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
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3-47 Best Service Routing 
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Network Requirements for BSR
To support BSR, networks must meet both the criteria for LAI call control operation over 
switched networks (see ‘
‘‘Look-Ahead Interflow’’ on page 3-102) and the following 
criteria:
nThe network must support end-to-end transport of codeset 0 user data, either as a 
User-to-User Information Element (UUI IE) or by QSIG Manufacturer Specific 
Information (MSI IE), in the ISDN SETUP and DISCONNECT messages. The 
network must also allow User-to-User Information Elements to be transported in 
the first call-clearing message prior to answer, while a call is still in the “call 
proceeding” state. (For more information, see ‘‘
Information Forwarding’’ on page 
3-93.)
With BSR poll calls, the information is forwarded back in the DISCONNECT 
message. In this case the network must support forwarding of UUI in the first call 
clearing message prior to the active state (i.e., while still in the call proceeding 
state).
Private networks can be configured for either QSIG (transport via MSI packaged 
in a codeset 0 Facility IE) or non-QSIG (transport via a codeset 0 UUI IE). 
Currently, public networks do not support QSIG and user data can only be 
transported via the UUI IE when supported by the network. Future public network 
offerings may support QSIG, possibly by Virtual Private Network.
nDEFINITY ECS must support the ISDN country protocol.
nThe network byte limit for user information contents (the user data portion) must 
be large enough to carry the data needed for the customer application.
NOTE:
Some public network providers may require service activation and/or fees 
for user information transport.
nResponse time for ISDN signaling should be fast enough that an entire consider 
series can execute within a single ring cycle.
Enhanced information forwarding has been tested with several major carriers. To find out 
if these capabilities work with your carrier, check with your account team for the most 
current information.
If testing has not been done to verify operation over the public networks involved with the 
preferred specific configuration, use of private ISDN trunking between the nodes should 
be assumed until successful testing has been completed.
How to Administer BSR
BSR administration varies, depending on whether your switch is configured for single- or 
multi-site BSR. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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December 1999
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Single-Site BSR
Multi-Site BSR
Table 3-12. Required Forms for administering single-site BSR
Form Field
System Parameters 
Customer-Options
nG3 Version
nVectoring (G3V4 Advanced Routing)
nVectoring (Best Service Routing)
Feature-Related System 
Parameters 
nAdjunct CMS Release
VDNnBSR Available Agent Strategy
Call VectornComplete a form for each vector that uses BSR 
commands
Table 3-13. Required Forms for administering multi-site BSR
Form Field
System Parameters 
Customer-Options
nG3 Version
nVectoring (Best Service Routing)
nVectoring (G3V4 Advanced Routing)
nLookahead Interflow (LAI)
Feature-Related System 
Parameters 
nAdjunct CMS Release
Trunk Group (ISDN-BRI)1nOutgoing Display
nSupplementary Service Protocol
nUUI Treatment
Trunk Group (ISDN-PRI)nOutgoing Display
nSupplementary Service Protocol
nUUI Treatment
Best Service Routing 
Application Plan
nComplete one form for each BSR application 
						

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Multi-site BSR requires that Look-Ahead Interflow (LAI) be enabled. See ‘‘How to 
Administer Look-Ahead Interflow’’ on page 3-102 for a list of required forms and fields. 
Since BSR can forward information such as VDN name, in-VDN time, and collected 
digits with interflowed calls, also see ‘
‘‘Administering User-to-User Information 
Transport’’ on page 3-94 for instructions.
Detailed Description
To use Best Service Routing on a single switch, you simply use special commands and 
command elements that are part of the DEFINITY ECS call vectoring language. As a 
result, BSR for a single location can be easily added to existing vectors without modifying 
other parts of DEFINITY ECS.
Multi-site applications work similarly, but additional administration is required. Since 
steps in a multi-site BSR vector will contact one or more remote locations, you need to 
define these locations, tell DEFINITY ECS how to contact each one, and set up VDNs and 
vectors to handle communications between the sending switch and each remote switch.
Three VDN/vector pairs must be used in every multi-site BSR application. The Primary 
VDN/vector pair, on the sending switch, contacts the specified remote switches, collects 
information, compares the information, and delivers or queues the call to the resource that 
is likely to provide the best service. Two VDN/vector pairs are needed on each remote 
switch. A Status Poll VDN/vector pair provides information about the best resource at its 
location in response to inquiries from BSR applications on other switches. Finally, an 
Interflow VDN/vector pair is needed to receive and process the calls interflowed from 
BSR applications on other switches.
