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

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    							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
    Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
    December 1999
    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-31 ACD Measurement 
    1
    Things to Know Before You Start
    The CentreVu CMS ACD Status window (see CentreVu Call Management System Release 
    3 Version 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 link to CentreVu CMS and losing 
    CentreVu CMS data.
    Measurement of the DEFINITY ECS and 
    DEFINITY G3 ACD
    For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches, individual splits and trunk groups are 
    assigned to CentreVu 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 CentreVu CMS Data 
    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.
    Hold, Conference, and Transfer
    For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 switches, 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.
    Multiple Call Handling (MCH)
    The DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 Version 4 switch have options to the Multiple Call 
    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. 
    						
    							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
    Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
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    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-32 ACD Measurement 
    1
    For the DEFINITY ECS and Generic 3 Version 3 and later switches 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 for 5 minutes 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.
    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 the 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/skills 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 measured by CentreVu CMS, an 
    inflow call to a split/skill may not show a corresponding outflow from another split/skill.
    If an intraflowed/interflowed call connects to an agent in the destination split/skill, that 
    call is counted as an ACD call for the split/skill.
    Table 1-2.
    ECS/Switch On Request Forced
    DEFINITY ECS R5 G3vs/si yes yes
    G3si+M yes yes
    G3r yes yes 
    						
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    1-33 ACD Measurement 
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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 established using 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 Vectoring feature, intraflow and interflow work differently, and 
    CentreVu 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, 
    CentreVu 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. 
    Also, NOANSREDIR is incremented for the split/skill and the VDN. For Release 3 
    Version 2 and later of CMS, the database item NOANSREDIR 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
    CentreVu 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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    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-34 ACD Measurement 
    1
    Move Agent While Staffed
    G3V4 and later switch releases support moving a staffed agent between splits or changing 
    the skill assignments for staffed agents. If the agent has any call on the voice terminal 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 changing out 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 change 
    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
    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/split 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. 
    						
    							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
    Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
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    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-35 ACD Measurement 
    1
    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 available agent strategy. 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
     Conversant) and 
    multiple sites. The UCID may then be used to group all the data from various sources 
    about a particular call.
    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.
    CentreVu 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:
    nSkill 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.
    nReserve 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”. 
    						
    							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
    Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
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    1-36 ACD Measurement 
    1
    nAgent 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.
    nAgent 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. Backup, Roving, or Reserve 1 or 2 agents track 0% 
    of their non-ACD time toward this skill.
    nAgent 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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    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-37 Exercise 1 — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) 
    1
    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 splits/skills 
    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 splits/skills 
    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 agents 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 standard calls and/or special purpose 
    calls from one or more trunk groups are referred to as ______________________. 
    						
    							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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    1-38 Exercise 1 Evaluation — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) 
    1
    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 splits/skills 
    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 splits/skills 
    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 agents 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)_.
    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 standard calls and/or special purpose 
    calls from one or more trunk groups are referred to as __split________________. 
    						
    							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
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    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-39 Exercise 2 — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) 
    1
    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 splits/skills 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
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    Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Basics — Overview and Exercises 
    1-40 Exercise 2 Evaluation — Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) 
    1
    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 splits/skills queue from which calls are taken first is Priority 
    queue.
    5. A feature used to train new agents and observe in-progress calls is Service 
    observing.
    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. 
    						
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