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Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise 7.0, 7.1, and 7.2 Solution Reference Network Design (SRND)
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Preface
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Architecture Overview
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Deployment Models
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Design Considerations for High Availability
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Unified Contact Center Enterprise Desktop
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Cisco Unified Outbound Option
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Cisco Unified Mobile Agent
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Cisco Unified Expert Advisor Option
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Securing Unified CCE
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Sizing Call Center Resources
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Sizing Unified CCE Components and Servers
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Sizing Cisco Unified Communications Manager Servers
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Bandwidth Provisioning and QoS C
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Glossary
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Index
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Table Of Contents
Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal (Unified CVP)
Cisco Unified IP Interactive Voice Response (Unified IP IVR)
Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management (Unified ICM) Software
Basic Unified CCE Call and Message Flow
Unified CCE Components, Terminology, and Concepts
Unified CCE Supervisor Interface
Directory (Dialed) Numbers and Routing Scripts
Translation Routing and Queuing
Combining IP Telephony and Unified CCE in the Same Unified CM Cluster
Queuing in a Unified CCE Environment
Transfers in a Unified CCE Environment
Conferences in a Unified CCE Environment
Single-Step (Blind) Conference
Combination or Multiple Conferences
PSTN Transfers (Takeback N Transfer, or Transfer Connect)
Architecture Overview
Last revised on: August 18, 2009
Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (Unified CCE) is part of Cisco Unified Communications application suite, which delivers intelligent call routing, network-to-desktop Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), and multi-channel contact management to contact center agents over an IP network. It combines software IP automatic call distribution (ACD) functionality with Cisco Unified Communications in a unified solution that enables companies to rapidly deploy an advanced, distributed contact center infrastructure.
The Cisco Unified CCE is an integrated suite of products that includes Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management (Unified ICM), Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM, Cisco IP Interactive Voice Response (Unified IP IVR), Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal (Unified CVP), Cisco Voice over IP (VoIP) Gateways and Cisco Unified IP phones. Together these products provide Cisco Unified Communications and contact center solutions to achieve intelligent call routing, multi-channel automatic call distribution (ACD) functionality, interactive voice response (IVR), network call queuing, and consolidated enterprise-wide reporting. Unified CCE can optionally integrate with Cisco Unified ICME to support networking with legacy ACD systems while providing a smooth migration path to a converged communications platform.
The Cisco Unified CCE solution is designed for implementation in both single-site and multi-site contact centers. It utilizes your existing Cisco IP network to lower administrative expenses and extend the boundaries of the contact center enterprise to include branch offices, home agents, and knowledge workers. Figure 1-1 illustrates a typical Unified CCE setup.
Figure 1-1 Typical Unified CCE Deployment
The Cisco Unified CCE solution consists of four primary Cisco software components:
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Unified Communications infrastructure: Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM)
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In addition to these core components, the following Cisco hardware products are required for a complete Unified CCE deployment:
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The following sections discuss each of the software components in more detail and describe the data communications between each of these components. For more information on a particular product, refer to the specific product documentation available online at
Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM, formerly Cisco Unified CallManager) is a software application that controls the voice gateways and IP phones, thereby providing the foundation for a Voice over IP (VoIP) solution. Unified CM runs on Cisco Media Convergence Servers (MCS). The software running on a server is referred to as a Unified CM server. Multiple Unified CM servers can be grouped into a cluster to provide for scalability and fault tolerance. Unified CM communicates with the gateways using standard protocols such as H.323, Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Unified CM communicates with the IP phones using SIP or Skinny Call Control Protocol (SCCP). For details on Unified CM call processing capabilities and clustering options, refer to the latest version of the Cisco Unified Communications Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) guide, available at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_implementation_design_guides_list.html
A single Unified CM subscriber server is capable of supporting hundreds of agents. In a fault-tolerant design, a Unified CM cluster is capable of supporting thousands of agents. However, the number of agents and the number of busy hour call attempts (BHCA) supported within a cluster varies and must be sized according to guidelines defined in the chapter on Sizing Cisco Unified Communications Manager Servers, page 11-1.
