555-233-503
Comcode 108596354
Issue 2
December 1999
Copyright 1999, Lucent Technologies
All Rights Reserved
Printed in U.S.A.
Notice
Every effort was made to ensure that the informa tion in thi s book was
complete and accurate at the time of printing. However, information is
subject to change.
Your Responsibility for Your System’s Security
Toll fraud is the unauthorized use of your tel ec ommunications system
by an unauthorized party, for example, persons other than your com-
pany’s employees, agents, subcontractors, or persons working on your
company’ s beh alf. Not e t hat t her e ma y be a ris k of toll f rau d ass oci at ed
with your telecommunications system and, if toll fraud occurs, it can
result in substantial additional charges for your telecommunications
services.
You and your system manager are responsible for the security of your
system, such as programming and confi guring your equipment to prevent unauthorized use. The system manager is also responsibl e for
reading all installation, instruc tion, and system administration doc uments provided with this pro duct in order to fully understand th e fe atures that can introduce risk of toll fraud and the steps that can be taken
to reduce that risk. Lucent Technologies does not warrant that this
product is immune fro m or will prevent unauthorized use of common-carrier telecommun ic ation services or facili ti es accessed through
or connected to it. Lucent Technologies will not be responsible for any
charges that result from such unauthorized use.
Lucent Technologies Fraud I n tervention
If you suspect that you are being victimized by toll fraud and you need
technical support or assistan ce , c al l Technical Service Cen ter Toll
Fraud Intervention Hotline at 1 800 643-2353.
Federal Communica tions Commissi on S ta tement
Part 15: Class A Statement. This equipm e nt ha s been tested and found
to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limi ts a re de signed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated
in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio-frequency e n ergy and, if not ins talled and used in ac cordance with the instruction s , may ca use ha rmful interference to radio
communications. Operati o n of th is eq ui pment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be
required to corr ec t the interference at hi s ow n expense.
Part 68: Network Registration Number. This equipment is registered
with the FCC in accordan ce with Part 68 of the FCC Rules. It is identified by FCC registration number AS593M-13283-MF-E.
Part 68: Answer-Supervision Signaling. Allowing this equipment to be
operated in a manner th at does not provide proper answer-super visi on
signaling is in violation of Part 68 R ules. Thi s equ ipm e nt ret urns
answer-supervision signals to the public switched netw ork whe n:
• Answered b y the called station
• Answered by the attendant
• Routed to a recorded announcement that can be administered by
the CPE user
This equipment returns answer-supervision signals on all DID calls
forwarded back to the publi c swi tched telephone network. Permissible
exceptions in cl ude when a call is un answered, a busy tone is received,
and a reorder tone is received
Canadian Department of Communications (DOC)
Interference Information
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio
noise emissions set out in the radio interference regulations of the
Canadian Department of Communications.
Le Présent Appareil Nom
dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la class
A préscrites dans le reglement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté
par le ministére des Communications du Canada.
European Union Declaration of Conformity
The “CE” mark affixed to the DEFIN ITY® equipment described in
this book indicates that the e quipment conforms to the foll ow i ng European Union (EU) Directives:
Electromagneti c Compatibility (89 /3 36/EEC)
Low Voltage (73/23/EEC)
Telecommunicat io ns Ter m inal Equipment ( TTE) i- CTR3 BRI and
i-CTR4 PRI
For more information on standards compliance, contact your local distributor.
Trademarks
See the Preface o f th is docume nt f or a list of appl icab le tr ade mark s and
registered trademarks.
Ordering Information
Call:Lucent Technologies BCS Publications Center
Voice 1 800 457-1235 International Voice 317 322-6416
Fax 1 800 457-1764 International Fax 317 322-6699
Write:Lucent Technologies BCS Publications Center
P.O. Box 4100
Crawfordville, IN 47933
Order:Document No. 555-233-503
Comcode 10859635 4
Issue 2, December 1999
You can be placed on a Standing Order list for this and other documents you may need. Standing order will enable you to automatically
receive updated versio ns of ind iv idual documents or document sets,
billed to account informati on t hat you provide. For more informat ion
on standing orders, or to be put on a list to rece iv e fut ure issues of this
document, contact the Lucent Technologies Publications Center.
Lucent Technolo gies National Customer Care Center
Lucent Technologies provides a telephone number for you to use to
report problems or to ask questions about your call center. The support
telephone number is 1-800-242-2121. For technical support, customers
outside the United States should call their Lucent Technologies Representative or Distributor.
European Union Declaration of Conformity
Lucent Technologies Business Communications Systems declares that
the equipment specified in th is document conforms to the referenced
European Union (EU) Directives and Harmonized Standards listed
below:
EMC Directive89 /336/EEC
Low Voltage Directive73/ 23/EEC
The “CE” mark affixed to the equipment
means that it conforms to t he above Directives.
Heritage Statement
Lucent Technologies—formed as a result of AT&T’s planned restructuring—designs, builds, and delivers a wide range of public and private
networks, communication syst ems and software, consumer and business telephone systems, and micro electronics components. The
world-renowned Bell Laboratories is the research and development
arm for the compan y.
Comments
To comment on this document, re turn the comment ca rd at the front of
the document.
Acknowledgment
This document was prepared by Gl oba l L earning Solutions, Lucent
Technologies, Denver, CO.
érique n’é
met pas de bruits radioélectriques
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
555-233-503
Contents
Contents
Contents iii
Preface — About This Document xi
■ Overviewxi
■ Contents and Organization of the Guidexi
■ Audiencexii
■ Reason for Reissuexii
■ How to Use this Documentxiii
■ Conventions Used in this Documentxiii
■ Trademarksxiv
■ Related Documentsxiv
Administration Documentsxiv
Installation, Upgrades, and Maintenance
Documentsxvi
December 1999
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iii
Call Center Documentsxviii
End Usersxviii
■ How to Get Helpxix
■ How to Make Comments About
This Documentxix
1 Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
Basics — Overview and Exercises 1-1
■ Introduction1-1
Exercises to Test Your Knowledge of ACD1-2
■ ACD Terminology1-2
■ Switches and Switch Features1-6
What a Switch Does1-6
■ What the ACD Does1-8
Things to Know Before You Start1-9
Automatic-In Processing of ACD Calls1-9
DID Processing of ACD Calls1-9
■ Split Queues1-9
Split Queue Call Processing1-10
Announcements for Calls in a Split Queue1-11
Answer Supervision and Abandoned Calls1-12
Intraflow and Interflow1-13
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Contents
Night Service for the DEFNITY ECS and
DEFINITY Generic 31-15
■ Distributing and Handling Calls1-16
How Calls are Distributed to Agents1-16
How Agents Handle Calls1-18
■ ACD and Call Management Systems
— BCMS, CMS R2 and CentreVu CMS1-28
Basic Call Management System (BCMS)1-29
CentreVu Call Management System (CMS)1-29
■ ACD Measurement1-30
Assigning CentreVu CMS Measurement
of the ACD1-30
Switch Features that Affect CentreVu CMS Data1-31
■ Exercise 1 — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)1-37
■ Exercise 1 Evaluation — Automatic
Call Distribution (ACD)1-38
555-233-503
December 1999
iv
Issue 2
■ Exercise 2 — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)1-39
■ Exercise 2 Evaluation — Automatic
Call Distribution (ACD)1-40
■ Exercise 3 — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)1-41
■ Exercise 3 Evaluation — Automatic
Call Distribution (ACD)1-42
■ Exercise 4 — The ACD Agent and ACD Trunk States1-43
■ Exercise 4 Ev aluation — The ACD
Agent and ACD Trunk States1-44
■ Exercise 5 — BCMS and CentreVu CMS1-45
■ Exercise 5 Evaluation — BCMS and CentreVu CMS1-46
2 DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for
ACD Software and Related Features 2-1
■ Introduction2-1
■ DEFINITY ECS R8 Capacities2-2
■ DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS
R6.3 Capacities2-6
■ DEFINITY ECS R5 and DEFINITY ECS
R6.1 and DEFINITY ECS R6.2 Capacities2-10
■ DEFINITY G3V2, DEFINITY G3V3, and
DEFINITY G3V4 Switch Capacities2-12
■ DEFINITY G3V1 Switch Capacities2-14
■ CentreVu CMS Maximum Capacities2-15
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
555-233-503
Contents
■ Measured Extensions and Multiple
Splits on a Non-EAS Switch2-17
On DEFINITY G1 and DEFINITY G3 Switches2-17
When Assignments Exceed Capacity2-17
Assignments are Not Logins2-17
■ Measured and Unmeasured Trunks2-18
System Requirements2-18
Measured vs. Unmeasured Trunks2-18
Determining Available Measured Trunks2-18
3 G3V4 ECS ACD Call Center Features 3-1
■ Introduction3-1
■ Feature-Related Information3-1
■ List of Call Center Features3-2
■ Abandoned Call Search3-4
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v
How to Administer Abandoned Call Search3-4
Considerations3-5
■ Add/Remove Skills3-6
How to Administer Add/Remove Skills3-6
Considerations3-6
Interactions3-7
■ Agent Call Handling3-8
How to Administer Agent Call Handling3-8
Detailed Description3-10
Expanded Technical Information3-16
Considerations3-18
Interactions3-20
■ Auto-Available Split3-22
How to Administer AAS3-22
Detailed Description3-22
Considerations3-23
Interactions3-23
■ Automatic Call Distribution3-25
How to Administer ACD3-27
Detailed Description3-28
Considerations3-35
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Contents
Interactions3-37
■ Basic Call Management System3-41
How to Administer BCMS3-42
Interactions3-43
■ Best Service Routing3-44
Benefits of Best Service Routing3-44
Before You Start Using BSR3-46
How to Administer BSR3-47
Detailed Description3-49
Interactions3-53
■ Call Management System3-56
How to Administer the G3V4/CMS Interface3-56
Considerations3-57
■ Call Prompting3-58
How to Administer Call Prompting3-58
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December 1999
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Issue 2
Considerations3-59
Interactions3-59
■ Call Vectoring3-61
How to Administer Call Vectoring3-61
Interactions3-63
■ CentreVu Advocate3-69
How to Administer CentreVu Advocate3-71
Considerations3-72
Interactions3-76
■ Expert Agent Selection3-78
How to Administer EAS3-78
Detailed Description3-81
Considerations3-83
Interactions3-83
■ Inbound Call Management3-86
How to Administer ICM3-86
Detailed Description3-88
Considerations3-92
Interactions3-92
■ Information Forwarding3-93
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Contents
Interactions3-93
User-to-User Information Transport3-93
Administering User-to-User Information Transport3-94
Determining User Information Needs3-96
Considerations3-97
Troubleshooting3-97
■ Intraflow and Interflow3-99
Intraflow3-99
Interflow3-99
How to Administer Intraflow and Interflow3-100
Detailed Description3-100
Considerations3-101
Interactions3-101
■ Look-Ahead Interflow3-102
How to Administer Look-Ahead Interflow3-102
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vii
Considerations3-103
Interactions3-104
■ Multiple Call Handling3-108
How to Administer MCH 3-108
Detailed Description3-108
Considerations3-111
Interactions3-112
■ Queue Status Indications3-114
How to Administer Queue Status Indications3-114
Detailed Description3-115
Interactions3-115
■ Reason Codes3-116
How to Administer Reason Codes3-116
Detailed Description3-117
Considerations3-118
Interactions3-119
■ Redirection on No Answer3-120
How to Administer RONA3-120
Detailed Description3-121
Considerations3-125
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Contents
Interactions3-125
■ Service Observing3-133
How to Administer Service Observing3-133
Detailed Description3-134
Service Observing Indicators3-137
Considerations3-142
Interactions3-144
■ Universal Call ID3-148
What is UCID’s Purpose?3-148
What Does UCID Look Like?3-148
How Does UCID Work?3-148
How are UCIDs Tracked?3-150
Interactions3-157
Before You Start3-157
How to Administer Universal Call ID3-159
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viii
Considerations3-162
Troubleshooting3-162
■ VDN in a Coverage Path3-163
How to Administer VICP3-163
Considerations3-163
Interactions3-164
■ VDN of Origin Announcement3-168
How to Administer VOA3-168
Detailed Description3-168
Considerations3-169
Interactions3-171
■ Voice Response Integration3-174
How to Administer VRI3-174
Detailed Description3-175
Interactions3-177
■ VuStats3-182
How to Administer VuStats3-183
Detailed description3-189
Considerations3-206
Interactions3-206
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
555-233-503
Contents
4 G3V4 ECS ACD Call Center Forms 4-1
■ Introduction4-1
■ List Call Center Forms4-1
■ Agent LoginID4-2
Administration Commands4-2
Form Instructions4-2
Implementation Notes4-6
■ Best Service Routing (BSR ) Application Plan4-7
Administration Commands4-7
Form Instructions4-7
■ BCMS/VuStats Login ID4-10
Administration Commands4-10
Form Instructions4-10
Implementation Notes4-11
December 1999
Issue 2
ix
■ Call Center System Parameters4-12
■ Call Vector4-17
Administration Commands4-17
Form Instructions4-17
■ Reason Code Names4-21
Administration Commands4-21
Form Instructions4-21
■ SIT Treatment for Call Classification4-22
Administration Commands4-22
Form Instructions4-22
■ Vector Directory Number4-24
Administration Commands4-24
Form Instructions4-24
Implementation Notes4-28
■ Vector Routing Table4-30
Administration Commands4-30
Form Instructions4-30
■ VuStats Display Format4-32
Administration Commands4-32
Form Instructions4-32
Tables of Required and Allowed Fields4-39
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
555-233-503
Contents
A Recorded Announcements A-1
■ IntroductionA-1
■ How to Administer Recorded AnnouncementA-2
■ Recorded Announcement TypesA-3
Analog LineA-3
DS1A-3
Auxiliary TrunkA-4
IntegratedA-4
This document describes the DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server (ECS)
Release 8 (R8) ACD feature. For details about what is new in the DEFINITYECS R8, see
the DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server (ECS) Release 8 (R8) Change
Description.
DEFINITYECS is a family of cost-effective digital communication systems. These
systems:
n Route voice and data information between various endpoints (telephones,
terminals, computers)
n Provide highly robust networking capabilities
n Include an extensive set of standa rd features: attendant cons oles, voice processing
interface, call coverage, DS1 (T1 and E1) connectivity, hospitality support,
recorded announcement, and trunk-to-trunk transfer
n Provide flexibility and allow for the addition of optional features and/or upgrades
to the system as business needs change
This document explains the features that comprise the DEFINITYECS ACD. It provides
an introduction to each call center feature and presents required forms for administration,
detailed descriptions, considerations, and interactions between call center features. This
document provides an overall reference for planning, operating, and administering your
DEFINITYECS ACD Call Center.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
Contents and Organization of the
Guide
This document is organized into chapters by subject. Features are in alphabetical order
within each chapter. Pertinent forms follow the features. Basic features and forms are
presented in a chapter with the same title.
The following table gives a brief description of each chapter and appendix in this book.
Table 1. Contents of Document
TitleContents
December 1999
Issue 2
xiiContents and Organization of the Guide
Chapter 1Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
Basics — Overview and Exercises
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Appendix ARecorded AnnouncementsDescribes the use and requirements
GlossaryProvides a glossary and list of
DEFINITY
for ACD Software and Related
Features
DEFINITY
Features
DEFINITY
Forms
Call Center Capacities
ECS ACD Call Center
ECS ACD Call Center
Gives an overview of the ACD feature
and includes exercises that are
prerequisite for an Instructor-led
course.
Includes tables that show the switch
capacities for
R7, R6, R5,
G3V2, G3V1, and
Also includes information on
measured extensions, splits, and
trunks.
Contains the call center features
available on the
Contains all of the forms required to
administer basic call center features
on the
of the fiel ds on each form, and
special notes about usage.
around using recorded
announcements in a call center
environment.
abbreviations for this and other
related
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
ECS R8,
G3V4, G3V3,
CentreVu
DEFINITY
ECS, descriptions
ECS documents
CMS.
ECS
IndexProvides an index for the document.
Audience
This document is intended for the DEFINITYECS system administrato rs and manage rs,
end-users interested in information about specific features, and Lucent Technologies
support personnel responsible for planning, designing, configuring, selling, and
supporting the system.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
Reason for Reissue
This document is updated to include DEFINITYECS Release 8 information.
It also now includes the information that formerly resided in the CentreVu Call
Management System Administration Guide in the ACD Basics appendix and in the Global
Learning Solutions ACD Basics precourse material (BTC504S).
How to Use this Document
This document is designed to be used as a reference document. If you are interested in
information about a particular feature, use the ind ex o r tab le of contents to locate the page
number where the feature is described. Forms also can be located this way. They are listed
alphabetically in each chapter in the table of contents. The title that appears on the form is
the form name.
Conventions Used in this Document
December 1999
Issue 2
xiiiReason for Reissue
This document uses the following conventions:
NOTE:
Draws attention to information that you must heed.
!
CAUTION:
Denotes possible harm to software, possible loss of data, or possible service
interruptions.
!
WARNING:
Denotes possible harm to hardware or equipment.
!
SECURITY ALERT:
Indicates when system administration may leave your system open to toll fraud.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
Trademarks
The following trademarked names may be used in this document.
n AUDIX® is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
n BCMS Vu® is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
n Callmaster® is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
n CentreVu® is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
n Conversant® is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
n DEFINITY® is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
n INFORMIX® is a registered trademark of Informix Software, Inc.
n Microsoft®, MS®, MS-DOS®, and Windows® are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
n NetWare®, Novell®, OPEN LOOK®, and UnixWare® are registered trademarks
of Novell, Inc.
n Solaris® is a registered trademark and Solstice
Microsystems, Inc.
TM
is a trademark of Sun
December 1999
Issue 2
xivTrademarks
n UNIX® is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other
countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Corporation.
n X Window System
Technology.
When used in this book, these trademark and registered trademark product names are
shown in italics. If the name is used in a block of text that already incorporates italics, then
the appropriate symbol is included in the call-out.
Related Documents
The following documents may include information related to the DEFINITYECS ACD
feature.
Administration Documents
The primary audience for these documents consists of DEFINITYECS ad minis trators who
work for external customers and for Lucent’s dealers. The satisfaction and needs of our
external customers is the primary focus for the documentation.
is a trademark and product of the Massachusetts Institute of
Provides complete step-by-step procedures for administering the switch, plus feature
descriptions and reference information for SAT screens and commands.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
December 1999
Issue 2
xvRelated Documents
DEFINITY
System’s Little Instruction Book for basic administration,
555-230-727, Issue 5
Provides step-by-step procedures for performing basic switch administration tasks.
Includes managing phones, managing features, and routing outgoing calls.
DEFINITY
System’s Little Instruction Book for advanced
administration,555-233-712, Issue 2
Provides step-by-step procedures for adding trunks, adding hunt groups, writing vectors
and recording announcements.
