The Mitel Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) functionality allows call centers to process incoming calls based on a number of customer-definable parameters.
Callers in an ACD path hear ringback tone while the system attempts to find an available agent. The caller hears this tone until an agent answers, an interflow occurs, the caller hangs up, or the first RAD plays.
If all agents are busy, the caller hears ringback tone until the "Recording 1: Delay to Start Time" timer expires. At this point the caller hears the first recorded announcement. When no recorded announcements are programmed, the caller continues to hear ring back tone until the call is answered, an interflow occurs, or the caller hangs up.
Agent groups allow agents to be grouped according to their line of business. Up to four agent skill groups can be programmed in an ACD path. Agent groups can appear in one or more paths.
ACD 2000 is built around the ACD Path, a flexible call routing method that provides the information required for handling incoming calls. The ACD path controls the resources used, the order in which resources are encountered, and the timing of the steps. Calls are queued for an agent skill group based on the call priority, and order of arrival at that path. Queuing is the same as for new calls and overflow calls. If an agent skill group is not available, new calls are not queued for that group.
Each ACD path is assigned a priority from one to 64. A call to a path adopts the path's priority. This allows incoming calls to be directed based on their importance and expense.
A call's priority may change if an interflow occurs. See Interflow below.
ACD calls to a group are routed to the longest-idle agent. Idle time is calculated from completion of an agent's last ACD call. Non-ACD calls are not considered.
A caller never receives busy tone from an available path. An incoming ACD call is handled as follows:
the caller receives a ringback tone
the RAD timer starts
the interflow timer programmed in the path starts
the overflow timer for the primary group in the path starts
the call goes to the longest idle agent.
The caller connects to the agent when the agent answers the call. When no agent is available, the caller is automatically queued to the primary agent skill group in the path. In both cases, the caller's communication path remains unaffected and the caller remains listening to its tone or RAD. The caller receives ringback tone until the first RAD answers, an agent answers, interflow occurs, or the caller hangs up. ACD Call Progress - All Agents Busy shows the ACD path progress when all agents are busy.
A path contains one primary agent skill group and can have up to three overflow groups. This provides backup resources to the primary agent group to ensure that service level goals are met. Calls that overflow maintain their position in queue. Group overflow timers determine how long a call waits before overflowing.
Predictive overflow determines whether a newly-queued call to an agent skill group should be immediately overflowed or sent to the next agent skill group. The average call duration is based on the average agent talk time, including the work timer. If the system predicts that a call will not be answered before the overflow timer expires, the system places the call in overflow before the timer expires.
Calls that are directed to an unavailable agent skill group are prevented from being queued. An immediate overflow is attempted. If all agent skill groups are unavailable, then the path is unavailable and "path unavailable" handling is used.
Interflow is a time-based or load-based feature that takes an ACD call out of the path and routes it to the interflow answer point (if one is programmed). A call that interflows to another path adopts the priority of the new path if:
the new path has "Interflow To This Path Uses This Path Priority" set to "Yes" in its ACD Paths form
the call interflows from a path that has a priority of 64.
Otherwise, the call's priority does not change.
An ACD path can define up to four recorded messages (specific RADs or groups of RADs) and their relative start times for callers waiting for an agent to answer. The path also specifies whether the programmed recording is repeated and its repeat interval.
Between each recording (RAD) on an ACD path, the incoming caller, by default, listens to the multi-embedded music source (if programmed). An alternate music source may be specified between each recording and after the last recording.
Note: If a call from a remote switch is answered by a RAD before being queued to an ACD path, the caller will not hear music unless there is a Music on Hold source at the local switch.
Up to four alternative recordings are available on each path. The Alternative Recording Device (ARD) is an off-hook ONS port that connects to callers in a listen-only conference. The user decides what is supplied on the ONS port: silence, music, or endless loop recordings.
Note: An ARD should not be used as a first-level announcement (Music on Hold, for example).
Between RAD messages, callers hear ARDs when they are available. If ARDs are not available or an ARD becomes unavailable when callers are connected to it, callers hear the System Music On Hold. If the System Music On Hold is not available, callers hear silence between RAD messages.
Attempts to directly dial, forward to, transfer to, or system reroute to an ARD result in the message "INVALID DIALING" on display sets and/or reorder tone. Attempts to program call forwarding to an ARD result in the message "NOT ALLOWED" on display sets, and/or reorder tone.
The ACD
Paths form can be programmed to provide the same alternative recording
between each announcement or as many as four different alternative recordings
The ARD can be a telephone, a recording device, or a transfer device (8/600 ohms) that simulates an off-hook device and allows connection of an audio source such as a radio. The system connects callers only if the device is off hook. There are no restrictions on how paths share ARDs.
