Lucent Technologies DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8 Guide To ACD Call Centers

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
DEFINITY ECS ACD Call Center Features 
3-17 Agent Call Handling 
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Note that under certain configurations, the limit set in the Logged-In Agents field cannot 
be reached due to some other system limit being reached. In particular, note that the 
DEFINITY ECS R5r and later configurations with EAS only supports up to 500 agents 
logged in if each has the maximum 20 skills assigned due to the 10,000 Hunt Group 
member limit.
In addition to the logged-in ACD agents limit, the number of agents supported is 
dependent on the upper limits that the system platform supports. The following limits 
must also be considered.
nMaximum Hunt Group members
— Non-ACD members include hunting groups with or without queues, 
Message Center Service groups, INTUITY/AUDIX groups and Remote 
AUDIX groups (refer to DEFINITY ECS Administrator’s Guide for more 
information about Hunt Groups). Each line or port in a group is counted 
once when assigned.
— ACD members (also called agent-split pairs or agent-skill pairs with EAS). 
For agents in multiple splits/skills, each combination (pair) is counted as a 
member (e.g., an EAS agent logged into 4 skills or a non-EAS agent 
assigned to 4 splits counts as 4 members). Non-EAS ACD members are 
counted when assigned (note that many more splits can be assigned to an 
agent than can be logged into but each agent-split pair is still counted 
towards the limit). EAS ACD members are counted when they log in.
— Advocate Agents.
Each logged-in CentreVu Advocate agent is counted as both an ACD 
member and as a CentreVu Advocate agent.
nHunt Group members per group — Count of non-ACD or ACD members within a 
group/split/skill. Counting is done as above for maximum Hunt Group members.
nAdditional traditional ACD (non-EAS) agents limits:
— Maximum logged-in agents system limit
— Maximum splits an agent can log into
nAdditional EAS limits:
—ACD members (skill pairs) administered — Limits skill assignments to 
agents (each AAS port is counted as one skill pair)
—Agent Login IDs Administered — Limits number of AAS ports and EAS 
agents that can be pre-assigned
—Agent Login IDs Logged-In (staffed) system limit — Upper limit on the 
number of EAS agents (and AAS ports) that can be logged-in 
simultaneously
—Skills per Agent — The maximum number of skills a particular agent can 
be assigned
nCall Management System (CMS) logged in ACD members (agent-split/skill pairs) 
limits assigned. Both a Lucent Technologies setup and customer-administered 
limit is assigned in CMS. These limits are related to the CMS memory/hardware  
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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configuration equipped and are passed over the link to the DEFINITY ECS/switch 
to reduce/set the externally measured logged-in ACD member component of the 
Hunt Group member limit to that supported by CMS.
nBCMS internally measured ACD agents system limit. Non-EAS ACD agents 
counted when assigned while EAS agents are counted when logged in.
When the maximum number of ACD agents are logged in or any of the other above limits 
are reached, an agent who attempts to log in hears reorder tone or is otherwise denied log 
in. Also with EAS, an agent logging in may not have all the assigned skills logged in if the 
ACD member limit is reached.
The administrator of a non-EAS system also can be blocked from adding agents to splits 
via the Hunt Group form or the administrator of an EAS system can be blocked from 
assigning additional Login IDs or skills to an agent via the Login ID form if the relevant 
system limits are reached.
Considerations
Release Button
Agents using Automatic Answer are logged out of all splits when they disconnect from an 
ACD call by hanging up. Therefore, agents should use the Release button, if provided. 
This button is in addition to the fixed Release button on the attendant console.
Timed ACW
To prevent agents from canceling Timed ACW by pressing the Manual-In or ACW 
buttons, do not assign these buttons to the agents’ phones. Timed ACW cannot be 
assigned to AAS, adjunct-controlled, AUDIX, Remote AUDIX, or Message Center splits. 
In addition, VDN-Timed ACW does not apply to calls routed to a converse split by way of 
the converse-on vector command. Timed ACW assigned to a converse split hunt group 
applies.
BCMS and CentreVu CMS track Timed ACW as standard ACW work states. Time spent 
in Timed ACW is not specifically identified.
