Call Center Agent – Intro to Call Centers

Introduction

Call Center is a carrier-class communications management product fully integrated to provide advanced Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) capability.

Call Center delivers the following real benefits to users:

• Efficient call handling and ACD state management by Call Center agents.
• Integration of online directories with click-to-dial capability.
• Real-time monitoring of agent and queue activity by Call Center supervisors.
• Historical reporting of agent and queue activity by Call Center supervisors.

Note: You need to have credentials to the Admin Portal or the Supervisor version of the Call Center Client to receive the Call Center Supervisor features.

Getting Started

Call Center is accessible using your web portal or web browser. The sign-in procedure is the same for agents and supervisors.

Note: The minimum screen resolution required for the Call Center is 1024 x 768 pixels. Call Center does not support logging in as different users from the same machine at the same time.

Launch Call Center Application

1. Log in to your Calling User Portal.
2. From the My Apps tab, select the Call Center button.
3. Enter your Calling User Portal user ID and password.



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4. Check Stay signed in to instruct the client to automatically reconnect and sign in to the server when it detects a network connection. This should generally be enabled to help mitigate intermittent internet connections. When disabled, the client signs out the user when the connection is lost.

Note: To add a bookmark to this page in your browser, click Bookmark this page and follow the instructions of your browser.

5. Click Sign In. Call Center starts and you are signed in.

Get Help

Call Center provides you with online access to a portable document format (PDF) version of this guide.

• To access the document, click the Help link in the top right-hand side of the main interface.

Sign Out

1. To sign out of Call Center, click Sign Out at the top right-hand side of the main interface.

If you are the last agent to sign out of a call center, a message appears, providing the details of queues in which you are the last agent to sign out and asking you to confirm that you want to sign out.

Note: This functionality is not available when you close the application using the browser’s Close button or when you refresh (F5) the browser.

2. To stay signed in, click No. You are returned to the application. OR to continue signing out, click Yes.
   • A message appears asking whether you would like to save your current workspace.
   • To save your current workspace, click Yes. This allows you to retain the same interface set up at your next session. For information about the elements of the Call Center workspace that can be customized and retained between sessions, see Set Up Call Center.
3. When you sign in to Call Center for the first time, it is recommended that you configure the following settings:
   • Configure the queues you want to join on sign-in.
   • Configure your post-sign-in and post-call ACD states.

For more information about the settings, you can configure in Call Center, see the Call Center Settings – Agent article.

Change Your ACD State

At the top right-hand side of the main window, click the ACD states box and select your ACD state from the drop-down list.

To change your ACD state, click the drop-down menu and choose from one of the following ACD states:

• Available – This indicates the agent is at their workstation and ready to take a call.
• Unavailable – This indicates the agent is away from their desk. This should be used to indicate when the agent is on a break, at lunch, in a meeting, etc.
• Wrap-Up – This indicates the agent state is designed to allow the agent to complete paperwork or other post-call procedures associated with the last call. Calls may be delivered to agents in Wrap-Up state depending on the call center configuration.

Enable Or Disable Services

You can use the following services in Call Center: Call Forwarding Always, and Do Not Disturb, provided that your administrator has assigned the services to you.

To enable or disable Do Not Disturb or Call Forwarding Always:

1. At the top right-hand corner of the main page, click Settings. The Settings page appears.
2. Click Services.



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3. On the Services page that appears, select the service you want to enable or disable, and check or uncheck the Active box.
4. If you checked the Active box for the Call Forwarding Always service, in the Forward To text box, enter the phone number to forward your call to. Also, check the Ring Splash box if you would like to be notified by a short ring to let you know a call came in and was forwarded.
5. Click Save.

Exploring the Workspace

When you sign in to Call Center, the main page appears where you perform most of your call management or monitoring tasks. In addition, the main page provides links to other pages and windows of Call Center where you change other Call Center settings.

Most call center controls are context-based, which means that they appear only when the action they represent can be taken. Context-based controls that allow you to take action on calls are called action buttons. For the list of controls available in Call Center, see the Controls section. The action buttons are described in the Call Action Buttons section.

The Call Center interface contains the following elements:

Interface Element	Description
Logo Pane	Located at the top of the main interface, the Logo pane displays global messages, information about the logged user, and links to other Call Center interface elements and functions.
Call Console	The Call Console is where you manage your current calls.
Contacts Pane	The Contacts pane contains your contact directories and allows you to manage your contacts and use contacts to make calls or take actions, such as transfer to contact or queue, on existing calls.
Settings Page	The Settings pages, accessible from the main page via the Settings link, allow you to configure various user-level and application settings.
Dashboard	The Dashboard is a shortcut view to active calls in the call center.