Call Surplus Situations
Every BSR application compares a set of predetermined resources (splits or skills) and 
selects the “best” resource to service the call. In a call surplus situation (no agents 
available), the best resource is the split or skill with the lowest Expected Wait Time 
(EWT). For purposes of calculating the best resource in a call surplus situation, BSR 
allows you to adjust the EWT figure for any split or skill. The actual EWT for calls in 
queue isn’t changed, of course; only the figure used in the calculations performed by the 
VDNnBSR Application
nBSR Available Agent Strategy
Call VectornComplete a form for each vector (primary, status poll 
and interflow vectors) in a BSR application
1. Settings in the fields Codeset to Send TCM, Lookahead and Send Codeset 6/7 LAI 
IE? on the ISDN trunk forms do not affect BSR.
Table 3-13. Required Forms for administering multi-site BSR — Continued 
Form Field 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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December 1999
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BSR feature is changed. You don’t have to enter adjustments, but the ability to adjust the 
EWT for splits or skills allows you to program preferences in vectors. Because of agent 
expertise, for example, or the availability or cost of tie trunks, you might prefer that some 
resources not service a call unless doing so significantly decreases the call’s time in queue.
Agent Surplus Situations
In an agent surplus situation (one or more agents available to take incoming calls), BSR 
will deliver a new call according to the BSR Available Agent Strategy specified on the 
VDN form. The “best” resource will be the split or skill that meets the criteria defined by 
the strategy you’ve chosen for that VDN. BSR can use any of the five strategies shown in 
the table below to select an agent when agents are available.
The LOA agent selection method is available as an option on DEFINITY ECS R6.3 and 
newer ECSs. For more information on LOA, see ‘‘
Automatic Call Distribution’’ on page 
3-25 or the CentreVu® Advocate User Guide (585-210-927).
When agents are available in one or more of the specified resources, BSR does not 
consider EWT adjustments in selecting an agent for a call.
NOTE:
The BSR Available Agent Strategy assigned to a VDN should match the agent 
selection method used in the splits or skills considered by a BSR application.
Table 3-14. BSR Available Agent Strategies
If BSR Available 
Agent Strategy is 
set to… The call will be delivered to…
1st-foundthe first available agent. BSR will not consider any other 
resources as soon as it finds an available agent.
ucd-miathe agent who has been idle the longest. BSR will compare all the 
splits or skills specified in the vector before delivering the call.
ead-miathe agent with the highest skill level relevant to the call who has 
been idle the longest. BSR will compare all the splits or skills 
specified in the vector before delivering the call.
ucd-loathe least-occupied agent. BSR will compare all the splits or skills 
specified in the vector before delivering the call.
ead-loathe agent with the highest skill level relevant to the call who is the 
least occupied. BSR will compare all the splits or skills specified 
in the vector before delivering the call. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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December 1999
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Vector Commands for Single-Site BSR
The following table shows the vector commands and command elements used in 
single-site BSR applications.
Table 3-15. Vector Commands and Command elements for Single-Site BSR 
Commands and command 
elementsUse this …
Commands
consider split/skillto obtain the Expected Wait Time or agent data needed to 
identify the best local resource. One consider step must be 
written for each split or skill you want to check.1
1. Since the consider command is designed to compare two or more resources, consider commands 
are typically written in sequences of two or more with the sequence terminating in a queue-to best 
step. This set of 
consider commands and a queue-to best step is called a consider series. queue-to
with the best keyword to queue calls to the best resource 
identified by the consider sequence.
checkwith the best keyword to queue calls to the best resource 
identified by the consider sequence if the resource meets certain 
conditions.
Key word
bestin queue-to, check, and goto commands that refer to the resource 
identified as best by a series of consider steps
Conditional
wait-improvedto prevent calls from being queued to an additional split or skill 
when the reduction in Expected Wait Time isn’t enough to be 
useful. “Wait improved” means that a call’s EWT must be 
improved by a specific amount (a figure you specify in seconds) 
over its current EWT or DEFINITY ECS won’t queue it to the 
additional split or skill.
User 
adjustment
adjust-byto specify your preferences for the splits or skills that might 
handle calls in a particular vector. Any time a consider step 
returns EWT for a local split or skill, you can increase this 
value.2 As a result, this split or skill is less likely to service a call 
unless its EWT is significantly shorter than that of any other 
available split or skill.
For example, you may prefer that the main split or skill in a 
vector handle as many calls as possible but want to use another 
split or skill as a backup. You can write the consider step that 
checks the backup split or skill to increase the returned EWT by 
a set amount.
