number (1 through 6).

3. Enter the number of seconds from 0 through 999.

4. Press [F8]

(Enter Data).

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 to set the intraflow threshold for another split, or press [F7] to return to the Configuration screen.

6. Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7] to return. to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

Turning All-Ring On/Off

You can program certain splits so that each call rings at all agents’ tele-

phones and an available agent closest to a telephone can answer the call. (In normal CMS operation, a call rings at only one agent’s telephone.) AllRing operation is useful for splits in which agents are not always near their

telephones.

NOTE:

AlI-Ring operation is dependent on both your CMS configuration and your

MERLIN LEGEND system programming.

NOTE:

When All-Ring operation is in effect, agents can not log in or out. That is, all phones will ring regardless of agent availability.

To make an All-Ring split:

1. Assign a “ghost” agent as the only member of the split. Your MERLIN LEGEND system administrator must give you an unused extension number for your “ghost” agent.

2. See that your “real” agents have Cover buttons on their telephones that correspond to (cover) the “ghost agent’s” extension number.

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3. 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 the CMS Agent Splits Planning Form to see

which of your splits, if any, should be All-Ring. This form should be in the pocket of the back cover of this guide.

If you change a split from All-Ring operation to normal operation, remove the

“ghost” agent and add the real agents to the split.

For more information on setting up an All-Ring split, see the discussion of this topic in “Agent Splits” under the general heading “Planning the Call Management System” in the CMS Planning Guide.

For more detailed information on how “real” agents use a Cover button to

pick

calls to a “ghost” agent in an AH-Ring split, see “Using a Cover But-

ton” and “Answering Calls in All-Ring Operation” in Chapter 5, “CMS Tele-

phones and Telephone Programming,” in this manual. To choose this activity:

Press [F5] (All-Ring On/Off). You can now change a split from automatic call distributor (ACD) to All-Ring operation, or vice versa.

In the All-Ring column of the Call Flow area of the screen, that a split has All-Ring operation, and operation.

The

prompe is displayed as follows:

CHANGE ALL-RING OPERATION :

Enter a split number (1 through 6). Press [F8] (Enter Data).

Repeat steps 1 through 3 to change another split to All-Ring or ACD

operation, or press [F7]

Choose an activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

5. to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

off

indicates normal ACD

Split #: _

to return to the Configuration screen.

indicates

to return

3-28

Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press

[F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

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Clearing Agents

To clear agents from a configuration:

1. From the Configuration screen, press [F5] This clears all agents from a shift configuration.

The prompt appears as follows:

CLEAR AGENTS :

2. Type y or n and press [F8] (Enter

Are you sure? (Y/N) :

Data).

NOTE:

If you accidentally clear agents from a

configuration, you can restore

them.

1. Press [F7] (Config List), to select

the Stored Shift Configurations

screen.

2. Press [F1] (Select Config).

A prompt asks if you want to save your previous editing changes (which includes clearing the agents).

3. Type n to restore the cleared agents.

(Clear Agents).

—

3. Choose another activity from the Configuration screen or press [F7]

return to the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

4. Choose an activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press [F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

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Saving a Changed Configuration

When you build a new shift configuration or make changes in an existing one, the word

(changed)

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 change configuration 1 and replace the original with the updated copy. If you want to keep the original shift 1 configuration as

well as the updated copy, you can store the copy in an unused configuration number by following the procedure outlined below.

From the Configuration screen, press [F7] (Config List).

appears on the configuration list to the left of the

The Stored Shift Configurations screen (Figure

Press [F2] (Save Config) on the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

The word (changed) appears next to the configuration you last edited and the prompt appears as follows:

SAVE CONFIGURATION :

Press [F8] (Enter Data) to save the edited configuration under the same

Into Config #: _

3-9)

appears.

configuration name and number as the original (in other words, to replace the original with the updated copy).

or Enter a configuration number and press [F8]

(Enter Data) to save the

edited configuration under a different configuration number.

The prompt appears as follows:

SAVE CONFIGURATION :

NAME? (Y/N):

where x is a number 1 through 6 and

—

Replace Contents of Config X -\

NAME is

the name of the configuration.