Logo Pane

The Call Center’s main window interface contains a logo pane that displays the Call Center client or company logo, global messages, links to other interface elements or Call Center functions, and information about the logged-in user.

Global Message Area

The Global Message Area, that is, the center area of the Logo pane, is used by Call Center to display various information, warnings, and error messages to the user. A message is displayed for several seconds and then it disappears.

Logged User Information

Information about yourself, that is, your name, your availability to take calls, and your voicemail status is displayed at the top right-hand side of the main interface.

Your current ACD state is displayed to the right of your name. You can change your ACD state by selecting a new state from the drop-down list. In addition, information about the following services and features is provided:

• Do Not Disturb (DND)
• Call Forwarding Always (CFA)
• Busy Phone State
• Voice Messaging

Call Console

You use the Call Console to view and manage your current calls. For information on managing your calls, see the Managing Calls article.

The Call Console contains the following areas:

• Header Bar
• Dialer
• Current Calls
• Conference Call

Header Bar

The header bar contains various controls that allow you to configure your services and perform call and service-related actions.

The header bar can contain the following controls:

• Call Waiting button – This allows you to enable or disable the Call Waiting service.
• Options button – Enables grouping of calls

Dialer

The Dialer, located at the top of the Call Console, below the header bar, allows you to make ad hoc calls and set your outgoing calling line identity (CLID) for the next call.

It contains the following elements:

• The Outbound CLID button, which allows you to configure the number you want to use for outgoing calls.
• The Enter Number text box, in which you enter the number to dial.
• Action buttons, which change depending on the context and allow you to perform operations on calls. For more information, see section Call Action Buttons.

Current Calls

The Call Console displays your current calls, both direct and ACD, and allows you to take actions on them. Direct calls are calls placed from or received on your own phone number, whereas ACD calls are calls routed to you from a call center that you are staffing as an agent.

If you are involved in a conference call, its details are displayed in a separate area of the Call Console, called the Conference Call panel. The Conference Call panel is described in the following section.

The following information is displayed for each call:

• Call State icon – This is a visual representation of the current state of the call. For more information, see section Call States and Actions.
• Remote CLID – This is the name of the remote party (if available) and the phone number in parenthesis.
• Call State name – This is the display name of the “call” state the call is currently in.
• Call duration [Held duration] – This is the duration of the call from the time the call was received from the queue and it reflects how long the call has been present in the system. In addition, for held calls, the time a call has been on hold is displayed.

The call entry also displays action buttons for the operations that you can currently take on that call. The actions you can perform depend on the state of the call.

For the list of Call Center action buttons, see section Call Action Buttons and for the list of actions that can be taken in each call state, see section Call States and Actions.

Conference Call

The Conference Call panel displays your current conference and allows you to manage your conference calls.

Note: You can only be involved in one conference call at a time.

The header bar contains various controls that allow you to manage the conference:

• End Conference button – This allows you to end the current conference.
• Leave Conference button – This allows you to leave the conference.
• Hold Conference button – This allows you to place the conference on hold.
• Resume Conference button – This allows you to resume the conference that you previously placed on hold.

The Conference Call panel, when expanded, lists the call legs that make up your current conference. Each two-way call is displayed on a separate line. The information displayed for each call leg is the same as the information displayed for two-way calls. For information, see section Current Calls.

Contacts Panel

The Contacts panel contains your contact directories and allows you to use your contacts to make or manage calls. For information on using contacts to manage calls, see the Managing Calls article.

The Contacts pane contains the following panels:

• Search
• Enterprise
• Personal
• Supervisors
• Speed Dial
• Queues
• Outlook
• Directories

The contact directories you have access to depend on your system configuration as well as the services assigned to you. For more information, contact your administrator.

The directories you see in the Contacts pane also depend on your setup. When you click a contact, the entry expands and the contact’s information, such as phone numbers and the action buttons for the operations that you can currently take on that contact appear.

You can only view the details of one contact per-directory at a time. When you click another contact in the same directory, the details of the currently expanded contact are automatically hidden.

Search Panel

You use the Search panel to look for specific contacts in your contacts’ directories and, if available, in the configured LDAP directory.

Company Panel

The Company Contact panel contains the contacts in your enterprise directory.

Personal Contacts Panel

The Personal panel contains the contacts from your Personal Phone List which have been entered in the client. It displays the name/description and phone number of each contact.

Supervisors Panel

The Supervisors panel, available to agents, contains the list of your supervisors. The main purpose of this directory is to allow you to contact a supervisor quickly.

Selected supervisors have their call status displayed.

Call Centers Panel

The Call Centers panel is available to both agents and supervisors. It lists the call centers you are staffing as an agent or monitoring as a supervisor and the associated Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) numbers. The primary purpose of this panel is to provide you with a quick way to transfer calls to queues.