Typically, when designing a Unified CCE solution, you first define the deployment scenario, including arrival point(s) for voice traffic and the location(s) of the contact center agents. After defining the deployment scenario, you can determine the sizing of the individual components within the Unified CCE design for such things as how many Unified CM servers are needed within a Unified CM cluster, how many voice gateways are needed for each site and for the entire enterprise, how many servers and what types of servers are required for the Unified ICM software, how many Unified IP IVR or Unified CVP servers are needed, and so forth.
Cisco Voice Gateways
When you select voice gateways for a Unified CCE deployment, it is important to select voice gateways that satisfy not only the number of required PSTN trunks but also the busy hour call completion rate on those trunks. Busy hour call completion rates per PSTN trunk are typically higher in a contact center than in a normal office environment. For Cisco Catalyst Communications Media Module (CMM) voice gateways being used in pure contact center deployments, Cisco recommends provisioning a maximum of four T1/E1 interfaces to ensure that the call processing capacity of the voice gateway is satisfactory.
Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal (Unified CVP)
The Unified CVP provides prompting, collecting, queuing, and call control services using standard web-based technologies. The Unified CVP architecture is distributed, fault tolerant, and highly scalable. With the Unified CVP system, voice is terminated on Cisco IOS gateways that interact with the Unified CVP application server (Microsoft Windows Server) using VoiceXML (speech) and H.323 (call control).
The Unified CVP software is tightly integrated with the Cisco Unified ICM software for application control. The Unified ICM scripting environment controls the execution of building-block functions such as play media, play data, menu, and collect information. The Unified ICM script can also invoke external VoiceXML applications to be executed by the Unified CVP VoiceXML Server, an Eclipse and J2EE- based scripting and web server environment. VoiceXML Server is well suited for sophisticated and high-volume IVR applications, and it can interact with custom or third-party J2EE-based services. These applications can return results and control to the Unified ICM script when complete. Advanced load balancing across all Unified CVP solution components can be achieved by Cisco Content Services Switch (CSS) and Cisco IOS Gatekeepers.
Unified CVP can support multiple grammars for prerecorded announcements in several languages. Unified CVP can optionally provide automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech capability. Unified CVP can also access customer databases and applications via the Cisco Unified ICM software.
Unified CVP also provides a queuing platform for the Unified CCE solution. Telephone calls can remain queued on Unified CVP until they are routed to a contact center agent (or external system). For more information, refer to the latest version of the Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal SRND, available at
Cisco Unified IP Interactive Voice Response (Unified IP IVR)
The Unified IP IVR provides prompting, collecting, and queuing capability for the Unified CCE solution. Unified IP IVR does not provide call control like Unified CVP because it is behind Unified CM and under the control of the Unified ICM software via the Service Control Interface (SCI). When an agent becomes available, the Unified ICM software instructs the Unified IP IVR to transfer the call to the selected agent phone. The Unified IP IVR then requests Unified CM to transfer the call to the selected agent phone.
Unified IP IVR is a software application that runs on Intel Pentium-based servers. Each Unified IP IVR server is capable of supporting up to 300 logical Unified IP IVR ports (depending upon the hardware server model). You can deploy multiple Unified IP IVR servers with a single Unified CM cluster under control of Unified CCE.
The Unified IP IVR has no physical telephony trunks or interfaces like a traditional IVR. The telephony trunks are terminated at the voice gateway. Unified CM provides the call processing and switching to set up a G.711 or G.729 Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) stream from the voice gateway to the Unified IP IVR. The Unified IP IVR communicates with Unified CM via the Java Telephony Application Programming Interface (JTAPI), and the Unified IP IVR communicates with the Unified ICM via the Service Control Interface (SCI) with an IVR Peripheral Gateway.
