Lucent Technologies Centrevu Advocate Release 8 User Guide

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Overview1-1
1  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate
Overview1
CentreVu® Advocate is a set of breakthrough capabilities that provides new 
methods and added flexibility for selecting an agent for an incoming call, or 
an incoming call for an agent. 
CentreVu Advocate works in conjunction with 
and requires Expert Agent Selection (EAS) on the 
DEFINITY® Enterprise 
Communications Server (ECS) R6 and later. The new 
CentreVu Advocate 
elements are discussed in detail later in this chapter. 
Terminology1For a complete list of terms including terminology specific to CentreVu 
Advocate as well as call center terminology applicable to 
CentreVu 
Advocate, see the 
Glossary in this document.
Agent and 
Call Selection
1
There are two situations in which CentreVu Advocate features are used: one 
or more agents available for the incoming call, and one or more queues with 
calls when an agent become available. A call selection occurs any time that 
more calls are coming into a call center than there are agents to handle 
them. This happens during periods of high activity at a call center; for 
example, a seasonal rush at a catalog hotline. Conversely, an agent 
selection occurs any time there are more available agents than calls coming 
into the call center. This situation gives the opportunity to route calls to the 
most preferential agent in a particular skill. 
CentreVu Advocate can be used 
to route calls to agents in either a call surplus or an agent surplus situation. 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-2
Call Selection Methods1
Overview1There are several call selection options available for call centers using 
CentreVu Advocate. Several of these selection options are already on 
your system. The call selection options include:
lCall Handling Preferences:
— Greatest Need (existing call selection method)
— Skill Level (existing call selection method)
— Percent Allocation
lService Objective
lCall Selection Measurements:
— Predicted Wait Time (PWT)
— Current Wait Time (CWT)
lService Level Supervisor:
— Call Selection Override ON
Call Selection Override OFF
These are options for selecting a skill to serve. Once a skill is selected, 
then the chosen call is always the highest priority, oldest call in queue for 
that skill.
Understanding Call 
Selection
1
The components of call selection that you will need to understand before 
implementing custom 
CentreVu Advocate solutions are described here:
lIf any skills are in an overload state, then the skill whose PWT or 
CWT is the highest percentage of the overload 2 threshold is 
selected, and if there are none in overload 2, the call with the same 
criteria in an overload 1 skill is selected.
lIf Call Selection Override is on, then standard and reserve agents 
will be diverted from their primary call handling tasks to answer calls 
in the overload skill. If Call Selection Override is off, then the agents 
will remain on their primary call handling tasks.
NOTE: 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-3
lIf no skills are in an overload state, then calls will be selected based 
on the call handling preference administered to an agent:
1.Greatest Need: Greatest Need will select a skill for an agent 
based on the call at the highest priority whose wait time (PWT 
or CWT) for a skill is the longest (the call with the “greatest 
need”). See also “Service Objective” in this chapter
.
2.Skill Level: Skill Level will select a skill for an agent based on 
the agent’s skill level, with the highest-level skill being selected 
first for the oldest call in queue (PWT or CWT) at the highest 
priority. See also “Service Objective” in this chapter
3.Percent Allocation:   Percent Allocation will select a skill for 
an agent based on what will best match an agent’s 
administered percent for all skills. Queue priority, skill level, and 
wait time are ignored with this preference.
Once a skill is selected using the above methods, the call selected within 
the skill is the highest priority, oldest call waiting.
Greatest Need1Greatest Need is an EAS-based call selection method that can be 
administered for an agent. Greatest Need will select a skill for an agent 
based on the call at the highest priority whose wait time (PWT or CWT) 
for a skill is the longest.
Administration1Greatest Need is administered in either of two places: through CentreVu 
Supervisor and on the switch administration forms. For new agents (new 
login IDs), Greatest Need is selected on the Agent administration switch 
form. Once the new agent has initially logged in using the new call 
handling preference, then that agent may have his or her call handling 
preference modified through 
CentreVu Supervisor.
Skill Level1Skill Level is an EAS-based call handling preference administered for an 
agent based on the agent’s expertise in one or more skills. 
