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Lucent Technologies Centrevu Advocate Release 8 User Guide

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    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Planning Your Call Center—CentreVu Advocate with EAS2-19
    Within an 
    Organization
    2
    In order to receive meaningful measurements to manage a single 
    organization, the solutions implemented must be consistent for all agents 
    and skills, and the solutions must be comparable (that is, the solutions 
    must have the same objective or else not interact). 
    Certain 
    CentreVu Advocate solutions work in opposition to each other, 
    and confusion can result from mixing solutions when agents span skills 
    and/or organizations. 
    Additional decisions must be made for administering agents within an 
    organization. Once system-level and organization-level decisions have 
    been made, skill-level decisions and agent-level decisions must also be 
    administered. Hunt Group 
    Ty p eUCD-MIA
    Greatest 
    NeedSkill Level,
    Percent 
    AllocationTop Skill Hunt Group 
    Form
    UCD-LOA
    *Agents with 
    same skill 
    sets will 
    have similar 
    occupancy.Greatest 
    NeedSkill Level,
    Percent 
    AllocationTop Skill
    EAD-MIA Higher skill 
    agents will 
    answer 
    calls.Skill Level Percent 
    Allocation
    EAD-LOA All agents at 
    the same 
    skill level 
    will have 
    similar 
    occupancy.Skill Level Percent 
    Allocation
    *Recommended in most cases.
    Option ChoiceExpected 
    Result Works WithWorks 
    AgainstNot Used 
    WithWhere 
    Decided 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Planning Your Call Center—CentreVu Advocate with EAS2-20
    Skill Level 
    Decisions
    2
    When administering agents within an organization, decide if Service 
    Level Supervisor? will be Y or N. If Yes (Y) is chosen, when a skill goes 
    over an expected wait time threshold, additional reserve agent resources 
    will be brought in to help the skill. If No (N) is chosen, then the existing 
    agent resources will be required to handle the incoming call load.
    Skill Level Decision 
    Ta b l e
    2
    Skill-level decisions for call and agent selection need to be made for 
    individual skills within an organization. The following table includes the 
    decision that should be made, the choices available, the expected 
    results, the other call center solutions that the results will work with, and 
    is not used with, and where the decision is administered.
    Option ChoiceExpected 
    Result Works WithWorks 
    AgainstNot Used 
    WithWhere 
    Decided
    Service Level 
    SupervisorY Lower 
    maximum 
    oldest call 
    waiting.All other 
    solutions
    Hunt Group 
    form
    N
    Level 1 
    Threshold1-9999 
    secondsLower 
    maximum 
    oldest call 
    waiting.All other 
    solutionsHunt Group 
    form
    Level 2 
    Threshold1-9999 
    secondsLowest 
    maximum 
    oldest call 
    waiting.All other 
    solutions
    Hunt Group 
    form
    Acceptable 
    Service Level1-9999 
    secondsDifferent 
    levels of 
    service.Service 
    Objective
    Percent 
    AllocationHunt Group 
    form, 
    administered 
    on the 
    CentreVu 
    Supervisor 
    Split/Skill 
    Call Profile 
    Setup 
    window 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Planning Your Call Center—CentreVu Advocate with EAS2-21
    Agent Level 
    Decisions
    2
    The following agent-level decisions must be made on the Agent Login ID 
    form or through 
    CentreVu Supervisor when administering individual 
    agents within an organization:
    lSkill Mix: Each agent may have up to 20 skills administered. You 
    must decide which mix of skills an individual agent will have.
    lSkill Level: Each agent may be assigned a skill level of 1 through 
    16 or for each administered skill (1 is the highest level, 16 is the 
    lowest), or 1 or 2 for reserve level skills. You must decide which level 
    each agent will be assigned for each administered skill in the mix. All 
    standard skills have a skill level.
    lReserve Skills: Each agent may have administered reserve skills, 
    with reserve levels 1 or 2. Agents with reserve skills could be 
    automatically brought in to service a skill if that skill is one of their 
    assigned reserve skills and Service Level Supervisor is 
    administered. Agents who are reserve level 1 will be activated when 
    the skill reaches threshold 1, and agents with a reserve level of 2 will 
    be activated when the skill reaches its level 2 threshold.