2. Of course, DEFINITY ECS doesn’t increase the actual wait time in a split or skill. It only adjusts EWT 
in the calculations used to identify the “best” split or skill to which to queue a call. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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December 1999
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Vector Commands for Multi-Site BSR
The following table summarizes the vector commands and command elements that 
support multi-site BSR applications.
Table 3-16. Vector Commands and Command Elements for Multi-Site BSR
Commands and command 
elementsUse this…
Commands
consider split/skillto obtain the Expected Wait Time or agent data needed to 
identify the best local resource. One consider step must be 
written for each split or skill you want to check.1
1. Since the consider command is designed to compare two or more resources, consider commands 
are typically written in sequences of two or more with the sequence terminating in a queue-to best 
step. This set of consider commands and a queue-to best step is called a consider series. consider location
to obtain the Expected Wait Time or agent data needed to 
identify the best resource at a remote switch. One consider step 
must be written for each location you want to check. Routing 
information is obtained from the BSR Application plan for the 
active VDN.
reply-bestto return data to another switch in response to a status poll
queue-towith the best keyword to queue calls to the best resource 
identified by the consider sequence.
checkwith the best keyword to queue calls to the best resource 
identified by the consider sequence if the resource meets 
certain conditions.
Key word
bestin queue-to, check, and goto commands that refer to the 
resource identified as best by a series of consider steps
Conditional
wait-improvedto prevent calls from being queued to an additional split or 
skill—local or remote—when the reduction in Expected Wait 
Time isn’t enough to be useful. “Wait improved” means that a 
call’s EWT must be improved by a specific amount (a figure 
you specify in seconds) over its current EWT or DEFINITY 
ECS won’t queue it to the additional split or skill.
User 
adjustment
adjust-bycontrol long-distance costs and limit trunk usage. Any time a 
vector polls a local or remote resource, you can increase the 
EWT returned by that resource by a preset amount.2 You might 
want to set this adjustment to reflect factors such as the 
availability of tie trunks or agent expertise at remote locations.
2. Of course, DEFINITY ECS doesn’t increase the actual wait time in a split or skill. It only adjusts EWT 
in the calculations used to identify the “best” split or skill to which to queue a call. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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Interactions
nAgent Terminal Display
If collected digits are forwarded with an interflowed call, the forwarded digits are 
displayed to the answering agent (unless they’re overridden with newly collected 
digits).
nBest Service Routing (BSR)/LAI
Restrictions and interactions that apply to LAI also apply to BSR status poll and 
interflow calls. See the DEFINITY
® Enterprise Communications Server Call 
Vectoring/EAS Guide (555-230-521) or the ‘‘
Look-Ahead Interflow’’ on page 
3-102 for more information.
nBCMS
BCMS does not report accumulated in-VDN time.
BCMS does not log LAI attempts and therefore will not log BSR status polls, 
which are treated as LAI attempts.
nCall Vectoring
The following considerations apply to ALL vectors when BSR is enabled on your 
switch.
rout e-to VDN: 
If a call is routed to a new VDN, any “best” resource data defined 
by a series of consider steps in the previous VDN will be initialized (cleared)
goto vector:
 If a goto vector command is executed, any “best” resource data 
produced by a series of consider steps in the original VDN will remain with 
the call and can be used in the subsequent vector.
best keyword:
 The best keyword cannot be used as a replacement for split/skill 
in the following vector commands:
— converse-on split/skill
— messaging split/skill
The best keyword can be used in the following commands, but only with the 
conditionals listed:
—goto step or goto vector commands using the expected-wait or 
wait-improved conditionals
—check commands using the using the unconditional, expected-wait, or 
wait-improved conditionals
Consider command:
 Don’t use other commands within a series of consider 
steps, since these may delay the execution of the series. 
Splits or skills used in consider commands must be vector controlled.
Converse command:
 Collected digits forwarded with the call will be passed to 
VRU via the digits data passing type. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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nDirect Department Calling
BSR will function when the considered splits use DDC call distribution. Once the 
best resource is determined, the actual call distribution will follow the split’s DDC 
setting regardless of the BSR Available Agent Strategy. DDC may not be used as a 
BSR Available Agent Strategy.
nExpert Agent Selection
EAS is required to use the EAD-MIA or EAD-LOA Available Agent Strategy. 