Note: Depending upon country of installation, the ARD must be either an FCC Part 68 or DOC approved voice coupler or voice connecting arrangement to an ONS circuit.
When a path is unavailable, calls can be routed to a path unavailable answer point such as an attendant, voice mail, recorded announcement, another ACD path or a system speed call number. This allows the supervisor the choice of where to send calls received after hours or during holidays.
An ACD path becomes unavailable in the following situations:
the path directory number is remotely placed in do not disturb (DND) mode
the primary and all programmed overflow agent skill group directory numbers are remotely put in DND mode
all members of all agent groups in the path are logged out
a combination where all agent groups are either in DND mode or have no agents logged in.
When a path is unavailable, calls can be routed to a path unavailable answer point. The path unavailable answer point can be:
an attendant or valid extension (display set, non-display set, auto attendant, or night bell)
a voice mailbox
a RAD
another ACD path
a system speed call number.
If an interconnect restriction exists between the caller's station or trunk and members of an ACD group, the call waits in queue like any other call. When an agent is ready to service the call, the call is dequeued from the path and forwarded to the destination designated in the Intercept Handling form. If no alternate directory number is provided, the caller hears reorder tone.
An agent who fails to answer a call within a programmed amount of time is automatically logged out of ACD. The call is requeued as the oldest call in the queue, to all of the agent skill groups prior to the call offer to the agent.
When the "ACD 2000 Logout Agent No Answer" COS timer expires, the following events occur:
The caller is automatically requeued into all agent skill groups the caller was previously in as the oldest call within its priority.
The agent is logged out.
Note: If the "Auto Logout Last Agent No Answer" system option is set to "no", the caller will not be requeued when the "ACD 2000 Logout Agent No Answer" timer expires. Instead, the caller continues to hear ringback tone, recordings, music, or silence until the agent answers, the caller hangs up, an overflow or an interflow occurs.
Callers in an ACD path can dial out during or between RAD messages, if they cannot hold for an agent to answer, or if they want to change their current action. The business is not lost because the caller does not leave the ACD path.
Notes:
The extra demand generated by this feature can be minimized by providing dial out capability during the first RAD message only in the ACD Path Interflow Dialing Lists form.
Sufficient DTMF Receivers must be available to handle the extra demand generated by this feature. The number of DTMF Receivers required is dependent on several variables including:
the number of available trunks,
the volume of calls, and,
the length of each RAD message.
In order to monitor the quality response of an agent, supervisors can listen to calls answered by an ACD agent or agent skill group.
Note: Silent monitoring is not permitted on a non-prime line, and is not supported on MSDN networks.
In ACD 2000 Skill-based Routing, each agent in an agent skill group is assigned a skill level. Agents who appear in more than one group may be assigned a different skill level in each group. Calls to a group are routed to the most skilled available agent. If agents of equal skill are available, the call is routed to the longest-idle agent.
Incoming calls are simultaneously queued against local and/or remote agent skill groups within a path. This allows multi-site customers to design call routing schemes that take advantage of, and optimize, their call handling resources.
Real time events records are used to monitor and record the activity of the entire ACD operation. Events are divided into two groups: call events and group statistics events. Call events report on individual ACD agent activity, and group statistics provide a cumulative report for hunt group congestion.
5360 IP Phone
5340 IP Phone
5330 IP Phone
5320 IP Phone
5312 IP Phone
5324 IP Phone
5224 IP Phone
5220 IP Phone
5220 IP Phone (Dual Mode)
5215 IP Phone
5215 IP Phone (Dual Mode)
5212 IP Phone
5207 IP Phone
5020 IP Phone
5010 IP Phone
SUPERSET 4150 telephone
SUPERSET 4125 telephone
SUPERSET 4025 telephone
SUPERSET 4015 telephone
SUPERSET 430 telephone
SUPERSET 420 telephone
SUPERSET 410 telephone
Symbol NetVision Phone
Symbol MiNET Wireless Phone
SpectraLink NetLink Phones
Navigator phone
Note: Silent Monitoring Agent Help is not supported on the SUPERSET 4015 phone, or the 5010, 5212, 5215, and 5312 IP Phones. However, Silent Monitoring Agent Help is supported on these phones if Contact Center Phone Set Manager is used with them.
Note: Although they are supported, we do not recommended that you use 5207 IP Phones as ACD 2000 sets due to the phone's limited feature set. 5220 IP Phones or higher are recommended.
