Contact Expert v7.6

Collaborating with Colleagues

Collaboration Scenarios

Agents are able to consult with a colleague, transfer the call (blind and consult transfer) to an internal or external party or set up a conference between the caller, the agent and the other party.

It is also possible for agents to call a Contact Expert queue in order to talk to a free agent proficient in a particular topic.

The following types of collaboration are available in Contact Expert Agent Application (Customer: customer; Agent: agent; Consultant: other party):

Consultation

  1. Agent and Customer are in a call

  2. Agent calls Consultant (Customer is placed on hold automatically)

  3. Agent consults with Consultant (Customer is on hold in the meantime)

  4. Agent drops Consultant and releases the hold on Customer

  5. Agent continues the call with Customer

To achieve: Click Dial Cons → Consult

Conference

  1. Agent and Customer are in a call

  2. Agent calls Consultant (Customer is placed on hold automatically)

  3. Agent consults with Consultant (Customer is on hold in the meantime)

  4. Agent sets up a conference (participants: Agent, Consultant and Customer)

    1. If Consultant leaves the conference, then Agent continues the call with Customer

    2. If Agent leaves the conference, then Consultant continues the call with Customer

To achieve: Click Dial Cons → Consult → Conference

Blind Transfer

  1. Agent and Customer are in a call

  2. Agent transfers the call to Consultant

  3. Consultant continues the call with Customer

To achieve: Click Dial Cons → Transfer

Consult (announced) Transfer

  1. Agent and Customer are in a call

  2. Agent calls Consultant (Customer is placed on hold automatically)

  3. Agent consults with Consultant (Customer is on hold in the meantime)

  4. Agent transfers the call to Consultant

  5. Consultant continues the call with Customer

To achieve: Click Dial Cons → Consult → Transfer

Contact Expert Collaboration Scenarios

Destination Consultation Conference Blind Transfer Consult Transfer
Skype for Business user (tick) (tick) (tick) (tick)
Skype for Business Response Group (tick) (tick) (tick) (tick)
Skype for Business voicemail (error) (error) (tick) (error)
Contact Expert queue/campaign (1) (tick) (tick) (tick) (tick)
Contact Expert phone book (tick) (tick) (tick) (tick)
External phone number (tick) (tick) (tick) (tick)
PBX extension (tick) (tick) (tick) (tick)
IVR menu / auto attendant (error) (error) (tick) (error)

Where (tick) means Available. (warning) means Available with limitations, and (error) means Not available.

(1) Call transfer to any Contact Expert queue or campaign is supported regardless of whether an inbound or an outbound call is to be transferred.

Dialing a CE Queue or Campaign Directly

In this scenario the Agent wishes to talk to another agent proficient in a particular topic, but does not know a phone number or SIPURI for any such agent by heart. This scenario does not use the consultant dialog window.

  1. Agent initiates a preview outbound call via the Quick Dial option in the Lookup form, and designates which queue or campaign this outbound call will be originating from, as per the normal preview outbound calls.

    Important

    The queue or campaign selected to be the source of this outbound call must not be the one the Agent wishes to dial. The system is not able to set up a call where the source and target endpoints are the same.

  2. The call reaches the CE queue or campaign.

    Note

    Some CE messages such as welcome, compliance, connect are not played for the calling agent in this scenario. Also, it is not possible to file a callback request while waiting in the queue.

Initiating a Collaboration

To initiate a consultation or a transfer, click the Dial Cons button on the toolbar. This automatically places the call on hold and opens a window offering a range of call transfer and collaborative options to communicate with other contacts.

Getting to Know the Consultation Window

The consultation window is created using the look and feel of the SfB Client application.

Consultation Window

The window consists of the following sections, highlighted in the above screenshot:

  • Search Options marked with a blue rectangle
  • Search Form marked with a red rectangle
  • Contact Numbers marked with a green rectangle
  • Selected Destination marked with a magenta rectangle
  • Action Buttons marked with an orange rectangle

Search Options Section

There are four search tabs to look up or dial contacts.