The chapter on Sizing Call Center Resources, page 9-1 discusses how to determine the number of IVR ports required. For deployments requiring complete fault tolerance, a minimum of two Unified IP IVRs is required. The chapter on Design Considerations for High Availability, page 3-1, provides details on Unified CCE fault tolerance.
A lower-cost licensing option of the Unified IP IVR is called the Cisco Unified IP Queue Manager (Unified QM). The Unified QM provides a subset of the Unified IP IVR capability. The database, Java, and HTTP subsystems are not included the Unified QM software license. The Unified QM provides an integrated mechanism for prompting and collecting input from callers and for playing queuing announcements. The sizing for Unified QM and Unified IP IVR are the same.
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Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management (Unified ICM) Software
The Cisco ICM software provides contact center features in conjunction with Unified CM and the IP Queuing platform. Features provided by the ICM software include agent state management, agent selection, call routing and queue control, IVR control, CTI Desktop screen pops, and contact center reporting. ICM Release 7.0 runs on Intel Pentium servers running Microsoft Windows 2003 operating system software and Microsoft SQL Server database management software. The supported Pentium servers can be single, dual, or quad Pentium CPU servers with varying amounts of RAM. This variety of supported servers allows the ICM software to scale and to be sized to meet the needs of the deployment requirements. The chapter on Sizing Unified CCE Components and Servers, page 10-1, provides details on server sizing.
Basic Unified CCE Call and Message Flow
Figure 1-2 shows the flow of a basic Unified CCE call using Unified IP IVR. In this scenario, all of the agents are assumed to be not ready when the call arrives, so the call is routed by the ICM to the Unified IP IVR. While the call is connected to the Unified IP IVR, call queuing treatment (announcements, music, and so on) is provided. When an agent becomes available, the ICM directs the Unified IP IVR to transfer the call to that agent's phone. At the same time the call is being transferred, the ICM sends the caller data, such as Automatic Number Identification (ANI), Directory Number (DN), and any CTI/call data variables, to the agent desktop software.
Figure 1-2 Basic Unified CCE Call Flow Using Unified IP IVR
The call flow in Figure 1-2 is as follows:
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Figure 1-3 shows the flow of a basic Unified CCE call using Unified CVP.
Figure 1-3 Basic Unified CCE Call Flow Using Unified CVP
The call flow in Figure 1-3 is as follows:
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ICM Software Modules
The Cisco ICM software is a collection of modules that can run on multiple servers. The amount of software that can run on one server is primarily based upon busy hour call attempts (BHCA) and the size of the server being used (single, dual, or quad CPU). Other factors that impact the hardware sizing are the number of agents, the number of skills per agent, the number of Unified IP IVR ports, the number of VRU Script nodes in the ICM routing script, Extended Call Context (ECC) usage, and which statistics agents need at their desktops.
The core ICM software modules are:
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The Call Router is the module that makes all routing decisions on how to route a call or customer contact. The Logger is the database server that stores contact center configuration and reporting data. The Unified CM PIM is the process that interfaces to a Unified CM cluster via the JTAPI protocol. The Unified IP IVR PIM is the process that interfaces to the Unified IP IVR via the Service Control Interface (SCI) protocol. The CTI Server is the process that interfaces to the CTI OS.
Each ICM software module can be deployed in a redundant fashion. When a module is deployed in a redundant fashion, we refer to the two sides as side A and side B. For example, Call Router A and Call Router B are redundant instances of the Call Router module (process) running on two different servers. This redundant configuration is also referred to as duplex mode, whereas a non-redundant configuration is said to be running in simplex mode. When processes are running in duplex mode, they are not load-balanced. The A and B sides are both executing the same set of messages and, therefore, producing the same result. In this configuration, logically, there appears to be only one Call Router. The Call Routers run in synchronized execution across the two servers, which means both sides of the duplex servers process every call. In the event of a failure, the surviving Call Router will pick up the call mid-stream and continue processing.