Directories Panel

The Directories panel consolidates the contacts from the Enterprise and Personal directories. This panel is always visible. You can choose which directories to display in the Directories panel and you can collapse the panel, but you cannot close it.

You can also place a copy of a directory below the Call Console. This allows you to view more than one directory at a time easily.

Call States and Actions

The following table lists the possible call states and actions that can be performed on calls in each state.

Call State	Display Name	Call Personality	Call Actions
Ringing In (Local)	Incoming Local	Click-To-Dial	Answer, End
Ringing In (Remote)	Incoming	Terminator	Answer, Conference, End
Ringing Out, Outgoing	Outgoing	Originator	Conference, End
Active	Active	Any	Transfer, Hold, End, Conference
On Hold	Held	Any	Transfer, Resume, End, Conference
On Hold (Remote)	Remote Held	Any	Transfer, Hold, End, Conference
Active (In Conference)	Active	Conference	Transfer, Hold, End
Held (In Conference)	Held	Conference	Resume, Transfer, End
Ringing In (Recalled Call)	Call Recalled	Terminator	Answer, Conference, End

Controls

Call Center controls are designed in a contextual manner, that is, most controls appear only when the action they represent can be taken. For example, when you enter a number or select a contact, a Dial button appears, allowing you to place a call. The contextual controls that correspond to call operations such as dialing, transferring calls, or putting calls on hold are called action buttons. They appear on the Dialer, in a call entry, in a directory entry (contact), or in a call log.

The following table lists the general controls used in Call Center and the controls displayed on the headers in the panels.

Name	Description
Common Controls
Options	This is located in the upper-right corner of a pane or page. When clicked, it displays a drop-down menu of options that control the display of information in that pane/page. The available options depend on the context.
Expand/Collapse	This shows or hides the contents of a window or panel.
Close	This closes an interface element, such as window, pane, or panel.
Edit	This allows you to edit a list of items, such as agents to monitor or speed dials.
Dialer, Call Console, Directories Panel, and Search Panel Controls
Outbound CLID	This allows you to select the phone number to use as your Calling Line ID for the next outgoing call.
ACD States	This displays your current ACD state and allows you to change it.
End Conference	This ends a conference call.
Leave Conference	This disconnects you from the conference while allowing other participants to continue the call.
Hold Conference	This holds the conference call.
Resume Conference	This resumes a held conference.
Barge In	This “un-mutes” your Silent Monitoring call, thereby establishing a Three-Way Conference.
Pull Out Directory	This places a selected directory below the Call Console.
Dialog Box – Notification Window
Web Pop URL	This opens a page in your browser at the configured URL to provide additional information about the caller.
vCard	This saves the caller’s phone number and personal information as a vCard in Microsoft Outlook. It appears only when Outlook is running.
Supervisors Panel
Emergency	This makes an emergency call to a supervisor.
Escalate	This escalates a call to a supervisor.
Scheduled Reports Window
Load Report	This loads a scheduled report, allowing you to view and modify it.
Delete Report	This deletes a scheduled report.

Call Action Buttons

Action buttons allow you to perform actions on calls, such as answering or transferring a call, or actions that result in a call being placed, such as dialing a number or contact. They appear on the Dialer, on a call line, in a call history log, in a directory entry, or (for supervisors) in a queued call entry.

Action buttons are contextual, that is, they appear on a line/entry when the corresponding action can be performed on that entry.

For example, when you click a contact in the Group directory, the contact expands and the Call and Extension buttons appear on the line for that contact, allowing you to call the contact. Note that other buttons may appear on the line for a contact, depending on the call state and the contact’s configuration.

The following table lists the action buttons available in Call Center.

Button	Description
Dial	This dials the number you entered in the Dialer.
Call	This places a call to the selected contact or to a number from Call History.
Redial	This redials the last dialed number.
Extension	This dials the contact’s extension.
Mobile	This dials the contact’s mobile number.
E-mail	This brings up a new e-mail message window with the contact’s e-mail address, allowing you to send a message to the contact.
Transfer	This transfers a call to an ad hoc number entered in the Dialer.
Transfer	This transfers a call to a selected number or contact.
Answer	This answers an incoming call, answers an unanswered call for a contact, or resumes a held call.
Hold	This places a call on hold.
End	This ends a call.
Conference	This establishes a conference call or adds a call to a conference.
Escalate Call	This escalates a call to a selected supervisor.
Emergency Call	This places an emergency call to a selected supervisor.
Retrieve	This retrieves a call from the queue to the supervisor’s device. When a call is manually retrieved via this action, the call is reported as an Incoming call rather than an ACD call in the reports.
Reorder	This changes a call’s position in the queue.