DEFINITY
System’s Little Instruction Book for basic diagnostics,
555-230-713, Issue 2
Provides step-by-step procedures for baselining your system, solving common problems,
reading alarms and errors, using features to troubleshoot your system, and contacting
Lucent.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Overview, 555-230-024, Issue 8
Provides a brief description of the features available with DEFINITYECS R8. This book
does not provide a general overview of the switch nor of basic telephony.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 —Reports, 555-230-511, Issue 6
Provides detailed descriptions of the measurement, status, security, and recent change
history reports availabl e in the system and is intende d for administrators who validate
traffic reports and evaluate system performance. Includes corrective actions for potential
problems.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — System Description, 555-230-211, Issue 5
Provides hardware descriptions, system parameters, lists of hardware required to use
features, system configurations, and environmental requirements.
DEFINITY
ECS What’s New in R8, 555-233-752, Issue 1
Provides a detailed overview and information on basic administration for the new
functionality in this release.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
Installation, Upgrades, and Maintenance
Documents
Lucent technicians, design center employees, and customer self-maintainers are the
primary audiences for these documents.
December 1999
Issue 2
xviRelated Documents
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Administration for Network Connectivity,
555-233-501, Issue 2
Describes the main types of switch-to-switch connections that use Overlan hardware and
software, and the procedures required to administer these connections.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — ATM Installation, Upgrades, and Administration,
555-233-106, Issue 1
Step-by-step instructions for how to install, upgrade, and administer ATM switches.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Installation and Maintenan ce for Surv ivable
Remote EPN, 555-233-102, Issue 3
Describes how to install, cable, test, and perform maintenance on a Survivable Remote
Expansion Port Network (SREPN). Provides power, ground, and fiber connections.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Installation and Test for Multi-Carrier Cabinets,
555-230-112, Issue 7
Provides procedures and information for hardware instal lation and initial testing of
multi-carrier cabinets.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Installation and Test for Single-Carrier Cabinets,
555-230-894, Issue 5
Provides procedures and information for hardware instal lation and initial testing of
single-carrier cabinets.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Installation for Adjuncts and Peripherals,
555-230-125, Issue 6
Provides procedures and information for hardware instal lation and initial testing of ECS
adjunct and peripheral systems and equipment.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Installation, Upgrades and Additio ns for
Compact Modular Cabinets, 555-230-128, Issue 5
Provides procedures and information for hardware instal lation and initial testing of
compact modular cabinets.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
December 1999
Issue 2
xviiRelated Documents
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Maintenance for R8r, 555-230-126, Issue 5
Provides detailed descriptions of the procedures for monitoring, testing, troubleshooting,
and maintaining the R8r ECS. Included are maintenance commands, step-by-step
trouble-clearing procedures, the procedures for using all tests, and explanations of the
system’s error codes.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Maintenance for R8si, 555-233-105, Issue 2
Provides detailed descriptions of the procedures for monitoring, testing, troubleshooting,
and maintaining the R8si ECS. Included are maintenance commands, step-by-step
trouble-clearing procedures, the procedures for using tests, and explanations of the
system’s error codes.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Maintenance for R8csi (Compact Modular
Cabinets), 555-204-129, Issue 5
Provides detailed descriptions of the procedures for monitoring, testing, troubleshooting,
and maintaining the R8csi ECS. Included are maintenance commands, step-by-step
trouble-clearing procedures, the procedures for using all tests, and explanations of the
system’s error codes.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Upgrades and Additions for R8r, 555-230-121,
Issue 6
Provides procedures for an installation technician to convert DEFINITY Communi cat ions
System or DEFINITYECS to DEFINITYECS Release 8. Includes upgrade considerations,
lists of required hardware, an d st ep-by- step upg rade procedur es. Also includes procedures
to add control carriers, switch node carr iers, port car riers, circu it packs, aux iliary cabinets,
and other equipment.
DEFINITY
ECS Release 8 — Upgrades and Additions for R8si, 555-233-104,
Issue 2
Provides procedures for an installation technician to upgrade an existing
DEFINITYCommunicatio ns Sy st em or DEFI NITY ECS to DEFINITY ECS Release 8.
Included are upgrade considerations, lists of required hardware, and step-by-step upgrade
procedures. Also included are p rocedures to ad d control carr iers, switch no de carriers, por t
carriers, circuit packs, auxiliary cabinets, and other equipment. Task-oriented Technician
Documentation New electronic information for customer service engineers who perform
G3r upgrades.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
Call Center Documents
These documents are issued for DEFINITYECS Call Center applications. The intended
audience is DEFINITYECS administrators.
Provides information on how to write, use, and troubleshoot vectors, which are command
sequences that process telephone calls in an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
environment.
Provides feature descriptions and some implementation guidance for call center features.
DEFINITY
ECS — Basic Call Management System (BCMS) Operations,
555-230-706, Issue 2
Provides information on the use of the BCMS feature for ACD reporting.
The primary audience for these documents consists of people who use the phones and
attendant consoles.
DEFINITY
ECS Console Operations, 555-230-700, Issue 5
Provides operating instructions for the attendant console. Included are descriptions of the
console control keys and functions, call-handling procedures, basic system
troubleshooting informat ion, and rout ine maintenance procedures.
Provides operating instructions for the attendant console. Included are descriptions of the
console control keys and functions, call handling, basic system-troubleshooting
information, and routine maintenance procedures.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Preface — About This Document
555-233-503
How to Get Help
For those times when you need additional help, the following help services are available.
You may need to purchase an extended service agreement to use some of these help
services. See your Lucent Technologies representative for more information.
n Lucent Technologies Centers of Excellence
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— Central/Eastern Europe
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— North America
1-800-248-1111
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n DEFINITYHelpline
1-800-225-7585
n Lucent Technologies Toll Fraud Intervention
1-800-643-2353
n Lucent Technologies National Customer Care Center Support Line
1-800-242-2121
n Lucent Technologies Corporate Security
1-800-822-9009
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Preface — About This Document
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Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
Basics — Overview and Exercises
NOTE:
This chapter provides knowledge that is prerequisite to attending an Instructor-led
Training (ILT) course.
December 1999
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1
Introduction
This chapter gives an overview of the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) feature. It
describes basic ACD capabilities for the following Lucent Technologies switches:
n DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server
n DEFINITY Communications System Generic 3.
This chapter addresses ACD terminology, switches and switch features, split queues,
distributing and handling calls, ACD measurement, ACD capacities, and engineering
guidelines.
n ACD termi nol o gy define common terms that are used throughout this book.
n The Switches and Switch Features section defines switches and ACDs and
n Split Queues defines a split queue and explains how to set up call processing to a
n Distributing and Handling Calls describes how calls are distributed to agents and
explains how the following features work: trunks, trunk groups, and extensions;
automatic-in processing; switch attendant; and Direct Inward Dialing (DID)
processing.
split, including announcements for calls in a split queue; answer supervision and
abandoned calls, intraflow and interflow, and night service for the ECS and
Generic 3.
how agents handle the calls. It also defines the split supervisor voice terminal
buttons.
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n ACD Measurement describes how CentreVu CMS collects measured data on
splits/skills, extensions, trunks, trunk groups, VDNs, and vectors. This section also
includes switch features that affect CMS data, such as Hold, Conference, Transfer,
Multiple Call Handling, and so forth.
n ACD Capacities contains capacity tables for DEFINITY ECS, Generic 3 switches,
and CentreVu CMS. It also discusses measured extensions and multiple splits on a
non-EAS switch and measured and unmeasured trunks.
n Engineering Guidelines presents ACD agent and trunk engineering guidelines for
determining the number of agents and trunks required for an ACD. It contains
examples and tables of average service times.
Exercises to Test Your Knowledge of ACD
At the end of the chapter are a series of exercises that you can use to demonstrate your
knowledge of the information presented in this chapter.
In most cases you should be able to complete this chapter and the associated exercises in
one hour.
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All of the exercises that you need to complete to be ready for the Instructor-led Training
are found in this chapter. Prior to completing the exercises, you s hould read the chapter, as
it introduces the concepts and skills associated with the ACD, and provides instruction on
their application.
It is important that you attempt to complete each Exercise. Even if you make mistakes,
when you check your answers you’ll see how you should have responded and better
understand the concept presented.
ACD Terminology
The following terms will provide general familiarity with the ACD environment.
AgentAn agent is a person assigned to one or more splits/skills and
Agent In Multiple
Splits/Skills
Agent StateAgent state is a term or code that represents the current
handles calls to/from an extension in those splits/skills.
Depending on the ACD software, an agent can be a member of
multiple splits/skills.
availability status of an agent. The term agent state also
represents a user abi lity to ch ange an agent’ s availa bility with in the
system.
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Call Distribution
Methods
CMSCall Management System.
EASExpert Agent Selection.
Hunt GroupsA group of trunks/agents selected to work together to provide
Queues (split/skill
and/or attendant)
The ACD can distribute calls to agents in a split/skill in one of four
ways:
CMS is an adjunct (basic software package or optional enhanced
software package) that collects call data from a switch resident
ACD. CMS provides ca ll m ana gem ent performance re co rdi ng and
reporting. It can also be used to perform some ACD
administration. CMS allows users to determine how well their
customers are being served and how efficient their call
management operation is.
An optional feature available with Generic 3 and Generic 2.2 that
uses Call Vectoring and ACD in the switch to route incoming calls
to the correct agent on the first try based on skills.
specific routing of special purpose calls.
If calls cannot be answered immediately, they are routed to a call
collection point (split/skill queue or attendant queue) where calls
are held until a split/skill agent or attendant can answer them.
Calls are ordered as they arrive and they are served in that order.
Depending on the time delay in answering the call,
announcements, music, or prepared messages may be employed
until the call is answered.
SkillAn ability given to an agent to meet a specific customer
requirement or a call center busin ess requi rem ent .
SplitA group of extensions/agents that can receive standard calls
and/or special purpose calls from one or more trunk groups.
Trunk GroupA group of similarly administered trunks carrying calls to the
switch. An ACD has its own pre-assigned trunk groups.
Trunk stateA term or code that represents the current status of a particular
trunk.
AnnouncementsAn announcement is a pre-re corded mess age de livere d to a c aller
in queue requesting the caller to remain on-line, prompting the
caller for information or directing the caller to another destination.
When a call is in queue, de pendin g on the leng th of tim e in queu e,
an automatic recording can encourage the caller to hang on, call
back later, call another number, leave a message or can be used
with call prompting to direct the caller to specific destinations.
These announcements can be scheduled to occur periodically.
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Call PromptingCall Prompting is a call m anagement me thod that uses sp ecialized
Call VectoringCall Vectoring is an optional software package that allows
IntraflowIntraflow is used when a split’s/skill’s queue is heavily loaded or
InterflowInterflow is used when a split’s/skill’s queue is heavily loaded or
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call vector c ommands t o provid e flexi ble han dling of inc oming cal ls
based on information collected from the caller. One example
would be where the caller receives an announcement and is then
prompted to select (via dialed number selection) a department or
an option that was listed in the announcement.
processing of incoming calls according to a programmed set of
commands. Call Vectoring provides a flexible service allowing
direct calls to specific and/or unique call treatments.
when a call arrives after normal work hours. Intraflow involves
redirecting a call to a destination within the local switch network
(the same switch system).
when a call arrives after normal work hours.
Interflow redirects a call to a destination outside the local switch
network (a different switch system).
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LAILook Ahead Interflow.
LAI allows users to balance the call work load between multiple
call centers on separate switching systems. LAI uses ISDN to
allow multiple switches to communicate and interflow when
appropriate.
MCTMalicious Call Trace.
MCT allows an agent t o notif y a predefi ned party a malici ous caller
is on the line. It also involves en abling a rec ording devic e to record
the call.
Night ServiceNight Service is used when a call arrives after normal work hours.
The call can be redirected to another destination such as another
split/skill, an extension, the attendant, an announcement with
forced disconnect, or a message center. Night Service can take
one of three forms:
— Hunt Group (Split/Skill) Night Service
— Trunk Group Night Service
— System Night Service
Priority QueueThe p riority qu eue is a segme nt of a s plit's/sk ill's q ueue from which
calls are taken first.
Service ObservingService observing is a feature used to train new agents and
observe in-progress calls. The ob ser ver (spli t/skil l superv is or) can
toggle between a listen-only mode or a listen/talk mode during
calls in progress.
Split/Skill
Administration
Split/Skill administration is the ability to assign, monitor, or move
agents to specific splits/skills. It also involves changing reporting
parameters within the system.
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Split/Skill SupervisorA split/skill supervisor is assigned to monitor/manage each
ThresholdA threshold is a point in time or criteria that determines a certain
Call CenterA call center provides a centralized location where a group of
CASCentralized Attendant Service.
DIDDirect Inward Dialing.
DNISDialed Number Identification Service.
ExtensionsVoice terminals connected to a PBX/swi tch via telep hone lines are
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split/skill and split/skill queue to accomplish specific split/skill
objectives. A supervisor can assist agents on ACD calls, be
involved in agent training, and control call intra/interflow.
action by the syste m. For example, th e numb er of call s in que ue or
the time calls spend in queue determines specific call treatments,
or you can set the number of rings prior to announcements or call
answers.
agents or company representatives communicate with customers
via incoming or outgoing calls.
CAS is a system feature used when more than one switch is
employed. CAS is an attendant or group of attendants that
handles the calls for all switches in that particular network.
DID is a process involving calls coming into the switch from the
CO. The switch than routes the calls directly to the appropriate
extension (as identified by the last four digits).
DNIS is a feature of the 800 number service that sends the dialed
digits to the called destination. This can be used with a display
voice terminal to indicat e the type of call to an agent. For exa mple,
the call by its destina tion can be classified as a certai n typ e of ca ll
or caller (e.g., a Gold Card caller) depending on a product or
service the destination number is associated with.
referred as extensions. Extensions is also the term used to define
the 3, 4, or 5 digit numbers used to identify the voice terminal to
the PBX/switch software for call routing purposes.
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Leave Word CallingLeave Word Calling is a system feature that allows messages to
be stored for any ACD split/skill and allows for retrieval by a
covering user of t hat spl it/ sk ill or a s ys tem wide message retriev er.
QDNQueue Directory Number.
QDN is an associated extension number of a split. It is not
normally dialed to reach a split. The split can be accessed by
dialing the QDN. The QDN is also referred to as a split group
extension.
Trunk/Trunk GroupTrunks are communication channels between two switching
systems or offices. Trunks grouped together to provide identical
communications characteristics are called trunk groups. Trunks
within trunk groups can be used interchangeably between two
communications systems or central offices in order to provide
multi-access capability.
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Switches and Switch Features
This section defines switches and ACDs and explains how they work. The section
contains the following topics:
n Trunks, trunk groups, and extensions
n Automatic-in processing definition
n The attendant
n Switch with attendant and extensions
n Direct Inward Dialing processing with an example
n Automatic-in processing of ACD calls
n DID processing of ACD calls
n Call processing on an ACD switch.
What a Switch Does
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A switch is an electronic device that processes incoming, outgoing, and internal calls and
connects them to the proper destinations. The teleph one company sw itch in your local area
is called a Central Office (CO). A switch owned by a company or organization processes
incoming, outgoing, and internal calls. Throu gho ut this chap ter, the term switch is used to
refer to a company or organization’s switch.
Trunks, Trunk Groups, and Extensions
Incoming calls to a company first pass through the CO. The CO sends calls to the
company switch over trunks (telephone lines that carry calls between two switches,
between a CO and a switch, or between a CO and a phone).
The CO receives dialed digits from the caller, processes the digits, and seizes a trunk that
is assigned those digits. After the CO seizes a trunk, it sends a continuing transmission to
the destination phone or switch, and no other calls can be sent over that trunk until the
current call disconnects.
Since a trunk can carry only one call at a time, trunk groups are usually created. A trunk
group is a group of tr un ks that are ass i gn ed to th e s ame di g its . With a trunk group, the CO
receives the digits of a dialed phone number and checks the trunk group assigned to that
number to see if any of the trunks are available. The CO then seizes an available trunk. As
many simultaneous calls can be made over a trunk group as there are trunks in that trunk
group. A trunk group, therefore, can carry multiple calls for the same phone number.
When a trunk group carries incoming calls (that is, calls made outside the company’s
switch location) to the switch, the switch then connects the calls to their proper
destinations within the company.
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The switches previously listed, in addition to connecting incoming calls to the proper
destinations, are also like private COs for company employees. That is, employee phones
are connected to a switch by telephone lines called extensions. Extensions are then
assigned 3- 4- or 5-digit numbers within the switch software, and these numbers become
the employee phone numbers for internal (intra-company) calls.
Automatic-In Processing
Automatic-in processing is one type of call processing. With automatic-in processing, the
CO processes all of the digits of an incoming call. The CO then seizes a trunk from the
trunk group, but since processing is complete, the call connects directly to a destination
identified in the switch software. That destination can be a phone, a queue (in which
callers wait to be answered in the order in which their call was received), or special
treatment like an announcement.
Switch Attendant
Incoming calls can also go to a switch attendant. A switch attendant is a person who
manually routes calls to their proper destinations using an attendant console (which is like
a call switchboard). Normally an attendant serves as an internal operator who transfers
calls to the proper extensions. Often, a switch will have more than one attendant, and all of
the switch’s attendants will answer calls directed to the attendant queue, which holds calls
until an attendant is available. The attendant queue receives internal calls made from
employee extensions, and also receives incoming calls through DID processing and
automatic-in processing. Attendant call handling varies, depending on the company’s
needs. However, if the attendant has an automatic-in number, it will normally be the
number published in the phone book, and the DID number will most likely be used by
off-site employees who know only the attendant’s extension number.
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Centralized Attendant Service (CAS) is a switch feature that enables attendants to be
consolidated at one private-network location. The attended location is called the CAS
main and each unattended location is called a CAS branch. At branch locations, calls
requiring attendant services route by way of Release Link Trunks to the main location.
Direct Inward Dialing Processing
With Direct Inward Dialing (DID) processing, incoming trunks do not connect the CO
directly to an employee’s phone; instead, the incoming trunks are pooled by the switch,
and this pool of trunks is then shared by employee phones. Extension numbers may serve
as the final digits of employee phone numbers for incoming calls. That is the CO may
assign a 2- 3- or 4- digit prefix to a trunk group. Then, when a 7-digit employee phone
number is dialed, the call is processed as follows:
1. The CO processes the prefix of the dialed number, and then seizes a trunk in the
trunk group that is assigned that prefix.
2. The CO passes the remaining digits of the dialed number to the switch.
3. The switch recognizes the remaining digits as an employee extension number and
sends the call to that extension.
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DID Processing Example
As an example of DID processing, say that Employee A has the external phone number
538-1000 and the extension number 1000. Employee B has the phone number 538-9999
and the extension number 9999. The steps in completing calls to Employees A and B
might be as follows:
1. Employee A’s client dials 538-1000.
2. The CO serving Employee A’s company identifies the digits 538 (the common
prefix for all phone numbers to that company) and seizes Trunk 1 in the trunk
group assigned the digits 538.
3. The CO passes the digits 1000 to the switch at Employee A’s company.
4. The switch identifies t he digi ts 1000 as Empl oyee A’ s extensio n number an d se nds
the call to Employee A’s extension.