    Agents have a skill level or a reserve level on a particular skill, not 
    both.
    lPercent Allocation: Agents can be administered with a percentage 
    for each of their standard skills. The total of all percentages must be 
    equal to 100 percent or zero percent if all skills are reserve skills. 
    Agents will then receive calls based on their percent allocation if 
    their call handling preference is Percent Allocation.
    NOTE: 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Planning Your Call Center—CentreVu Advocate with EAS2-22
    Agent Level 
    Decisions Table
    2
    Agent-level decisions for call and agent selection need to be made for 
    individual agents within an organization. The following table includes the 
    decisions that should be made, the choices available, the expected 
    results, the other call center solutions that the results will work with, 
    against, and is not used with, and where the decision is administered.
    Option ChoiceExpected 
    Result Works WithWorks 
    AgainstNot Used 
    WithWhere 
    Decided
    Skill Mix Up to 20 
    skills
    All solutionsAgent Login 
    ID form
    CentreVu 
    Supervisor
    Skill Level  Level 1-16
    EAD-MIA
    EAD-LOAUCD-MIA
    UCD-LOAPercent 
    Allocation
    Greatest 
    NeedAgent Login 
    ID form
    CentreVu 
    Supervisor
    Reserve 
    SkillsLevel R1 or 
    R2Overload 
    skills are 
    handled 
    automatically.All solutions Percent 
    Allocation, 
    when 
    agents are 
    handling 
    overload 
    calls 
    frequently
    Agent Login 
    ID form
    CentreVu 
    Supervisor
    Percent 
    Allocation1-100%, or 
    0% for a 
    reserve 
    level skillCall 
    distribution is 
    weighted 
    according to 
    the defined 
    percentages.EAD-LOA
    UCD-LOAEAD-MIA
    UCD-MIAGreatest 
    Need,
    Skill Level,
    Predicted 
    Wait Time,
    Service 
    ObjectiveAgent Login 
    ID form
    CentreVu 
    Supervisor 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Planning Your Call Center—CentreVu Advocate with EAS2-23
    Call Center 
    Example
    2
    In general, call selection and agent selection algorithms are paired to 
    work together: An example is administering a call center to match the 
    most qualified agent with the call that agent is best able to handle. The 
    call selection method you would choose is the Skill Level agent call 
    handling preference to select the call that the agent is most qualified to 
    handle; that is, a call from the agent’s highest-level skill. 
    You would use the Expert Agent Distribution-Most Idle Agent (EAD-MIA) 
    or the Expert Agent Distribution-Least Occupied Agent (EAD-LOA) agent 
    selection method to select the most qualified agent for the call. Either of 
    these methods would select the most available, most qualified (that is, 
    highest level agent in that skill) to handle the call. EAD-LOA, in particular, 
    would spread the call selection among agents at each skill level more 
    evenly by selecting the highest-skill level available agent who is the least 
    occupied overall, and not necessarily the agent who was the first to hang 
    up from a previous call. The combinations that are most effective are:
    lEAD-MIA or EAD-LOA with Skill Level call handling preference
    lUCD-MIA or UCD-LOA with Greatest Need call handling preference
    lUCD-LOA with Percent Allocation call handling preference.
    The result of administering a call center in this manner is that calls 
    waiting in queue for certain skills are answered faster and the work is 
    spread more evenly among agents assigned to the skills at equal skill 
    levels. 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Combining CentreVu Advocate Solutions to Meet Call Center Needs2-24
    Combining CentreVu Advocate Solutions to Meet Call 
    Center Needs
    2
    Overview2Call center administrators may have many different objectives for 
    matching callers with agents. In order to meet these objectives, call 
    centers often have individual agents assigned to many different skills. 
    The 
    CentreVu Advocate features, in combination with existing EAS 
    features, can be used to meet a variety of business needs by taking 
    advantage of agents in multiple skills. Some general call center business 
    needs are described in this section. For additional information on 
    combining solutions to create a custom call center environment, see 
    Chapter 11, “Administer 
    CentreVu® Advocate on DEFINITY® ECS” in this 
    document.