Nonvector-Controlled Splits
For nonvector-controlled splits, the last available agent in a split cannot enter Auxiliary 
Work mode if any calls remain in the split queue. (However, the agent can log out.)
When the last available agent tries to enter Auxiliary Work mode, the following occurs:
nThe Auxiliary Work button flashes indicating the change is pending.
nNew calls on the ACD split either receive busy tone or redirect to coverage. Calls 
in the queue continue to route to the last available agent until the queue is empty. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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nAt the last available phone or console, the Auxiliary Work button lamp flashes 
until the queue is empty. The terminal then enters Auxiliary Work mode and the 
associated lamp lights steadily.
Agents Logged into Multiple Splits
If an agent is logged into multiple splits, the agent may become unavailable for calls to 
one split because of activity at another split. For example, if an agent enters After Call 
Work mode for one split, the agent becomes unavailable for calls to other splits. 
An agent should not log into a split while a call is on hold at his or her extension.
Agents with Automatic Answer
Agents who use Automatic Answer should use a headset. The agent hears zip tone through 
the headset and automatically connects to a call.
If either the incoming trunk group or the agent’s extension is data-restricted, the agent 
does not hear zip tone. Therefore, do not assign data-restriction to a headset user’s 
extension.
It is not recommended that you use Automatic Answer with a handset or speakerphone. 
The handset or speakerphone must be off-hook (handset lifted or speakerphone turned on) 
all the time for the agent to hear zip tone.
If automatic answer is assigned for all calls, when a non-ACD call arrives, non-ACD 
Auto-Answer agents hear Incoming Call ID tone, not ringing.
Callmaster Terminals
Calls for Callmaster digital phones and attendant stations are announced by double 
tones.The tones that are doubled are zip (Auto-Answer ACD agent calls) and Incoming 
Call ID (for End of VDN of Origin announcements and all other Auto-Answer calls). The 
user hears part of the first tone and all of the second tone.
Agents Assigned to Hunt-Group and ACD 
Calls
Do not use agents for hunt-group calls and ACD split calls simultaneously. Otherwise, all 
of the calls from one split (either ACD or hunt-group) are answered first.
The oldest call-waiting termination is supported only for agents who are servicing ACD 
calls only. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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Interactions
nAbbreviated Dialing
Assign Abbreviated Dialing buttons to make agent login easier. You can program 
an Abbreviated Dialing button to dial access code, split number, and/or agent login 
ID. With the DEFINITY ECS/switch (R4 or later) you can use Autodial feature 
buttons to assign log and logout feature buttons.
nAuto-Available Split (AAS)
An AAS cannot be administered for Timed ACW.
nBridging
ACD split/skill calls are not bridged. 
Station calls are bridged and agents are able to bridge onto them. If an agent 
bridges onto a call, the call is considered a non-ACD extension-in call. The agent 
is not available for an ACD call unless the agent is a member of a many-forced, 
one-forced, or one-per-skill MCH split/skill. The agent can put the call on hold and 
become available to receive ACD calls even in non-MCH splits/skills if only 
bridged appearances are active.
nCall Coverage
If an ACD call routes to an agent as a result of covering to a VDN (where the VDN 
is the last coverage point in the coverage path), Timed ACW applies as 
administered for the VDN or split/skill.
nCall Forwarding
If an ACD call routes to an agent after being call-forwarded to a VDN, Timed 
ACW applies as administered for the VDN or split/skill.
nCall Pickup
When an ACD agent answers a call via Call Pickup, the call is treated as an 
incoming non-ACD call. The agent can put the call on hold and become available 
for additional calls.
nCall Work Codes
The CWC 100-agent limit is shared with Reason Codes. Therefore, no more than 
100 agents can simultaneously enter either a call work code or reason code.
nCallVisor ASAI Adjunct
If a split/skill hunt group has CallVisor ASAI as the controlling adjunct, you 
cannot administer Timed ACW for the split/skill. Additionally, if an ACD call is 
routed to an agent in an adjunct-controlled split/skill, the agent is not placed in 
Timed ACW when the call ends.
nCentreVu CMS
Timed ACW is reported on CMS reports in the same way as any other ACW. CMS 
gives exception notification only on ACW intervals that are longer than the 
defined threshold. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
DEFINITY ECS ACD Call Center Features 
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nConference
If an agent receives an ACD call through a VDN and then conferences in other 
agents, the agents added to the call use the Timed ACW interval associated with 
the number dialed to conference them. An ACD agent on conference with more 
than three parties may cause inaccurate CMS measurements.
nExpert Agent Selection
When EAS is active, all ACD hunt groups are assigned as vector-controlled skills. 