Other components in the ICM, such as the Peripheral Gateways, run in hot-standby mode, meaning that only one of the Peripheral Gateways is actually active and controlling Unified CM or the Unified IP IVR. When the active side fails, the surviving side automatically takes over processing of the application. During a failure, the surviving side is said to be running in simplex mode and will continue to function this way until the redundant/duplex side is restored to service, then it will automatically return to duplex operation.
The ICM software uses the concept of a customer instance to group all of the components under a single Call Router and Logger or Central Controller. The instance relationship ensures that all of the components related to the same system are joined under a single logical Unified CCE IP ACD. This concept is used only to support multiple customer instances in the Unified Contact Center Hosted (Unified CCH) that supports multi-tenant or shared servers that manage multiple customer instances. All Unified CCE systems are deployed as a single instance (using the same instance number in ICM Setup) across all the ICM components.
Combined Routers and Loggers are often called the ICM Central Controller.When the Router and Logger modules run on the same server, the server is referred to as a Rogger. When the Call Router, Logger, and Peripheral Gateway modules run on the same server, the server is referred to as a Progger. In lab environments, the system Administrative Workstation (AW) can also be loaded onto the Progger to create a server known as a Sprawler configuration; however, this configuration is approved only for lab use and is not supported in customer production environments.
For each Unified CM cluster in your Unified CCE environment, you need a Unified CM PIM on a separate Peripheral Gateway and physical server. For deployments requiring multiple PIMs for the same Unified CM cluster, you need a separate PG and physical server for each PIM.
For each Unified CM Peripheral Gateway, you need one CTI Server and one CTI OS to communicate with the desktops associated with the phones for that Unified CM cluster. For each Unified IP IVR, you need one Unified IP IVR PIM. The server that runs the Unified CM PIM, the CTI Server, the CTI OS, and the Unified IP IVR PIMs, is referred to as an Agent Peripheral Gateway (APG). Often, the Unified CM PIM, the CTI Server, the CTI OS, and multiple Unified IP IVR PIMs will run on the same server. Internal to the PG is a process called the PG Agent, which communicates from the PG to the Central Controller. Another internal PG process is the Open Peripheral Controller (OPC), which enables the other processes to communicate with each other and is also involved in synchronizing PGs in redundant PG deployments. Figure 1-4 shows the communications among the various PG software processes.
Figure 1-4 Communications Among Peripheral Gateway Software Processes
In larger, multi-site (multi-cluster) environments, multiple PGs are usually deployed. Each PG requires a local Unified CM node. When multiple Unified CM clusters are deployed, the ICM software makes them all appear to be part of one logical enterprise-wide contact center with one enterprise-wide queue.
Unified CCE Components, Terminology, and Concepts
This section describes the major components and concepts employed in a Unified CCE solution.
Unified CCE Agent Interface
Cisco offers the following interfaces for Unified CCE agents:
Cisco Agent Desktop
Cisco Agent Desktop (CAD) is an out-of-the-box, Windows-based desktop application that enables the agent to perform agent state control (including login, logout, ready, not ready, and wrap up) and call control (including answer, release, hold, retrieve, transfer, conference, make call). CAD requires use of a Cisco Unified IP phone or Cisco IP Communicator (softphone). Other features, such as an integrated chatting application, call recording, and workflow automation, may also be included. (See Figure 1-5.)
Figure 1-5 Cisco Agent Desktop
Cisco Toolkit Desktop
Cisco Toolkit Desktops are custom built agent desktop applications built with the Cisco CTI toolkit. The Cisco CTI toolkit is a software development toolkit used to develop agent desktop applications that interact with the CTI Object Server (CTI OS). A Cisco toolkit desktop can provide the same agent state controls and call controls as CAD. You can use the Cisco CTI toolkit to add agent state controls and call controls to existing desktop applications. Cisco toolkit desktops require the agent to use a Cisco Unified IP phone or Cisco IP Communicator (softphone).