    Match Caller 
    With Most 
    Qualified Agent
    2
    To match a caller with the most qualified agent, assign skill levels that 
    identify an agent’s level of expertise. For agent selection, use EAD-MIA 
    or EAD-LOA (EAS) to select the most qualified agent available. For call 
    selection, use the Skill Level Call handling preference to select the call 
    that the agent is most qualified to handle.
    Build Stronger 
    Relationships 
    with Some 
    Customers
    2
    CentreVu Advocate features can be used to provide better service (as 
    measured by the average speed of answer) to important customers, 
    relative to regular customers. For agent selection in this scenario, use 
    EAD-MIA or EAD-LOA to select the most qualified agent for a call. For 
    call selection, use the Service Objective 
    CentreVu Advocate feature to 
    differentiate levels of service by giving more important customers shorter 
    service objectives and regular customers longer service objectives. The 
    Predicted Wait Time 
    CentreVu Advocate feature can also be used to give 
    better service to smaller, more personalized skills. Alternately, with the 
    Percent Allocation call handling preference, a higher percent allocation 
    than required for some skills can be assigned (selectively over staff), 
    which provides better service to customers in those skills. 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Combining CentreVu Advocate Solutions to Meet Call Center Needs2-25
    Improve Overall 
    Call Center 
    Efficiency
    2
    To improve overall call center efficiency (call handling and agent 
    occupancy), use UCD-LOA (best option) or EAD-LOA (better option) for 
    agent selection to make the work load more uniform among agents. For 
    call selection use the Greatest Need call handling preference, which 
    lowers the average speed of answer; Service Level Supervisor, which will 
    lower the maximum wait time; or Predicted Wait TIme, which evens out 
    the average speed of answer.
    Help Schedule 
    Agents with 
    Multiple Skills
    2
    The Percent Allocation CentreVu Advocate call handling preference was 
    designed to make agent scheduling easier. With this feature, a 
    percentage of an agent’s time can be dedicated to each of the agent’s 
    skills. The Service Level Supervisor 
    CentreVu Advocate feature can be 
    used in conjunction with the Percent Allocation call handling preference 
    to override these allocations if the forecast on which the allocation is 
    based is not accurate. 
    Treat All Agents 
    the Same
    2
    In order to treat all agents the same in call distribution, use UCD-MIA or 
    UCD-LOA for agent selection to select an agent without reference to the 
    agent’s skill level. In a case where the agent’s skill level is not used in 
    agent selection, use the Greatest Need call handling preference. 
    Greatest Need selects a call without reference to the answering agent’s 
    skill level (for a given queue priority, call selection is based on time in 
    queue). Percent Allocation can also be used to control overall agent idle 
    time by creating agent pools and more evenly distributing calls.
    Treat Some 
    Agents 
    Differently
    2
    To select the best agents, use EAD-MIA or EAD-LOA for agent selection 
    to keep the most qualified agents working in their higher skill level calls. 
    For call selection, use the Skill Level call handling preference and assign 
    higher skill levels to the skills that the agent is more qualified to handle. 
    Additionally, by using the Service Level Supervisor 
    CentreVu Advocate 
    feature, agents with only reserve skills assigned receive calls when one 
    or more of their skills is over threshold, and not before. 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Combining CentreVu Advocate Solutions to Meet Call Center Needs2-26
    Improve Agent 
    Fairness
    2
    For agent selection, use UCD-LOA (best option) or EAD-LOA (better 
    option) to make the work load more uniform among agents (in particular, 
    those agents with many skills relative to agents with fewer skills). For call 
    selection, use the Percent Allocation call handling preference and assign 
    equal percentages to all agents for favored and unfavored skills.
    Automate 
    Supervisor 
    Actions
    2
    Supervisors often move agents from one skill to another or adjust an 
    agent’s skill levels to try and meet call center objectives or to improve an 
    individual agent’s workload. Use Service Level Supervisor to monitor the 
    performance of a particular skill (using the Expected Wait Time for the 
    skill), automatically adjust the number of agents assigned to the skill, and 
    change the assigned agents’ call selection process to provide a higher 
    level of service for a skill in trouble. In addition, the Predicted Wait Time 
    CentreVu Advocate feature automatically gives preference to smaller 
    skills while the Service Objective feature automatically minimizes the 
    deviation between each skill’s acceptable service level and its service 
    objective.