3-30

The number and name of the configuration you changed appears in this

prompt.

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Bon Voyage Travel

F Select 1 Config 2 Config 3 Config

F Save

F Rename

STORED SHIFT CONFIGURATIONS

DAY (startup default)

- CONFIG_2

- UNUSED

3 4- UNUSED

- UNUSED

5 6-

UNUSED

F Choose 4Startup

ADMIN CMS R3.O 4:17p 03/04

F10 - Help

F Config

7 Screen 8 Menu

F Admin

Figure 3-9. Stored Shift Configurations Screen

4. Type y to confirm your request or n to cancel it.

5. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The function keys change.

6. Choose another activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press [F8] to return to the Administration Menu.

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Proqramminq CMS Shift Configurations

. .

Naming or Renaming

a Shift Configuration

When your CMS was installed, at least one shift configuration was built for you. You can have a total of six different configurations or call handling patterns in your CMS. If you do not name the configurations when you begin to build them, the system automatically supplies the name “Config x,” where x is the number of the configuration (1 through 6). We recommend, however, that you name the configurations so that their identity is meaningful for your business.

For instance, a business may require these configurations:

■ Shift 1

■ Shift 2

■ Night

■ Weekend

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 extension, 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 Chapter 6.

To name or rename a configuration:

1. Press [F3]

The prompt appears as follows:

RENAME CONFIGURATION :

(Rename Config) on the Stored Shift Configurations screen.

Config #: _ New Name: _

2. Enter the configuration number (1 through 6)

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Enter the new name (up to 10 letters, numbers, or special characters).

NOTE:

Configuration names can contain as many as 10 letters, numbers, or special characters. Spaces are not allowed, so you may want to use underscores instead.

Press [F8]

The function keys change.

Choose another activity .from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press [F8]

(Enter Data).

to return to the Administration Menu.

Selecting a Startup Configuration

You should select one of the six shift configurations to be invoked automatically during the CMS startup procedure. However, if you want to choose a configuration each time you begin managing calls, do not select a startup configuration at this time.

To choose this activity:

From the Stored Shift Configurations screen, press [F4] (Choose

1. Startup).

The prompt appears as follows:

CHOOSE STARTUP CONFIGURATION : Config #: _

Enter the number of the configuration you want to use as the startup

(Enter ‘-’

for none ) \

configuration, or enter a hyphen if you do not want a startup configuration.

Press [F8]

The words (startup default ) appear next to the configuration you

selected.

Choose another activity from the Stored Shift Configurations screen or press [F8]

(Enter Data).

to return to the Administration Menu.

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Backing Up and Restoring Shift Configurations

You should routinely make a backup copy of your shift configurations. That

way the most current version is available 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. The system tables contain the Agent Directory and line assignments CMS needs to interpret the shift configurations.

NOTE:

You should copy the system tables each time you make a change in your

shift configurations. The most current system tables are then available to interpret each day’s historical data. Both the shift configurations and system

tables fit on one floppy diskette.

Backing Up Shift Configurations

To make a backup copy of your shift configurations and system tables, follow these steps:

1. From the CMS Main Menu, press [F8]

2. Insert the diskette labeled “CMS Backup” into disk drive A.

3. At the DOS prompt, type the following commands to change to the cmsmgmt directory (a subdirectory within the CMS directory) on the hard disk.

cd c:\cms\cmsmgmt [< ]

4. To get into the cmsmgmt directory on the floppy diskette, type the following commands.

[< ]

cd a: \cms\cmsmgmt

[< ]

(Exit to DOS).

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Programming CMS Shift Configurations

5. To copy all your shift configurations from the hard disk onto the floppy diskette, type

copy c: Shift*. cms a:

[< ]

6. To copy the system tables onto the floppy diskette, type

copy c:systbls. cms a:

Remove the data backup disk when the light on disk drive A goes out.