Administration1Skill Level is administered in two places: through CentreVu Supervisor 
and on the switch administration forms. For new agents (new login IDs), 
Skill Level is selected on the Agent administration switch form. Once the 
agent has initially logged in using the new call handling preference, then 
that agent’s record may be modified on the Change Agent Skills form in 
CentreVu Supervisor. Any existing agent may also have his or her call 
handling preference modified through 
CentreVu Supervisor. 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-4
Percent 
Allocation
1
Percent Allocation is a third call handling preference option, in addition to 
Greatest Need and Skill Level. Percent Allocation allows you to assign a 
percentage of an agent’s time to each of their assigned skills to total 
100% of their staffed time. Percent Allocation compares an agent’s work 
time in each assigned skill, expressed as a percentage of staffed time, 
against an administered percentage allocation for each of the agent’s 
assigned skills to determine which call to select when an agent becomes 
available.
Administration1Percent Allocation is administered through CentreVu Supervisor on the 
Change Agent Skills dialog box or from the switch administration terminal 
(SAT). After accessing an agent entry, that agent’s call handling 
preference can be administered to be Percent Allocation. You can then 
administer percentages for each of the agent’s assigned skills, based on 
their expertise per skill. For new agents (new login IDs), Percent 
Allocation is selected on the Agent administration switch form. Once the 
new agent has initially logged in using the new call handling preference, 
then that agent may have his or her call handling preference modified 
through 
CentreVu Supervisor.
Result1Percent Allocation is designed to solve the problem of specifying the 
amount of time agents will spend in each of their skills. Currently, each 
agent is able to take calls from up to 20 skills at 16 preference levels. 
Without Percent Allocation, it is very difficult to predict what mix of calls 
agents will receive from their assigned skills. Without Percent Allocation, 
the calls that an agent takes are determined by the agent’s skill level and 
call handling preference, and the incoming calls’ priority levels coupled 
with the amount of time that calls have spent in queue. With Percent 
Allocation, calls are selected to best match the agent’s assigned skill mix.
Service 
Objective
1
Service Objective works in conjunction with the Greatest Need and Skill 
Level call handling preferences to assign calls to agents as the agents 
become available. This feature is designed to give different levels of 
service to different skills.
Description1Service Objective allocate calls according to an administered acceptable 
service level per skill. The 
DEFINITY ECS will determine which skill has a 
call with the highest percentage of time over the acceptable service level. 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-5
If all skills have the same acceptable service level, this feature will have 
no impact on the call center.
Call Selection 
Method
1
For each skill level assigned to an agent, the DEFINITY ECS will 
compare the wait time, current or predicted, of the call at the head of the 
queue to the skill’s administered acceptable service level. The skill with a 
call whose wait time is the highest percentage of the acceptable service 
level will be selected. Therefore, calls in skills with a lower acceptable 
service level (lower administered acceptable wait time) are answered 
faster. 
Administration1Service Objective is administered for agents through either the switch 
administration forms or 
CentreVu Supervisor. In CentreVu Supervisor, 
Service Objective is administered for an agent with Greatest Need or Skill 
Level call handling preferences on the Change Agent Skills form. This 
method is used for modifying an existing agent’s call selection method. 
For a new agent (new agent login ID), Service Objective is set on the 
Agent Login ID form. The Acceptable Service Level is administered on 
the ECS Hunt Group form. The acceptable service level must also be 
administered on CMS through the Call Center Administration: Split/Skill 
Call Profile Setup dialog box.
Result1Service Objective can be used to increase the level of service for a 
particular skill or skills. You can set the acceptable service level before 
answer on an important queue to be lower than other skills. For example, 
a credit card company hotline may have agents assigned to a skill for 
answering calls from Platinum card holders. Those calls would be 
answered faster than other calls, thereby increasing the level of service 
and promoting customer satisfaction. Service Objective should make the 
percent within service level more uniform across all skills by ensuring that 
calls for smaller, more important skills are handled quickly. 
This feature can be used instead of queue priority to continuously 
increase the importance of a call being answered. Even calls queued in 
less important skills eventually become important to be answered as they 
near 100 percent of their service level.
NOTE: 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-6
Predicted Wait 
Time
1
Predicted Wait Time is a call selection measurement that uses the time a 
call is predicted to wait in queue instead of the time the call has already 
waited. 
Description1Predicted Wait Time determines which call currently in queue is expected 
to wait the longest for delivery to an agent. Predicted Wait Time can then 
select the call that, based on its current wait time in queue and the 
estimated time until the next agent becomes available, will wait the 
longest overall. 
