Operator and Support Desk Orientation
Overview
Operators in your organization need information about Cisco Unity Connection that is specific to your installation. In addition, if your organization has a support desk, the staff need to be prepared to answer the questions that users may ask, and to be aware of the resources that are available to assist them in answering user questions.
Operator Orientation
Operator orientation should address the same points as user orientation, but in greater detail. Operators must be familiar with how users use Unity Connection. Depending on the size of your organization, the operator may be the person users are likely to ask when they have questions about Unity Connection.
In addition to the information in the User Orientation chapter and the “Support Desk Orientation” (as applicable), operators also need to understand the following concepts and tasks.
Roles of the Operator and the Automated Attendant
The way your organization uses the automated attendant determines what the operator responsibilities are. The automated attendant is a call handler that is used in place of a human operator to answer and direct calls by playing greetings and responding to caller input. The automated attendant can provide a menu of options (for example, “For Sales, press 1; for Service, press 2.”), and it can also provide information (for example, “Our normal business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.”).
Directing Calls
Regardless of how your organization uses the automated attendant, many calls go to the operator. The operator must know how to direct calls to voicemail and to user phones. With Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you can program the phone to direct calls to voicemail. For details on setting this up, see the tech note How to Transfer a Caller Directly into a Cisco Unity Mailbox, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_tech_notes_list.html.
Forwarding Messages to Intended Recipients
If an operator also owns a call handler or system distribution list, make sure that the operator knows to review messages frequently, and to forward messages as necessary to the applicable recipients.
Using the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator
An operator who is responsible for changing call handler greetings for the organization can use the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator when it is not practical to change a greeting in Cisco Unity Connection Administration. For example, if the office is unexpectedly closed because of bad weather, the operator can call from home to use the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator to enable the alternate Opening Greeting, or to rerecord a call handler greeting stating that the office is closed.
Using the Cisco Unity Broadcast Message Administrator
If an operator is responsible for sending recorded announcements to everyone in an organization (or to particular locations within an organization), explain how to access and use the Cisco Unity Broadcast Message Administrator to send broadcast messages.
Support Desk Orientation
Support desk orientation should address the same points as user and operator orientation, but in greater detail. Support desk staff must be familiar with how users and operators use Unity Connection, and the common problems that users may encounter when using Unity Connection. Instead of using the Unity Connection server, it may be helpful to set up a test server that support desk staff can use to browse to Cisco Unity Connection Administration, and troubleshoot and test client applications.
To prepare for possible calls to the support desk at your organization, familiarize the support desk staff with the resources listed in the following “Support Desk Resources” section, and with the potential user concerns and misconceptions listed in the “Potential User Concerns and Misconceptions” section . (See also the“Operator Orientation” section and the “User Orientation” chapter.)
Support Desk Resources
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User documentation is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/products_user_guide_list.html.
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The Compatibility Matrix: Cisco Unity Connection and the Software on User Workstations is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/products_device_support_tables_list.html.
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The following chapters in this guide provide information on how user workstations should be set up, and describes how users use Unity Connection client applications:
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The Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Release 14 is available at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/14/troubleshooting/guide/b_14cuctsg.html.
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For descriptions and the URLs of all Unity Connection documentation on Cisco.com, see the Documentation Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Release 14. The document is shipped with Unity Connection and is available at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/14/roadmap/b_14cucdg.html.
Potential User Concerns and Misconceptions
Table 5-1 describes potential user issues, which are typically based on misconceptions about how Cisco Unity Connection works. Users who encounter such issues are often those who are accustomed to another voice messaging system, have not yet completed Unity Connection training, or are unaware of a new feature or functionality change to an existing system.