[< ]

8. Write the current date on a label and attach it to the duplicate.

9. To return to the cms directory on disk drive C, type these commands:

[< ]

cd\cms

[< ]

Restoring Shift Configurations

If you ever lose a shift configuration (for instance, if you clear a configuration by accident), restore the desired configuration (or all configurations) from the duplicate as follows:

1. Repeat steps 1 through 4 in the previous procedure.

2. To restore all your shift configurations from the duplicate onto the hard disk, type:

copy a: shift*.cms

c :\cms\cmsmgmt

[< ]

To restore a single shift configuration from the duplicate, type:

copy a:shiftX.cms

c:\cms\cmsmgt

[< ]

(Replace X with the number of the shift configuration.)

3. To restore the system tables from the duplicate copy onto the hard disk, type:

copy a:systbls.cms

c:\cms\cmsmgt

[< ]

4. Remove the data backup disk when the light on disk drive C goes out.

Backing Up and Restoring Shift Configurations

3-35

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Programming CMS Shift Configurations

For more information on restoring CMS after system problems, see Chapter 9, “Troubleshooting.”

3-36

Backing Up and Restoring Shift Configurations

Page 76

Changing

System Options and

Programming Exceptions

This chapter explains how you can program your CMS to meet the call management needs of your particular business by:

■

Changing Options.

abandoned call threshold, and message length. You can also set your

PC to beep whenever an unusual or undesirable situation occurs.

Define your business name, service threshold,

■

Programming Exceptions.

as talk time and refused calls) that are appropriate for your business.

System options and exceptions were determined by you and your AT&T Account Manager during the system planning process. Use this section only if you want to change the basic configuration and stop managing calls during programming. If, however, you do not want to make changes at this time, go to Chapter 5, “Supervising CMS, ” where you can go through the steps needed to begin operations. If you want to change options and exceptions while CMS is managing calls, go to Chapter 5 and follow the instructions for “Dynamic Reconfiguration.”

Figure 4-1, “A Map for CMS Options and Exceptions,” on page 4-2 shows the relationship between the various screens used in this aspect of CMS programming.

Select and program the exceptions (such

4-1

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

To use the map, determine which function you wish to perform, then, starting with the CMS Main Menu, press the indicated function keys to move down the map to the desired action. For example, to turn the alarm on or off, press the following keys

in order:

1. [F4] -To

2. [F5]

3. [F3]

STORED SHIFT CONFIGURATIONS

-To

Note: CMS does not manage

calls when programming

is performed from the

Administration Menu.

select the Administration Menu. go to the Set Options screen. turn the alarm on or off.

CMS MENU

START CALL

MANAGEMENT

AGENT

Changing System Options

You may reset several system options. Initial settings are in effect for these options until you define new values. The options are listed below (with factory

settings in parentheses):

■ Service Level Limit (20 seconds)

■

Abandoned Call Threshold (10 seconds)

■ Audible Alarm (’on’)

■ Delay Message Length (10 seconds)

■ Business Name

To begin changing system options, do the following:

1. From the CMS Main Menu, press [F4]

The Administration Menu appears.

(Admin CMS).

2. From the Administration Menu, press [F5] (Set Options).

The Set Options screen (Figure 4-2) appears. This is the screen used to select

system options.

Changing System Options 4-3

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

. .

Bon Voyage Travel

FService 1 Level

FAbandon F Alarm

2 Thresh 3 On/Off

SET OPTIONS

Opt ion

Service Level Limit

Abandoned vs.

Audible Alarm (On/Off)

Delay Message Length

Business Name

Incoming Call Threshold

FDelayMsg FBusiness 4 Length 5 Name

ADMIN CMS R3.0

Value

10 sec

2 sec

10 sec

Bon Voyage Travel

4:33p 03/04

F10 -

Help F Admin 8 Menu

Figure 4-2. Set Options Screen

The function keys appearing on this screen are: — [F1] — [F2]

(Service Level). Used to adjust the Service Level Limit value.

(Abandon Thresh). Used to adjust the Abandon vs. Incoming Call

Threshold value. — [F3] (Alarm On/Off). Used to turn the Audible Alarm on or off. — [F4]

— [F5] — [F8]

(DelayMsg Length). Used to adjust the Delay Message Length value.

(Business Name). Used to enter or change your Business Name.