Call Selection 
Method—Example
1
In a call center, a call may be queued for a specialized skill that has a 
small number of agents staffed. Although this call may have only been 
waiting in queue for 30 seconds, it has a predicted wait time of an 
additional 90 seconds because of the small number of agents assigned 
to the skill. Another call is queued for a general skill that is staffed by 
many agents. This call has been waiting for 60 seconds, but is predicted 
to wait in queue for an agent for only 15 more seconds. Predicted Wait 
Time will select the call for the specialized skill first, because its overall 
predicted wait time will be 120 seconds, or two minutes. The other call 
will continue to wait in queue because its overall Predicted Wait Time is 
only 75 seconds total. 
Administration1Predicted Wait Time is administered on the DEFINITY ECS System 
Parameters form, in the Call Selection Measurement field. The other 
valid entry in this field is Current Wait Time. 
Current Wait Time1If Current Wait Time is selected in the System Parameters form: Call 
Selection Measurement field, the ACD will only consider how long a call 
has already waited when using the call selection algorithm.
Service Level 
Supervisor
1
Service Level Supervisor is an override feature used to select skills for 
agents. Service Level Supervisor has Expected Wait Time (EWT) 
thresholds set for skills and can override normal agent call handling 
preferences to handle calls from a skill whose threshold has been 
exceeded (automatically changing call answering priorities for standard 
agents). Optionally, standard agents can keep their normal agent call 
handling preferences. Additional reserve agents can also be activated 
automatically when the skill is in the over threshold condition. 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-7
Thresholds1Service Level Supervisor allows you to administer two thresholds, based 
on the administered EWT, for each skill. When a particular skill’s EWT 
exceeds the first threshold, the skill goes into the Overload 1 state. When 
the skill exceeds the second threshold, the skill goes into the Overload 2 
state. When Call Selection Override is ON (set to Yes (Y) on the System 
Parameters Features form), as agents become available for calls, if any 
of the agents’ assigned skills are in an Overload 2 state, the agents’ 
normal call handling preference is ignored and they receive calls from the 
Overload 2 skill. If there are no skills in the Overload 2 state, agents will 
be connected to any calls in skills that are in the Overload 1 state. If no 
skills are in the Overload 1 state, then agents receive calls based on their 
administered call handling preference; that is, skill level, greatest need, 
or percent allocation.
Over Threshold State1When more than one skill is at the same overload level, Service Level 
Supervisor will select the skill with the highest priority call in queue whose 
call selection measurement is the highest percentage above the 
administered threshold. If a skill has a top priority call with a predicted 
wait time of 30 seconds and a threshold of 20 seconds, that skill is at 
150% of its assigned threshold. If another skill has a top priority call with 
a predicted wait time of 100 seconds and a threshold of 100 seconds, 
that skill is at 100% of its assigned threshold. The call from the first skill is 
at a higher percentage of its threshold, and will be answered first.
Reserve Agent 
Activation
1
Reserve agents can be activated at each overload threshold. These 
reserve agents will be made available to take calls from a skill only when 
it is in an overload condition. When the skill returns to a normal state, 
calls from that skill will not be sent to reserve agents.
Call Selection 
Override
1
Within Service Level Supervisor, there is a Call Selection Override 
system-wide parameter. The default setting for this parameter is ON (Yes 
(Y) on the System Parameters Features form). For more information on 
Call Selection Override and the results of turning it on or off, see Chapter 
2, “Custom 
CentreVu® Advocate Solutions” in this document.
Call Selection Override 
ON
1
When call selection override is on, agents will receive calls based on their 
assigned call handling preference as long as the skills are in an under-
threshold state. Once a skill or skills that agents have assigned as 
standard or reserve goes into an over threshold state, agents who 
become available with this skill are diverted from their primary tasks and 
start receiving calls from the skill that is over threshold. This includes top,  
						

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Call Selection Methods1-8
backup, roving, allocated, and reserve agents. All agents who become 
available ignore their normal tasks and help the skill that is in trouble. As 
soon as a skill goes over threshold, all agents who have this skill are 
automatically reprioritized until the skill returns to normal.
In general, agents are less efficient when they are not working on their 
primary task. When thresholds are set too low or one or more skills are 
understaffed, one skill going over threshold can cause others to go over 
threshold, which in turn can cause others to also go over threshold in a 
domino effect. This option is not intended to improve percent within 
service level for a skill, but is designed for call centers that currently move 
agents from skill to skill during the day to alleviate emergencies.