5. Employee A’s phone rings and Employee A answers.
6. Meanwhile, Employee B’s client dials 538-9999.
7. The CO identifies the d igits 538 and sei zes Trunk 2 in the trunk group assigned th e
digits 538.
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8. The CO passes the digits 9999 to the switch.
9. The switch identifies the digits 9999 as Employee B ’s extension number and sends
the call to Employee B’s extension.
10. Employee B’s phone rings and Employee B answers.
While Employees A and B co ntinue t o ta lk, Trunks 1 and 2 i n the 538 trun k group will n ot
accept any more calls, so another call beginning with the digits 538 will seize yet another
trunk in the trunk group.
What the ACD Does
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is a switch software feature that processes
high-volume incoming, outgoing, and internal calls and distributes them to groups of
extensions called hunt groups or splits. The switch also sends information abou t th e
operation of the ACD to the CentreV u CMS which stores and formats the data and
produces real-time and historical reports on ACD activity. For more detailed information
about ACD, read the feature description in the product documentation that came with your
switch.
ACD is used by a call center to route incoming calls to specifically assigned splits/skills
and agents. ACD allows a system administrator to create an efficient call management
environment. This administrator can add or remove splits/skills from the system , add or
remove announcements, add or remove agents, add trunk groups and route calls to the
appropriate splits/skills. The administrator can also specify ACD measurement criteria
and use an optional CMS package to provide reports on ACD efficiency.
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Things to Know Before You St art
A voice response port or a person who answers ACD calls is called an agent. Companies
that operate high-volume call-answering centers, for example, a catalogue sales center, a
reservations center, or a customer service center , use the ACD feature to process incoming
calls and distribute them to agents. In addition to agents, e ach ACD split can be assigned a
split supervisor. The split supervisor uses various switch and CentreVu CMS features to
monitor split and agent performance and to provide assistance if necessary. Maintaining
trunks from the CO to the s witch an d hiring agen ts to a nswer calls cos ts mon ey. However,
if customers who call to purchase goods o r s ervices hav e difficulty reaching an agent and,
therefore, stop trying to get through, the call center loses revenue. Call center management
needs, therefore, to determine how many trunks and agents are necessary to minimize
costs and maximize the ability of customers to purchase goods or services. Management
can then set up and maintain the ACD accordingly.
Automatic-In Processing of ACD Calls
Through switch administration, each automatic-in trunk group is assigned to an ACD
split. All calls that come in on an automatic-in trunk group are directed to the assigned
split. Then the ACD software distributes the calls to the agent extensions assigned to the
split according to the assigned call distribution method (described later).
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DID Processing of ACD Calls
Generic 3 enables you to dial directly to various extensions such as a VDN, a hunt group,
an agent, or a login ID. Each extension can be assigned to a split as a DID extension.
For DID processing, trunk groups are not assigned to the split. The creation of associated
extensions is sufficient to send calls arriving over DID trunk groups to the appropriate
split. Each split can receive incoming calls through DID processing, automatic- in
processing, or both. Automatic-in trunk groups carry calls only to the split, whereas DID
trunk groups carry calls to any extension identified in the switch software, not just a split.
Split Queues
This section defines a split queue and explains how to up call processing to a split. The
section contains the following topics:
n Split queue call processing
n Announcements for calls in a split queue
n Answer supervision and abandoned calls
n Intraflow and interflow
n Night service for the ECS and Generic 3.
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Split Queue Call Processing
A split queue is a holding area for calls waiting to be answered, usually in the order in
which they were received. When a call is put into queue, the caller may hear one or more
delay announcements, music, and/or silence, depending on the treatment assigned for the
split. (Treatment of calls in queue is assigned through switch administration.)
Things to Know Before You St art
Calls enter the queue at the bottom and move toward the top or head of the queue. After a
call reaches the head of the queue, it connects to the next available agent.
For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches with the Call Vectoring feature, all call
treatment including routing, queuing, announcements, and music is specified by call
vectors. When a call arrives at a split, the ACD software checks to see if an agent is
available to handle the call. If an agent is not available (th at is, all agents are busy), the call
enters the split’s queue.
For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches, calls queue only if no agents are
available, a queue is assigned to the split, and the queue is not full. If the queue is full, the
caller hears a busy tone or the call goes to coverage. If the split is vector controlled, then
this step will fail. Furthermore, if no agents are logged into the split or if all agents are in
AUX work mode (described later), calls do not queue.
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Priority and Normal Split Queues
Each split can have two queues: a normal queue and a priority queue. A split always has a
normal queue and can also be assigned a priority queue. The ACD distributes all calls in
the priority queue before it distributes any calls in the normal queue. Therefore, the
priority queue, if one exists, must be empty before the ACD distributes calls in the normal
queue.
For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3, priority queuing may be assigned in the Class of
Restriction (COR) associated with the split extension number. A split may also be
assigned Priority Queuing on Intraflow, which means that calls to that split, if rerouted to
another local split, will enter the destination split’s priority queue.
Split Queue Size for ECS and Generic 3
Queue size is established through switch administration on the DEFINITY ECS Release 5
and the Generic 3 switch. Calls arriving after the administered queue limit is reached
receive a busy signal or go to the split’s busy coverage if administered. (If the split is
vector controlled, then this step will fail.) Or, calls can be redirected to a local or remote
destination. See the Intraflow and Interflow for more information.
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Announcements for Calls in a Split Queue
When a call enters a split queue, the caller hears ringing until the call is connected to an
agent or an announcement. Depending on the treatment assigned to a split, the caller may
hear one or two announcements, music, or silence. An announcement is a recorded
message that provides information such as the destination the call has reached or a
company’s business hours, or it tries to persuade the caller to stay on the line.
Things to Know Before You St art
Announcements and delay time are assigned to splits through switch administration.
Delay time is the amount of time a call will wait in queue before receiving an
announcement. If a call connects to an agent before the delay time expires , the caller do es
not hear the announcement. If a call connects to an agent while an announcement is
playing, the announcement stops. After the first announcement plays, the caller hears
music or silence until the second announcement plays or the call connects to an agent. The
type of caller feedback (music or silence) is also assigned to a split through switch
administration.
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For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches with the Call Vectoring feature,
announcement capabilities are more flexible than those described in this section. See
Chapter 3, Call Vectoring and
Related ECS/G3 Features
The DEFINITY ECS and the Generic 3 switch support both internal and external
announcement devices.
The announcement delay time can be from 0 to 99 seconds. A 0-s econd del ay t ime cau ses
a forced announcement, which means callers always hear the entire first announcement,
whether an agent is available or not. A second annou ncement can b e administered to recur
each time the announcement delay time expires.
Rules for Generic 3 Announcements
If a Generic 3 announcement queue is full, the system will continue to try every 10
seconds to connect a call to the proper announcement until the call connects to an agent,
connects to an announcement, or enters the announcement queue.
The following rules apply to Generic 3 announcements:
n Calls directly entering a split queue always receive a forced first announcement if
assigned. The caller also hears first and second delay announcements if
administered and delay intervals are met.
n Calls that reach a split by way of Call Coverage from another split (Intraf low) or a
station do not receive a forced or delay first announcement at the destination split.
The caller hears a second delay announcement if administered and the delay
interval is met.
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n Calls that reach a split by way of Call Forwarding from another split (Interflow) or
station do receive delay first and second announcements if administered and the
delay intervals are met.
Announcement Queuing
External and internal announcement units are available. The number of calls that can be
queued to an announcement depends on the size of the s witch/ECS you have. The capacity
tables in the DEFINITY Feature Description manual have details for each switch/ECS
model. Queuing for internal announcemen ts is quite dif ferent. Internal anno uncements are
delivered by a 16-channel announcement board, and a call receives an announcement only
when it connects to one of the 16 announcement channels. Therefore, all calls wait in a
single queue to access a channel on the announcement board regardless of the split
announcement they are waiting to receive. The same announcement can be delivered over
multiple channels. Announcements are delivered on demand, so a call that connects to a
channel receives an announcement immediately and does not have to wait for the
announcement to finish and start again.
Answer Supervision and Abandoned Calls
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Answer supervision is a signal sent by the switch to the serving Central Office (CO). This
signal tells the CO that an incoming call has been answered and that the CO should begin
tracking toll charges for the call (if they apply). Answer supervision is sent immediately
before a call connects to an agent’s voice terminal, to music, or to an announcement.
Abandoned Calls
An abandoned call is a call that reaches a call center, but does not connect to an agent
because the caller hangs up. A call can abandon while in queue or while ringing at an
agent position. Abandoned calls represent lost sales or lost good will. Adequate split
staffing and effective use of announcements can reduce the number of abandoned calls.
Splits should be staffed so that calls do not have to wait in queue for an unreasonable
amount of time, and announcements can be used to persuade the caller to wait until
someone answers the call.
Abandoned Call Search
If answer supervision is sent before a caller abandons, ghost calls can occur. A ghost call
is a call that is sent to an agent after the caller hangs up. Ghost calls occur because, after a
caller hangs up, some COs wait 2 to 25 seconds before sending a disconnect signal to the
switch. Ghost calls are a problem because they waste agents’ time, and they can delay or
prevent other calls from connecting to an agent. To minimize this problem, Abandoned
Call Search can be assigned to specific trunk gro ups for the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3
switch.
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With Abandoned Call Search, the switch checks the incoming trunk before delivering an
ACD call to an agent. If the trunk is on-hook at the CO (the call has been abandoned), the
switch releases the trunk and does not deliver the call. If a call is still in progress on the
trunk, the switch delivers the call to an agent.
Intraflow and Interflow
Intraflow and interflow allows you to redirect ACD calls to another split or other local or
remote destinations. Redirecting calls to a local destination is called intraflow. Redirecting
calls to a destination outside the switch is called interflow.
Things to Know Before You St art
Intraflow and interflow are set up differently fo r the DEFINITY ECS, Generic 3 swi t ch. If
Call Vectoring is active on the DEFINITY E CS or Generic 3 switch, redire ction of calls
differs significantly from the following intraflow/interflow descriptions. See Chapter 3,
Call Vectoring and Related ECS/G3 Features.
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1-13Split Queues
DEFINITY
ECS and
As many as three intraflow destinations OR one interflow destination can be established
for a split through switch administration. Intraflow uses the Call C ove r a ge feature to
redirect ACD calls to a coverage path that contains one, two, or three of the following
internal destinations:
n An extension
n An ACD split (including AUDIX
The term “Hunt Group” refers to groups of extensions that receive distributed
calls. The term “split” refers to a hunt group that is measured by CentreVu CMS.
n An attendant group
n An announcement followed by a forced disconnect.
Call Forwarding and ACD splits can be set up to intraflow calls uncon ditionally.
Interflow destinations are the same as those listed above for intraflow (plus the CAS
attendant), except interflow sends calls to destinations outside the swit ch.
Setting Up Splits
If a split is assigned more than one intraflow destination, the switch tries each destination
in the order in which it was assigned. If no destination can accept the call, the switch
leaves the call in the original split’s queue. If an interflow destination is specified and
activated, the switch tries only that destination. If the interflow destination cannot accept
the call, the caller hears a busy signal. ACD splits can be set up to intraflow calls
unconditionally. Unconditional intraflow redirects all calls to the specified destination.
Unconditional intraflow is normally used to redirect calls when a split is not staffed.
DEFINITY
Generic 3
® ®and Message Center splits) or Hunt Group.
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Splits can also be set up to intraflow calls when one or all of the following criteria are met:
n Don’ t Answer
Calls redirect if not answered within the assigned Don’t Answer Interval (1 to 99
ringing cycles).
n Busy
Calls redirect when the split’s queue is full; that is, when the number of calls in
queue equals the administered queue length.
n No Agents Staffed or All Agents in AUX Mode
Call redirect if there are no agents staffed or if all agents are in the AUX work
mode.
Assigning Queue Status
If an intraflow destination has a queue, that queue may be assigned an inflow threshold.
The inflow threshold, which is established through switch administration, is the length of
time the oldest call in queue has waited. Once the inflow threshold is reached, that queue
does not accept intraflowed calls and the switch tries the next administered destination.
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Through switch administration, a split can be assigned Priority Queuing on Intraflow
which allows intraflowed calls to enter the priority queue at the destination split.
Types of Calls for a Split
The following types of intraflow/interflow can be used for a split:
n Don’t Answer Time Interval intraflow (using the Call Coverage feature)
n Busy intraflow (using the Call Coverage feature)
n Unconditional intraflow (using the Call Forwarding-All feature).
When calls are intraflowed using the Call Coverage feature, Centr eVu CMS only reports
inflowed and outflowed calls if the call queues to the original split. For example, a call
that covers using the busy criterion will not be recorded as in/outflowed since it could not
queue to the original split. Calls that queue before covering using the Don’t Answer
criteria are recorded as in/outflowed calls.
Setting Up Intraflow/Interflow
A split can have either intraflow or interflow active, but not both. However, both
conditional (Call Coverage) and unconditional (Call Forwarding ) intr af low can be active
for a split at the same time. In this case, unconditional intraflow is first invoked fo r the
split’s incoming calls. Then, after the switch forwards a call to the unconditional
destination, the switch uses the conditional intraflow criteria to determine wh ether to
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redirect the call to the next destination. Thus, when unconditional and conditional
intraflow are used together, the conditional intraflow criteria are applied to the
forwarded-to destination, not to the original split.
This combination of unconditional and conditional intraflow allows Dialed Number
Identification Service (DNIS) numbers to appear on agent display voice terminals. In this
case, the DNIS number is actually a dummy split extension (that is, the split extension has
no assigned agent extensions). The intraflow destinations are the real splits (with staffed
agents). With such a configuration, Centr eV u CMS will count incoming calls for the DNIS
number (that redirected via unconditional intraflow to real splits) as outflows. CentreVu
CMS will also count the calls to the destination splits as A CD calls and inflowed calls.
And regardless of the split where calls actually connect to agents, the agents will see the
DNIS (dummy split) number on their display terminals.
The intraflow criteria and destinations are assigned through switch administr ation.
Console permissions and the Call Forwarding dial access code are also assigned through
switch administration. Unconditional intraflow or interflow can be activated by entering
the Call Forwarding dial access code from a station with console permission, the split’s
extension, and the interflow or intraflow destination number.
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For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3, the split supervisor cannot establish conditional
intraflow from a voice terminal. Furthermore, CentreVu CMS cannot be used to set up or
activate intraflow/interflow.
Night Service for the
DEFINITY
Generic 3
The DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switch offer an alternative form of call routing called
Night Service. Night Service redirects all calls to one of the following internal
destinations:
n An ACD split
n An extension
n An attendant group
n An announcem ent with forced disconnect.
Night service is availabl e for a hu nt group, a trunk gr oup, or a s ystem. These types of nig ht
service are explained below.
DEFNITY
Hunt Group Night Service
Hunt Group Night Service redirects all calls arriving at a split to an internal destination.
The Night Service destination for the split and the voice terminal button used to activate
the feature are assigned through switch administration.
ECS and
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Trunk Group Night Service
Trunk Group Nig ht Serv i ce redirect s al l calls arriv in g over a split’s assigned trunk groups
to an internal destination. The Night Service destination for the trunk group and the voice
terminal button used to activate the feature are assigned through switch administration.
Trunk Group Night Service by itself does not guarantee that all calls to a split will be
redirected. Calls from local extensions and DID calls will still connect to the split.
Trunk Group Night Service and Hunt Group Night Service can both be active at the same
time. If the Trunk Group Night Service is active, its destination will be used for calls that
come in over the trunk group even i f they go to a split t hat has a Hunt Grou p Night Service
destination assigned.
System Night Service
System Night Service redirects all calls arriving over all trunk groups to the Night Service
destination. System Night Service overrides any Hunt Group Night Service set up for an
individual split. If Trunk Group Night Service is active for a particular trunk group,
System
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Night Service does not affect that trunk group. When any type of Night Service becomes
effective, calls already in a split’s queue are not redirected. To avoid dissatisfied callers,
agents should continue to staff the split until the queue is empty.
Distributing and Handling Calls
This section describes how calls are distributed to agents and how agents hand le the calls.
The section contains the following topics:
n How calls are distributed to agents
n How agents handle calls
n Split supervisor voice terminal buttons.
How Calls are Distributed to Agents
ACD calls are delivered to agents according to the type of call distribution (also known as
hunting) that is assigned to the split/skill. This section explains the different types of call
distribution.
The following types of call distribution can be assigned to a split/ski ll through switch
administration:
n Direct
n Circular
n Most Idle Agent (MIA) [also called Uniform Call Distribution (UCD)]
n Expert Agent Distribution (EAD).
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The following descriptions of ACD call distribution assume that the Multiple C all
Handling (MCH) feature is not assigned. Agent availability is different for splits assigned
the MCH feature.
Some types of call distribution are not available with some versions of switch software.
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Direct
ACD software searches for an available agent in the order that extensions were assigned to
the split (through switch administration), starting with the first extensio n assigned to the
split. This type of call distribution is most useful when management wants the most
effective or most experienced agents to handle more calls. Agents are rank-ordered from
most to least effective and then are assigned to the split in that order. Direct call
distribution is called Direct Department Calling (DDC) for the DEFINITY ECS and
Generic 3 switches. For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches that have the Expert
Agent Selection feature, DDC cannot be assigned to skills. However, Expert Agent
Distribution (EAD) can be used to ensure that the most expert agent available receives the
call.
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Circular
ACD software searches for an available agent in the order that extensions were assigned to
the split, starting with the agent after the agent who handled the last ACD call. This type
of call distribution provides a balanced workload. Circular distribution is not available on
the DEFINITY ECS or on Generic 3 switches.
Most Idle Agent (Uniform Call Distribution)
ACD software searches for the agent extension that has been idle (waiting) the longest and
distributes the call to that extension if the agent is available to handle an ACD call. This
type of call distribution, which is sometimes called “true ACD”, ensures a high degree of
equity in agent workloads even when call-handling times vary. For the DEFINITY ECS
and Generic 3, MIA distribution is called Uniform Call Distribution (UCD).
ACD software determines which agent extension has been idle the longest by maintaining
an ordered list (queue) of agents who are eligible to receive the next ACD call. Eligible
agents enter the queue at the bottom and move toward the top (also called the head of the
queue). The agent at the top of the eligible-agent queue (the agent who has been in queue
the longest) receives the next ACD call unless the agent is not available at the time the call
is to be distributed. If the agent at the top of the queue is not available, the ACD software
checks the availability of the next agent in queue until an available agent is found.
DEFINITY
ECS and
DEFINITY
Generic 3
When an agent completes an ACD call, the agent is added to the bottom of the
eligible-agent queue for the split or skill associated with the call. (Skills apply only to the
DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches with the Expert Agent Selection feature.)
DEFINITY ECS also offers the option called “MIA across splits/skills” to put an agent at
the bottom of all agent queues when the agent completes any ACD call. Agents move
toward the top of the eligible-agent queue as long as they remain staffed and available or
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on AUXIN or AUXOUT extension calls from the available state, or on an ACD call for
another split or skill (unless the “MIA across splits/skills” opt ion is tu rned on). Agents in
ACW are in eligible agent queues on G3 switches. You can choose whether these agents
are or are not in the eligible-agent queues for the DEFINITY ECS.
