Guest kontoreXpress Report post Posted 12/20/2003 05:01 PM Hello we need to further invest in our call center hardware and software with VoiceGuide in the heart of it. For that purpose, we purchased a Dialogic D/120JCT in addition to the 2 D/4PCIs we have. We also need to buy new phone lines and upgrade our PBX: we're looking at "Alcatel OmniPCX Office" ( http://www.alcatel.com/enterprise/smb/omni...pages/voice.htm ) as well as a locally manufactured PBX system by the name "Telesis". We accept all incoming calls with VG, and if the caller needs to transfer to live-agents, VG performs a blind transfer to Customer Care's pilot number. There are 4 seats at our customer service, all placed under this pilot number. If all 4 agents are talking to other customers then this pilot number will ring busy. In that case I need to hold the customer on the line until one of the agents hangs up, is available again and transfer to this agent immediately. Local reps of Alcatel doubt OmniPCX can hold the 5th caller on the line and transfer once one of the 4 agents becomes available. They say "usually IVRs do that". Any recommendations in this matter ? Also, does anybody out there have experience with Alcatel OmniPCX ? Thanks!! == LEVENT == Share this post Link to post
SupportTeam Report post Posted 12/21/2003 01:59 AM Local reps of Alcatel doubt OmniPCX can hold the 5th caller on the line and transfer once one of the 4 agents becomes available. They say "usually IVRs do that". A more correct statement would be "Usually ACDs do that"... but with a bit of work VoiceGuide can be made to implement an ACD system... ACD stands for "Automated Call Distribution" and are designed to deliver a call to the "right agent". ACD systems usually choose the "right agent" based on: - 'skills' that each agent has (a database holds info on what type of calls can each agent handle) - how long each of the free agents been 'free' - how many calls have the free agents taken recently.. - etc ACD system also integrate with the PBX to find out when an agent becomes free - ie: when they put the handset back on the hook... so that the can send another call to the agent immediately afterwards... In your case it sounds like the ACD you need is fairly straightforward one - you just needs calls to be on hold until any of the agents becomes free... So the question basically is: how can you tell if an agent is available and how can you tell you that an agent has become free? Each PBX has their own way of making this information available - either by sending the information about the activity of the agent's handsets (on-hook, off-hook, etc) over a serial link, or IP socket. A small VB Script can listen to this information and then supply info to VoiceGuide to let it know what to do with the call... ie: If all agents are busy VG would just play an on-hold message and continue to ask the small app which listens for messages from the PBX as the whether it's OK now to transfer the call or not... If you can provide us with details of how the OmniPCX supplies this Integration information (usually called CTI-link information (Computer Telephony Integration)) then we can supply you with a small VB Script app which can use this info to keep track of which agent is available and then make this info available to VG... Also: If a call has been on hold for a longer time then VG could just send the call to a voicemail box... The 'send-to-voicemail' option is also widely used in small call centers - most PBXs can be set up so that if all extensions attached to a pilot number are busy then instead of playing busy on the line the PBX just transfers a call to another extension - and that extension can be plugged into the VG post which just asks caller to leave message... In summary: ACD systems usually need to be customized depending on the hardware used and users requirements - that's why so many of them are so expensive, but you can quite easily implement one using VG is you know how to put together the small script / application which listens to what the PBX is telling us about what is happening with the extensions in the call center... If you can supply us with the specs for the PBX's CTI link then we will help you to create this app... Share this post Link to post
Guest kontoreXpress Report post Posted 12/23/2003 04:59 PM Hello, attached please find the only doc I was able to obtain from Alcatel on CTI... I hope you can dig out the info you asked for from this. Thanks a lot ! == LEVENT == CTI_CSTA.doc Share this post Link to post
SupportTeam Report post Posted 12/23/2003 10:54 PM Looks like the PBX will support CSTA type control/monitoring over the IP link - this is easy to set up, but well need a bit more info on the exact message formats which the PBX uses. Can you ask the PBX supplier to provide you with demos of CSTA applications which can be used with the PBX, or sample transcripts of CSTA communications with this PBX? The .Doc supplied is not formatted very well and that makes it hard to read.. - is there a PDF file version? Share this post Link to post
Guest kontoreXpress Report post Posted 01/02/2004 10:08 PM An update on the topic: it turns out, the CTI module of Alcatel OXO is twice more expensive than the PBX itself. So that's out of the question. Somehow I'd like the PBX do this anyway, rather than VG... But unlike what they said in the beginning they now say the PBX can hold the line until one of the agents frees up. We'll test this, and I'll post another update then. Great sales for all in 2004 ! == LEVENT == Share this post Link to post