(Admin Menu). Used to return to the Administration Menu.

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

Adjusting the Service Level Limit

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 9070 of the CMS calls within 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 factory setting, 20 seconds, may be too long or too short for your requirements and you may want to adjust it.

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.

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. To reset the service level limit:

From the Set Options screen, press [F1 ]. (Service Level). You can now

adjust the Service Level value.

The prompt is displayed as follows:

SERVICE LEVEL: Calls should be seviced within \ n seconds. n:

The percentage of calls within the value chosen will be displayed on the reports.

Enter a number 1 through 999. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity

from this screen or press [F8]

to return to the

Administration Menu.

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

Adjusting the Abandoned Call Threshold

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. if a CMS agent services a call in an amount of time less than this threshold, CMS considers the call abandoned. Occasionally an abandoned call gets transferred to an agent. When this happens, the agent answers the call and finds no one on the line.

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 may want to set a low abandoned call threshold, realizing that the possibility of mistaking an abandoned call “for a “real” call, or vice versa can increase.

You should evaluate the factory setting (10 seconds) for the abandoned call threshold in light of these factors. If you decide to reset the value, you should

have a good idea of how long your agents spend on each call to reduce the

possibility of mistaking “real” for abandoned calls. You may have to do some experimenting.

To adjust the Abandoned Call Threshold value:

1. From the Set Options screen, press [F2] (Abandon Thresh). You can now adjust the Abandoned Call Threshold value.

The prompt is displayed as follows:

ABANDON THRESHOLD: Seconds:

2. Enter a number 1 through 99.

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

3. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

4. Choose another activity from this screen or press

[F8]

to return to the

Administration Menu.

Setting the Audible Alarm

When the audible alarm is on, your PC beeps every time an exception mes-

sage, a system message, or an error message appears. An exception occurs when a service or performance threshold you set has been exceeded. The alarm is helpful since it alerts you to potential problems, should you not

be looking at your PC screen. To turn the alarm off:

From the Set Options screen, press [F3] (Alarm On/Off).

When On the PC beeps, and when Off the PC doesn‘t beep.

Each press of the key sets the alarm to off or on.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen or press [F8] to return to the

3. Administration Menu.

Adjusting the 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 can manage

within a given period of time. For this reason you may want to keep the mes-

sage 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

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

specify on the options screen, the following warning message appears on your screen:

WARNING –

Message Unit Problem.

Check Message Length.

The factory setting for the message length option is 10 seconds. To change the delay message length:

From the Set Options screen, press [F4] (Delay Msg Length). You can now adjust the Delay Message Length value.

The prompt is displayed as follows:

SET DELAY MESSAGE LENGTH :

Enter a number 1 through 99. Press [F8]

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen or press [F8] to return to the

(Enter Data).

Seconds: –

Administration Menu.

Entering Your Business Name

You can enter the name of your business (up to 20 characters) in this field so that it appears on all CMS screens and reports. You can use both capital and lower case letters. The system does not, however, accept the space charac-

ter. Use the underscore character (_) to designate a space. To enter your business name,

1. From the Set Options screen, press [F5] (Business Name). You can now enter your Business Name.

The prompt line is displayed as follows:

ENTER BUSINESS NAME :

2. Enter a business name (up to 20 characters) including underscores.

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

3. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen or Press

[F8]

to return to the

Administration Menu.

Programming 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 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.

minutes as an acceptable talk

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 “Changing System Options,” page 4-7.

External lamps or bells can also be used as alerts to visually notify agents when certain exceptions occur (see page 4-26).

Exceptions are an important management tool as they free you to do more

productive work. Instead of constantly monitoring system status on your PC, you can set certain exceptions to notify you when problems arise.

Most businesses need only two or three exceptions. Using all the exceptions available or setting unrealistic exception thresholds merely gives you unus-

Programming Exceptions 4-9

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

able or inappropriate data. Consider these points when choosing the excep-

tions 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 could mean 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, possible 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.

Instructions for Selecting Exceptions

To select exceptions:

1. From the CMS Main Menu, press [F4]

The Administration Menu appears.