Embedded CRM Desktops
Embedded Customer Relationship Management (CRM) desktops are CRM applications that have agent state and call controls embedded within a CRM application. The Cisco Siebel Desktop is one such embedded CRM desktop. Other embedded CRM desktops are available from Cisco partners. Embedded CRM desktops require the agent to use a Cisco Unified IP phone or Cisco IP Communicator (softphone).
Cisco Unified IP Phone Agent
Unified IP Phone Agent is an agent interface that does not require a desktop application. It is implemented as an XML application that is rendered on the screen of the IP phone and controlled through the softkeys and buttons on the phone. The XML application performs agent state control, while call control is handled through the normal phone softkeys and buttons. Other enhanced features, including silent monitoring, call recording, screen pop and call center statistics, are also available through this interface.
Unified CCE Supervisor Interface
Cisco offers the following interfaces for Unified CCE agents:
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Cisco Supervisor Desktop
Cisco Supervisor Desktop (CSD) is an out-of-the-box, Windows based desktop application that enables the supervisor to monitor and control agent state, monitor some call center statistics, monitor agents silently, barge in on agents, intercept calls, and initiate agent call recording. CSD can perform these functions only for agents using CAD or IPPA. CSD is a completely separate desktop application from CAD and the barge-in and intercept functions require the supervisor to be logged into CAD.
Cisco Toolkit Desktop
Cisco Toolkit Desktops can include supervisor type controls integrated into the same application that performs agent functions. Supervisory functions enable a supervisor to monitor and control agent state, monitor some call center statistics, monitor agents silently, barge in on agents, intercept calls, and initiate agent call recording. However, supervisors using toolkit desktops can perform these functions only for agents using toolkit desktops.
For more information about desktop selection and design considerations, see Chapter 4, "Unified Contact Center Enterprise Desktop."
CTI Object Server (CTI OS)
The Computer Telephony Integration Object Server (CTI OS) is Cisco's next-generation customer contact integration platform. CTI OS combines a powerful, feature-rich server and an object-oriented software development toolkit to enable rapid development and deployment of complex CTI applications. Together with the Cisco CTI Server Interface, CTI OS Server and CTI OS Client Interface Library (CIL) create a high-performance, scalable, fault-tolerant CTI architecture.
The CTI OS application architecture consists of three tiers:
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Fault-tolerance is provided through a pair of servers that operate together and back up each other. There is no notion of an active and passive server, or of a primary and secondary server. Both servers are always active. Clients may connect to either server. In the event of the failure of any one server, clients can automatically reconnect to the alternate server.
CTI OS connects customer contact servers such as CTI Server with client applications. (See Figure 1-6.) The connection to a contact server is established through a CTI Server Driver library. This library receives state change events on agents, and calls. Those events are sent to the Service Broker, which determines what objects to update. These objects generate update events to the Event Notification Engine, which then notifies all subscribing clients.
Figure 1-6 Generalized View of Information Flow in CTI OS
The type of messages received by the client application depends on the connection mode. Clients may connect in agent or monitor mode. In agent mode, the client receives events specific to that agent (calls delivered or originated on the agent's instrument, agent state changes, and skill group statistics). In monitor mode, the client provides a message filter expression, and the expression selects the types of messages that the client will receive.
Clients may initiate requests such as answering or dropping a call. The request is received by CTI OS through the client connection interface. Requests are brokered by the request service which forwards the request to the correct object, which then forwards it to the CTI Server.
Administrative Workstation
The Administrative Workstation (AW) provides a collection of administrative tools for managing the ICM software configuration. The two primary configuration tools on the AW are the Configuration Manager and the Script Editor. The Configuration Manager tool is used to configure the ICM database to add agents, add skill groups, assign agents to skill groups, add dialed numbers, add call types, assign dialed numbers to call types, assign call types to ICM routing scripts, and so forth. The Script Editor tool is used to build ICM routing scripts. ICM routing scripts specify how to route and queue a contact (that is, the script identifies which agent should handle a particular contact).
