Day Clock synchronization feature.
● Appendix A: Recorded announcementson page 363 – Describes the use and requirements around using recorded announcements in a call center environment.
● Appendix B: Administering VRUs/IVRs as station portson page 377 – Provides information on how to administer VRUs and IVRs as station ports on the switch.
Intended audience
This document is intended for switch system administrators and managers, end-users interested in information about specific features, and Avaya support personnel responsible for planning, designing, configuring, selling, and supporting the system.
Related documents
The following documents may include information related to the ACD feature.
Administration documents
The primary audience for these documents consists of switch administrators who work for external customers and for Avaya’s dealers. The satisfaction and needs of our external customers is the primary focus for the documentation.
● Administrator Guide for Avaya MultiVantage Software, 555-233-506 – Provides
complete step-by-step procedures for administering the switch, plus feature descriptions and reference information for administration screens and commands.
Related documents
problems, reading alarms and errors, using features to troubleshoot your system, and contacting Avaya.
● Overview for Avaya MultiVantage Software, 555-233-767 – Provides a brief description of MultiVantage features.
● Reports for Avaya MultiVantage Software, 555-233-505 – Provides detailed descriptions of the measurement, status, security, and recent change history reports available in the system and is intended for administrators who validate traffic reports and evaluate system performance. Includes corrective actions for potential problems.
● Avaya MultiVantage/Definity Hardware Solutions Guide, 555-233-200 – Provides hardware descriptions, system parameters, lists of hardware required to use features, system configurations, and environmental requirements.
Call center documents
These documents are issued for Avaya Call Center applications. The intended audience is call center administrators.
● Avaya MultiVantage Call Center Software – Call Vectoring and EAS Guide,
555-230-521 – Provides information on how to write, use, and troubleshoot vectors, which are command sequences that process telephone calls in an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) environment.
● Avaya MultiVantage Call Center Software – Guide to ACD Call Center, 555-230-716 – Provides feature descriptions and some implementation guidance for call center features.
● Avaya CMS Switch Connections, Administration and Troubleshooting, 585-215-876 – Contains switch-to-CMS hardware connection diagrams and procedures to administer the switch-to-CMS link on the switch. It does not contain the administration of the CMS, Avaya MultiVantage Call Center Software Basic Call Management System (BCMS) Operations, 555-230-706 – Provides information on the use of the BCMS feature for ACD reporting.
Avaya MultiVantage Call Center Software – Call Vectoring Guide for BCS and Guestworks, 555-230-715 – Provides information on how to write, use, and troubleshoot vectors on the BCS and Guestworks systems.
How to get help
For those times when you need additional help, the following help services are available.
You may need to purchase an extended service agreement to use some of these help services. See your Avaya representative for more information.
● Avaya Centers of Excellence
— Asia/Pacific 65-872-8686
— Western Europe/Middle East/South Africa 441-252-391-889
— Central/Eastern Europe 361-270-5160
— Central/Latin America/Caribbean 1-303-538-4666
— North America 1-800-248-1111
● MultiVantage Helpline 1-800-225-7585
● Avaya Toll Fraud Intervention 1-800-643-2353
● Avaya National Customer Care Center Support Line 1-800-242-2121
● Avaya Corporate Security 1-800-822-9009
Chapter 1: Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) basics
This chapter gives an overview of the Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) feature, and addresses ACD terminology, switches and switch features, how the ACD processes calls, split queues, distributing and handling calls, and the ACD and call management systems.
● ACD terminology defines common terms that are used throughout this book.
● The Switches and Switch Features section defines switches and ACDs and explains how the following features work: trunks, trunk groups, and extensions; automatic-in processing; switch attendant; and Direct Inward Dialing (DID) processing.
● The What the ACD does section discusses how the ACD uses Automatic-in and Direct Inward Dialing (DID) to process calls.
● Split Queues defines a split queue and explains how to set up call processing to a split, including announcements for calls in a split queue; answer supervision and abandoned calls, intraflow and interflow, and night service for the ECS and Generic 3.
● Distributing and Handling Calls describes how calls are distributed to agents and how agents handle the calls. It also defines the split supervisor telephone buttons.