An agent is marked as unavailable to take an ACD call if the agent:
n is in ACW,
n is on an AUXIN or AUXOUT extension call from the available state, or
n is on an ACD call for another split or skill.
The agent remains in queue moving toward the top of the queue. Agents in multiple splits
or with multiple skills enter multiple eligible-agent queues. The agents’ progress in each
queue is independent of any activity in other queues. Agents in the AUX state are not in
the eligible- agent queue.
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Expert Agent Distribution (EAD)
Expert Agent Distribution is only available with the DEFINITY ECS or the Generic 3
(Version 2 or later) switches that have the Expert Agent Selection feature. This method of
call distribution adds a layer of processing on top of the Most Idle Agent distribution call
processing, described in the preceding paragraphs.
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Call Distribution for the
This additional layer of processing sorts the agents in the eligible-agent queue into
multiple queues based on skill level. Agents with the skill assign e d at hig her-priority
levels will appear in the eligible-agent queue ahead of agents with the skill assigned at
lower-priority levels. The call will be delivered to the most idle most expert agent
available, rather than to the most idle agent.
Call Distribution for the
For Generic 3 Version 2, Version 3, and Version 4 switches with EAS, the additional layer
of call processing sorts the agents in the eligible-agent queue into primary and secondary
skill groups, in effect, creating two eligible-agent queues for each skill. ACD software
searches for an available agent extension in the primary skill group before searching the
secondary skill group. An ACD call will only be distributed to an available agent in the
secondary skill group if no agents are available in the primar y skill group. Other aspects o f
MIA call distribution work the same as described above.
How Agents Handle Calls
An agent can receive split calls and, in most cases, personal calls that are not related to a
split. Calls distributed to an agent’s voice terminal by the ACD feature on the switch are
considered ACD calls. Calls dialed directly to an individual agent using the agent’s
extension number (such as internal calls and DID extension calls) are called extension-in
(EXT- IN) calls. Outgoing calls the agent makes are called extension-out (EXT-OUT)
calls. EXT-IN and EXT-OUT calls are considered non-ACD calls.
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
ECS with EAS
G3V2 or later with EAS
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Things to Know Before You St art
The capability of a voice terminal to receive EXT-IN calls or to make EXT-OUT calls can
be restricted through switch administration. The following descriptions of agent call
handling assume that the Multiple Call Handling (MCH) feature is no t assigned. Agent
availability and call handling are different for splits assigned the MCH feature.
ACD calls are distributed only to available agent extensions. To be considered available,
an agent must first staff an agent extension and then select a call-answering mode
(automatic in or manual in).
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Staffing Agent Extension on the
ECS/
DEFINITY
G3 Without EAS
To staff an agent extension on the DEFINITY ECS or the Generic 3 switch without the
EAS feature, an agent must dial a login access code or press the LOGIN button on the
agent’s voice terminal. The agent must then dial a split number and a login ID. The login
ID length, the login dial access code, and, if desired, the LOGIN button are assigned
through switch administration. The split number may also be assigned to the LOGIN
button or to another voice terminal button.
Staffing Multiple Sp lits
An agent can log in from any extension assigned to a split. For the DEFINITY ECS and the
Generic 3 switch, an agent can log into as many as thre e splits. To the switch and CentreVu
CMS, each login counts toward the maximum number of agent members that can be
measured. That is, if four agents are each logged into three splits, the agent member count
is 12.
Agent Login
Agent login lets ACD (and CMS) know an extension is active and logged into the system
(AUX work mode). Pressing the login button and then following the appropriate system
login procedure makes the extension staffed in AUXWORK. This procedure varies with
the type system you have.
DEFINITY
Agent Logout
Agent logout lets ACD (and CMS) know an extension is no longer active.
Agent Request for Supervisor Assistance
When supervisor assistance is needed, an agent can press the ASSIST button or dial the
ASSIST feature access code and the split/skill group number brings the designated person
on line. On G2 the agent must place the current call on hold before pressing ASSIST. On
G3 pressing ASSIST automatically places the current call on hold.
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Agent States and Call Answering Modes
Agent State is the current status of an agent. Work modes are the work function(s) the
agent is performing at a given time.
When the agent is engaged in an ACD call, the agent is in the ACD agent state.
After staffing an extension, the agent is in the auxiliary work (AUX-WORK) mode, which
is considered non-ACD work.
MANUAL-IN versus AUTO-IN
In AUX-WORK mode, the agent is not yet available to receive ACD calls. To become
available for ACD calls, the agent must press the MANUAL-IN or AUTO-IN button to
select a call answering mode.
Table 1-1. Manual-In vs. Auto-In
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MANUAL-INThe
AUTO-IN Like the
MANUAL-IN
available for an ACD call. The ACD then distributes a call to the
agent according to the established call distribution method. When
the call ends, the agent automatically enters the After-Call-Work
(ACW) state. While in ACW, the agent is not available to receive
ACD calls. When ACW ends, the agent presses MANUAL-IN to
receive another ACD call. The manu al-i n mod e is mo st effective if
an agent must perform call-related tasks after finishing each ACD
call. MANUAL-IN d ial access codes and voic e termin al buttons are
assigned through switch administration.
that the agent is available fo r an ACD call. Ho wever, when the call
ends, the agent is immediately available for another ACD call
according to the established call distribution method. The agent
does not have to press any buttons to receive another ACD call.
This type of call answering increases the number of calls that
agents can answer in a giv en period of ti me and is mo st effectiv e if
agents have little or no call-related work to do after finishing each
ACD call. The
for AUTO-IN operation. This option automatically puts the agent
into ACW for a preset length o f time at the end of an AUTO-IN call.
When the time is up, the agen t automatic ally beco mes avai lable to
take an ACD call. MANUAL-IN and AUTO-IN dial access codes
and voice terminal buttons are assigned through switch
administration.
button tells the ACD that the agent extension is
MANUAL-IN
DEFINITY
button, the AUTO-IN button tells the ACD
ECS Release 5 has a timed ACW feat ure
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Ringing versus Zip Tone for Incoming Calls
When a call arrives at a voice terminal, the agent may hear ringing or zip tone (beeping),
depending on how the voice terminal is administered. Ringing is recommended when an
agent answers calls using the handset. When a call connects to the agent’s voice terminal,
the voice terminal rings, and the agent picks up the handset to answer the call.
Zip tone is recommended when the agent uses a headset to answer calls. (Zip tone can also
be used with a handset, but the agent must hold the handset and listen for the zip tone.)
When a call connects to an agent’s voice terminal, the agent hears one burst of zip tone fo r
calls dialed directly to the split (or agent extension on the DEFINITY ECS and the Generic
3 switch) and, without pushing any buttons, the agent greets the caller.
Ringing (called “manual answer” in switch administration) or zip tone (called “automatic
answer” in switch administration) is established on a per-voice terminal basis through
switch administration.
Auxiliary Work (AUXWORK) and After-Call- Work (ACW)
To temporarily stop ACD calls from arriving at an agent’s voice terminal, an agent can
press the Auxiliary Work (AUXWORK) or After-Call-Wo rk (ACW ) butto n.
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AUXWORKThe agent is involved in non-ACD work, is on break, in a meeting
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or at lunch. CMS recognizes the ex tension as staffed but do es not
want ACD to route calls there for an extended time. AUX-IN
implies that the extension received an extension-in call while in
AUX. AUX-OUT implies that the agent placed an outgoing call
while in AUX.
The
at the agent’s voice terminal. The agent normally presses this
button before doing non -AC D-rela ted wo rk s uch as tak ing a brea k
or doing personal business. Instead of unstaffing the extension or
logging off, an agent can press this button which places the agent
in the auxiliary-work state. To receive ACD calls again, the agent
presses the MANUAL-IN or AUTO-IN button.
The AUXWORK button (or the dial access code, if no button is
available) is assigned through switch administration. On the
DEFINITY
logged into more than one split, an AUXWORK button for each
split may be assigned. Then, when the agent presses the
AUXWORK button for a particular split, the agent will not receive
calls from that split. However, the agent will still be available for
calls from the other splits the agent is logged into.
Also, if an agent is logged into more than one split/skill and
receives an ACD ca ll for on e s pl it/s ki ll , th e a gen t i s una vailable for
calls for other splits/skills.
AUXWORK button temporarily stops ACD calls from arriving
ECS and the Generic 3 switch, if an agent is normally
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ACWThe agent is engaged in work associated with a call, but not on a
call. ACW-IN implies th at th e s tation received a call w hil e in ACW.
ACW-OUT implies that the agent made an outgoing call while in
ACW.
The ACW (After Call Work) button is only available with the
DEFINITY
stops ACD calls from arriving at the agent’s voice terminal. An
agent who is in Auto-In mode presses this button during a call so
that when the call is finished, the agent will not receive another
ACD call and can, inst ead, do ACD ca ll-related w ork such as filling
out a form, complet ing dat a en try, or making an outgoi ng c al l. Th e
lamp indicator next to the ACW button lights when the agent is in
after- call-work. When in the manual-in mode, an agent
automatically enters ACW when the call ends. However, if the
agent needs to get out of Auto-In mode or the auxiliary work state
to do additional call-related work, the agent can press the ACW
button (or dial the appropriate access code). On the
ECS and, Generic 3 switch, an agent can press the MANUAL-IN
button (or dial the appropriate access code) while on an ACD call
to automatically enter ACW when the call ends. If an agent is
logged into more than one split, pressing the ACW button makes
the agent unavailable for calls in all splits.
considers the agent to be in the OTHER state for all splits other
than the split in which the agent is currently in ACW.
ECS and Generic 3 switches. This button temporarily
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DEFINITY
CMS
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Additional Agent State/Work Modes
UNSTAF Unstaffed (Agent State).
The agent is not logged in and being tracked by CMS.
DACDThe agent is on a direct agent ACD call.
DACWThe agent is in the after call work state for a direct agent ACD call.
OTHERThe agent is doing other work. If an agent is working in three
splits/skills a nd receives a call from one, t he ACD puts the a gent in
OTHER for the other two.
UNKNOWNCMS does not recognize th e current state. Unknow n r ema ins until
the condition is cleared, and/or the agent completes the current
ACD call and any current ACW, or a current agent state message
is sent to CMS from the switch.
RINGThe time a call rings at an agent’s voice terminal after leaving the
queue and before the agent answers.
Trunk States
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Trunk State indicates the current status of a specific trunk, or the ability to change that
state. Trunk states are:
IdleThe trunk is waiting for a call.
SeizedThe trunk is seized by an incoming or outgoing call.
QueuedAn ACD caller has the trunk and is waiti ng for t he age nt to answer.
ConnThe agent and caller are connected in an ACD call.
AbandonedThe queued caller has just abandoned the call.
FwrdA queued call has been intraflowed outside the ACD or has been
interflowed to another PBX/Switch.
MbusyMaintenance Busy, or out of service for maintenance purposes.
HoldThe agent has put the call on hold.
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Other Voice Terminal Buttons
This section describes other buttons that can be assigned to an agent’s voice terminal.
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CALL
APPEARANCE
ADD SKILLFor the
ALERT CHANGEFor the
ASSISTPress this button to request help from the split supervisor. The
AUDIO TROUBLE
These buttons are use d to pla ce (origina te) and an swe r calls . Two
status lamps (red and green) are next to each call appearance
button. The red lamp l ights when an agent pr esses an appearanc e
button to make or answer a call. The green lamp flashes to
indicate an incoming call.
Except with Multiple Call Handling, incoming ACD calls always
arrive at the first call appearance. However, voice terminals may
be assigned more app ea ranc es to provide additio nal c all -ha ndl ing
capabilities. For example, an agent can use a second call
appearance to transfer or place calls since the line will be free of
ACD calls. On a two-appearance voice terminal on the
ECS and the Generic 3 switch, the second appearance can only
be used to originate calls.
DEFINITY
switches with EAS, logged-in agents or voice terminal users with
console permissions can press this button to add a skill.
DEFINITY
switches, the lamp associated with this voice terminal button
flashes when another user changes an agent’s assigned skills or
moves an agent from his or he r current spli t to a different sp lit. The
lamp does not flash when an agent changes his or her own skills
from the voice terminal.
ASSIST button automatically dials the split supervisor’s extension
and connects the agent to the supervisor. On the
and Generic 3 switches, pre ssing the ASSIST button auto matically
puts the current call on hold.
For the DEFINITY ECS and G ene ric 3
button to report a call with poor transmission quality to
CMS. The message the switch sends
agent’s extension, the trunk being used, and the time of day the
trouble occurred. This information is reported in
exception reports and is useful for trouble-shooting trunk and
extension problems. For more information, see
Management System Release 3 Version 8 Administration
(585-210-910).
Stroke count button 0 is used for reporting audio difficulty.
ECS and the Generic 3 Version 2 and later
ECS and Generic 3 Version 4 and later
switches, agents press this
CentreVu
CMS includes the
CentreVu
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
CentreVu
CentreVu
ECS
CMS
Call
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CONFERENCEPress this button to add another person to a two-person call. For
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DEFINITY
the
appearance voice terminal can add up to four additional people to
a 2-person call. For the
voice terminals on Generic 3 switches, only one person can be
added. Single appearance voice terminals do not have a
CONFERENCE button. Agents must use the RECALL button to
conference a call. If an agent adds another agent into a
conference call, the resulting conference is not consi de red an
ACD call for the added agent. The ACD considers the added
agent to be on an extension-in call.
ECS and Generic 3 switche s, an a gent with a multi-
DEFINITY
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ECS, and single-appearance
CALL WORK
CODE
CALLER-INFOFor Generic 3 with the Call Prompting feature, agents press this
DEFINITY
For
button and enter up to 16 digits to record the occurrence of a
customer-defined ev ent. Cal l Work C odes ar e stored o n
CMS, not on the switch.
button to display the digits collected by the last
ECS and Generic 3 switches, agents press this
CentreVu
collect digits
vector command.
EMERGENCYPress this button to report a malicious call to the controller. The
controller can then trace the call.
HOLDPress this button to put a call on hold. The ACD will not send any
more calls to an agent who has a call on hold. For switches with
Multiple Call Handling, an agent can put an ACD or non-ACD call
on hold and receive an ACD call by pressing the AUTO-IN or
MANUAL-IN button. For the
Version 4 and later switches, with Multiple Call Handling, multiple
ACD calls can be d eli ve red a uto ma tic all y to an agent in Auto-In or
Manual-In work mode, provided that an unrestricted line
appearance is available on the voice terminal.
Single app earance voice terminals do not have a HOLD button.
Agents must use th e RECAL L butt on or the te rminal ’s s witch-ho ok
to put a call on hold. A sing le appeara nce voic e terminal cannot be
used to handle multiple ACD calls.
LOGOUTPress this button to unstaff the extension and end
collection of agent data. If an agent pressed STAFFED to staff a
voice terminal, pressing STAFFED again unstaffs the voice
terminal.
DEFINITY
ECS, and Generic 3
CentreVu
CMS
RECALLAgents using single-appearance voice terminals press the
RECALL button to put calls on hold, transfer calls, and create
conference calls.
RELEASEPress this button to disconnect a call.
REMOVE SKILLFor the
switches with EAS, logged-in agents or voice terminal users with
console permissions can press this button to remove a skill.
DEFINITY
ECS and Generic 3 Version 2 and later
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STROKE COUNTAs many as nine STROKE COUNT buttons can be assigned.
TRANSFERAgents normally press the TRANSFER button to transfer calls to
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Agents press these buttons to record call events of interest.
CentreVu
Stroke count button 0 is reserved for audio difficulty.
other agents or the split supervisor. This button is only available
on multi-appearance voice terminals.
Single-appearance te rminal users must use the button or the
terminal’s switch-hook.
Agents can also use the TRANSFER button to transfer calls to
external destinations. External transfer must be assigned to a
voice terminal as a feature over and above the normal transfer
feature. If an agent trans fer s a c al l to a not her a gent, the call is not
considered an ACD call for the agent receiving the call unless the
transferring agent dialed a split extension, VDN, or agent login ID
(an EAS capability known as Direct Agent calling). The ACD
considers the agent receiv ing the transfe r to be on an extension-i n
call. For the agent transferring a call, the call is counted as an
EXT-OUT call.
CMS records and reports stroke-count information.
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VUSTATS (ECS,
Generic 3)
For the
switches, agents with display voice terminals press this button to
display agent, split/skill, VDN, or trunk group data similar to that
reported by
DEFINITY
ECS and Generic 3 Version 3 and later
CentreVu
CMS.
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Queue Status Lamps
The lamps associated with the queue status buttons provide the following information:
NQCThe lamp associated with the NQC (Number of Queued Calls)
button tells the agen t that ca lls ar e in queue a nd when th e numb er
of calls in queue has met or exceeded the assigned queue
threshold for the s pli t. If no calls a re in the split’s queue, the status
lamp associated with the button is dark. When one or more calls
are in queue, the lam p lig hts s tead il y. When the number of ca lls i n
queue reaches the a ssig ned que ue thre shold , the lamp flashe s on
and off.
OQTThe lamp associated with the OQT (Oldest Queued Time) button
tells the agent that calls are in queue and when the oldest call in
queue has been waiting longer than the assigned wait time
threshold (0 to 999 seconds) for the split. If no calls are in the
split’s queue, th e stat us la mp is dark. When c alls are in qu eue , the
lamp lights steadily. When the assigned wait time threshold has
been met or exceeded by the oldest call in queue, the lamp
flashes on and off. A flashing queue status lamp tells agents they
need to handle calls more quickly. The thresholds that cause the
lamps to flash and the voice te rminal b uttons are as signed through
switch administration.
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Auxiliary queue
status lamps
An auxiliary queue statu s lamp in dicate s that eith er the Numbe r of
Queued Calls thresh old or the Old es t Qu eue d Ti me t hres ho ld ha s
been reached. The la mp lights w hen the as signed th reshold is m et
or exceeded. Unlike the lamps on a voice terminal, the auxiliary
queue status lamp does not indicate when calls queue to the split.
Display Buttons
The following voice terminal buttons control the information that appears on the display:
NORMALPress this button to display information about the active call
appearance. Press this button to display incoming call information
(either an extension-in call or an intraflowed/interflowed call) for a
different call appearance. Voice terminal
assigned through switch administration.
Split Supervisor Voice Terminal Buttons
A split supervisor is normally assigned to each split. For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic
3 switches, the capabilities to monitor agent performance, add and remove agents, and
perform other split-related activities must be assigned with separate switch administration
procedures.
display buttons are
on tells the agent that
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Voice Terminal Button Definitions
The following voice terminal buttons are available only to the split supervisor’s extension:
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NIGHT SERVICE
(ECS, Generic 3)
RECORD ANNCT
(ECS, Generic 3)
SERVICE
OBSERVE
VU STATS (ECS,
Generic 3)
The split supervisor presses this button to send all calls to night
service. The Night Service may be Trunk Group Night Service or
Split Night Service. Also, a separate button for each type of night
service may be availabl e.