For details on the use of these tools, refer to the Cisco Unified Contact Center Administration Guide, available at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps1844/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html
The AW is the only software module that must run on a separate server from all of the other Unified CCE software modules. An AW can be deployed co-located with, or remote from, the ICM Central Controller. Each AW is independent of other AWs, and redundancy is provided by deploying multiple AWs.
Some AWs communicate directly with the ICM Central Controller, and they are called Distributor AWs. (See Figure 1-7.) An ICM deployment must have at least one Distributor AW. Additional AWs (distributors or clients) are also allowed for redundancy (primary and secondary distributors) or for additional access by the AW clients in a site. At any additional site, at least one distributor and multiple client AWs can be deployed; however, client AWs should always be local to their AW distributor.
Figure 1-7 Communication Between ICM Central Controller and Distributor AW
Client AWs communicate with a Distributor AW to view and modify the ICM Central Controller database and to receive real-time reporting data. Distributor AWs off-load the Central Controller (the real-time call processing engine) from the task of constantly distributing real-time contact center data to the client AWs.
AWs can be installed with the following software options:
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The Historical Data Server (HDS) is the database used for longer-term data storage and reporting. WebView Server is the reporting server that can be installed either on an HDS server or on a standalone server. For information on the reporting deployment options, refer to the chapters on Sizing Unified CCE Components and Servers, page 10-1, and Securing Unified CCE, page 8-1.
The WebView Server option provides browser-based reporting. This option enables reporting to be done from any computer with a browser. The Internet Script Editor Server can be installed only on a Distributor AW, and it provides an HTTPS (default protocol) connection for Script Editor clients. The WebConfig Server provides a browser-based configuration tool for the Unified CCE 7.0 System Deployment (Child Unified CCE) and can be installed only on a Distributor AW.
The reason for requiring the AW to run on a separate server for production systems is to ensure that complex reporting queries do not interrupt the real-time call processing of the Call Router and Logger processes. For lab or prototype systems, the AW (with the WebView Server option) can be installed on the same server as the Call Router and Logger. If the AW is installed on the same server as the Logger, then HDS is no longer required because a complete copy of the Logger database is already present on the server.
For more details on the design and configuration of the AWs, refer to the ICM product documentation available online at Cisco.com.
Unified CCE Reporting
The Unified CCE Reporting solution provides an interface to access data describing the historical and real-time states of the system. The reporting solution consists of the following components:
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WebView
The reporting user interface is a web-based application referred to as WebView. WebView performs the basic operations of gathering user input, querying the databases and presenting the requested data. Additionally, WebView is a full-featured reporting application server that provides functions such as authentication, storing users' favorite reports, launching scheduled reports, and so forth. WebView can be installed on an AW or, to increase scalability, it can be installed on a standalone server. The WebView architecture is described in the WebView Installation and Administration Guide, available at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps4145/prod_installation_guides_list.html
WebView limits report output to 3,000 rows and truncates reports that request more data than can be returned.
WebView comes with a number of categories of report templates. Each category presents different views of the data generated by call center activity. To determine which templates are best suited for your reporting requirements, refer to the WebView Template Reference Guide, available at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps4145/products_user_guide_list.html
Reporting Data
The data sources for WebView reports reside on a Distributor AW. For a detailed description of the reporting data flow and the concepts introduced here, refer to the WebView Installation and Administration Guide, available at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps4145/prod_installation_guides_list.html
Administrative Workstation Database (AWDB)
The AWDB stores real-time and configuration data. Real-time reports combine these two types of data to present a near-current transient snapshot of the system. Real-time reports refresh on a regular interval so that the most current data is always displayed.
Historical Data Server (HDS)
The HDS stores historical data. Historical reports query the AWDB to gather configuration data and join that data with data found in the HDS. Historical reports are typically available in two forms: reports generated on the half hour and reports generated daily. Half-hour reports should be used to report on periods of time less than one day in length.