● ACD and call management systems — CMS and BCMS describes how CMS collects measured data on splits/skills, extensions, trunks, trunk groups, VDNs, and vectors.
This section also includes switch features that affect CMS data, such as Hold, Conference, Transfer, Multiple Call Handling, and so forth.
Category A versus Category B
The ACD feature is available with switches that are sized differently and allow for different features to be implemented. These differences fall into two categories:
● Category A — allows for all ACD-related features to be implemented, according to what the customer purchases. Category A supports the CMS and CAS adjuncts.
● Category B — includes the Avaya BCS and GuestWorks switches. Category B allows for all basic ACD-related features to be implemented, excluding EAS, Avaya Business Advocate, and Avaya CMS Supervisor. Category B does not support the CMS and CAS adjuncts.
ACD terminology
The following terms provide general familiarity with the ACD environment.
Agent An agent is a person assigned to one or more splits/skills and handles calls to/from an extension in those splits/skills.
Agent In Multiple Splits/Skills
Depending on the ACD software, an agent can be a member of multiple splits/skills.
Agent State
Agent state is a term or code that represents the current availability status of an agent. The term agent state also represents a user ability to change an agent’s availability within the system.
Announcements
An announcement is a pre-recorded message delivered to a caller in queue requesting the caller to remain on-line, prompting the caller for information or directing the caller to another destination. When a call is in queue, depending on the length of time in queue, an automatic recording can encourage the caller to hang on, call back later, call another number, leave a message or can be used with call prompting to direct the caller to specific destinations. These
announcements can be scheduled to occur periodically.
CAS
Centralized Attendant Service.
CAS is a system feature used when more than one switch is employed. CAS is an attendant or group of attendants that handles the calls for all switches in that particular network.
Available only with Category A.
CMS
Call Management System.
CMS is an adjunct (basic software package or optional enhanced software package) that collects call data from a switch resident ACD. CMS provides call management performance recording and reporting. It can also be used to perform some ACD administration. CMS allows users to determine how well their customers are being served and how efficient their call management operation is.
Available only with Category A.
Call Prompting
Call Prompting is a call management method that uses specialized call vector commands to provide flexible handling of incoming calls based on information collected from the caller. One example would be where the caller receives an announcement and is then prompted to select (via dialed number selection) a department or an option that was listed in the announcement.
Call Vectoring
Call Vectoring is an optional software package that allows processing of incoming calls according to a programmed set of commands. Call Vectoring provides a flexible service allowing direct calls to specific and/or unique call treatments.
Avaya Business Advocate
Avaya Business Advocate is a collection of ECS features that provide new flexibility in the way a call is selected for an agent in a call surplus situation and in the way that an agent is selected for a call in an agent surplus situation.
Advocate also includes methods for automating staffing adjustments.
Available only with Category A.
DID
Direct Inward Dialing.
DID is a process involving calls coming into the switch from the CO. The switch than routes the calls directly to the appropriate extension (as identified by the last four digits).
DNIS
Dialed Number Identification Service.
DNIS is a feature of the 800 number service that sends the dialed digits to the called destination. This can be used with a display telephone to indicate the type of call to an agent. For example, the call by its destination can be classified as a certain type of call or caller (e.g., a Gold Card caller) depending on a product or service the destination number is associated with.
EAS
Expert Agent Selection.
An optional feature available with G2.2 and newer switches that uses Call Vectoring and ACD in the switch to route incoming calls to the correct agent on the first try based on skills.
Available only with Category A.
Extensions
Telephones connected to a PBX/switch via telephone lines are referred as extensions. Extensions is also the term used to define the numbers used to identify the telephone to the PBX/switch software for call routing purposes.
Hunt Groups A group of trunks/agents selected to work together to provide specific routing of special purpose calls.
Interflow
Interflow is used when a split’s/skill’s queue is heavily loaded or when a call arrives after normal work hours.
Interflow redirects a call to a destination outside the local switch network (a different switch system).