The supervisor presses this button to either listen to or to record
an announcement for the split.
The supervisor presses this button and dials an agent extension
number to listen to conversations on the voice terminal. The
Service Observe feature permits the supervisor to check an
agent’s call- handling technique. An agent’s voice terminal may
also be assigned the SERVICE OBSERVE button so that the
agent can listen to another agent’s conversations. This capability
is especially useful for agent training . Service observin g can be set
up for listening only or for both listening and talking.
DEFINITY
The
offer the following enhancements to Service Observing:
• For switches with EAS, a logical agent ID, which is associa ted
with an agent, not the voice terminal the agent is currently using,
can be servi ce observed.
• For switches with Cal l Vectorin g, VDNs can be se rvi ce observe d.
• Feature Access Codes which allow service observing from an
external location or from a voice terminal that does not have
feature buttons can be assigned through switch administration.
For the
switches, split sup erviso rs a nd agent s with displ ay voi ce termi nals
press this button to display agent, split/skill, VDN, or trunk group
data similar to that reported by
ECS and Generic 3 Version 3 and later switches
DEFINITY
ECS and Generic 3 Version 3 and later
CentreVu
CMS.
ACD and Call Management Systems
— BCMS, CMS R2 and
This section does the following:
n Describes BCMS (Basic Call Management System)
n Describes R2 CMS (Release 2 - Call Management System)
n Describes R3 CMS (Release 3 - Call Management System)
n Lists what CMS records and reports
n Describes the four main ACD reporting databases.
CentreVu
CMS
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Basic Call Management System (BCMS)
BCMS is an optional software package (residing on the PBX/switch) used to provide
real-time and historical reports to assist in managing ACD splits/skills, agents
(extensions), trunk groups and VDNs (G3 only). These reports, provided by the system,
are a subset of those reports available with the CMS adjunct.
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CentreVu
Call Management System (CMS)
The CentreVu CMS is an adjunct that collects specific ACD data on measured splits/skills,
measured agents, measured extensions, measured trunks and measured trunk groups for
reporting purposes. If Call Vectoring is purchased, ACD will report on measured VDNs
and Vectors. CMS provides call management performance recording and reporting. It can
also be used to perform some ACD administration. CMS is used by customers to
determine how well their customers are being served (i.e., speed of call answers, number
of calls) and how efficient their call management operation is (i.e., agents versus traffic
requirements).
How CMS Works with ACD
To collect information on ACD, CMS must be able to communicate with the ACD
resident in the switch. The Switch to CMS Platform communication consists of electronic
messages sent back and forth between the ACD switch and the CMS Platform via a data
link. There are two types of messages:
Translations
n
Translations tell CMS the configuration of the ACD. This includes what data is
measured (to be collected) and the ACD assignments.
Status Changes
n
Status Changes tell CMS when the states of agents or trunks change due to call
activity. Occurrences are counted and durations are tracked.
NOTE:
CMS can also be used to change configurations within the ACD. Therefore, CMS
can at times send translations back to the PBX.
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What CMS Measures
CMS measures data on ACD splits, agents, extensions, trunks and trunk groups. If Call
Vectoring is purchased, ACD will report on VDNs and Vectors.
n Main ACD reporting databases
—Agents
Agent states
— Splits/Skills
Events
Workload
Distribution
Split/Skill call totals
—Trunks
Trunk states
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— Trunk Groups
Events
Workload
Distribution
Trunk call totals
ACD Measurement
This section describes how CentreVu CMS collects measured data on splits/skills,
extensions, and so forth. The section contains the following topics:
n Assigning CentreVu CMS measurement of the ACD
n Switch features that affect CentreVu CMS data.
Assigning
ACD
CentreVu
CentreV u CMS collects data on splits/skills, agents, extensions, trunks, trunk groups,
VDNs, and vectors. However, for CentreVu CMS to collect data, the appropriate items
(splits/skills, extensions, and so on) must be identified as measured on the DEFINITY ECS
or switch.
CMS Measurement of the
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Things to Know Before You St art
The CentreVu CMS ACD Status window (see CentreVu Call Management System Release
3 Ve rsion 8 Administration (585-210-910) document) lists the total number of measured
splits/skills, extensions (Agent Positions), trunks, and trunk groups established in an
ACD.
For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 Version 2 and later switches, you can add, delete,
or change measured trunks, trunk groups, agent extensions, agent login IDs, VDN
extensions, splits, and skills without busying out the li nk to CentreVu CMS and losing CentreVu CMS data.
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Measurement of the
DEFINITY
G3 ACD
For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches, individual splits and trunk groups are
assigned to Centre Vu CMS measurement through switch administration. Extensions are
measured by virtue of their assignment to measured splits. Trunks are measured by virtue
of their assignment to measured trunk groups. The number of measured splits cannot be
changed using the CentreVu CMS ACD Status screen.
Measured splits need not be numbered sequentially . VDNs are measured individually. All
vectors are measured.
Switch Features that Affect
There are several switch features that affect CMS data, such Conference, Transfer,
Multiple Call Handling, Call Pickup, Intraflow, Interflow, Redirection on No Answer,
Phantom Abandon Call Timer, Move Agent While Staffed, Expanded Agent Capabilities,
Best Service Routing, and Universal Call ID. These features are explained below.
DEFINITY
CentreVu
Hold, Conference, and Transfer
For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 swit ches , CentreVu CMS tracks any type of call an
agent puts on hold by pressing the Hold button, dialing the hold access code, pressing the
Conference or Transfer button, or flashing the switchhook. Information on all calls
(split/skill ACD, direct agent ACD, and extension calls) and the time spent on hold is
stored in agent database tables. Information on split/skill calls only and the time spent on
hold is stored in split/skill tables.
ECS and
CMS Data
Multiple Call Handling (MCH)
The DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 Version 4 switch have options to th e Mult iple Ca ll
Handling feature that can force agents to receive one or more ACD calls with other ACD
calls or extension (non-ACD) calls on hold or active. For these forced options, talk time
(and not ringing time) accumulates until the agent puts the current call on hold or releases
it.
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For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 Version 3 and later switch es with Multiple Call
Handling, an agent can put a call on hold and press the MANUAL-IN or AUTO-IN button
to receive another ACD call. When multiple calls are on hold at the same time, hold time
accumulates for each call on hold, and the total hold time can exceed clock time. For
example, if two calls are on hold fo r 5 minu tes each, 10 minutes of hold time accumulates.
Support for MCH
Use this table to determine whether a particular ECS/switch type supports multiple call
handling.
Table 1-2.
ECS/SwitchOnRequestForced
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DEFINITY
ECS R5G3vs/siyesyes
Call Pickup
When an agent uses the Call Pickup feature to pick up an ACD call that rings at another
agent’s extension, CentreVu CMS tracks the call as an AUX-IN call for the agent picking
up the call. The split/skill of the agent originally called is credited with an outflow call,
even if the agent who picked up the call is in the same split/skill. If an agent is logged into
more than one split/skill, the call is counted for the split/skill th e agent has been logged
into the longest. Thus, when Call Pickup is used, CentreVu CMS does not count the call as
an ACD call, even though the call queued to a split/skill and was answered. Various other
types of data associated with ACD calls (for example, “Percent Answered Within Service
Level” and “Average Speed of Answer”) will also not include data on calls answered
using the Call Pickup feature. Because the split/skill of the agent originally called is
credited with an outflow call, the call counts against the “Percent Answered Within
Service Level” for that split/skill.
Intraflow and Interflow
When a call is intraflowed or interflowed from a split/skill, CentreVu CMS counts the call
as an outflow call for the split/skill. If a call is intraflowed into a split/skill, CentreVu CMS
counts the call as an inflow call for the split/skill. CentreVu CMS counts interflowed calls
as ordinary incoming calls for the split/skill. However, because calls can be
intraflowed/interflowed to destinations that are not splits/sk ills or are not measured by
CentreVu CMS, an outflow call from a split/skill will not always show a corresponding
inflow call for another split/skill. Conversely, because calls can be intraflowed/interflowed
into a split/skill from originating locations that are not measu red by CentreVu CMS, an
inflow call to a split/skill may not show a corresponding outflow f rom anoth e r split/skill.
G3si+Myesyes
G3ryesyes
If an intraflowed/interflowed call connects to an agent in the destination split/s kill, that
call is counted as an ACD call for the split/skill.
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On the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches, a dummy split/skill may be established
which intraflows calls to another split/skill. For CentreVu CMS to count outflow calls for
dummy splits/skills, intraflow should be establish ed usin g the Call Forwarding feature. If
Call Coverage is used to intraflow calls, at least one agent must log into the dummy
split/skill and go into ACW, and the call must queue to the dummy split/skill for at least
one ring cycle for an outflow call to be counted.
For switches with the Call V ectoring feature, intraflow and interflow work differently, and
CentreV u CMS data related to intraflow and interflow are recorded differently.
Redirection on No Answer (RONA)
For the DEFINITY ECS, and Generic 3 Version 2 and later switches, when a ringing call
times out and is requeued to the same split/skill by the Redirection On No Answer feature,
CentreV u CMS counts an outflow and an inflow for the split/skill. That is, the redirected
call appears as two offered calls to the split/skill. For the DEFINITY ECS, if the call
redirects from ringing to a VDN, there is outflow from the initial VDN and from the
split/skill. If the call was in another VDN prior to redirection to another VDN, then there
is inflow to that VDN.
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Also, NOANSREDIR is incremented for the split/skill and the VDN. For Release 3
Version 2 and later of CMS , the dat abas e item NO ANSREDIR is also incremented for
split/skill and for VDN, if the call is in a VDN. If a split/skill is set up so that split/skill
calls do not redirect back to the split/skill except by way of the Redirection On No Answer
feature, the unique calls offered to the split/skill can be calculated by subtracting the value
of NOANSREDIR from CALLSOFFERED.
If a call redirects from ringing to a VDN (DEFINITY ECS), there is outflow from the
split/skill and, if the call was in another VDN, there also is inflow to the new VDN and
outflow from the initial VDN. The NOANSREDIR is incremented for split/skill and
VDN.
Phantom Abandon Call Timer
CentreV u CMS R3V4 and later switches can collect information about phantom abandon
calls. When this capability is enabled, calls with a talk time (duration) shorter than the
administered value (1 - 10 seconds) are counted as phantom abandon calls. Setting the
timer to zero disables it. CentreVu CMS uses the PHANTOMABNS database item to store
the number of phantom abandon calls.
This capability is important in areas where the public network switches do not provide
disconnect supervision. Without this capability, short-duration calls that queue to a
split/skill and are answered by an ACD agent or other answering position are counted as
ACD calls, even if the calling party hangs up before the call is answered. This type of call
is called a phantom or ghost call.
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Move Agent While Staffed
G3V4 and later switch releases support moving a staffed agent between splits or changing
the skill assignments for staf fed agents . If the agen t has an y call on the voice ter minal or is
in ACW, then the move cannot take place immediately, but is pending the agent voice
terminal going idle (all calls have been terminated), or the agent chan ging ou t of the ACW
mode.
CMS provides two real-time database items in the agent data, MOVEPENDING and
PENDINGSPLIT, that can be accessed by using custom reports to provide information
about whether agent have moves pending and, if so, the split or skill to which they are
being moved. Note that in the case that the agent’ s skills are being changed and the ch ange
adds more than one skill, the PENDINGSPLIT item will show the first skill that is being
added. It is also possible for MOVEPENDING to be set, but for PENDINGSAPLIT to be
blank (or 0). This can happen, for example, when the link to the switch comes up and a
move is pending for an agent. CMS will be notified by the switch that the move is
pending, but PENDINGSPLIT will not be set.
Expanded Agent Capabilities
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DEFINITY ECS R5 and later releases support Expanded Agent Capabilities. This feature
allows EAS agents to have up to 20 skills assigned. Each skill may be assigned a level
from 1 to 16, where Reserve 1 and Reserve 2 are the highest levels and 16 is the lowest.
(The numeric level replaces the skill type p or s used in earlier G3 EAS releases.) Agents
may have a call handling preference based either on the skill level, meaning that the agent
will serve calls waiting for his or her highest level skill before serving calls waiting for
any lower level skills; or based on greatest need, meaning that the agent will serve the
highest-priority, oldest call waiting for any of his or her skills, or percent allocation, based
on the percent distribution of calls among the agent’s skills.
The expanded agent capabilities feature also allows the specification of the skill to be used
for the agent’s direct calls. This also allows specification of the level for the direct agent
skill, which, in conjunction with the agent’s call handling preference, may affect the order
in which a direct agent call is delivered to an agent. That is, direct agent calls need to be
delivered for all skill ACD calls. A concept introduced in R3V5 CMS, that of the top skill,
can be useful in EAS implementations that use skill level call handling preference for
agents. An agent’s first administered, highest level skill is the agent’s top skill, since it is
for this skill that the agent is most likely to handle calls. This is the skill that can count on
the agent.
Database items track the number of top agents in skills, as well as the time top agents
spent available and in AUX.
The expanded agent capabilities on the switch include an increased number of measured
splits/skills to 600 and an increase in the number of measured agent/spl it or agent/skill
pairs to 10,000 for the G3r processor, as well as new options for Most Idle Agent (MIA)
call distribution. The new options allow selection of MIA distribution across skills, rather
than for each skill, and selection of whether agents in ACW are or are not included in the
agent free list. These options have no direct impact on CMS, since CMS does not keep
track of the most idle agent.
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Best Service Routing (BSR)
DEFINITY ECS R6 and later versions support Best Service Routing (BSR). BSR allows
calls to be balanced at a single site or between multiple sites. BSR is enhanced multi-site
routing that provides new call vectoring functions that build upon the Look-Ahead
Interflow feature to route a call to the “best” split/skill on a single ECS or to the best
split/skill in a network of DEFINITY ECSs.
The “best” split/skill is defined as the local split/skill or remote ECS that offers the
shortest waiting time for the call in a call surplus (calls queued) situation for the
application. The waiting time is calculated using the DEFINITY ECS’s Expected Wait
Time (EWT) predictor, and can be adjusted by the user. In an agents available situation,
the “best” split/skill is determined based on the assigned availab le agent str ategy. BSR
data is tracked in the vector, VDN, and call history tables.
Universal Call ID
DEFINITY ECS R6 and later versions supports Universal Call ID (UCID). UCID is a
unique tag that is assigned to a call. The tag allows call-related data to be collected and
aggregated from multiple sources (for example, DEFINITY and Intuity
multiple sites. The UCID may then be used to group all the data from various sources
about a particular call.
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Conversant) and
CentreVu
CMS will receive the UCID assigned to calls by a DEFINITY ECS R6 or later with this
feature enabled. The UCID is then stored, along with data about the call itself, by the call
history feature (which includes both internal and external call history). The data will be
available to both Custom Reports and the Report Designer. UCID data is stored in the call
history and agent trace tables.
Advocate
CentreVu Advocate is available on the DEFINITY ECS, Release 6 and later. CentreVu
Advocate has introduced a number of new database
tracking items for CMS, as follows:
n Skill State — Skills can now be in one of four states (unknown, normal, overload 1
or overload 2), based on the Expected Wait Time (EWT) threshold. Time spent in
each state except “unknown” is tracked in the split/skill tables. The state is
unknown when the link is down or the split is non-EAS, or when a new skill is
added and the state message has not yet arrived.
n Reserve Agent — Agents can have a skill level of reserve 1 or reserve 2 that
corresponds to skill states overload 1 and overload 2. Only when the skill is in an
overload state will the appropriate reserve agents serve that skill. These agents
have a special agent service role. When the agents are available, but the skill is not
in the appropriate state, the agent is tracked as “other”.
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n Agent Counts — The number of agents in various states are stored in the split/skill
tables by agent type. Reserve agents are stored in R1xxx and R2xxx database
items. Top agents are stored in Txxx and flex agents are stored in Fxxx database
items.
n Agent Time in Skill — Agents’ ACD/ACW time can be tracked by skill.
Non-ACD time in standard is as follows: agents with the tracked skill as the top
skill use 100%, while agents who are percent allocated use the same percentage for
both ACD and non-ACD time. B ackup, Ro ving, or Reserv e 1 or 2 agents track 0 %
of their non-ACD time toward this skill.
n Agent Role — ROLE is a database item in the agent tables that describes how an
agent participates in a skill. The agent’s role is based on both the agent’s Skill
Level and Call Handling Preference. Agents with a reserve skill have a role of
Reserve. Non-EAS agents and agents with Greatest need Call Handling Preference
have a role of Roving. Top agents have a role of Top. Skill Level Call Handling
Preference agents who are neither top or reserve have a role of Backup. Agents
who are Percent Allocated have a role of Allocated.
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Exercise 1 — Automatic Call
Distribution (ACD)
Read the items below and complete as directed. If needed, refer back to the previous
Guided Reading. When you finish, compare your answers to those presented on the back
of this page.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. A call distribution method that allows the ACD software to check the split’s/skill’s
agent numbers in the administered sequence, starting with the number of the last
agent connected to a call is called __________________________________.
2. A call distribution method that allows ACD software to check the split ’s/skill’s
agent numbers in the administered sequence until it finds an agent with an
available extension. It then routes the call to that extension, this method is referred
to as ________________________________ ___ __ ___________.
3. A call distribution method that allows ACD to find the agent extension that has
been idle for the longest period of time and route the call to that agent’s extension.
This method is referred to as _________________________________________.
4. A call distribution method based on agent skill is called _____________________
____________________________.
5. An adjunct that collects call data for a switch resident ACD, provides call
management performance recording and reporting, and can also be used to
perform some ACD administration is called ______________________________.
6. A group of trunks/agents that are selected to work together to provide specific
routing of special purpose calls are referred to as __________________________
_____________________.
7. A call collection point where calls are held until a split/skill agent or attendant can
answer them is called ______________________________________________.
8. A group of extensions/agents that can receive st andard calls and/or special pur pose
calls from one or more trunk groups are referred to as ______________________.
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Exercise 1 Evaluation — Automatic
Call Distribution (ACD)
Compare your answers to those presented below.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. A call distribution method that allows the ACD software to check the split’s/skill’s
agent numbers in the administered sequence, starting with the number of the last
agent connected to a call is called __Circular Hunting_______________.
2. A call distribution method that allows ACD software to check the split ’s/skill’s
agent numbers in the administered sequence until it finds an agent with an
available extension. It then routes the call to that extension, this method is referred
to as __Direct (linear) Hunting_________________________________.
3. A call distribution method that allows ACD to find the agent extension that has
been idle for the longest period of time and route the call to that agent’s extension.
This method is referred to as __MIA (Most Idle Agent)____________________.
4. A call distribution method based on agent skill is called __EAD (Expert Agent Distribution)_.
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5. An adjunct that collects call data for a switch resident ACD, provides call
management performance recording and reporting, and can also be used to
perform some ACD administration is called _CMS (Call Management System)._
6. A group of trunks/agents that are selected to work together to provide specific
routing of special purpose calls are referred to as __Hunt Groups.____________.
7. A call collection point where calls are held until a split/skill agent or attendant can
answer them is called __a queue______________________________________.
