Sample vectors for retrieve and suspend 

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Introduction

To achieve the full benefits of the messaging software, appropriate coverage paths and criteria must be assigned to your agents to insure that returning retrieved and suspended messages are delivered properly.

Suspended message calls

When an agent suspends a message call, the processing of that message is postponed for a specified period of time. When the suspension timer expires or if a response is received linked to the original customer's request, the messaging software will initiate a call to return the suspended message to the agent. The number called is the Suspend VDN and may be administered per mailbox.

Retrieved message calls

The Retrieve option is used when an agent wants to resume processing of an original message call. The messaging software always attempts to deliver a retrieved message to the agent who used the Retrieve option. A message can be retrieved if it is either in the launched, suspended, blocked, or failed status states, but cannot be retrieved in the closed or active states.

When the messaging software launches either a retrieved or suspended call, it is prepared to support an adjunct route request if asked for in the vector processing. When prompted for an adjunct route, the messaging software will respond with an agent ID of the agent retrieving the message or the agent ID of the agent who suspended the message.

Important!

If another CTI application is monitoring the VDNs used by the messaging software, this other CTI application must not register for adjunct route requests on these VDNs.

Things to know about retrieved and suspended messages

To better understand the recommendations for coverage criteria, here are the assumptions made relative to the handling of message calls:

• Retrieved messages should not go to coverage but should remain queued for the agent who retrieved them.

  This assumes that the agent who initiated the retrieval request wants to resume processing of that message. Between the retrieve request and the actual delivery of the message, the DEFINITY ECS may have delivered another ACD call to the agent. The retrieved message should sit in the agent's queue waiting until service to the other call is completed.

  If you implement such a message-call handling strategy, you must instruct your agents not to log out of the DEFINITY ECS while message calls are queued for them (indicated through lamps on the telephone).

• Suspended messages should cover to a backup skill group if the suspending agent is not currently logged into the DEFINITY ECS.

  One example of the above would be when it is necessary to deliver the suspended message and the agent who suspended a message is out sick or on vacation. To insure that the message is delivered, the coverage criteria for your agents should route such suspended message calls to a backup skills group. The combination of the messaging software and DEFINITY ECS coverage insures that your customer's requests are serviced.

• Suspended messages should not go to coverage but should remain queued for the suspending agent if that agent is logged in to the system.

• You can implement different coverage treatment to live callers using a combination of the sample coverage vectors and by taking advantage of the DEFINITY ECS's ability to apply different coverage criteria for internal and external calls.

• The following are recommended coverage options for internal calls:

  • Active�set to No

  • Busy�set to Yes

  • No Answer�set to Yes with a specified number of rings

  • Coverage Path�one of the sample coverage vectors listed

  With these coverage settings, internal Direct Agent Calling (DAC) calls such as message calls will immediately go to coverage if the agent is not logged in to the system (busy=Y). If the agent is logged in to the system, an internal call will remain queued for the direct agent for the number of rings specified. If the call exceeds the number of rings specified, then the call will go to the coverage path for the agent. This allows retrieved and suspended message calls to wait for a short while until the agent is available.

Sample vectors

The following sample vectors are provided:

In this vector, message calls are routed using an adjunct route step where the messaging software will return the agent ID. If the agent is not logged in to the system, DEFINITY ECS will route the call following the agent's assigned coverage path. In sample 1, the messaging software launches the message call to VDN 2000 which directs message calls to Vector 200. The messaging software is monitoring VDN 2000.

Step 3 of sample 1 consists of link extension 9999. Link extension 9999 is the extension of the ASAI link for which the CentreVu Computer-Telephony server is located. You must set the Class of Restriction (COR) on the adjunct link (in VDN 2000, this is link 9999) and phantom extension to enable direct agent calling.

Vector 200 (VDN 2000)

Vector 200 begins:

1. Go to step 6 if time of day is all 17:00 to all 8:00 (check for business hours)

2. Go to step 6 if time of day is Friday 17:00 to Monday 8:00 (check for business hours)

3. Adjunct route on link extension 9999 (request to Message Care for agent login ID)

4. Wait time 4 seconds hearing silence

5. Route to number 2001 if unconditional (default treatment)

6. Disconnect after announcement none (automatically disconnects message call if outside business hours)

VDN 2001 Vector 201

In this vector, vector processing diverts traditional calls to coverage appropriate for live calls, such as voice mail, and queues the message calls to the agent's backup skill.

In this example, traditional voice calls are diverted using the call prompting feature. This feature will prompt the caller to press 1 if they want to leave a voice mail; if 1 is pressed, the call is directed to the voice mail. If the caller does not press 1, the message call will be queued.

In this example, rotary calls will not be able to leave voice mail and thus will be redirected into the messaging software queue for the first available agent. Rotary callers will not be directed to the live call queue. Also, an interdigit timeout would occur before the rotary callers and the message calls were queued to the message skill.

Vector 300 (VDN 3000)

In this sample, the coverage vector supports both message calls and live calls by prompting to detect a live call.

1. Wait time 0 seconds hearing ringback

2. Collect 1 digit after announcement 3000 (press 1 if you would like to leave a voice mail for the agent)

3. Route to number 5000 if digit = 1 (redirects callers who want to leave voice mail)

4. Route to 1000 (basic skill VDN which checks queue time)

Sample 3 is similar to Sample 2 except that the VDN used for the agent's coverage path or for Redirection on No Answer (RONA) uses the Vector Routing Table capabilities to distinguish between message direct agent calls and traditional direct agent calls. Sample 3 provides better treatment to live callers than the previous example because it enables both rotary and touch-tone callers to leave a message and it avoids the interdigit timeout.

This vector will identify message calls using Automatic Number Identification (ANI) routing along with vector routing tables. The message call extensions used to initiate message calls would be placed in one or more vector routing tables. The number of vector routing tables needed depends upon how many message call extensions have been assigned for use by the messaging software.

In the example below, the message call extensions for the messaging software have been administered in Vector Routing Table 1.

1. Go to step 3 if ANI in table 1 (determines whether the call is a message call)

2. Route to number 5000 if unconditional (diverts traditional calls for alternative treatment)

3. Route to 1000 (queues message calls to the message skill)