  • Contacts: It contains an embedded Skype for Business control showing your Skype for Business contact list. The interface is similar to your Skype for Business client.
  • Search: It contains an embedded Skype for Business contact look up control, which allows you to search for any Skype for Business user.
  • Dialpad: It enables you to enter an external phone number or extension directly via a dial pad.
  • Directory: It enables you to search for contacts in the built-in Contact Expert phone book.

Search Form Section

Based on the selected method (tab), the look up form is loaded into this area.

Note

Do not use any function of the embedded Skype for Business controls to call a consultant. For example, if you have selected a Skype for Business contact, a Call button is shown in the row of the selected contact (marked with X in the screenshot). This button must be ignored. Please use the Consult button only to initiate a consultative call.

Contact Numbers Section

Please select one of the available buttons in order to choose the way of reaching the selected contact. The following contact information of the selected contact (coming from the corporate Skype for Business contact store and/or Active Directory) can be found here:

  • Skype for Business: If selected, the call will be initiated via Skype for Business.
  • Work: If selected, the call will be initiated via the customer's work phone.
  • Mobile: If selected, the call will be initiated via the customer's mobile phone.
  • Home: If selected, the call will be initiated via the customer's home phone.
  • Voice Mail: If selected, you can leave a message on the customer's voice mail.

Some buttons might be disabled depending on whether the particular number is configured for this contact or not.

Selected Destination Section

If a contact has already been selected, the specified destination (phone number, Skype for Business address, extension number etc.) is shown here.

Actions Buttons Section

To initiate the consultative call or a call transfer or close the dialog, click the appropriate button:

  • Consult: Click this button to consult with the selected contact.
  • Transfer: Click this button to transfer the customer to the selected contact directly.
  • Cancel: Click this button to cancel the operation and close the consultation window.

The Consult button might be disabled if the selected destination does not support consultative calls.

The general way to dial a consultant or transfer the call is described by the following steps:

  1. Choose a search or dial method.
  2. Choose a contact or specify a number directly.
  3. If you selected a contact in the previous step, choose the specific destination of the call or transfer.
  4. Ensure that you selected or entered the right destination.
  5. Initiate the call or transfer by clicking one of the Action Buttons.

Collaboration Using Skype for Business Modalities

The Skype for Business specific screens (Contacts and Search) allow you to search for and collaborate with contacts using Skype for Business and any of the Skype for Business modalities (voice, video or IM) during the ongoing customer interaction. Such SfB contacts can be in or out of your organization.

While collaborating with your colleagues via SfB this way, you are able to:

  • launch an IM session
  • initiate a voice call
  • initiate a video call
  • open and share a document
  • share your screen
  • exchange information via email

all the while having a customer on hold in the CE Agent Application.

Skype for Business modalities can be launched and teared down individually. For example, you are able to

  • be in a phone call with the customer
  • invite your colleagues to this call
  • launch separate chat and screen sharing sessions to the same SfB contact, or others via the Consultation window

at the same time and then close these sessions individually as and when required.

When the contacts are loaded in the consultation window, their real-time Skype for Business presence indicators are shown as well so you can be aware of their current status. You can also view the contact cards to find relevant (skilled) colleagues.

Note

Such multi-modality options are available towards the consultants via the Consultation window. Modality options are more limited in the customer interaction though! Also, you should avoid performing any of these activities in the SfB Client application directly. Use the Consultation window instead.

Search Options

Browsing Skype for Business Contacts

If no destination has been selected manually, a Skype for Business peer-to-peer call is going to be started by default (this is the first option in the bottom bar) if you initiate a consultation or transfer.

The SfB contacts can be viewed by Group, Status and Relationship – as in your SfB Client app at the desktop.

Searching for Contacts in the Global Contact List

You can search in the a global contact list using the Search tab.

  1. Type the name of a contact (SfB user, Response Group or CE queue/campaign endpoint).
  2. Select the desired contact from the result list
  3. Select a destination number in the bottom bar.

Using the Dial Pad

You can make calls through a conventional dial pad. Using this feature, you are able to dial external numbers (e.g. an international number), as well as extensions of a 3rd party or legacy PBX hooked up to Skype for Business.