8. A group of extensions/agents that can receive st andard calls and/or special pur pose
calls from one or more trunk groups are referred to as __split________________.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 2 — Automatic Call
Distribution (ACD)
Read the items below and complete as directed. If needed, refer back to the previous
Guided Reading. When you finish, compare your answers to those presented on the back
of this page.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described (continued).
1. A call management method that uses specialized call vector commands to provide
flexible handling of incoming calls based on information collected from the caller
is referred to as ___________________________________________________.
2. An optional software package that allows processing of incoming calls according
to a programmed set of commands is ___________________________________.
3. Users can balance the call work load between multiple call centers on separate
switching systems with ________________________ ____ _________________ _.
4. A segment of a split’s/skill’s queue from which calls are taken first is ___________
5. A feature used to train new agents and observe in-progress calls is ____________ _
_______________ ______ ___ _____ ___ ______ ___ _____ ___ ______ __.
6. The ability to assign, monitor, or move agents to specific splits/skills is _________
_____________________________________________________________.
7. A point in time or criteria that determines a certain action by the system is called
a/an _____________________________________________________________.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 2 Evaluation — Automatic
Call Distribution (ACD)
Compare your answers to those presented below.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described (continued).
1. A call management method that uses specialized call vector commands to provide
flexible handling of incoming calls based on information collected from the caller
is referred to as Call Prompting.
2. An optional software package that allows processing of incoming calls according
to a programmed set of commands is Call Vectoring.
3. Users can balance the call work load between multiple call centers on separate
switching systems with LAI (look Ahead Interflow).
4. A segment of a split’s/skill’s q ueue fro m w hich calls ar e taken first is Priority queue.
5. A feature used to train new agents and observe in-progress calls is Service observing.
December 1999
Issue 2
1-40Exercise 2 Evaluation — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
6. The ability to assign, monitor, or move agents to specific splits/skills is split/skill
administration.
7. A point in time or criteria that determines a certain action by the system is called
a/an threshold.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 3 — Automatic Call
Distribution (ACD)
Read the items below and complete as directed. If needed, refer back to the previous
Guided Reading. When you finish, compare your answers to those presented on the back
of this page.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. A signal sent to the serving CO by the switch telling the CO that an incoming call
has been answered and that the CO should begin tracking charges if appropriate is
referred to as _______________________________________________________
2. When the CO processes all of the call digits of an incoming call, seizes a trunk
from the appropriate trunk group, and connects the call directly to the destination
identified in the switch software, it is called ______________________________
3. An attendant or group of attendants that handles the calls for all switches in a
network is called _________________________ _________________ ___ ___ ____
4. A feature of the 800 number service that sends the dialed digits to the called
destination and can indicate the type of a call to an agent is called _____________
5. A system feature that allows messages to be stored for any ACD split/skill and
allows for retrieval by a covering user of that split/skill or a system wide m essage
retriever is referred to as _________________ _____________________________
6. An associated extension number of a split/skill, not normally dialed to reach a
split/skill, but accessed through direct dialing is called ______________________
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 3 Evaluation — Automatic
Call Distribution (ACD)
Compare your answers to those presented below.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. A signal sent to the serving CO by the switch telling the CO that an incoming call
has been answered and that the CO should begin tracking charges if appropriate is
referred to as answer supervision.
2. When the CO processes all of the call digits of an incoming call, seizes a trunk
from the appropriate trunk group, and connects the call directly to the destination
identified in the switch software, it is called Automatic-in Processing.
3. An attendant or group of attendants that handles the calls for all switches in a
network is called CAS (Centralized Attendant Service).
4. A feature of the 800 number service that sends the dialed digits to the called
destination and can indicate the type of a call to an agent is called DNIS (Dialed
Number Identification Service).
December 1999
Issue 2
1-42Exercise 3 Evaluation — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
5.A system feature that allows messages to be stored for any ACD split/skill
and allows for retrieval by a covering user of that split/skill or a system wide
message retriever is referred to as Leave Word Calling.
6. An associated extension number of a split/skill, not normally dialed to reach a
split/skill, but accessed through direct dialing is called QDN (Queue Directory Number).
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 4 — The ACD Agent and
ACD Trunk States
Read the items below and complete as directed. If needed, refer back to the previous
Guided Reading. When you finish, compare your answers to those presented on the back
of this page.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. The current status or work functions of an agent are known as _____________________________________________.
2. When the extension is engaged in an ACD call, the agent state is referred to as ___
_______________ _________________ _____________.
3. When the extension is logged in and able to accept an ACD call it is referred to as
________________________________________________.
4. The agent enters into the _____________________________________________
mode upon disconnec ting f rom an ACD call. The agent is no t availab le fo r another
ACD call until the manual-in button is depressed.
December 1999
Issue 2
1-43Exercise 4 — The ACD Agent and ACD Trunk States
5. While in the ________________________ ______ ______ _____ _____ work mode
the agent becomes available for another call after an ACD call is disconnected.
6. While in ACW the agent placed an outgoing call. This is referred to as ________________________________________________.
7. The agent is involved in non-ACD work, is on break, in a meeting or at lunch.
CMS recognizes the extension as staffed but does not want ACD to route calls
there for an extended time. This is referred to as _______ __ ______ ___ _____ ___ _.
8. The agent will hear ringing when the next call comes in and goes off-hook to
answer with ________________________________________________.
9. When the trunk is occupied by an incoming or outgoing call it is considered to be _____________________________________________.
10. An ACD caller has the trunk and is waiting for the agent to answer, the trunk is
considered to be _______________ ______________________________.
11. The agent and caller are connected in an ACD call, the term for the trunk status is
_____________________________________________.
12. The queued caller has just disconnected the call. The term for this type of call is _________________ ______ ___ _____ ___ ___ ______ __ .
13. A queued call has been intraflowed outside the ACD or has been interflowed to
another switch. The term for this status is _____________________________________________.
14. When an extension is maintenance busy, or out of service for maintenance
purposes, the status code is ___________________________________________.
15. The agent has just put a call on hold. The status code for this is _____________________________________________.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 4 Evaluation — The ACD
Agent and ACD Trunk S tates
Compare your answers to those presented below.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. The current status or work functions of an agent are known as agent states or work modes.
2. When the extension is engaged in an ACD call, the agent state is referred to as
ACD.
3. When the extension is logged in and able to accept an ACD call it is referred to as
AVAIL (Available).
4. The agent enters into the After Call Work mode upon disconnecting from an
ACD call. The agent is not available for another ACD call until the manual-in
button is depressed.
5. While in the Auto-In work mode the agent becomes available for ano ther call after
an ACD call is disconnected.
December 1999
Issue 2
1-44Exercise 4 Evaluation — The ACD Agent and ACD Trunk States
6. While in ACW the agent placed an outgoing call. This is referred to as
ACW-OUT.
7. The agent is involved in non-ACD work, is on break, in a meeting or at lunch.
CMS recognizes the extension as staffed but does not want ACD to route calls
there for an extended time. This is referred to as AUX (Auxiliary Work).
8. The agent will hear ringing when the next call comes in and goes off-hook to
answer with Manual Answer.
9. When the trunk is occupied by an incoming or outgoing call it is considered to be
seized.
10. An ACD caller has the trunk and is waiting for the agent to answer, the trunk is
considered to be queued.
11. The agent and caller are connected in an ACD call, the term for the trunk status is
Conn.
12. The queued caller has just disconnected the call. The term for this type of call is
abandoned.
13. A queued call has been intraflowed outside the ACD or has been interflowed to
another switch. The term for this status is Fwrd.
14. When an extension is maintenance busy, or out of service for maintenance
purposes, the status code is Mbusy.
15. The agent has just put a call on hold. The status code for this is Hold.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
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December 1999
Issue 2
1-45Exercise 5 — BCMS and CentreVu CMS
Exercise 5 — BCMS and
CMS
Read the items below and complete as directed. If needed, refer back to the previous
Guided Reading. When you finish, compare your answers to those presented on the back
of this page.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. This adjunct that collects call data for a switch resident ACD, provides call
management performance recording and reporting, and can be used to perform
some ACD administration is called _____________________________________
___________________________________________________.
2. The optional software package (residing on the switch) used to provide real-time
and historical reports to assist in managing ACD splits, agents (extensions), trunk
groups and VDNs (G3 only ) is cal led _ ______ _____ ______ ___ _____ ______ ____
_______________ ______ ______ __ ______ ______ ___ _____ ___.
CentreVu
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises
1
555-233-503
Exercise 5 Evaluation — BCMS and
CentreVu
CMS
Compare your answers to those presented below.
Fill in the blank. In the space provided, write the term being described.
1. This adjunct that collects call data for a switch resident ACD, provides call
management performance recording and reporting, and can be used to perform
some ACD administration is called CMS (Call Management System).
2. The optional software package (residing on the switch) used to provide real-time
and historical reports to assist in managing ACD splits, agents (extensions), trunk
groups and VDNs (G3 only) is called BCMS (Basic Call Management System).
December 1999
Issue 2
1-46Exercise 5 Evaluation — BCMS and CentreVu CMS
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
555-233-503
December 1999
Issue 2
2-1Introduction
DEFINITY
Call Center Capacities for
ACD Software and Related Features
Introduction
This chapter describes the ACD capacities of Lucent Technologies products. The section
contains the following topics:
n Capacity tables for DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches, and CentreVu CMS
n Measured extensions and multiple splits on a non-EAS switch
2
n Measured and unmeasured trunks.
The tables in this chapter show:
1. Capacities for DEFINITY ECS Release 8
2. Capacities for DEFINITY ECS Release 7 and Release 6.3
3. Capacities for DEFINITY ECS Releases 5 and 6
4. Capacities for DEFINITY Generic 3 Versions 2 to 4 switches
5. Capacities for DEFINITY Generic 3 Version 1 switches
6. Maximum capacities supported on CentreVu CMS.
NOTE:
Yo ur switch and CentreVu CMS are probably configured differently than the
maximum values shown in ECS 5 and 6 capacities [1-45] and G3V2, G3V3, and
G3V4 switch capacities [1-47]. Note these differences. You need to know your
particular CentreVu CMS values befor e administering CentreVu CMS. Furthermore,
if you have multiple ACDs, you cannot exceed the maximum capacities supported
by CentreVu CMS across all ACDs.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
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December 1999
Issue 2
2-2DEFINITY ECS R8 Capacities
DEFINITY
This table shows the capacities that are related to Call Center on the DEFINITY ECS R8.
Table 2-1.DEFINITY ECS R8 Call Center Ca pacities
ItemR8csiR8siR8r
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
ECS R8 Capacities
Announcements per Split222
Announcements per System1281281000
Splits9999999
ACD Members per Split2002001500
Maximum Administered ACD members
Maximum ACD Agents (per system) Whe n
Each Logs Into:
1 Split500500 5200
2 Splits5005005000
3 Splits3333333333
4 Splits2502502500
Logged-in Splits per Agent
2
3
1
1000*100010000
No CMS444
R2 or R3V1 CMS333
R3V2 or newer CMS444
Queue Slots per Group
Queue Slots per System
4
5
200200 999
1500150025000
Call Vectoring
Maximum Skills a to which a Call Can
Simultaneously Queue
Priority Levels444
Recorded Announcements/Audio Sources
for Vector Delay
Steps per Vector323232
Vector Directory Numbers (VDNs)51251220000
CMS Measured VDNs
Vectors per System256256999
Number of Collected Digits for Call
Prompting or CINFO
7
333
128128256
51251220000
161616
6
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
Skill Groups9999999
VDN Skill Preferences333
Maximum Skills to which a Call Can
Simultaneously Queue
Maximum Administered Agent Login IDs
Maximum Staffed Agent Login IDs
Max Administered ACD Members (Login
ID-skill pairs)
11
9
10
Maximum Staffed ACD Members1000*100010000
Maximum Skills per Agent
No CMS202020
R3V2 through R3V4 CMS444
R3V5 or newer CMS202020
Skill levels (preferences) per Agent Skill161616
333
1500150010000
500*5005200
6000600065000
Maximum logged in EAS Agents (per
system) When Each Has:
DS1 Circuit Packs30*30166
Queue Slots for Trunks1981981332
Measured Trunks in System400*4004000
Trunk Group Hourly Measurements252575
Trunk Groups in the System9999666
Trunk Members in Trunk Groups9999256
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
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Table 2-1.DEFINITY ECS R8 Call Center Ca pacities
ItemR8csiR8siR8r
Basic Call Management System (BCMS)
Measured Agents or Login IDs4004002000
Measured Agents per Split200200999
Measured Splits9999600
Measured Trunk Groups323232
Measured VDNs9999512
Maximum Agents Displayed by Monitor
BCMS Split Command
13
Maximum BCMS Terminals334
Maximum Active Maintenance Commands
for System
100100100
115
December 1999
Issue 2
2-4DEFINITY ECS R8 Capacities
Maximum Simultaneous BCMS Terminals in
Monitor Mode
14
113
Reporting Periods
Intervals252525
Days777
1.Also called administered agent-split pairs. Member capacity is used by ACD agents,
Auto-Available Splits (AAS) ports (e.g., VRUs), non-ACD hunt groups (hunting groups with or
without queues, Message Center Service, INTUITY/AUDIX, Remote AUDIX, etc.).
2.The number of agents that can log into the same split/skill is limited by the maximum Members
per Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of non-ACD members and
AAS ports administered and, with non-EAS, the additional splits assigned
3.An agent can be assigned more splits during administration but only this number can be
simultaneously logged into.
4.Queue slots are shared across non-ACD, ACD (splits/skills) and AAS hunt groups.
5.See Note 4.
6.VDNs are counted as part of the miscellaneous extensions capacity. The total of VDNs, hunt
groups, announcements, LDNs, TEGs, PCOL groups, access endpoints, administered TSCs
and Code Calling IDs extensions and common shared extensions cannot exceed 20,317 for
DEFINITY
physical set extensions, Logical Agent IDs, and AWOH) assigned and the VDNs assigned can
not exceed 25,000 for
cannot exceed 36,065 for
7.With
checking is made inactive for viewing and modifying individual VDNs. All other permission
checking continues for other entities, such as vectors. The 2-GB file size limit imposed by
Informix SE (Standard Database Engine) limits the number of intervals of historical VDN data
that can be collected for large numbers of VDNs. The limits can be determined using:
Days=8,158/VI where V=number VDNs (in thousands) and I=number of collection intervals in a
day (I=60h/i where h=collection hours per day and i=interval period in minutes).
8.BSR application numbers and location numbers are limited to a range of 1 to 255 (i.e., each is
limited to 255).
G3r. In addition, the total of stations (station extensions including ACD agent
CentreVu
DEFINITY
CMS R3V8 (and earlier) when more than 2,000 VDNs are activated, permission
G3r. Also, the total of all extensions assigned for any purpose
DEFINITY
G3r.
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
9.Total of the administered Login ID skill-pair members (total of the agent skills and AAS ports).
This limit can be reached only if 4 skills or less are assigned per Login ID due to the ACD
Members Administered (Login ID-skill pair) limits. The following shows this (for
R6.3.3 or newer).
Max. Login IDs With: csi/si r
• 1 to 4 Skills Each1,50010,000
• 10 Skills Each 6006,500
• 20 Skills Each 3003,250
10. The number of agents that can log into the same split/skill is limited by the maximum Members
per Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of non-ACD members and
AAS ports administered and, with non-EAS, the additional splits assigned.
11. Total of the administered Login ID-skill pair members (for agents and AAS ports).
12. The number of agents that can log into the same skill is limited by the Maximum Members per
Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of non-ACD members and AAS
ports administered.
13. The Monitor Split command will only display status for the first 100 agents logged into the split
regardless of how many additional agents log into the split.
14. 12.2 BCMS monitoring, being a maintenance command, is limited by the active maintenance
commands limit, reduced by 2 in the “r” system configuration (since 2 active command slots are
reserved for the INADS and SAT logins respectively).
*Software capacity limit cannot be achieved due to hardware capacity limits for this platform.
555-233-503
December 1999
Issue 2
2-5DEFINITY ECS R8 Capacities
DEFINITY
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
555-233-503
December 1999
Issue 2
2-6DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Capacities
DEFINITY
ECS R7 and
R6.3 Capacities
This table shows the capacities that are related to Call Center on the DEFINITY ECS R7
and the DEFINITY ECS R6.3.
Table 2-2.DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Call Center Capacities
Item
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
Announcements per Split222
Announcements per System128128256
Splits9999600
ACD Members per Split200200999
Maximum Administered ACD members
Maximum ACD Agents (per system) Whe n
Each Logs Into:
1 Split5005005200
2 Splits5005005000
DEFINITY
2
ECS
1
R6.3/R7
csi
1000*100010000
R6.3/R7siR6.3/R7
r
3 Splits3333333333
4 Splits2502502500
Logged-in Splits per Agent
No CMS444
R2 or R3V1 CMS333
R3V2 or newer CMS444
Queue Slots per Group
Queue Slots per System
3
4
5
200200 999
1500150015000
Call Vectoring
Maximum Skills a to which a Call Can
Simultaneously Queue
Priority Levels444
Recorded Announcements/Audio Sources
for Vector Delay
Steps per Vector323232
Vector Directory Numbers (VDNs)51251220000
CMS Measured VDNs
Vectors per System256256512
7
333
128128256
5125128000
6
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
555-233-503
Table 2-2.DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Call Center Capacities
December 1999
Issue 2
2-7DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Capacities
R6.3/R7
Item
Number of Collected Digits for Call
Prompting or CINFO
Skill Groups9999600
VDN Skill Preferences333
Maximum Skills to which a Call Can
Simultaneously Queue
Maximum Administered Agent Login IDs
Maximum Staffed Agent Login IDs
Max Administered ACD Members (Login
ID-skill pairs)
Maximum Staffed ACD Members1000*100010000
Maximum Skills per Agent
11
10
333
9
1500150010000
500*5005200
6000600065000
r
No CMS202020
R3V2 through R3V4 CMS444
R3V5 or newer CMS202020
Skill levels (preferences) per Agent Skill161616
Maximum logged in EAS Agents (per
system) When Each Has:
1 Skill500*5005200
2 Skills500*5005000
4 Skills2502502500
10 Skills1001001000
20 Skills5050500
12
Tr unks and Trunk Groups
DS1 Circuit Packs30*30166
Queue Slots for Trunks1981981332
Measured Trunks in System400*4004000
Trunk Group Hourly Measurements252575
Trunk Groups in the System9999666
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
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Table 2-2.DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Call Center Capacities
December 1999
Issue 2
2-8DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Capacities
Item
R6.3/R7
csi
R6.3/R7siR6.3/R7
Trunk Members in Trunk Groups9999256
Basic Call Management System (BCMS)
Measured Agents or Login IDs4004002000
Measured Agents per Split200200999
Measured Splits9999600
Measured Trunk Groups323232
Measured VDNs9999512
Maximum Agents Displayed by Monitor
BCMS Split Command
13
Maximum BCMS Terminals334
Maximum Active Maintenance Commands
for System
Maximum Simultaneous BCMS Terminals in
Monitor Mode
14
Reporting Periods
Intervals252525
Days777
100100100
115
113
r
1.Also called administered agent-split pairs. Member capacity is used by ACD agents,
Auto-Available Splits (AAS) ports (e.g., VRUs), non-ACD hunt groups (hunting groups with or
without queues, Message Center Service, INTUITY/AUDIX, Remote AUDIX, etc.).