Agents log in using Logical Agent IDs. Skills can be preassigned to login IDs, 
however, assignment on the Login ID form does not actually assign a non-AAS 
login ID to the skills until the ID is logged in. When the login ID is logged in, each 
skill is counted as a hunt-group member towards the system hunt-group member 
limit, the per-group member limit, and each agent is counted as a logged-in ACD 
agent.
nMultiple Call Handling
If MCH calls are on hold at an agent’s terminal and the agent completes a call that 
normally is followed by Timed ACW, the agent is not placed in ACW. If no MCH 
calls are on hold, but one is alerting at the station when the Timed ACW call 
completes, the agent is placed in ACW.
MCH affects when agents can enter different work modes and when calls are 
delivered to agents in Manual-In or Auto-In work modes. See ‘‘
Multiple Call 
Handling’’ on page 3-108 for detailed information.
nTransfer
If an agent receives an ACD call through a VDN and then transfers the call to 
another agent, the second agent uses the Timed ACW interval assigned to the 
number that was dialed to transfer the call. 
For an EAS agent, this is the Timed ACW interval associated with his or her Direct 
Agent skill. For an agent receiving a call transferred to a second VDN, this is the 
VDN Timed ACW interval of the second VDN. The agent who originally 
transferred the call uses the ACW associated with the VDN or split/skill that first 
received the call.
nVDN Override
If a VDN has VDN Override set to no and the vector routes a call to a second 
VDN, the first VDN’s Timed ACW interval is used for Timed ACW. If VDN 
Override is set to yes, the second VDN’s Timed ACW interval is used. 
If no interval is set for the second VDN, no Timed ACW is associated with the 
call.
nVoice Response Integration
If an ACD call routes on a converse vector command, any VDN-Timed ACW 
associated with the call is ignored for agents in the converse split/skill. However, if 
the converse split/skill has an administered Timed ACW interval, the answering 
agent associated with the split/skill is placed in Timed ACW when converse vector 
command processing completes. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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Auto-Available Split  
Auto-Available Split (AAS) allows members of an ACD split to be in Auto-In work mode 
continuously. An agent in Auto-In work mode becomes available for another ACD call 
immediately after disconnecting from an ACD call.  
Use AAS to bring ACD-split members back into Auto-In work mode after a system 
restart. Although not restricted to such, this feature is intended to be used for splits 
containing only nonhuman members — for example, recorders or voice-response units 
(VRUs). 
How to Administer AAS
Verify that the ACD field is set to y
 on the System Parameters Customer-Options screen. 
If this field is not set to y
, contact your Lucent Services representative. 
Verify that the ACD field form is set to y 
on the Hunt Group. 
Detailed Description
nAgent login with AAS
With AAS, ACD splits generally operate as usual. The major difference is in how 
work modes are handled.
For ACD splits with AAS, agents are automatically logged in under the following 
circumstances:
— Call Management System (CMS) completes an Agent Move request into 
an Auto-Available split.
— A maintenance-busied-out port, which is defined as an agent in an 
Auto-Available split, is released.
— The system reinitializes and requires agents to log in again.
— You administer a split on the Hunt Group form as AAS = y.
— You administer an agent into an existing AAS split.
Once an agent is logged into an Auto-Available split, it is immediately moved to 
the Auto-In work mode and subsequent requests to change out of that mode are 
denied.
Table 3-5. Required Forms
Form Field
Hunt GroupnAAS
Agent LoginID (EAS only)nAAS 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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nAgent logout with AAS
For ACD splits with AAS, agents are automatically logged out under the following 
circumstances:
— CMS completes an Agent Move request out of an Auto-Available split.
— The Auto-Available agent’s port is unavailable because maintenance is 
being performed.
— You administer a split as AAS = n.
— You remove an agent from an existing AAS split.
— Redirection on No Answer (RONA) redirects a call that the agent has not 
answered after an administered number of rings.