Intraflow
Intraflow is used when a split’s/skill’s queue is heavily loaded or when a call arrives after normal work hours. Intraflow involves redirecting a call to a destination within the local switch network (the same switch system).
LAI
Look Ahead Interflow.
LAI allows users to balance the call work load between multiple call centers on separate switching systems. LAI uses ISDN to allow multiple switches to communicate and interflow when appropriate.
Available only with Category A.
Leave Word Calling
Leave Word Calling is a system feature that allows messages to be stored for any ACD split/skill and allows for retrieval by a covering user of that split/skill or a system wide message retriever.
MCT
Malicious Call Trace.
MCT allows an agent to notify a predefined party a malicious caller is on the line.
It also involves enabling a recording device to record the call.
Night Service
Night Service is used when a call arrives after normal work hours. The call can be redirected to another destination such as another split/skill, an extension, the attendant, an announcement with forced disconnect, or a message center. Night Service can take one of three forms:
— Hunt Group (Split/Skill) Night Service
— Trunk Group Night Service
— System Night Service
Priority Queue The priority queue is a segment of a split's/skill's queue from which calls are taken first.
QDN
Queue Directory Number.
QDN is an associated extension number of a split. It is not normally dialed to reach a split. The split can be accessed by dialing the QDN. The QDN is also referred to as a split group extension.
Queues
(split/skill and/or
If calls cannot be answered immediately, they are routed to a call collection point (split/skill queue or attendant queue) where calls are held until a split/skill agent or attendant can answer them. Calls are ordered as they arrive and they are
Split A group of extensions/agents that can receive standard calls and/or special purpose calls from one or more trunk groups.
Split/Skill Administration
Split/Skill administration is the ability to assign, monitor, or move agents to specific splits/skills. It also involves changing reporting parameters within the system.
Split/Skill Supervisor
A split/skill supervisor is assigned to monitor/manage each split/skill and split/skill queue to accomplish specific split/skill objectives. A supervisor can assist agents on ACD calls, be involved in agent training, and control call intra/interflow.
Threshold
A threshold is a point in time or criteria that determines a certain action by the system. For example, the number of calls in queue or the time calls spend in queue determines specific call treatments, or you can set the number of rings prior to announcements or call answers.
Trunk/Trunk Group
Trunks are communication channels between two switching systems or offices.
Trunks grouped together to provide identical communications characteristics are called trunk groups. Trunks within trunk groups can be used interchangeably between two communications systems or central offices in order to provide multi-access capability.
Trunk state A term or code that represents the current status of a particular trunk.
Switches and switch features
This section defines switches and ACDs and explains how they work. The section contains the following topics:
● Trunks, trunk groups, and extensions
● Automatic-in processing definition
● The attendant
● Switch with attendant and extensions
● Direct Inward Dialing processing with an example
● Automatic-in processing of ACD calls
● DID processing of ACD calls
● Call processing on an ACD switch.
What a switch does
A switch is an electronic device that processes incoming, outgoing, and internal calls and connects them to the proper destinations. The telephone company switch in your local area is called a Central Office (CO). A switch owned by a company or organization
processes incoming, outgoing, and internal calls. Throughout this chapter, the term switch is used to refer to a company or organization’s switch.
Trunks, trunk groups, and extensions
Incoming calls to a company first pass through the CO. The CO sends calls to the company switch over trunks (telephone lines that carry calls between two switches, between a CO and a switch, or between a CO and a phone).
The CO receives dialed digits from the caller, processes the digits, and seizes a trunk that is assigned those digits. After the CO seizes a trunk, it sends a continuing transmission to the destination phone or switch, and no other calls can be sent over that trunk until the
Switches and switch features
The switches previously listed, in addition to connecting incoming calls to the proper destinations, are also like private COs for company employees. Employee phones are connected to a switch by telephone lines called extensions. Extensions are then assigned numbers, and these numbers become the employee phone numbers for internal (intra-company) calls.
Automatic-in processing
Automatic-in processing is one type of call processing. With automatic-in processing, the CO processes all of the digits of an incoming call. The CO then seizes a trunk from the trunk group, but since processing is complete, the call connects directly to a destination identified in the switch software. That destination can be a phone, a queue (in which callers wait to be answered in the order in which their call was received), or special treatment like an announcement.