2. From the Administration Menu, press [F6] (Select Exceptns).

The Exception Settings screen (Figure 4-3), appears.

(Admin CMS).

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

Bon Voyage Travel

Exception

AGENTS Talk Time >= xxx sec After Call Work >= xxx min ACW Time Limit >= xxx min off - - - - - Refused Call

SPLITS # Abandon Calls >= xx # Calls Waiting >= xx Oldest Call Wait >= xxx sec

Avg Speed Answer >= xxx sec

LINE GROUPS All Lines Busy >= xxx sec Line Hold Time >= xx min Line Hold Time <= xx sec

ALERTS Alert Line Button Numbers

F Agent lExceptns 2Exceptns 3Exceptns 4 Alert

F Split

F Group F Assign

EXCEPTION SETTINGS

Split/Line Group—,

On/Off

off - - - - - off - - - - - -

off

off off 3/1 2/1 off off 12s/-

off 5s/off - - - off

l/A

10s/2 5s/2

1: 29 2: 30 3: - 4: -

2/B 3/C

3s/- 10s/- -/- -/- -/-

4s/-

ADMIN CMS R3.O ll:20p 03/25

4/D

2/1 -/- -/- -/-

3s/2 -/- -/- -/-

4s/- -/-

F10 -

F Admin 8 Menu

Help

Figure 4-3. Exception Settings Screen

Use this screen to turn exceptions on or off and set exception thresholds for each split or line group.

From this screen you may also assign line button numbers to external wallmountable lamps or bells 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 Iamp is lit or the bell rings whenever the corresponding exception occurs. External alerts are discussed in

detail starting on page 4-26.

Initially, all exceptions are set to Off and all thresholds are blank.

Programming Exceptions 4-11

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

The function keys appearing on the Exception Settings screen are:

(Agent Exceptns). Used to select exceptions for agents: talk time,

[F1]

ACW time, agent Iogout ACW, and refused call.

[F2] (Split Exceptns). Used to select exceptions for splits: abandoned

calls, calls waiting, oldest call waiting, and average speed of answer.

(Group Exceptns). Used to select exceptions for line groups: all lines

[F3]

busy, line hold time - rein, and line hold time - max.

(Assign Alert). Used to assign alerts to line button numbers.

[F4]

Exceptions are divided into three types—agent, split, and line group. General

instructions for programming 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 program.

To program exceptions, do as follows:

Press the function key for the type of exception you want to program— agents, splits, or groups. Alert assignments are discussed later in this section.

A box appears around the corresponding area of the Exception Settings

screen, and the function key labels change.

Press the function key for the exception you want to program. For example, you could press [F2] (Call Waiting) on the Split Exceptions screen.

if you decide not to program that exception, press [F1] (Cancel Prompt)

to cancel the prompt.

Enter

enter

in the “On/Off” field of the prompt to turn the exception on, or

Off

to turn the exception off.

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,

4-12 Programming Exceptions

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

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, enter 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 using the tab or

appropriate function key:

Enter an alert number or a hyphen in the field to the right of the slash.

5. See page 4-26 for more on alerts and alert assignments.

Press [F8]

Press a different function key to program another exception on that

(Enter Data) after you make an entry in the last field.

screen.

Press [F8] (Admin Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

8. Press [F8]

(Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

Agent Exceptions

Agent exceptions let you monitor agent activity. 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.

Press [F1] the Agent Exceptions screen (Figure 4-4). The box in the screen indicates the four agent exceptions: talk time, after call work, agent logged out, and

refused calls.