JTAPI Communications
In order for JTAPI communications to occur between Unified CM and external applications such as the Unified CCE and Unified IP IVR, a JTAPI user ID and password must be configured within Unified CM. Upon startup of the Unified CM PIM or upon startup of the Unified IP IVR, the JTAPI user ID and password are used to log in to Unified CM. This login process by the application (Unified CM PIM or Unified IP IVR) establishes the JTAPI communications between the Unified CM cluster and the application. A single JTAPI user ID is used for all communications between the entire Unified CM cluster and the ICM. A separate JTAPI user ID is also required for each Unified IP IVR server. In a Unified CCE deployment with one Unified CM cluster and two Unified IP IVRs, three JTAPI user IDs are required: one JTAPI user ID for the ICM application and two JTAPI user IDs for the two Unified IP IVRs.
The Unified CM software includes a module called the CTI Manager, which is the layer of software that communicates via JTAPI to applications such as the ICM and Unified IP IVR. Every node within a cluster can execute an instance of the CTI Manager process, but the Unified CM PIM on the PG communicates with only one CTI Manager (and thus one node) in the Unified CM cluster. The CTI Manager process communicates CTI messages to/from other nodes within the cluster. For example, suppose a deployment has a voice gateway homed to node 1 in a cluster, and node 2 executes the CTI Manager process that communicates to the ICM. When a new call arrives at this voice gateway and needs to be routed by the ICM, node 1 sends an intra-cluster message to node 2, which will send a route request to the ICM to determine how the call should be routed.
Each Unified IP IVR also communicates with only one CTI Manager (or node) within the cluster. The Unified CM PIM and the two Unified IP IVRs from the previous example could each communicate with different CTI Managers (nodes) or they could all communicate with the same CTI Manager (node). However, each communication uses a different user ID. The user ID is how the CTI Manager keeps track of the different applications.
When the Unified CM PIM is redundant, only one side is active and in communication with the Unified CM cluster. Side A of the Unified CM PIM communicates with the CTI Manager on one Unified CM node, and side B of the Unified CM PIM communicates with the CTI Manager on another Unified CM node. The Unified IP IVR does not have a redundant side, but the Unified IP IVR does have the ability to fail over to another CTI Manager (node) within the cluster if its primary CTI Manager is out of service. For more information on failover, refer to the chapter on Design Considerations for High Availability, page 3-1.
The JTAPI communications between the Unified CM and Unified CCE include three distinct types of messaging:
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Routing control messages provide a way for Unified CM to request routing instructions from Unified CCE.
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Device monitoring messages provide a way for Unified CM to notify Unified CCE about state changes of a device (phone) or a call.
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Device control messages provide a way for Unified CM to receive instructions from Unified CCE on how to control a device (phone) or a call.
A typical Unified CCE call includes all three types of JTAPI communication within a few seconds. When a new call arrives, Unified CM requests routing instructions from the ICM. For example, when Unified CM receives the routing response from the ICM, Unified CM attempts delivery of the call to the agent phone by instructing the phone to begin ringing. At that point, Unified CM notifies the ICM that the device (phone) has started ringing, and that notification enables the agent's answer button on the desktop application. When the agent clicks the answer button, the ICM instructs Unified CM to make the device (phone) go off-hook and answer the call.
In order for the routing control communication to occur, Unified CM requires the configuration of a CTI Route Point. A CTI Route Point is associated with a specific JTAPI user ID, and this association enables Unified CM to know which application provides routing control for that CTI Route Point. Directory (Dialed) Numbers (DNs) are then associated with the CTI Route Point. A DN is associated to a CTI Route Point that is associated with the ICM JTAPI user ID, and this enables Unified CM to generate a route request to the ICM when a new call to that DN arrives.
In order for the phones to be monitored and controlled, they also must be associated in Unified CM with a JTAPI user ID. In a Unified CCE environment, the IP phones are associated with the ICM JTAPI user ID. When an agent logs in from the desktop, the Unified CM PIM requests Unified CM to allow the PIM to begin monitoring and controlling that phone. Until the login has occurred, Unified CM does not allow the ICM to monitor or control that phone. If the device has not been associated with the ICM JTAPI user ID, then the agent login request will fail.
