Message handling flow process errors 

Introduction

Errors can occur during the message handling flow process.

The following three cases are when an alarm occurs:

For a detailed description of the message handling flow process, see How to process messages.

Error handling process

The following steps describe the errors that can occur in the message handling process:

  1. A customer sends a message to the contact center.

  2. Customer messages arrive in the monitored mailboxes at the contact center.

    2100�Invalid Password error: If the messaging software is denied access to a mailbox due to an invalid password, an error condition will be reported immediately. The messaging software will continue to attempt to access the mailbox.

    If the customer corrects the administered password in the mail system, the messaging software will gain access on the next attempt without the customer having to restart the messaging software.

  3. The messaging software detects the customer's arrived message by polling an administered list of mailboxes at the specified intervals (every 5 minutes is the default).

    Polling Interval error: the messaging software polls each mailbox at specified intervals. This means that there is a minimum of the specified interval from the start of one polling cycle to the start of the next polling cycle. If the polling cycle takes longer than the specified interval (for example, too many messages to process), then the next polling cycle starts as soon as the last one ends. In this last case, the messaging software logs an error.

    The messaging software continues to poll a mailbox at the specified interval even if polling failures occur. An error is recorded each time a polling failure occurs.

    You should periodically check the errors. If there are too many of these errors, you may have a performance problem on your system.

  4. The messaging software copies the message into an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) database.

  5. The messaging software automatically sends an acknowledgment (if Auto Acknowledgment is administered) to the customer, indicating that the message has arrived, and provides its tracking number.

    Auto-Acknowledgment Text File Not Found error: if the administered text file for an auto acknowledgment message is not found, no acknowledgment will be sent and an error will be logged. The error event will identify the receiving mailbox.

    Auto-Acknowledgment Delivery Failure error: an error will be generated if Auto-Acknowledgment Delivery Failure is unable to deliver an auto-acknowledgment to the SMTP server for delivery. The error will identify the message through its tracking number. Message processing will continue even if the auto-acknowledgment cannot be sent.

    The messaging software gives up after a period of time in its attempt to send an auto-acknowledgment to the SMTP server, logs the error, and continues to deliver the message to the agent.

    Failure to Submit a Message to the SMTP Server error: the messaging software waits to submit a message for delivery to the SMTP server. Then, if the message cannot be submitted, the messaging software informs the agent that the message submission failed and records an error in the error log.

  6. The messaging software initiates a call to the DEFINITY ECS, using the Vector Directory Number (VDN) administered for the receiving mailbox. If incoming messages exceed the administered system resources to launch message calls, the messaging software holds the messages in the Overflowed state and initiates calls for them as resources become available.

    Message Call Routed Off the DEFINITY error: a message's status is set to failed if three consecutive message calls relative to the same message are routed to an invalid VDN (either not administered or are off the DEFINITY ECS serviced by the CentreVu Computer Telephony server).

    Any time a message call is routed to an invalid VDN, the messaging software will release the message call.

    In this case, the messaging software has no information about the destination station, nor can it deliver a message to an agent or person on its native switch. Therefore, the messaging software releases the phantom call and attempts a call retry. After three unsuccessful retries, the messaging software will register the message as a failed message.

    Calls may be routed off the DEFINITY ECS either when the call attempt is first made or when an agent decides to transfer the message call.

    The error log will record the called number and any ASAI-provided digits associated with the call.

  7. CentreVu CMS begins tracking the message when the DEFINITY ECS launches the phantom call, using its assigned VDN.

  8. The DEFINITY ECS selects an available agent according to the vector associated with the assigned VDN, and sends the phantom call to the agent's telephone. When the agent answers the call, the CentreVu CT sends a call-answered notification to the messaging software.

    The following two errors may occur:

    • Dialed Number Not Valid error�this is a non-recoverable delivery failure.

    • Call Answered and Dropped by an Agent Not Logged In error�if an agent is logged in to the DEFINITY ECS but not logged in to the messaging software, a message call will be delivered to the agent, but no PagePop will appear.

      The agent should then log in to the messaging software. The messaging software will retry the message call delivery, increment the retry counter, and place the message in the overflow message state.

      When a message call is answered by an agent not logged in to the messaging software, the history log will record the extension, and agent ID if available.

  9. When the messaging software receives the call-answered notification, it delivers the message to the agent through a PagePop:

    1. The messaging software supplies the agent's browser with the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the received customer's message. This URL calls a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script.

      Invalid URL error: if the customer-administered URL, for either Display or View, is invalid, the agent receives an error indication. If the URL is incorrectly administered to an invalid entry, the browser displays the error message to the agent. One example of such an error message is �The requested object does not exist on this server. The link you followed is either outdated, inaccurate, or the server has been instructed not to let you have it.� Other displayed errors include �Error 404.� If this occurs during message processing, the agent should probably drop the message call through the voice terminal or the Agent Control Window. The messaging software will process the message as if a message-enabled agent dropped a message call without a reason code. The message call will be retried at a later time.

      If an agent receives a message call with an invalid URL, the agent should be instructed to alert the supervisor. A VDN of origin announcement may help the agent identify the mailbox with the invalid URL.

    2. The messaging software supplies parameters to the CGI script, specifying the message components to display. This script then accesses the ODBC database of messages, retrieves that set of components from the customer's message, and dynamically generates a Web page.

    3. If the message includes attached files, such as a fax image, the messaging software lists the attachments. Helper applications administered in the agent's browser provide access to these attachments.

      The customer must provide the appropriate helper applications for each agent, based on the types of messages that agents are expected to receive. For instance, agents who process faxes must have a helper application for viewing and handling faxes.

    4. The agent handles the message, using the processing options supplied on the Web page, one of which allows the agent to suspend processing of a message for a specified period of time.

      This option can free an agent to handle more urgent matters, such as increased volume in real-time calls. It is also useful when the agent is waiting for information from a subject-matter expert.

      If the agent does not manually retrieve the suspended message within the specified period of time, the messaging software returns the message through a call. The customer should set up a coverage vector to handle cases when the suspension timer expires and the agent is not logged in to the messaging system, or disregards the message call. This way, the customer need not rely on the agent to remember to retrieve the suspended message; the messaging software handles it automatically. See Sample vectors for retrieve and suspend.

  10. The messaging software submits the agent's reply for delivery by a mail server, using SMTP protocols. It also stores a copy of the reply in the message database, linked to the original incoming message.

    The agent marks the disposition of the message on the Web form, according to a set of closure codes administered, and the messaging software releases the call.

    Call Dropped without a Completion Code error: if after waiting to receive an agent notification, no completion code is marked, the following is recorded:

    • The DEFINITY ECS extension where the call was delivered

    • The agent ID (if available)

    • The called number

    • Any ASAI digits associated with the call

    • Any error conditions received from DEFINITY ECS, including any J-TAPI provided proprietary data.

  11. The following two errors can occur when the agent attempts to retrieve a message

    • No facilities Are Available to Retrieve a Message error: if an agent requests a message retrieval and no facilities are available to launch a message call, the messaging software records the event in the message history and increments the retry counter. The message is then placed at the top of the overflow queue.

    • No Number to Call for a Retrieve Request error: if an agent requests a message retrieval and no VDN has been defined to call, the messaging software records the error and alerts the agent of the error condition.

   


Copyright © 2001
Avaya Inc.
All rights reserved.
Modified: March 19, 2001