(Agent Exceptns) from the Administer Exceptions screen to select

Programming Exceptions 4-13

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

Bon Voyage Travel

Exception

AGENTS [Talk Time >= xxx sec After Call Work >= xxx min off - - ACW Time Limit >= xxx min

Refused Call

# Abandon Calls >= XX , # Calls Waiting >= xx Oldest Call Wait >= xxx sec Avg Speed Answer >= xxx sec

LINE GROUPS

All Lines Busy >= xxx sec Line Hold Time >= xx min Line Hold Time <= xx sec

ALERTS

Alert Line Button Numbers

F Talk F ACW

1 Time 2

F Agent FRefused 3 Logout

EXCEPTION SETTINGS

Split/Line Group—

On/Off

off - - -

off - - - - - off

off - - - off off off

off off off - - - -

4 Call

l/A 2/B 3/C

3/1 2/1 10s/2 5s/2 12s/- 3s/-

5s/- 4s/- 4s/-

1: 29 2: 30 3: - 4: -

ADMIN CMS R3.O ll:22p 03/25

3s/2 -/- -/- -/-

10s/- -/- -/- -/-

4/D

2/1 -/- -/- -/-

-/-

F10 -

Help

F Admin

8Exceptns

Figure 4-4. Agent Exceptions Screen

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.

1. From the Agent Exception screen, press [F1]

The following prompt appears:

TALK TIME(seconds): Split 1: – 2: - 3: – 4: – 5: - 6: -

/OFF ?

.—

(Talk Time).

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

2. Enter on or off.

Press [F6] (Next Field) to keep the current value.

3. Enter the number of seconds (1 through 999) for the maximum talk time for each split.

To leave the exception turned off for a split, enter a hyphen.

Press

[F8]

(Enter Data) after the last field.

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

5. Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

6. Press [F8] (Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

The following is an example of a message that appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Split 1

- Agent TOM - Talk Time >= 180 sec

ACW (After Call Work)

The after-call-work state refers to the time agents make themselves tem-

porarily 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.

1. Press [F2] (ACW).

The following prompt appears:

ACW (minutes) : ON/OFF ?

Split l: - 2: – 3: – 4: - 5: – 6:-

——

2. Enter on or off Press [F6] (Next Field) to keep the current value.

3. Enter a number of minutes (1 through 999) for each split. To leave the exception turned off for a split, enter a hyphen.

4. Press

[F8]

(Enter Data) after the last field.

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Programming Exceptions 4-15

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

5. Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

6. Press [F8] (Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

The following is an example of a message that appears when the exception

threshold is met:

*** Split 3

- Agent BEN -

After Call Work >= 5 min

ACW Time Limit

If you turn on this exception, CMS puts agents in the logged out state when

they have remained in the ACW state for the specified threshold.

Press [F3] (Agent Logout).

The following prompt appears:

AGENT OUT (minutes) :

Split l: – 2: – 3: – 4: - 5: - 6:-

Enter

off

at the

ON/OFF ?

ON/OFF?

prompt, or press [F6] (Next Field)

to keep the current value. Enter a number of minutes (1 through 999) for each split. To leave the

exception turned off for a split, enter a hyphen.

Press [F8] (Enter Data) after the last field.

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin

5. Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8]

The following is an example of a message that appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Split 2

(Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

- Agent MAX

4-16 Programming Exceptions

– Logged Out

– ACW >= 5 minutes

Page 92

Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

Refused Call

If you turn on this exception, CMS notifies you whenever an agent refuses a call.

1. Press [F4] (Refused Call).

The following prompt appears:

REFUSED CALLS :

ON /OFF?

2. Enter on or off.

3. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt c/ears and the function keys change.

4. Choose another activity from this screen, or press

[F8]

(Admin

Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

5. Press [F8] (Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

The followings an example of a message that appears when the exception

threshold is met:

*** Split 2

- Agent SAM

– Refused Call

Split Exceptions

Split exceptions alert you to unusual or undesirable situations affecting a whole split. For example, you can be notified when the number of calls 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. Some split exceptions can be used to activate an external lamp.

Pressing [F2]

(Split Exceptns) from the Exception Settings screen selects the

Split Exceptions screen (Figure 4-5). The box indicates the split exceptions:

abandoned calls, calls waiting, oldest call, and average speed of answer.