2.The number of agents that can log into the same split/skill is limited by the maximum Members per
Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of non-ACD members and AAS
ports administered and, with non-EAS, the additional splits assigned
3.An agent can be assigned more splits during administration but only this number can be
simultaneously logged into.
4.Queue slots are shared across non-ACD, ACD (splits/skills) and AAS hunt groups.
5.See Note 4.
6.VDNs are counted as part of the miscellaneous extensions capacity. The total of VDNs, hunt
groups, announcements, LDNs, TEGs, PCOL groups, access endpoints, administered TSCs and
Code Calling IDs extensions and common shared extensions cannot exceed 20,317 for
G3r. In addition, the total of stations (station extensions including ACD agent physical set
extensions, Logical Agent IDs, and AWOH) assigned and the VDNs assigned can not exceed
25,000 for
36,065 for
7.With
checking is made inactive for viewing and modifying individual VDNs. All other permission
checking continues for other entities, such as vectors. The 2-GB file size limit imposed by Informix
SE (Standard Database Engine) limits the number of intervals of historical VDN data that can be
collected for large numbers of VDNs. The limits can be determined using: Days=8,158/VI where
V=number VDNs (in thousands) and I=number of collection intervals in a day (I=60h/i where
h=collection hours per day and i=interval period in minutes).
8.BSR application numbers and location numbers are limited to a range of 1 to 255 (i.e., each is
limited to 255).
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
CentreVu
G3r. Also, the total of all extensions assigned for any purpose cannot exceed
G3r.
CMS R3V8 (and earlier) when more than 2,000 VDNs are activated, permission
DEFINITY
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
9.Tot al of the administered Login ID skill-p air members (total of the agent skills and AAS ports). This
limit can be reached only if 4 skills or less are assigned per Login ID due to the ACD Members
Administered (Login ID-skill pair) limits. The following shows this (for
Max. Login IDs With: csi/si r
• 1 to 4 Skills Each1,50010,000
• 10 Skills Each 6006,500
• 20 Skills Each 3003,250
10. The number of agents that can log into the same split/skill is limit ed by the maximum Members per
Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of non-ACD members and AAS
ports administered and, with non-EAS, the additional splits assigned.
11. Total of the administered Login ID-skill pair members (for agents and AAS ports).
12. The number of agents that can log into the same skill is limited by the Maximum Members per
Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of non-ACD members and AAS
ports administered.
13. The Monitor Split command will only display status for the first 100 agents logged into the split
regardless of how many additional agents log into the split.
14. 12.2 BCMS monitoring, being a maintenance command, is limited by the active maintenance
commands limit, reduced by 2 in the “r” system configuration (since 2 active command slots are
reserved for the INADS and SAT logins respectively).
*Software capacity limit cannot be achieved due to hardware capacity limits for this platform.
555-233-503
DEFINITY
December 1999
Issue 2
2-9DEFINITY ECS R7 and DEFINITY ECS R6.3 Capacities
R6.3.3 or newer).
DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers
DEFINITY Call Center Capacities for ACD Software and Related Features
2
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December 1999
Issue 2
2-10DEFINITY ECS R5 and DEFINITY ECS R6.1 and DEFINITY ECS R6.2 Capacities
DEFINITY
R6.1 and
Capacities
This table shows the capacities that are related to Call Center on the DEFINITY ECS R5
and on the DEFINITY ECS R6.1/6.2.
Table 2-3.DEFINITY ECS R5 and DEFINITY ECS R6.1/6.2 Call Center
ItemR5vs/siR5si+MR5rR6r
Agents per System15050052005200
Agents per Split150200999999
Agent Login IDs4505001000010000
Skill Groups2499600600
Splits2499600600
Trunk Groups3299665665
Trunks10040040004000
Vectors48256512512
Vector Routing — Table s50100100
ECS R5 and
DEFINITY
ECS R6.2
Capacities
DEFINITY
ECS
Vector Routing — Entries per Table100100100100
Vectoring Audio/Music Sources
VDNs — Total1005122000020000
VDNs — Measured10051220008000
Priority Levels — without Vectoring2222
Priority Levels — with Vectoring 4444
Queue Slots per Split200200999999
Queue Slots (Split) per System20015001500015000
Recorded Announcements128128256256
Integrated Announcement Boards151010
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Integrated Announcement Board
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Analog and Auxiliary Trunk
1
128128256256
2520040004000
5015010001000
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Table 2-3.DEFINITY ECS R5 and DEFINITY ECS R6.1/6.2 Call Center
Capacities
ItemR5vs/siR5si+MR5rR6r
December 1999
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2-11DEFINITY ECS R5 and DEFINITY ECS R6.1 and DEFINITY ECS R6.2 Capacities
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Integrated Announcement Board
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Analog Port
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Auxiliary Trunk
1.128 is the system maximum for recorded announcements and music sources. Each
announcement subtracts one from the maximum number of music sources and vice versa.
255010001000
5015010001000
5015010001000
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December 1999
Issue 2
2-12DEFINITY G3V2, DEFINITY G3V3, and DEFINITY G3V4 Switch Capacities
DEFINITY
DEFINITY
This table shows the capacities of Generic 3 Version 2 to Version 4 switches. “ABP” is the
Advantage Business Package; “PBP” is the Premier Business Package.
Table 2-4.DEFI NITY G3V2, DEFINITY G3V3, and DEFINITY G3V4 Call Center
ItemG3V/sG3iG3r
Agents per System15015050050052005200
Agents per Split150150200200999999
Agent Login IDsNA/450NA/450150015001000010000
Skill GroupsNA/24NA/249999255255
Splits12/2412/249999255255
Trunk Groups16/3216/329999665665
Trunks50/10050/10040040040004000
VectorsNA/48NA/48256256512512
Vector Routing — TablesNA5NA10NA100
Vector Routing — Entries per Table NA100NA100NA100
Vectoring Audio/Music Sources
VDNs — TotalNA/100NA/1005125122000020000
VDNs — MeasuredNA/100NA/10051251220002000
Priority Levels — without Vectoring 222222
Priority Levels — with Vectoring444444
Queue Slots per Split200200200200999999
Queue Slots (Split) per System20020020010001050010500
Recorded Announcements128128128128256256
Integrated Announcement Boards111510
Recorded Announcement Queue
Slots — Integrated Announcement
Board
Recorded Announcement Queue
Slots — Analog and Auxiliary Trunk
G3V2,
DEFINITY
G3V3, and
G3V4 Switch Capacities
Capacities
V2 & V3
ABP/PBPV4ABP/PBP V2&V3V4V2&V3V4
1
112811281256
5025505010004000
50501501501281000
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Table 2-4.DEFI NITY G3V2, DEFINITY G3V3, and DEFINITY G3V4 Call Center
Capacities
ItemG3V/sG3iG3r
Recorded Announcement Calls
Connected per Announcement —
Integrated Announcement Board
Recorded Announcement Calls
Connected per Announcement —
Analog Port
Recorded Announcement Calls
Connected per Announcement —
Auxiliary Trunk
1.128 is the system maximum for recorded announcements and music sources. Each
announcement subtracts one from the maximum number of music sources and vice versa.
52525502551000
550251501281000
550251502551000
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2-13DEFINITY G3V2, DEFINITY G3V3, and DEFINITY G3V4 Switch Capacities
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December 1999
Issue 2
2-14DEFINITY G3V1 Switch Capacities
DEFINITY
This table shows the capacities that are related to Call Center on the DEFINITY G3V1.
Table 2-5.DEFINITY G3V1 Call Center Capacities
Item
Agents per System1505003000
Agents per Split150200999
SkillNA/24NANA
Splits12/249999
Trunk Groups16/3299666
Trunks50/1004004000
VectorsNA/48256512
VDNsNA/1005003000
Priority Levels — without Vectoring222
Priority Levels — with Vectoring444
Queue Slots per Split200200999
Queue Slots (Split) per System20010006000/10500
G3V1 Switch Capacities
G3Vs/s
ABP/PBPG3iG3r
Recorded Announcements — without
Vectoring
Recorded Announcements — with
Vectoring
Integrated Announcement Boards111
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Integrated Announcement Board
Recorded Announcement Queue Slots
— Analog and Auxiliary Trunk
Recorded Announcement Calls
Connected per Announcement —
Integrated Announcement Board
Recorded Announcement Calls
Connected per Announcement —
Analog Port
Recorded Announcement Calls
Connected per Announcement —
Auxiliary Trunk
128128256
NA/128128256
5050300
50150300
55255
55128
55255
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December 1999
Issue 2
2-15CentreVu CMS Maximum Capacities
CentreVu
This table shows maximum CentreVu CMS capacities for Lucent switches and ECS.
“BHCC” is Busy Hour Call Capacity.
Item
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
Call Vectoring
CMS Maximum Capacities
CMS
R3V6
Maximum Number of ACDs (multi-ACD
configuration)
Maximum Staffed ACD members1000010000
Maximum administered Agent Login IDs1000010000
Maximum Splits100 01000
Maximum ACD Agents (per system) Whe n
Maximum Skills a to which a Call Can
Simultaneously Queue
Priority Levels
Recorded Announcements/Audio Sources
for Vector Delay
Steps per Vector3232
Vector Directory Numbers (VDNs)800020000
CMS Measured VDNs
Vectors per System40967992
2
Expert Agent Selection (EAS)
Skill Groups10001000
Maximum Skills10001000
Maximum Administered Agent Login IDs
Maximum Staffed Agent Login IDs
Maximum Skills per Agent2020
Skill levels (preferences) per Agent Skill1616
Maximum logged in EAS Agents (per
system) When Each Has:
5
3
1000010000
4
1000010000
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Trunk Groups in the System666666
Trunk Members in Trunk Groups
40004000
Other Capacities
Agent Traces Active250250
Agent Trace Records50000050000
BHCC4000040000
Call Records (internal)NA5000
1.The number of agents that can log into the same split/skill is limited by the
maximum Members per Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the
number of non-ACD members and AAS ports administered and, with non-EAS, the
additional splits assigned
2.With
3.Total of the administered Login ID skill-pair members (total of the agent skills and
4.The number of agents that can log into the same split/skill is limited by the
5.The number of agents that can log into the same skill is limited by the Maximum
CentreVu
activated, permission checking is made inactive for viewing and modifying
individual VDNs. All other permission checking continues for other entities, such
as vectors. The 2-GB file size limit imposed by Informix SE (Standard Database
Engine) limits the number of intervals of historical VDN data that can be collected
for large numbers of VDNs. The limits can be determined using: Days=8,158/VI
where V=number VDNs (in thousands) and I=number of collection intervals in a
day (I=60h/i where h=collection hours per day and i=interval period in minutes).
AAS ports). This limit can be reached only if 4 skills or less are assigned per Login
ID due to the ACD Members Administered (skill-pair) limits. The following shows
this.
Max. Login IDs With: csi/si r
• 1 to 4 Skills Each 1,500 10,000
• 10 Skills Each 600 4,000
• 20 Skills Each 300 2,000
maximum Members per Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the
number of non-ACD members and AAS ports administered and, with non-EAS, the
additional splits assigned.
Members per Group limits. Maximum agent limits are reduced by the number of
non-ACD members and AAS ports administered.
CMS R3V8 (and earlier) when more than 2,000 VDNs are
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Measured Extensions and Multiple
Splits on a Non-EAS Switch
On
DEFINITY
G1 and
On G1 and G3, you can assign an agent extension to as many splits as desired. Multiple
split assignments are commonly used in one or both of the following scenarios:
n The customer has agents who log into multiple splits.
n The customer has more than one shift of agents, where the shifts use the same set
of phones but the agents do not work in the same splits.
Each extension-split assignment requires additional storage in CentreVu CMS. Therefore,
assigning extensions to multiple splits can quickly consume the agent storage capacity on
CentreVu CMS.
DEFINITY
G3 Switches
Example
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2-17Measured Extensions and Multiple Splits on a Non-EAS Switch
On a G3i, you assign 50 agent extensions to six splits. The switch sends 300
extension-split assignments to CentreVu CMS. In this case, CentreVu CMS creates space
in real-time data storage for 300 agent splits, even if the number of agents log ged in is less
than 100.
When Assignments Exceed Capac it y
The maximum number of agent-split configurations CentreVu CMS can measure is
defined at installation or in the Data Storage Allocation window. If that number is less
than the split-extension assignments CentreVu CMS receives from the switch, then the
link between the switch and CentreVu CMS fails to come up.
Example
Your CentreVu CMS allows up to 400 measured agent-split configurations, but the G3i
switch has 450 split-extension assignments. The link fails to come up.
Assignments are Not Logins
Do not confuse “agent extensions assigned to multiple splits” and “agents logged into
multiple splits.” Even if an agent’s extension is assigned to six splits, the agent can be
logged into only three splits simultaneously. (W ith EAS, the agent can be logged into four
splits.) CentreVu CMS always creates space in real-time data storage for six agent-split
pairs (one for each split), even though the agent is not logged into all six splits.
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Measured and Unmeasured Tr unks
System Requirements
The trunk capacities shown in CentreVu CMS maximum capacities [1-50] are for
measured and unmeasured trunks. A minimum of 100 unmeasured trunks is provided by
default. The 100 unmeasured trunks are required for:
n Internal calls (intraswitch) to a measured split or agent
n Internal calls to VDNs
n Calls made by agents to internal destinations or on an unmeasured trunk group
n Transfers and conferences until the transfer/conference is complete.
Measured vs. Unmeasured Trunks
If more than 100 unmeasured trunks are needed for an ACD, the maximum number of
measured trunks decreases accordingly. For example, if you have a G3i switch and choose
to have 200 unmeasured trunks, 300 trunks are available for measurement.
December 1999
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2-18Measured and Unmeasured Trunks
A switch can support many more unmeasured trunks than shown in CentreVu CMS
maximum capacities [1-50] without affecting the available number of measured trunks.
However, these additional trunks only can be used for non-ACD purposes. Using
additional unmeasured trunks for ACD reduces the available number of measured trunks.
Determining Available Measured T runks
The measured trunks available can be determined as follows:
t=m-max(u-100,0)
t is the number of measured trunks, m is the maximum number of measur ed tru nks
Where
possible, and
For example, CentreVu CMS is used to monitor a G3i ACD with 150 unmeasured trunks.
You determine the maximum number of measured trunks that CentreVu CMS is able to
monitor as follows:
0001 t=400-max(u-100,0)
0002 t=400-max(150-100,0)
0003 t=400-50
u is the number of unmeasured trunks.
0004 t=350
In this example, CentreVu CMS is able to monitor 350 measured trunks.
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3-1Introduction
DEFINITY
ECS ACD Call Cent er
Features
Introduction
This chapter contains the definitions of the ACD Call Center features that are
administered on the DEFINITY ECS/switch.
The DEFINITY ECS/switch Call Center f orms from which these features are adm inistered
are defined in the next chapter.
3
Feature-Related Information
The information for each feature is usually presented under five headings:
Feature title
n
Gives the name and a brief overview of the feature. Tells what it does or how it
serves the system.
How to Administer
n
Provides a list of the forms that are used to adminis ter a featur e. Requir ed fields on
these forms also are identified.
Detailed Description
n
Provides more detailed, technical information about a feature. When appropriate,
additional guidelines and examples are provided. In some cases, expanded
technical information is provided on one or several aspects of the feature.
Considerations
n
Discusses the applications and benefits of a feature and any other factors to be
considered when using the feature.
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Interactions
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Lists and briefly discusses other features that may significantly affect a feature.
Interacting features are those that:
— Depend on each other — if one of the features is provided, the other also
must be provided.
— Cannot coexist — if one of the features is provided, the other cannot be
provided.
— Affect each other — the normal operation of one feature modifies, or is
modified by, the normal operation of the other feature.
— Enhance each other — the features, in combination, provide improved
Expert Agent Selection3-78
Inbound Call Management3-86
Information Forwarding3-93
Intraflow and Interflow3-99
Look-Ahead Interflow
3-102
Multiple Call Handling3-108
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December 1999
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3-3List of Call Center Features
Table 3-1. Call Center Features —
FeaturePage
Queue Status Indications
Reason Codes3-116
Redirection on No Answer3-120
Service Observing3-133
Universal Call ID3-148
VDN in a Coverage Path3-163
VDN of Origin Announcement3-168
Voice Response Integration3-174
VuStats3-182
Related Feature or Form
Refer to the DEFINITY ECS Administrator’s Guide (555-233-502) for more information
about the following related features or forms:
Continued
3-114
n Announcements/Audio Sources
n Calling Party/Billing Number.
n CallVisor Adjunct-Switch Application Interface.
n Class of Restriction.
n Hunt Groups.
n Malicious Call Trace.
n Record ed An nou ncemen ts (additi onal infor mation also avail able in the “Recorde d
Announcements” appendix of this book).
n Service Observing.
n Callmaster phones.
n 500, 2500, K2500, 7101A, 7102A, 7103A, 7104A, 8110, OPS, DS1FD, DS1SA,
and VRU phones.
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Abandoned Call Search
Abandoned Call Search allows the switch to identify abandoned calls if the central office
(CO) does not provide timely disconnect supervision. An abandoned call is one in which
the calling party hangs up before the call is answered. Note that Abandoned Call Search is
suitable only for older COs that do not provide timely disconnect supervision. Most COs
provide timely disconnect supervision and do not require Abandoned Call Search.
Before an incoming Automatic Call Distribution (ACD ) split rings a hunt group member
or agent, the system checks to make sure that the calling party has not aban don ed the call.
If the calling party has abandoned the call, the call does not ring the hunt group member or
agent.
If a call has been abandoned, the system determines if the calling party is still connected to
the ground-start trunk at the CO. To do this, the system flashes (that is, opens the tip-ring
loop for 150 to 200 ms) the CO end of the trunk. If the calling party is still connected, the
CO does not respond. If the calling party has abandoned the call, the CO sends the system
a disconnect signal within 800 ms. The system interprets this as an abandoned call,
releases the trunk, and the call does not ring the hunt group member or agent.
December 1999
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3-4Abandoned Call Search
Outside of the U.S., a flash of this duration may be handled differently. Refer to
DEFINITY ECS Administrator’s Guide for more information about trunk flash.
How to Administer Abandoned Call Search
Table 3-2. Required Forms
FormField
Trunk Group
—CO
FX
WATS
You administer Abandoned Call Search on a per-trunk-group basis. Administer each
ground-start CO, FX, and WATS trunk group eith er hav i ng Abandoned Call Search or not
having it. Abandoned Call Search is not supported for tie trunks.
n Abandoned Call Search
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Considerations
NOTE:
Abandoned Call Search works with ground-start analog trunks that do not pro vide
disconnect supervision and that do react to a 500-ms break.
Some older COs can take as long as two minutes to notify the switch of a disconnect.