You can enter any number format used in your organization. The number will be normalized (converted into the correct dialing format) automatically.

Use the X button to clear the number already entered or press the arrow ← to delete the last digit.

You can enter the digits or other characters into the blue field directly using your keyboard, which might be faster than pressing the dial pad buttons.

You are able to dial PBX extensions only if this is available in your organization.

Retrieving Contacts from the Phone Book

Contact Expert provides a local phone book to store frequently dialled PSTN (external) numbers for which creating Skype for Business contacts is not feasible for any reason. The phone book lists contact name, phone number and email address.

You are able to use this function only if it is configured properly in your organization. The phone book can be configured in the XML configuration file of the agent client application. You might need the assistance of a CE administrator and/or IT personnel to add, update or remove phone book contacts.

Completing the Collaboration

After you initiated a collaboration and searched for a contact, choose the collaboration scenario best suiting the customer's needs.

The target of these collaborations can either be a person, or an SfB endpoint of a CE queue or campaign. In certain scenarios these CE queues or campaigns might bypass playing some announcements.

The following sections provide a step-by-step guide for each scenario.

Performing a Consultation

  1. Click the Dial Cons button on the toolbar.
  2. Select a contact in the Consultation window.
  3. Select a destination number.
  4. Click the Consult button.
  5. Wait until being connected to the dialled contact, then announce the consultation.
  6. To return to the customer, click the Drop Cons button on the toolbar.

When you drop the dialled contact, the customer is still on hold. At this point you can either initiate another transfer or conference call in search of another consultant, or taking the customer back from hold by clicking Hold.

Performing a Conference

  1. Click the Dial Cons button on the toolbar.

  2. Select a contact in the Consultation window.

  3. Select a destination number.

  4. Click the Consult button.

  5. Wait until being connected to the consultant, then announce the conference.

  6. Click the Conference button on the toolbar. All 3 parties (customer, consultant and yourself) are now joined to a conference.

  7. Wait until the conferee leaves the call or click the Drop button on the toolbar if you would like to leave the call.

  8. Once you leave the conference, Contact Expert will close your task automatically and it will present the task closure window.

  9. If the consultant leaves the conference, you are still connected to the customer as if this was a normal 2-party call.

Performing a Blind Transfer

  1. Click the Dial Cons button on the toolbar.

  2. Select a contact in the Consultation window.

  3. Select a destination number.

  4. Click the Transfer button.

  5. Once the transfer has been initiated, Contact Expert will close your task automatically and it will present the task closure window. The consultant will be connected to the customer.

Performing a Consultation Transfer

  1. Click the Dial Cons button on the toolbar.

  2. Select a contact in the Consultation window.

  3. Select a destination number.

  4. Click the Consult button.

  5. Wait until being connected to the dialled contact, then announce the transfer.

  6. Click the Transfer button on the toolbar.

  7. Once the transfer has been initiated, Contact Expert will close your task automatically and it will present the task closure window.

Transferring the Customer to an IVR

Would you need to transfer a customer call into certain points of an IVR menu tree, you typically have to navigate using DTMF (touch-tones).

  1. Select the Voice tab on the toolbar.

  2. Click the Keypad button. This will launch CE's touch-tone keypad which enables you to perform menu selections.

    CE Keypad

  3. Once you finished navigating the IVR menu, complete the call transfer as described above.

Consultation and Conference on Asterisk platform

On Asterisk platform, during a conference call that involves a customer and two agents, the customer is recorded only as part of the recording session associated with the task displayed for Agent A (the agent who is the primary agent/owner of the customer call).

This is an Asterisk specific behaviour, since on other platforms no task is displayed for Agent B when receiving a direct agent consultation call from Agent A or when taking part of a conference. Therefore, on other platforms no recording is done in the background for Agent B at all.

Sorry, your browser does not support inline SVG. article updatedarticle updated3/4/2024 9:59:25 AM (UTC)3/4/2024 9:59:25 AM (UTC)