To add a new inbound group, right-click in the groups window and select new inbound group. To edit an existing one, double-click it, or right-click it and select properties. The following window appears:
Name: The Inbound group's name. You may not use the colon (:) or semi-colon (;) characters in the name.
Description: Records comments about the Inbound group.
Entrance message: Enter the name of a sound file to be played to callers entering the queue (e.g. a welcome message). Note: messages must be in .vox format. Sound files must be placed in the following directory: C:voiclinkprompts[name of the CCA]default.
Allocate calls immediately to an agent: If selected, calls will be connected to an agent, instead of being put in the queue, even when the agent is already handling a call. The agent can greet the caller and ask him/her to wait, before putting the caller on hold. This allows calls to be handled in a more personal way, and the number of abandoned calls is decreased.
Queue settings tab
Queues are where incoming calls are placed while the system waits for a free agent to handle them. For more information on queues, see queues.
Queue type: Specifies whether the queue type is to be static or dynamic.
Static: the queue length is fixed (as specified in the queue length parameter).
Dynamic: the queue length is calculated according to the following formula: (queue length/10) * (number of agents logged in). For example, if the queue length is 10, the minimum length is 5 and the maximum length is 15:
When 3 agents are logged in, the length will be 5 (10/10) * 3 = 3; but the minimum length is 5.
When 7 agents are logged in, the length will be 7; (10/10) * 7 = 7.
Queue length: Specifies the maximum number of calls that may be in the queue of this inbound group at any one time. When the number of calls to the inbound group exceeds this value (for either static or dynamic queue types), any excess calls are transferred to the route specified in the queue if the full overflow route specified in the properties of the route leads to this inbound group.
Minimum length: This option applies to dynamic queues only; see the queue type parameter for details.
Maximum length: This option applies to dynamic queues only; see the queue type parameter for details.
Use queue for internal calls: If selected, any internal calls for this inbound group will go into the queue.
Queue message: Enter the name of a sound file to be played to callers waiting in the queue (e.g. "please hold"). Note: messages must be in .vox format. Sound files must be placed in the following directory: C:voiclinkprompts[name of the CCA]default.
Queue project: Specify a Voicelink project to which callers should be connected when they enter the queue. Type a path and filename, or click ... and select a project.
In the blending tab, you can change settings that influence how many agents are allocated to the group.
Min % in inbound: Specifies the percentage of agents that should always remain in the inbound group.
Move to outbound floor level: Determines the point at which agents in the group can be transferred to outbound call duties if there is low group activity. This process is known as duty swapping. See also recover from outbound level and maximum release value parameters.
Recover from outbound level: Determines the point at which agents in the group, who have been transferred to outbound call duties (see move to outbound floor level and maximum recover value parameters), will be brought back to duty on this group when group activity increases. This process is known as duty swapping.
Seconds between checks: Specifies the interval (in seconds) between queue occupation level checks.
Harmonic mean: If selected, the moment at which duty swapping occurs is calculated by harmonic mean. This is how the swap to outbound duty is made by the system using harmonic mean:
The system divides the move to outbound zone into 10 sections.
At each level check, the system checks if the queue occupation level has dropped below the move to outbound level. If so, it checks how many sections it has dropped below the move to outbound level.
At the next level check, the system checks if the queue occupation level is still below the move to outbound level. If so, it checks how many sections it is below the move to outbound level and adds it to the number of sections counted in step 2.
Step 3 is repeated until the section sum reaches or exceeds the value entered in the maximum release value parameter.
The swap back from outbound duty is calculated analogously.
Maximum release value: Determines when agents are swapped from inbound to outbound duty. This process is known as duty swapping. Agents are swapped to outbound duty when the queue level drops below the value set in move to outbound floor level at N consecutive queue level checks, where N is specified in maximum release value. If you want the moment of duty swapping to be calculated by harmonic mean, select the harmonic mean option.
Maximum recover value: Determines when agents are swapped back from outbound to inbound duty. This process is known as duty swapping. Agents are swapped back to inbound duty when the queue level exceeds the value set in recover from outbound level at N consecutive queue level checks, where N is specified in maximum recover value. If you want the moment of duty swapping to be calculated by harmonic mean, select the harmonic mean option.
Record all calls: if you enable this option (available only if you have a full VOIP set-up), then calls handled by this inbound group will be recorded. The following option, stereo recording, determines if the recording is made in stereo or mono.
Stereo recording: if you enable this option (available only if record all calls is enabled), then calls handled by this inbound group will be recorded in stereo, instead of mono. Stereo recordings use one channel for the agent's voice and one channel for the respondent's voice. This option is available only in a full VOIP environment.
In the alarms tab, you can specify the alarm parameters that apply to this group. When one of these parameters is exceeded, a message is displayed in the alarms window.
Expected response time exceeds (in m:s): The alarm will be triggered when the expected response time exceeds the specified value.
Queue time exceeds (in m:s): The alarm will be triggered when the queue time exceeds the specified value.
Queue size exceeds (in %): The alarm will be triggered when the queue size exceeds the specified value.
Available agents below: The alarm will be triggered when the number of available Agents goes below the specified value.
Busy agents below (in %): The alarm will be triggered when the proportion of busy Agents goes below the specified value.