Considerations
nAAS is intended primarily for non-BX.25 and non-ASAI PBX adjuncts such as 
Conversant VIS, that require extra help in getting PBX ports back online after a 
restart. AUDIX is incompatible with AAS because it uses BX.25 messages to 
automatically activate its ACD agent ports after a PBX restart.
nBecause AAS is intended for nonhuman agents, do not administer an Auto-Answer 
terminal as a member of an AAS.
nAAS is not intended for any agent port hardware that can change its work mode 
state since a request to move to any state other than AUTO-IN is denied; however, 
administration of such terminals is not blocked.
Interactions
nAuto-Answer
Do not administer an Auto-Answer terminal as a member of an AAS.
Auto-Answer was originally implemented for human agents. Currently, if a 
nonanalog terminal is administered as Auto-Answer and that terminal is logged 
into a split, when the terminal goes on-hook, the terminal is logged out. 
Agents at analog terminals defined as Auto-Answer who are logged into a split 
must dial a log-out FAC to log out. If a terminal is a member of an AAS, a log-out 
FAC is denied. To log the agent out, you must either remove the terminal from the 
split when it is not active on a call or busy-out the terminal. 
If an agent in an AAS with an Auto-Answer terminal goes off-hook, his or her 
terminal is logged into any Auto-Available splits of which it is a member. To log 
out of the AAS splits, the agent goes on-hook, is placed in AUX work mode, and 
then presses the RELEASE button on nonanalog sets or disconnects on analog 
sets. Because agents are not placed immediately in Auto-In work mode, they may 
place personal or emergency calls rather than answering ACD calls that may be in 
queue. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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nCMS
For each agent, AAS notifies CMS of any login, logout, or change into the Auto-In 
work mode. In a non-EAS environment, an AAS agent is identified to CMS with a 
login ID equivalent to the agent’s administered extension. With EAS, the AAS 
login ID and port are assigned on the Login ID form.
With CMS Move Agent, you can move a member from one AAS split to another 
while that member is logged in. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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Automatic Call Distribution
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) allows incoming calls to connect automatically to 
specific splits. An ACD split is simply a hunt group that is designed to receive a high 
volume of similar calls. Calls to a specific split are automatically distributed among the 
agents, or hunt group members, assigned to that split. Calls queue to the split until an 
agent is available.
An ACD agent can be a voice-terminal extension, individual attendant extension, or, in an 
Expert Agent Selection (EAS) environment, an agent login ID. An agent can be logged 
into multiple splits. However, in a non-EAS environment, agents can be logged into only 
one split if that split is administered for Multiple Call Handling (MCH). 
You can assign a supervisor to each split. The split supervisor can listen in on agent calls, 
monitor the split queue status, and assist agents on ACD calls. Although split supervisors 
can assist agents on ACD calls, the supervisors do not normally receive ACD calls unless 
they are also members of the split.  
If you have Call Management System (CMS) or Basic Call Management System (BCMS), 
you can measure and create reports on the status of ACD agents, splits, and trunks. See 
‘‘
Agent Call Handling’’ on page 3-8 and ‘‘Call Management System’’ on page 3-56 or 
‘‘
Basic Call Management System’’ on page 3-41 before setting up your ACD splits. See 
‘‘
Agent Call Handling’’ on page 3-8 for detail on administering agent functions and 
operations.   
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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Figure 3-1 shows an a typical ACD arrangement.
Figure 3-1. Typical ACD ArrangementFigure Notes
1. Incoming calls
2. ACD switch
3. Trunk group 1
4. Trunk group 2
5. Trunk group 3
6. Trunk group 4
7. Split 1 Business Travel (10 agents)
8. Split 2 Personal Travel (8 agents)
9. Split 3 Group Travel (5 agents)
10. Split 4 General Information (15 agents)
11. Queues
12. Announcement 113. Announcement 2
14. Intraflow (Call Coverage)
15. Split 2 Personal Travel (3rd choice)
16. Split 3 Group Travel (2nd choice)
17. Split 4 General Information (1st choice)
18. Supervisor (with Service Observing)
19. Announcement
20. Disconnect
21. Call Management System (CMS)
22. Terminal
23. Printer