Switch attendant
Incoming calls can also go to a switch attendant. A switch attendant is a person who manually routes calls to their proper destinations using an attendant console (which is like a call switchboard). Normally an attendant serves as an internal operator who transfers calls to the proper extensions. Often, a switch will have more than one attendant, and all of the switch’s attendants will answer calls directed to the attendant queue, which holds calls until an attendant is available. The attendant queue receives internal calls made from employee extensions, and also receives incoming calls through DID processing and automatic-in processing. Attendant call handling varies, depending on the company’s needs. However, if the attendant has an automatic-in number, it will normally be the number published in the phone book, and the DID number will most likely be used by off-site employees who know only the attendant’s extension number.
Centralized Attendant Service (CAS) is a switch feature that enables attendants to be consolidated at one private-network location. The attended location is called the CAS main and each unattended location is called a CAS branch. At branch locations, calls requiring attendant services route by way of Release Link Trunks to the main location.
Direct inward dialing processing
With Direct Inward Dialing (DID) processing, incoming trunks do not connect the CO directly to an employee’s phone; instead, the incoming trunks are pooled by the switch, and this pool of trunks is then shared by employee phones. Extension numbers may serve as the final digits of employee phone numbers for incoming calls. That is the CO may assign a 2- 3- or 4- digit prefix to a trunk group. Then, when a 7-digit employee phone number is dialed, the call is processed as follows:
1. The CO processes the prefix of the dialed number, and then seizes a trunk in the trunk group that is assigned that prefix.
2. The CO passes the remaining digits of the dialed number to the switch.
3. The switch recognizes the remaining digits as an employee extension number and sends the call to that extension.
DID processing example
As an example of DID processing, say that Employee A has the external phone number 538-1000 and the extension number 1000. Employee B has the phone number 538-9999 and the extension number 9999.
The steps in completing calls to Employees A and B might be as follows:
1. Employee A’s client dials 538-1000.
2. The CO serving Employee A’s company identifies the digits 538 (the common prefix for all phone numbers to that company) and seizes Trunk 1 in the trunk group assigned the digits 538.
3. The CO passes the digits 1000 to the switch at Employee A’s company.
4. The switch identifies the digits 1000 as Employee A’s extension number and sends the call to Employee A’s extension.
5. Employee A’s phone rings and Employee A answers.
6. Meanwhile, Employee B’s client dials 538-9999.
7. The CO identifies the digits 538 and seizes Trunk 2 in the trunk group assigned the digits 538.
8. The CO passes the digits 9999 to the switch.
9. The switch identifies the digits 9999 as Employee B’s extension number and sends the call to Employee B’s extension.
10. Employee B’s phone rings and Employee B answers.
While Employees A and B continue to talk, Trunks 1 and 2 in the 538 trunk group will not accept any more calls, so another call beginning with the digits 538 will seize yet another trunk in the trunk group.
What the ACD does
What the ACD does
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is a switch software feature that processes high-volume incoming, outgoing, and internal calls and distributes them to groups of extensions called hunt groups or splits. The switch also sends information about the operation of the ACD to the CMS which stores and formats the data and produces real-time and historical reports on ACD activity. For more detailed information about ACD, read the feature description in the product documentation that came with your switch.
ACD is used by a call center to route incoming calls to specifically assigned splits/skills and agents. ACD allows a system administrator to create an efficient call management
environment. This administrator can add or remove splits/skills from the system, add or remove announcements, add or remove agents, add trunk groups and route calls to the appropriate splits/skills. The administrator can also specify ACD measurement criteria and use an optional CMS package to provide reports on ACD efficiency.
Things to know before you start
A voice response port or a person who answers ACD calls is called an agent. Companies that operate high-volume call-answering centers, for example, a catalogue sales center, a reservations center, or a customer service center, use the ACD feature to process
incoming calls and distribute them to agents. In addition to agents, each ACD split can be
incoming calls and distribute them to agents. In addition to agents, each ACD split can be