Thus, the switch must determine within one second whether the call has been abandoned,
before extending the call. Even with Abandoned Call Search or disconnect supervision,
there is a small probability that a call will be extended to the destination hunt group after
the caller has hung up. Abandoned Call Search and disconnect supervi s ion si gn i ficant ly
reduce that probability.
Abandoned Call Search allows agents and hunt group members to answer more calls
because time is not wasted on abandoned calls. In addition, call-handling statistics that the
Call Management System (CMS) generates are more accurate because it is clear when a
call is abandoned.
Abandoned Call Search adds an overhead of up to one second to each call delivered to an
agent.
December 1999
Issue 2
3-5Abandoned Call Search
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Add/Remove Skills
Add/Remove Skills allows an agen t using Expert Agent Sel ection (EAS) to add or remove
skills. A skill is a numeric identifier in the switch that refers to an agent’s specific ability.
For example, an agent who is able to speak English and Spanish could be assigned a
Spanish-speaking skill with an identifier of 20. The agent then adds skill 20 to his or her
set of working skills. If a customer needs a Spanish-speaking agent, the system r outes the
call to an agent with that skill.
Each agent can have up to 20 skills active at any one time. Agents can dial feature access
codes (FACs) to add or remove a skill. Or a supervisor with console permission can enter
an agent’s login ID and add or remove an agent’s skill. If a supervisor adds or removes a
skill for an agent, the agent receives a change notification.
To determine if they need to add or remove a skill, agents and supervisors can use
queue-status indications, VuStats, or Call Management System (CMS) or Basic Call
Management System (BCMS) information. When adding a skill, the agent must specify
the skill priority level (1 — 16).
December 1999
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3-6Add/Remove Skills
On phones with displays, the system prompts the agent through the process of adding or
removing a skill and displays the updated set of skills.
How to Administer Add/Remove Skills
Table 3-3. Required Forms
FormField
Class of Restriction (COR)
Feature Access Code (FAC)
Language Translations
Hunt Group
Class of Service
Considerations
n A skill cannot be removed from an agent’s skill set if the agent is on a call for that
skill or in the After-Call-Work (ACW) state for that skill.
n Add/Remove Agent Skills
n Add Agent Skills
n Remove Agent Skills
n 41-44 on Page 5
n Skill
n Administer console permissions for
supervisors
n With EAS, agents cannot remove their Direct Agent Skill.
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Interactions
n Auto-Available Splits (AAS)
If an agent adds a skill that is administered as Auto-A vailable, on the Agent Login
ID form, you must set the AAS field to y for that agent’s login ID.
n BCMS
BCMS begins tracking a new skill as soon as it is added. When an agent removes a
skill, the real-time agent information specific to that skill is removed from the
real-time reports, but it still appears on the historical reports.
n EAS-PHD
When EAS-PHD is set as an option, agents cannot remove their Direct Agent
Skill. In an EAS environment, agents must have at least one skill assigned to them
during a login session. With EAS-PHD, agents can specify up to 20 skills.
If EAS-PHD is not enabled, agents can specify only 4 skills.
n VuStats
Because VuStats displays information gathered by BCMS whether BCMS is
enabled or not, the BCMS interaction above applies to VuStats.
December 1999
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3-7Add/Remove Skills
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Agent Call Handling
Agent Call Handling allows you to administer functions that Autom a tic Call Distribution
(ACD) agents use to answer and process ACD calls.
You define the following agent capabilities:
n Agent login and logout
n Agent answering options: Automatic Answer (zip tone) or Manual Answer
n ACD work modes: Auxiliary Work (AUX Work), Auto-In, Manual-In, or After
Call Work (ACW)
n Timed ACW
n Agent request for supervisor assistance
n ACD call disconnect (Release button)
n Stroke counts
n Call work codes
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3-8Agent Call Handling
n Forced entry of stroke counts and call work codes
‘‘
Agent Capacity and Related Limits’’ on page 3-16 describes agent-capacity planning.
NOTE:
All of these agent capabilities are also supported through the CallVisor
Adjunct/Switch Applications Interface (ASAI). Refer to DEFINITY ECS
Administrator’s Guide for mo re information about the CallVisor Adjunct-Switch
Application Interface.
How to Administer Agent Call Handling
Table 3-4. Required Forms
FormField
Feature Access Code (FAC)
Hunt Group
Vector Directory Number
n Feature Access Codes for ACD features
n Forced Stroke Count or Call Work Code
n Timed ACW I nterval
n VDN Timed ACW Interval
Continued on next page
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December 1999
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3-9Agent Call Handling
Table 3-4. Required Forms —
FormField
Station (multi-appearance)
n Button/Feature Button Assignm ents
n Active Station Ringing (DCP, Hybrid)
n Idle/Active Ringing (Callmaster)
n VuStats
This section describes how the switch controls agents’ work. For details on procedures
that agents follow when using the capabilities provided by the switch, see DEFINITY
Enterprise Communications Server Generic 1, Generic 3, and System 75 Automatic Call
Distribution (ACD) Agent Instructions.
NOTE:
This information applies generally to ACD; see ‘‘‘Expert Agent Selection’’ on page
3-78 for more information on EAS.
Agent Login and Logout
To receive ACD calls, an agent must log into the system. An agent can be logged into
multiple splits. If a hunt group is measured by Call Management System (CMS) or Basic
Call Management System (BCMS) or is a skill, an agent must enter a login ID; otherwise,
the login ID is optional.
Login
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3-10Agent Call Handling
To log in, an agent goes off-hook and dials the login feature access code (FAC), followed
by the split number and the log-in ID, if required. If login is successful, the agent
automatically enters Auxiliary Work mode for that split. The Auxiliary Work button lamp
for that split, lights steadily and the agent hears the confirmation tone.
If the split is measured, the system sends messages to CMS or BCMS that the agent
(identified by login ID) has logged in and has entered Auxiliary Work mode.
Login is canceled and the agent receives intercept tone if any of the following occur
during login:
n The agent dials an invalid login F AC or split number (that is, the number of a split
that does not exist or to which the agent is not assigned).
n The agent is already logged into the maximum number of splits.
n The agent dials a split number for a split that he or she is already logged into.
Logout
The agent should log out when he or she leaves for an extended period of time and is
unavailable for ACD calls. If the split is measured by CMS or BCMS and an agent logs
out, a message is sent to the CMS or BCMS so that the agent’s status is no longer
measured. If an agent is logged into multiple splits, he or she should log out of each split.
When temporarily unavailable for calls, an agent should use Auxiliary work mode, rather
than logging out. CMS or BCMS can continue tracking the agent’s auxiliary work time.
T o log out of a split, an agent goes off-hook and dials the logout FAC followed by the split
number. If logout is successful, the agent hears confirmation tone and work-mode button
lamps darken. The logout is canceled and the agent receives an intercept if any of the
following occur during logout:
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n The agent dials an invalid logout FAC or split number.
n The agent dials a split number for a split that he or she is not logged into.
If an agent is using a handset in Automatic Answer mode, the agent can log out simply by
hanging up or turning o ff the h eadset. (This does n ot mean pressing the release b utton on a
Callmaster phone.) This does not apply t o q uic k- di sco nnect. If the agent pulls th e h ands et
to log out, the agent is automatically logged out of all splits that he or she has logged
into.
Agent Answering Options
An agent can answer ACD calls by using either a headset, handset, or speakerphone. You
can assign an agent as either Automatic Answer or Manual Answer.
NOTE:
Use Automatic Answer with a headset. See ‘‘‘Agents with Automatic Answer’’ on
page 3-19 for more information.
Automatic An s w e r
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3-11Agent Call Handling
The information in this section applies to ACD and EAS environments.
An agent assigned to Automatic Answer hears zip tone and connects directly to incoming
calls without ringing.
NOTE:
You can administer Automatic Answer to apply only to ACD calls or to apply to all
calls terminating to the agent’s set. If all calls are Automatic Answer and the agent
receives direct-extension calls, he or she should always activate Call Forwarding, or
Send All Calls when leaving temporarily or for an extended period, so that calls do
not terminate to an unstaffed station.
Manual Answer
An agent assigned to Manual Answer hears ringing, and then goes off-hook to answer the
incoming call.
ACD Work Modes
At any given time, an agent can be in one of four work modes:
n Auxiliary Work (AUX)
n Auto-In
n Manual-In
n After Call Work (ACW)
An agent can change work modes at any time.
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To enter any work mode, an agent presses the button or dials the FAC for that mode,
depending on what you have administered. If the agent has no active or held calls, the
work-mode button lamp lights steadily and CMS or BCMS is informed of the agent’s
mode change. If the agent has active or held calls, the lamp flashes until all calls are
dropped, then the new work mode’s lamp lights steadily and CMS or BCMS is informed
of the agent’s mode change.
The attempt is canceled and the agent receives an intercept if the agent:
n Tries to enter a work mode for an invalid split
n Tries to enter the work mode for a split of which he or she is not a member
n Dials an invalid FAC
Auxiliary Work Mode
An agent should enter Auxiliary Work mode for a split whenever taking a temporary
break. This makes the agent unavailable for ACD calls to that split and removes them
from the most-idle-agent queue. CMS and BCMS can continue to track the agent.
The agent is no longer available to answer other ACD calls to that split. However, the
agent may be available for ACD calls to other splits that the agent is logged into,
depending on the agent’s state in those splits. The agent is still available for non-ACD
calls. CMS or BCMS are notified whenever an agent in Auxiliary Work mode receives an
incoming non-ACD call or makes an outgoing call. When an agent logs into a split, he or
she automatically enters Auxiliary Work mode for that split.
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3-12Agent Call Handling
NOTE:
Agents in vector-controlled splits can go into Auxiliary W ork m ode even if they are
the last agent and calls are queued to that split.
Auto-In Mode
In Auto-In mode, the agent automatically becomes available for answering new ACD calls
upon disconnecting from an ACD call.
Manual-In Mode
In Manual-In mode, the agent automatically enters ACW mode for that split upon
disconnecting from an ACD call and is not available for any ACD calls. To become
available for ACD calls, the agent must manually reenter either Auto-In mode or
Manual-In mode.
After Call Work Mode
An agent should enter ACW mode when he or she needs to perform ACD-related
activities, such as filling out a form as a result of an ACD call. The agent is unavailable for
ACD calls to all splits while in ACW mode. Switch administration determines whether the
agent remains in the Most Idle Agent queue while in ACW.
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When an agent is in the Manual-In mode and disconnects from an ACD call, he or she
automatically enters ACW mode. Although no longer available for ACD calls, the agent is
still available for non-ACD calls. CMS or BCMS is notified whenever an agent in ACW
mode receives an incoming non-ACD call or makes an outgoing call.
Timed After Call W ork
With Timed ACW administered, an Auto-In agent is immediately placed in ACW mode
for a specific length of time after completing the currently-active ACD call. When the
Timed ACW interval expires, the agent automatically returns to the Auto-In work mode. If
the agent activates ACW while not on a call, the agent is placed in ACW (not timed) mode
regardless of whether the agent is in Auto-In or Manual-In mode.
Use Timed ACW to allow agents to rest between incoming ACD calls, or to pace agents
when they have to complete work from the previous call within an allotted time. In
addition, if you have Home Agent, use Timed ACW to allow agents additional time to dial
a FAC to place themselves in a different work mode after the current ACD call is
completed.
Timed ACW and VDN
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3-13Agent Call Handling
You can administer Timed ACW for all calls to a split/skill and/or to a VDN. Any
completed calls to the split/skill or to the VDN, including direct agent calls, are followed
by a timed ACW when the answering agent is in Auto-In work mode. If a VDN call routes
to a split/skill, the Timed ACW interval for the VDN overrides the Timed ACW interval
for the hunt group. VDN override applies to VDN-Timed ACW.
Cancelling Timed ACW
When an agent activates Auto-In or Manual-In mode during Timed ACW, the agent
becomes available and timed ACW is cancelled. An agent can change to Man ual-In mode
before or during a call. The system cancels Timed ACW and applies ACW (not timed)
mode when the call is released. The agent remains in ACW until he or she requests
another mode. When the agent releases an ACD call, the ACW lamp (if provided) lights.
At the end of the administered Timed ACW interval, the ACW lamp goes dark and the
Auto-In lamp lights.
Timed ACW also is canceled when an agent presses the ACW button or dials the ACW
FAC.
If an agent activates Auxiliary Work mode during Timed ACW, the agent is placed in that
mode and Timed ACW is cancelled.
Agent Request for Supervisor Assistance
To request assistance from the split supervisor, an agent, with or without an active ACD
call, presses the Assist button or puts the call on hold and dials the Assist FAC plus the
split number. The agent must be logged into the split. Assist generates 3-burst ringing at
the supervisor’s station. If a split supervisor is not assigned, the agent receives intercept
tone.
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Attendants should press the St art but ton befo re press i ng the Assi s t button. This allows
them to later transfer the call. This rings like a priority call at the supervisor’s set.
When the agent presses the Assist button, the following happens:
1. If the agent is active on an ACD call, the ACD call is automatically placed on hold
and a call is placed to the split supervisor. If the agent is not active on an ACD call,
a call is automatically placed to the supervisor.
2. CMS or BCMS is notified of the request and the supervis or’s display shows that
the call is a request for assistance. This rings like a priority call at the supervisor’s
set.
3. The caller hears silence or music on hold.
4. After the agent has talked to the supervisor, the agent can drop the assist call and
return to the ACD call, set up a conference call with the supervisor and the calling
party, or transfer the call to the supervisor.
When the agent puts the call on hold and dials the Assist FAC plus the split number, the
system handles the request as if the agent pressed the Assist button, except that the Assist
call does not follow the supervisor’s coverage path.
December 1999
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3-14Agent Call Handling
Stroke Counts
Stroke counts allow you to record in CMS the number of times that a particular
customer-related event occurs. For example, agents could press a button each time a
customer requests information on a certain item.
Stroke counts are reported to CMS in real time. The system does not store stroke counts.
Use stroke counts only when CMS is connected and you have defined ACD splits to be
measured by CMS.
Stroke counts allow agents to record up to nine administrator-defined events on a per-call
basis. You can assign 10 Stroke Count button types. Stroke Count 0 is reserved for
tracking Audio Difficulty or poor transmission quality.
For troubleshooting purposes, CMS records the equipment location of the trunk that the
agent was using when he or she pres sed the Audio Dif ficulty button. Make sure that agents
are aware that pressing this does not improve audio transmission quality.
To enter a stroke count, an ACD agent presses a Stroke Count button while off-hook. The
system validates that the agent is either active on an ACD call o r in the ACW mode for an
ACD split. If yes, the feature lamp lights steadily for two seconds to indicate activation
and the stroke count is sent to CMS. If not, the feature lamp flutters and no message is
sent.
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Call Work Codes
Call work codes are up to 16-digit sequences that ACD agents enter to record such
customer-related information as account codes, social security numbers, or phone
numbers. You define the codes for your site. Codes that agents enter are sent to CMS for
storage for splits measured by CMS and only when the link to the CMS is up. Agents must
have multiappearance phones (for example, Callmaster) to enter call work codes.
To enter call work codes, the agent must be off-hook and either:
n On an ACD call
n In ACW mode after disconnecting from a call while in Manual-In mode
n In Timed ACW after disconnecting from a call while in Auto-In mode
n In Auto-In mode and pending for ACW mode
The sequence of event is as follows:
1. The agent select Call Work Code (CWC) button.
2. The CWC lamp lights steadily and a C: prompt appears on the age nt’s display. The
agent must wait for the ready indication before entering the call work code or the
caller hears the touch-tone digits being dialed.
December 1999
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3-15Agent Call Handling
3. Agent enters up to 16 digits on the dial pad. The agent can press * to erase digits.
4. The agent presses # to send the code entry to CMS.
5. The Call Work Code lamp goes dark and the display returns to normal.
6. If the agent presses any featur e button or han gs up dur ing d igit col lection, the co de
entry is cancelled and data is sent to CMS. The CWC lamp goes dark and the
display is cleared.
Call work codes may be used by as many as 100 agents simultaneously. If 100 agents are
simultaneously using this function, and another agent attempts to enter a call work code,
the agent receives a display message to try again later.
Forced Entry of Stroke Counts and Call Work
Codes
You can administer a split so that agents must enter a stroke count and/or a call work code
before becoming available for another call using Manual-In mode.
NOTE:
Multiappearance phones or an attendant console are required for agents to enter
stroke counts or call work codes.
To enter a stroke count and/or call work code, the agent must be on a call, or in ACW
mode after releasing a call in Manual-In mode.
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After releasing a call, the agent automatically enters ACW mode and cannot return to
Manual-In mode until entering a stroke count or call work code. If the agent presses the
Manual-In button or FAC before entering a stroke count or a call work code, the
Manual-In lamp flutters or intercept tone is given.
Once the agent enters a stroke count or call work code and pres ses the Manual-In button o r
FAC, he or she returns to Manual-In mode and the Manual-In lamp lights.
Any of the agent’s splits can have Forced Entry assigned. If the agent goes into Auxiliary
Work mode in any split, the Forced Entry requirement for all other splits is removed.
Expanded Technical Information
Agent Capacity and Related Limits
Agent Sizing adds an overriding capacity limit to the number o f logg ed-in ACD agents. It
can be used to limit the number of logged-in ACD agents to a number less than (or equal
to) the maximum supported by the system configuration.
December 1999
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3-16Agent Call Handling
The logged-in ACD agents limit applies to ACD agents in traditional (or non-EAS) ACD
splits or in Expert Agent Selection (EAS) skills. Auto-Available Split/Skill (AAS) agent
ports are logged in and counted when they are first assigned, while the non-AAS agents
are counted when they actually log in. Each logged-in agent is counted as a single agent
independent of the number of splits or skills logged in to for the Logged-in ACD agents
limit. AAS and non-AAS agents are counted towards this limit whether they are
BCMS/CMS measured or not.
Effective with the DEFINITY ECS R8 and CentreVu Advocate, the Logged-in Advocate
Agent Count feature counts the number of CentreVu Advocate agents who are logged in at
the call center. The feature bases the count on whether or not a logged-in agent has any
CentreVu Advocate feature(s), except Predicted Wait Time, assigned or associated with
the agent. With this feature, CentreVu Advocate counted agents are still counted as ACD
agents.
The agent sizing limit is administered by authorized Lucent Technologies personnel via
the Logged-in ACD Agents option (and Logged-in Advocate Agent Count) on the
System-Parameters Customer-Options form. The maximum number of allowed logged-in
ACD agents is set to correspond to the configuration you purchase.
For agent sizing, if you have agents working in shifts, you should purchase enough agent
capacity to allow for a smooth shift change. If agents on a subsequent shift are logging in
before agents in the previous shift have logged out, agents could be denied login because
too many agents are currently logged in. Additionally, the non-ACD and/or non-agent
(AAS/VRU) use of Hunt Group resources must be cons idered. Call Center man agers n eed
to be aware of their logged-in ACD agent and other related limits when adding agents to
handle a traffic peak or when planning a special campaign. Some of the resource
utilization is displayed dynamically on the Display Capacities form.
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