17.2.2. Call Queue App

Summary

Used for: Calling a group of users, 1 agent at a time based on a certain criteria
Container: Action
Call Policy: ✔
Data Analytics Policy: ✖

Example(s):

Use case

Be able to route calls to agents depending on who has been idle the longest.

How to do it

1. Add an action container with a call queue app.
2. In the ‘Properties’ tab, add a call group by clicking the + button.
   1. Set the call group = *Natterbox group that will answer the calls*
   2. Distribution Rule = leave as default ‘Longest Idle’
   3. Leave the following as default: Wrap Up Time, Wrap Up Failed Time and Ring Time
3. Do steps 2a-2c for each call group.
4. Optional, you can connect the call to a post call survey or speak app to say a thank you message.

Configuration Details

The Call Queue app provides a call queuing capability for the likes of call center applications, whereby inbound callers are placed into a holding queue, whilst they wait for agents to whom the calls should be connected to become available. The Call Queue app has been designed to incorporate intelligence into the management of call queues, where calls need to be directed to available agents on a prioritised basis using various selection criteria that are most appropriate for the environment.

• Call Queuing is based around the use of Groups, where each group contains a set of agents who are able to take calls. One or more groups must be added (unless configuring for omni-channel), where the agent members of each group are treated equally for dialling.
• Announcements can be configured to be played whilst a caller is waiting in the queue, and these can be rule based if required.
• Call Screening can be enabled here. It enables the Agent that answers a call to hear a whisper announcement when they pick up the call, with an option to accept or reject the call. The whisper is fully configurable and allows macros to be inserted to customise the announcement per call. Call Screening can be enabled on a per call group basis when used on the Call Queues.
• Callback can also be configured here, although it can only be enabled if there are one or more groups configured with Skills Based Routing checked.

Location

The Call Queue app is found in the Action container:

Configuration

The options for this app consist of Name this item and Configure this Item, in which there are 5 tabs available - Groups, Properties, Announcements, Screen and Callback:

Configure This Item

Groups Tab

In order to make the call queue functional, a group must first be added.

• Click the plus box to open a call group dialogue box:
  
  
  
  This group has had the Skill routing is enabled check box checked, which both opens the skills based options below the check box, and enables the Callback functionality to be used once the group has been saved.

To Configure a Group

Call Group

Select from available Call Groups. These are configured in the Groups tab. This specifies which group will receive the calls held in this call queue.

Distribution Rule

Each group needs a Distribution Rule assigned to it. This defines how calls are allocated to each member of the group, by comparing each member’s call handling statistics:

• Longest Idle - selects the agent that has been off the phone (for this call distribution group) for the longest period or the agent that was dialled (but did not answer), the longest time ago.
• Sequential - rings each agent in a sequential manner regardless of whether or not they have answered calls.
• Least Talk - selects the agent that has spent the least number of minutes on the phone.
• Least Calls - selects the agent that has answered the least number of call.
• All Agents - calls all agents at the same time, so whoever picks up the phone first is the agent that received the call.

Wrap Up Time

When an agent is called, they either answer or do not answer. If the agent does answer, then when the agent hangs up the call, the Wrap Up Time is added to the hangup time of the call. Until this period has expired, the Call Queue app does not attempt to call that agent. The Wrap Up Time can be used to allow an agent time to write up a call record into Salesforce before another call is placed to them. Time specified in seconds.

Wrap Up Failed Time

If the agent does not answer when they are called, then the agent record is updated with a Wrap Up Failed Time that indicates when that agent record next becomes eligible for dialling. Time specified in seconds.

Ring Time

How long an agent is called for before moving on to the next agent if the call goes unanswered. Time specified in seconds.

Call Screening is Enabled

Enables Call Screening for this group, configured in the fourth tab.

Call Waiting is Enabled

Enables Call Waiting for this group.

Skill Routing is Enabled

Enables Skills Based Routing for this group, which opens the fields below for configuration. This works with the Request Skills app (if it has been configured in the policy) to select an agent to answer the call depending on their skill levels. Even if Skill Routing is not being used, however, this option must be checked to enable Callback.

Skill Engine

Enabled when the Skill Routing is Enabled check box is checked, this is a choice between Built in and Lua.

Order Algorithm

This is a choice between Sum and Maximum. This allows the app to choose between group members' total scores for all their assigned skills that are applicable to the call, and the highest score for any single skill.

Agents Require all Skills

This checkbox means that any agent to be targeted by the call queue must have all the relevant skills assigned to them within their user settings in the Natterbox Users tab.

To Edit, Delete or Order a Call Target

Once a Group has been added, it can be edited or deleted by clicking the appropriate icon next to that entry. The order can be changed by clicking the up and down arrows (at least two groups must be added to enable ordering) which are greyed out if not available. The order is clarified by the number allocated to that entry under the ↑↓ icon - it is important as this indicates the priority order in which calls are routed to the groups, as follows:

If any agents are available in the first group, then the app attempts to place the call to that agent. If there are no agents available, then the second group is checked for available agents, and so on down the list of groups set here.

Note: an agent may be regarded as busy, even though they are not on the phone, because they may be within their wrap up time period. If this is the case, then a lower priority group may start receiving calls even though it appears that agents in a higher priority group are not receiving calls.

Properties Tab

The Properties tab allows for further configuration pertaining to how the call is handled. After a group has been added, the general properties of the queue should be configured.

This is what the agent will see for a call queue with Auto Answer enabled:

Announcements Tab

Announcements can be configured to enhance the call queue and inform callers.

• Click the Announcements tab and click the plus box to open an announcement dialogue box:
  
  
  
  Note: this image has been switched to Rule Based Announcements. If this is not done, there are only two options, Type (which can be set to sound or TTS) and then a field to specify what that sound or TTS is. These can be added and ordered in the same way, but have no further functionality.
  
  

To Edit, Delete or Order an Announcement

Once an announcement rule has been added, it can be edited or deleted by clicking the appropriate icon next to that entry. The order can be changed for admin clarity purposes by clicking the up and down arrows (at least two announcements must be added to enable ordering) which are greyed out if not available. The order is clarified by the number allocated to that entry under the ↑↓ icon. However, the order does not have any bearing on the order in which these targets are rung - this is purely down to the Seconds to wait before playing sound setting. It is worth noting, however, that announcements will not play over each other, so if two announcements are set with the same time wait, the first one in the list will play first.

Screen Tab

The Screen tab allows for the caller to be played a message that may or may not need an acknowledgement before connecting the call. By default, the Enable Call Screening check box is unchecked. When it is checked, the following options become available:

Callback Tab

The Callback tab allows for the caller to activate a callback whilst they are in the queue - by keying in the activation key, they can then hang up, but keep their place in the queue and be called back by the queue when they reach the point of being connected to an agent.

This tab can only be configured once a group has been added within the Groups tab with the Skill routing is enabled check box checked (even if skills are not being utilised) - until then it has a No Entry sign on it.

By default, the Enable Callback slider box is unchecked. When it is checked, the following options become available:

This tab has had the Access Control List set to Any, and CLI Presentation  = default.

Result

This app is designed to connect the incoming call to an appropriate end point (group member). If it succeeds, the call exits the policy. However, if it does not succeed, after a call has passed through this app, it either

• links to a new container linked from this app - if the caller presses the key to exit the queue (configured in the Properties tab). The counts as triggering the app.
• passes on the the next app within the container or the container itself - if the call times out. This counts as the app not being triggered.

Please note: if the app is triggered but there is no link to a follow up container, the call is hung up as a default.