Potential Issue |
Description |
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Delayed messages |
Users may believe that their messages are delayed for the following reasons:
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Deleted messages |
By default, when users delete a new or saved message, Unity Connection does not ask them to confirm the deletion. You may want to enable Unity Connection to request confirmation from users before proceeding with the deletion, especially if many users do not belong to a class of service that allows them to retain and review their deleted messages. You can set up Unity Connection to confirm deletion of messages on the System Settings > Advanced > Conversations page in Cisco Unity Connection Administration. For information on deleted messages, see the “Managing Deleting Messages” chapter of the User Guide for the Cisco Unity Connection Phone Interface (Release 14), available at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/14/user/guide/phone/b_14cucugphone.html. |
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Deleted messages: IMAP and MAPI behavior |
When users access messages stored on a Microsoft Exchange server both from a Microsoft Outlook client and from Unity Connection, they may experience unexpected and confusing behavior when deleting messages. The difference in behavior occurs when the Microsoft Outlook client is configured to use MAPI, the Microsoft interface for connecting to Exchange, and stems from the fact that MAPI and IMAP—the protocol used by Unity Connection—use different mechanisms for marking messages as deleted. If you have users who access a Microsoft Exchange server using Outlook (with MAPI) or Outlook Web Access, and who also use Unity Connection to manage messages on the same message store, be sure to alert them to this behavior. Deleted Messages—IMAP Behavior When a user deletes a message from Microsoft Outlook, the message is moved from the Inbox to the Deleted Items folder. At this point, Unity Connection can no longer access the message, and no longer indicates that the message exists either as a new, saved, or deleted message. Deleted Messages—MAPI Behavior When a user deletes a message from Unity Connection, the message remains in the Inbox but is flagged to indicate that it has been marked deleted by the user. However, when configured to use MAPI, Microsoft Outlook does not recognize this flag as a deletion, and continues to display the message as a new or saved message in the Inbox. |
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Device for recording or playback does not show in ViewMail for Outlook device lists |
When users add or turn on a new recording or playback device, they must restart the ViewMail for Outlook add-in so it can recognize the new device. To restart ViewMail, restart Outlook. |
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Directory listing: users are not listed as expected |
When users do not have a recorded name, they are not listed in the corporate directory and as a result, outside callers are not be able to find them when searching for them by name. By default, Unity Connection prompts users to record a name during first-time enrollment, but it does not prevent them from completing the enrollment process if they do not. To address this issue, consider the following options:
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Fax: attached files are not delivered to fax machines (fax integrations only) |
Users may be unaware that when they add attachments to an email message and then send the message to a fax machine, Unity Connection renders only those attachments with the file extensions specified during Unity Connection setup. All other attachments are removed. |
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IMAP client: Differences in client behavior |
Users who use different third-party IMAP clients to access voice messages from their desktop machines may note the following discrepancies in behavior:
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Mailbox fills up quickly |
Users may complain that their mailboxes are filling up too quickly, for any of the following reasons:
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Message notification: repeat notification options |
When a user chooses not to have Unity Connection restart notification each time a new message arrives, setting a long interval between repeat notification calls may lead the user to believe that Unity Connection is delaying notification. |
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Media Master: opening a file that is saved on a workstation |
When a user attempts to use a previously recorded WAV file (for example, an announcement that was recorded earlier) rather than recording using a phone or a computer microphone, the Media Master may display an error message. The error occurs when the WAV file was recorded in the G.729a audio format. To resolve the problem, the user must do one of the following:
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MWIs |
To gain an understanding of when MWIs turn on and off, what causes them to turn on and off, and what causes MWIs to behave differently than expected, see the “Troubleshooting the Message Waiting Indicators (MWIs)” chapter of the Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unity Connection, Release 14, at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/14/troubleshooting/guide/b_14cuctsg.html. |
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Passwords and PINs are not secure, or users use the wrong password or PIN |
Users may assume that their phone PINs and Cisco Personal Communications Assistant (PCA) passwords are the same or are synchronized. As a result, they may think that they are changing both PIN and password when Unity Connection prompts them to change their phone PIN during first-time enrollment. Additionally, they may try to use their phone PIN to sign in to the Cisco PCA. |
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Speed for elements of the Unity Connection conversation varies |
Users may report that the speed at which Unity Connection plays menus, recorded names, greetings, and messages is inconsistent. For example, users may report that when they listen to their messages, the message is played at a different speed than the recorded names of users who leave them messages and the message properties (for example, the time stamp and message number). Such inconsistencies are expected when you consider the following:
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Unread messages |
Depending on how Unity Connection is set up at your organization, users may be surprised at how Unity Connection handles messages when calls are intentionally or unintentionally disconnected (for example, when a user hangs up or when a mobile phone loses its charge or signal) while users are in the process of listening to new messages. Some users may incorrectly assume that Unity Connection marks the message as read, which is not the case. You can change how Unity Connection handles unread messages when calls are disconnected by adjusting the Mark Message Saved If User Hangs Up setting on the System Settings > Advanced > Conversations page of Cisco Unity Connection Administration. |
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Unsent messages |
Depending on how Unity Connection is set up at your organization, users may be surprised at how Unity Connection handles messages when calls are intentionally or unintentionally disconnected (for example, when a user hangs up or when a mobile phone loses its charge or signal) while users are in the process of sending, replying to, or forwarding a message. Some users may incorrectly assume that Unity Connection offers a draft folder for unsent messages, which is not the case. You can change how Unity Connection handles unsent messages when calls are disconnected by adjusting the Send Message If User Hangs Up During Recording setting on the System Settings > Advanced > Conversations page of Cisco Unity Connection Administration. |