EAS VDN skills (1st, 2nd, 3rd) can be used in consider skill commands.
nFacility Restriction Levels
The FRL applies to status poll and interflow calls in the same way it works with 
the route-to number command.
nISDN
Best Service Routing and globally supported information transport are fully 
functional over ISDN PRI or ISDN BRI trunking facilities.
nLucent Distributed Networking via QSIG - Manufacturers Specific Information 
(MSI)
BSR will not function with systems from other vendors (unless that vendor 
develops a corresponding capability that works with DEFINITY ECS).
nMulti-Split/Skill Queuing
A call may be queued up to 3 times by queue-to or check commands in the same 
vector. One vector may therefore contain up to 3 series of consider steps. Each 
series must be followed by a queue-to best step. Each consider series will select the 
best remote resource from the options you specify and queue the call to that 
resource.
BSR can only queue simultaneously on the origin switch. BSR gives up control of 
a call once it queues the call at a remote resource.
nNetwork Access
BSR operates over public, private, or virtual private (for example, SDN) 
ISDN-BRI and -PRI networks that meet the criteria explained in ‘‘
Network 
Requirements for BSR’’ on page 3-47. Best Service Routing requires that the 
network support transport of user-to-user data via MSI or UUI as a codeset 0 
Information Element. The numbers administered on the BSR Application Plan 
form are expected to access VDNs via ISDN trunks.
Administration or call processing will not prevent access to other types of routing 
numbers, but BSR is only intended to support the types of applications described 
in this section. Attempts to use the BSR feature for any other purposes may not 
work.
nOperating Support System Interface (OSSI)
The new administration commands, conditionals, keywords and forms are 
available via OSSI. 
						

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nQSIG
LAI, BSR, and information forwarding function over QSIG trunk facilities if the 
remote locations are the DEFINITY systems. BSR and information forwarding 
require R3V6.3 or later switch software.
nRedirection on No Answer (RONA)
Calls redirected to a VDN by RONA can be subsequently processed and BSR or 
LAI applications. When the RONA feature redirects a call to a VDN, any best 
resource data defined in a previous vector will be initialized (cleared).
nService Observing
You can observe a call in BSR or LAI processing as long as the call is still 
connected through the local DEFINITY ECS. All current restrictions on Service 
Observing still apply.
nTransfer
If a call is transferred to a VDN, any best resource data defined in previous vector 
processing will be initialized (cleared). In fact, transferred calls do not forward any 
of the information that is forwarded with interflows (previously collected digits, 
In-VDN time, etc.).
nTrunk Access Code (TAC)
Use of routing numbers (status poll or interflow) that utilize TACs is not 
recommended since the required in-band outpulsing slows the setup operation 
significantly.
nVDN Override
VDN Override applies to the BSR Application Number and the Available Agent 
Strategy option assigned on the VDN form. It also applies to the VDN name 
forwarded via Information Forwarding. When a consider step is executed, the 
application number and available agent strategy assigned to the active VDN for the 
call will be used.
nVDN Return Destination
The best resource data for a call is initialized when the call first leaves vector 
processing and therefore will not be available should the call return to vector 
processing.
nVu St a t s
No enhancements have been added for BSR. 
						

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Call Management System    
Call Management System (CMS) allows you to collect and monitor ACD facilities and 
personnel. You can create reports on the status of agents, splits, trunks, vectors, and vector 
directory numbers. You can store historical CMS reports or display real-time reports at a 
terminal.
Unlike Basic Call Management System (BCMS), the CMS resides on an adjunct computer 
that connects to the switch via a data link. See Figure 3-1
 for a typical ACD CMS 
configuration.
This section describes how to administer the interface between the DEFINITY ECS and 
the CentreVu CMS. See CentreVu Call Management System Administration 
(585-210-910) for more information on CMS.
How to Administer the DEFINITY/CMS Interface
Table 3-17. Required Forms
Form Field
Feature-Related System ParametersnAdjunct CMS Release
nAutomatic Call Distribution
nACD Log-in Identification Length
nMinimum Agent Login ID
nPassword Length
Processor Interface Data Module (R5si and 
later configurations only)
nAll (for one CMS link)
Processor/Trunk Data Module (PDM)nAll (for one CMS link)
X.25 Data Module (R5r and later 
configurations only)
nAll (for one CMS link)
Processor Channel AssignmentnAll (for one CMS link)
Interface LinksnAll (for one CMS link)
Hunt GroupnMeasured
Trunk Group (All)nMeasured
Vector Directory Number (VDN)nMeasured
Packet Gateway Board (PGATE) (R5r and 
later configurations only)
nAll