Programming Exceptions 4-17

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

Bon Voyage Travel

Exception

AGENTS Talk Time >= xxx sec After Call Work >= xxx min ACW Time Limit >= xxx min Refused Call

SPLITS

# Abandon Calls >= xx

, # Calls waiting >= xx

Oldest Call Wait >= xxx sec off Avg Speed Answer >= xxx sec

All Lines Busy >= xxx sec Line Hold Time >= xx min Line Hold Time <= xx sec

ALERTS

Alert Line Button Numbers

FAbandon

1 Calls

F Calls 2Waiting 3 Call

F Oldest

EXCEPTION SETTINGS

On/Off

off off off off

off

off 12s/-

off off off

F Avg 4 Speed

ADMIN CMS R3.O ll:23p 03/25

I—-Split/Line Group—

1/A

10s/2

5s/-

1: 29 2: 30 3: - 4: -

2/B

3/1 2/1

5s/2 3s/-

4s/-

3/C 4/D

2/1 -/- -/- -/-

3s/2 -/- -/- -/-

10s/- -/- -/- -/-

4s/- -/-

F1O

- Help

F Admin

8Exceptns

Figure 4-5. Split Exceptions Screen

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 the current hour reaches or exceeds the threshold you set.

1. Press [F1] (Abandon Calls).

The following prompt appears:

# ABANDON CALLS:

ON/ OFF ?

Split 1: - 2: – 3: – 4: – 5: - 6: -

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Chanqinq System Options and Programming Exceptions

Enter

off

to turn this exception on or off, or press [F6] (Next

Field) to keep the current value.

If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number 1 through 99 for

3. each split. If you do not want to activate this exception for a particular split, enter a hyphen.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin

5. Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8]

The following is the exception message that appears when the exception

threshold is met:

*** Split 2

(Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

– # Abandoned Calls >= 5

Calls Waiting (Number of Calls Waiting)

The calls waiting exception refers to the number of calls on hold and waiting to be connected to agents, and calls in the main split that are eligible for

intraflow to the secondary split. With 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 exter-

nal alert to this exception.

1. Press [F2]

The following prompt appears:

# CALLS WAITING: 3:-

(Calls Waiting).

ON/OFF ?

/- 4:- /- 5:- /- 6:- /-

(#/a) 1:- /- 2:- /- \

The symbols (#/a) are shown to remind you that the threshold value for the number of calls is entered before the slash, and the alert number (if any) is entered after the slash.

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Changing System Options and Programming Exceptions

2. Enter on or off to turn this exception on or off, or press [F6] (Next Field) to keep the current value.

3. 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 (1 through 99). If you do not want to activate this exception for a partic-

ular split, enter a hyphen.

4. Enter an alert number or

(See page 4-26 for more

a hyphen in the field to the right of the slash. on alerts.)

5. Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the

function keys change.

6. Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin

Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8] (Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

The following is an example of a message that appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Split 1

An alert, if assigned, is activated when the threshold is met.

- # Calls Waiting >= 2

Oldest Call (Oldest Call Waiting)

The oldest call is the call that has 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.

1. Press [F3] (Oldest Call).

The following prompt appears:

OLDEST CALL :

/-5:- /- 6:- /-

4:-

ON/OFF ?

(s/a) 1:- /- 2:- /- 3:- /- \

2. Enter on or off press [F6] (Next Field) to keep the current value.

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If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of seconds (1

3. through 999) for each split. If you do not want to activate this exception

for a particular split, enter a hyphen.

Enter an alert number or a hyphen in the field to the right of the slash.

(See page 4-26 for more on alerts.)

Press [F8]

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin

(Enter Data).

Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8]

The following message appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Split 2 -

An alert, if assigned, is activated when the threshold is met.

(Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

Oldest Call Waiting >= 5 sec

Avg Speed (Average Speed of Answer)

The average speed of answer is 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 for the current hour.

You can assign an external alert to this exception.

1. Press [F4] (Avg Speed).

The following prompt appears:

AVG SPEED ANS : ON/OFF? 3

:- /- 4:- /- 5:- /- 6:- /-

(s/a) 1:- /- 2:- /- \

The symbols (s/a) are shown to remind you that the threshold value (in seconds) is entered before the slash, and the alert number (if any) is entered after the slash.

Programming Exceptions 4-21

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Enter

2. If you want to enter threshold values, enter, to the left of the slash, a

off

press [F6] (Next Field) to keep the current value.

number of seconds (1 through 999) for each split. If you do not want to activate this exception for a particular split, enter a hyphen,

Enter an alert number or a hyphen in the field to the right of the slash.