Call Selection Override 
OFF
1
When Call Selection Override is OFF, agents always handle calls based 
on their assigned call handling preference. When the overload threshold 
is exceeded for a skill, standard agents continue with their primary tasks, 
but will serve a skill to which they are assigned as reserve agents if that 
skill is over threshold and if none of their standard skills have calls waiting 
in queue. See the following table for an example of when reserve skill 
calls will be answered before standard skill calls when Call Selection 
Override is off.
Call Handling Preference Reserve Skill Call Delivered First When:
Greatest Need A reserve skill goes over threshold and the 
call at the head of the queue for the reserve 
skill has the highest priority and longest 
wait time (because the reserve skill is now 
treated as a standard skill).
Skill Level When a reserve skill goes over threshold, it 
is treated as a level 16 skill and could be 
delivered before other level 16 skill calls.
Percent Allocation When a reserve skill goes over threshold, it 
is treated as having 0% assigned. A call 
from the reserve skill will be delivered 
before a call from a standard skill in which 
the agent is above the assigned 
percentage. 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Call Selection Methods1-9
Calls in Standard and 
Reserve Skills
1
If you want to guarantee that a standard skill is handled before a reserve 
skill, use Skill Level call handling preference and have no standard skills 
assigned as level 16. Agents stay focused on their primary tasks even 
when thresholds are exceeded. If agents have no calls waiting in their 
primary skills, these agents can then help a skill that is over threshold. 
This option allows thresholds to be set much lower without impacting the 
overall efficiency of the call center. This option can be used to improve 
the percent within service level for a skill in overload while protecting the 
service level of the skill in normal mode.
Agent Occupancy1This option gives call centers a better level of agent occupancy without 
sacrificing the service level on skills. On the 
DEFINITY ECS Release 5, 
agents were assigned backup skills to improve agent occupancy in 
smaller skills. If the backup skill had many calls waiting in queue, the 
occupancy for those agents increased significantly. However, since the 
agents in the smaller skill are now busy more often, the service level for 
the smaller skill drops. With the call selection override option set to OFF, 
agents in the smaller skill can be assigned another skill as a reserve skill 
and they will only help the reserve skill when that skill is in trouble and 
there are no calls waiting in queue for the smaller skill. Most of the time, 
the reserve skill is in normal mode and good service is provided to the 
smaller skill. When the reserve skill goes over threshold, the agent’s 
occupancy goes up. If no call is waiting in queue for a smaller skill, the 
agent handles a reserve skill call, and while the reserve skill is in 
overload, the service level of the smaller skill drops because the agents 
are busier.
Result1The net effect of using Service Level Supervisor is to allow agents to be 
automatically moved to calls in the skills that are becoming or have 
become overloaded, as defined by the administered thresholds. In steady 
state situations, that is, no skills have exceeded their administered 
thresholds, the agents’ normal call handling preferences apply for call 
selection. 
						

							  Introduction: CentreVu® Advocate CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
Agent Selection Methods1-10
Agent Selection Methods1
Overview1There are several agent selection methods available for call centers 
using 
CentreVu Advocate. Several of these selection methods are 
already on your system. The agent selection methods include:
lExpert Agent Distribution-Least Occupied Agent (EAD-LOA)
(new for 
CentreVu Advocate)
lUniform Call Distribution-Least Occupied Agent (UCD-LOA)
(new for 
CentreVu Advocate)
lExpert Agent Distribution-Most Idle Agent (EAD-MIA)
lUniform Call Distribution-Most Idle Agent (UCD-MIA).
Least Occupied 
Agent
1
Least Occupied Agent is an agent selection method that uses agent 
occupancy, rather than position in an idle agent queue to determine 
which agent to select when a call arrives and one or more agents are 
available.
Agent Selection1Agent selection through Least Occupied Agent is based on agent 
occupancy—the total time an agent has with one or more ACD calls 
ringing, active, or on hold for any of an agent’s assigned skills and 
optionally, the total ACW time for any of an agent’s assigned skills, 
divided by the total time staffed in any assigned skill, less the agent’s 
time in AUX (see the 
Glossary for the Agent Occupancy calculation). 
LOA and AUX Time1The following table illustrates how LOA tracks extension calls since agent 
AUX time is not included in the calculation of agent occupancy:
The Extension Call is: LOA:
in AUX ignores this time
in Auto-In/Manual-In with no ACD 
call on holdtracks this as idle time
with an ACD call on hold tracks this as work time