    Combining 
    CentreVu 
    Advocate 
    Solutions Table 
    2
    The following table shows which EAS/CentreVu Advocate features are 
    compatible with each other and which ones are not. The comments 
    column includes information regarding implementation and problem-
    solving.
    In general, implementing solutions that combine any of the four “Agents 
    Available” solutions or combine any of the three call handling preference 
    solutions (Greatest Need, Skill Level, and Percent Allocation) is not 
    recommended. If a solution is not listed as specifically compatible or 
    incompatible with another 
    CentreVu Advocate solution, then the effect is 
    neutral.
    Please refer to the “Call Center Solution” chapters in this document for 
    details on reports, feature administration, and feature descriptions. 
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Combining CentreVu Advocate Solutions to Meet Call Center Needs2-27
    Solution Works With Works Against Comments
    When Agents Are Available
    UCD-MIA
    lService Level 
    Supervisor
    lService Objective
    lGreatest Need
    lDirect Agent Calls
    lUCD-LOA
    lEAD-MIA
    lEAD-LOA
    lPercent 
    AllocationUCD-MIA is only used 
    when agents are available 
    for a call. It is compatible 
    with other call selection 
    methods, but not with the 
    percent allocation call 
    handling preference. 
    UCD-LOA
    lService Level 
    Supervisor
    lService Objective
    lGreatest Need
    lPercent Allocation
    lDirect Agent Calls
    lUCD-MIA
    lEAD-MIA
    lEAD-LOAUCD-LOA will distribute 
    calls to the least occupied 
    agent available. It can be 
    used in conjunction with 
    other call center solutions. 
    It should not be combined 
    with other solutions in the 
    “agents available” category, 
    and works best with 
    greatest need call handling 
    preference.
    EAD-MIA
    lService Level 
    Supervisor
    lService Objective
    lSkill Level 
    lDirect Agent Calls
    lTop Skill
    lUCD-MIA
    lUCD-LOA
    lEAD-LOA
    lPercent 
    Allocation
    lGreatest NeedEAD-MIA is an EAS 
    solution that works best 
    with skill-level solutions. 
    EAD-MIA selects the most 
    idle agent in a skill by skill 
    level.  
    						
    							  Custom CentreVu® Advocate Solutions CentreVu® Advocate Release 8 User Guide
    Combining CentreVu Advocate Solutions to Meet Call Center Needs2-28
    EAD-LOAlService Level 
    Supervisor
    lService Objective
    lSkill Level 
    lDirect Agent Calls
    lTop Skill
    lUCD-MIA
    lEAD-MIA
    lUCD-LOA
    lPercent 
    AllocationEAD-LOA will make agent 
    work load more uniform by 
    selecting the least occupied 
    agent in a skill for a call. 
    Therefore, EAD-LOA works 
    best with skill level 
    solutions.
    When Calls Are in Queue for One or More of an Agent’s Skills
    Skill Level 
    (call handling 
    preference)
    lEAD-MIA
    lEAD-LOA
    lService Level 
    Supervisor
    lPredicted Wait 
    Time 
    lService Objective
    lDirect Agent Calls
    lTop Skill
    lGreatest Need
    lPercent 
    AllocationSkill Level is one type of 
    agent call handling 
    preference. It works best 
    with the EAS solutions, 
    EAD-MIA and EAD-LOA.
    Greatest Need
    (call handling 
    preference)
    lUCD-MIA
    lUCD-LOA
    lService Level 
    Supervisor
    lPredicted Wait 
    Time 
    lService Objective
    lDirect Agent Calls
    lSkill Level
    lPercent 
    Allocation
    lTop Skill
    lEAD-MIA
    lEAD-LOAGreatest need is a call 
    handling preference that is 
    based on the oldest call 
    waiting in queue. Therefore, 
    it works well with other call-
    based solutions 
    (particularly UCD 
    solutions). Solution Works With Works Against Comments 
    						
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