(See page 4-26 for more on alerts.)

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen, or Press [F8] (Admin

Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8]

The following message appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Split 3

An alert, if assigned, is activated when the threshold is met.

(Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

– Avg Speed Answer >= 10 seconds

Line Group Exceptions

Line group exceptions alert you to unusual or undesirable situations affecting

lines 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.

Press [F3] (Group Exceptns) from the Exception Settings screen to select the

Line Group Exceptions screen (Figure 4-6). The box indicates the line group exceptions which include all lines busy, line hold time maximum, and line hold time minimum.

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Bon Voyage Travel

Exception

AGENTS Talk Time >= xxx sec After Call Work >= xxx min ACW Time Limit >= xxx min Refused Call

SPLITS

# Abandon Calls >= xx

# Calls Waiting >= xx Oldest Call Wait >= xxx sec Avg Speed Answer >= xxx sec

—LINE GROUPS

All Lines Busy >= xxx sec

Line Hold Time >= xx min Line Hold Time <= xx sec

ALERTS

Alert Line Button Numbers 1: 29 2: 30 3: - 4: -

F Lines

1 Busy

FHoldTime FHoldTime 2Maximum 3Minimum

EXCEPTION SETTINGS

I—Split/Line Group—

On/Off

off off off off

off - off 3/1 off off 12s/-

off off off

1/A

10s/2 5s/2

5s/-

2/B 3/C

3s/-

4s/-

ADMIN CMS R3.0 ll:24p 03/25

4/D

2/1

2/1 -/- -/- -/-

3s/2 -/- -/- -/-

10s/- -/- -/- -/-

4s/- -/-

F10 -

Help F Admin 8Exceptns

Figure 4-6. Line Group Exceptions Screen

Lines Busy (All Lines Busy)

The all lines busy exception refers to the number of seconds all lines in a line group are busy within the current hour. 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. You can assign an external alert

to this exception.

1. From the Line Groups Exception screen, press [F1]

The following prompt appears:

ALL LINES BUSY:

C:-

/- D:- /-

ON /OFF?

(s/a) A:- /- B:- /- \

(Lines Busy).

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The symbols (s/a) are shown to remind you that the threshold value (in seconds) is entered before the slash, and the alert number (if any) is entered after the slash.

Enter on or off to turn this exception on or off, or ress [F6] (Next

2. Field) to keep the current value.

If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of seconds (1 through 999) for each group. If you do no t want to activate this exception for a particular group, enter a hyphen.

Enter an alert number or a hyphen in the field to the right of the slash.

See page 4-26 for more on alirts and alert assignments.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin

6. Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8] (Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

The following is an example of a mesage that appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Group A -

An alert, if assigned, is activated when the threshold is met.

All Lines Busy >= 5 seconds

HoldTime Maximum (Maximum Line Holding Time)

The line holding time refers to the number of seconds a line has been in use for a single call, not just the amount of time it has been “on hold.” 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.

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From the Line Group Exceptions screen, press [F2] (HoldTime Maximum).

The following prompt appears:

MAXIMUM HOLDTIME (minutes) : Line Group A: - B: - C: - D: -

Enter

off

to turn this exception on or off, or press [F6] (Next

ON/OFF?

Field) to keep the current value. If you want to enter threshold values, enter a number of minutes (1

3. through 99) for each group. If you do not want to activate this exception for a particular group, enter a hyphen.

Press [F8] (Enter Data).

The prompt clears and the function keys change.

Choose another activity from this screen, or press [F8] (Admin

5. Exceptns) to return to the Exception Settings screen.

Press [F8]

The following message appears when the exception threshold is met:

*** Group A –

(Admin Menu) when you finish programming exceptions.

Line XXXXX Hold Time >= 3 minutes

HoldTime 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 indicate a problem with the line.

1. Press [F3] (HoldTime Minimum).

The following prompt appears:

MINIMUM HOLDTIME (seconds) : Line Group A: - B: - C: - D: -

ON/OFF ?

Programming Exceptions 4-25