Because the Unified IP IVR also communicates with Unified CM using the same JTAPI protocol, these same three types of communication also occur with the Unified IP IVR. Unlike the ICM, the Unified IP IVR provides both the application itself and the devices to be monitored and controlled.
The devices that the ICM monitors and controls are the physical phones. The Unified IP IVR does not have real physical ports like a traditional IVR. Its ports are logical ports (independent software tasks or threads running on the Unified IP IVR application server) called CTI Ports. For each CTI Port on the Unified IP IVR, there needs to be a CTI Port device defined in Unified CM.
Unlike a traditional PBX or telephony switch, Unified CM does not select the Unified IP IVR port to which it will send the call. Instead, when a call needs to be made to a DN that is associated with a CTI Route Point that is associated with a Unified IP IVR JTAPI user, Unified CM asks the Unified IP IVR (via JTAPI routing control) which CTI Port (device) should handle the call. Assuming the Unified IP IVR has an available CTI Port, the Unified IP IVR will respond to the Unified CM routing control request with the Unified CM device identifier of the CTI Port that is going to handle that call.
When an available CTI Port is allocated to the call, a Unified IP IVR workflow is started within the Unified IP IVR. When the Unified IP IVR workflow executes the accept step, a JTAPI message is sent to Unified CM to answer the call on behalf of that CTI Port (device). When the Unified IP IVR workflow wants the call transferred or released, it again instructs Unified CM on what to do with that call. These scenarios are examples of device and call control performed by the Unified IP IVR.
When a caller releases the call while interacting with the Unified IP IVR, the voice gateway detects the caller release and notifies Unified CM via H.323 or Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), which then notifies the Unified IP IVR via JTAPI. When DTMF tones are detected by the voice gateway, it notifies Unified CM via H.245 or MGCP, which then notifies the Unified IP IVR via JTAPI. These scenarios are examples of device and call monitoring performed by the Unified IP IVR.
In order for the CTI Port device control and monitoring to occur, the CTI Port devices on Unified CM must be associated with the appropriate Unified IP IVR JTAPI user ID. If you have two 150-port Unified IP IVRs, you would have 300 CTI ports. Half of the CTI ports (150) would be associated with JTAPI user Unified IP IVR #1, and the other 150 CTI ports would be associated with JTAPI user Unified IP IVR #2.
While Unified CM can be configured to route calls to Unified IP IVRs on its own, routing of calls to the Unified IP IVRs in a Unified CCE environment should be done by the ICM (even if you have only one Unified IP IVR and all calls require an initial IVR treatment). Doing so will ensure proper Unified CCE reporting. For deployments with multiple Unified IP IVRs, this routing practice also allows the ICM to load-balance calls across the multiple Unified IP IVRs.
Multichannel Subsystems
The ICM has the capability to provide a multichannel contact center that includes email and web collaboration. It does this through interactions with Cisco E-Mail Manager and Cisco Collaboration Server. (See Figure 1-8.) The ICM has three integration points that are used for its multimedia subsystems:
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Figure 1-8 Multichannel Subsystem
Cisco E-Mail Manager
Cisco E-Mail Manager provides inbound and outbound email services for agents. Cisco E-Mail Manager enables incoming email to be processed with a rules engine, categorized into folders for processing, and queued to agents. When emails are assigned to agents, the agents are able to respond to them, with Cisco E-Mail Manager providing storage of the conversation and tracking of multi-leg responses.
Cisco E-Mail Manager has the ability to escalate overdue emails to be synchronously routed through the ICM router so that they get attention right away. It also has the ability to do some email routing itself.
Cisco Collaboration Server
The Cisco Collaboration Server provides web-based collaboration and chat capabilities to agents. These capabilities can be used independently or as a supplement to voice calls. Cisco Collaboration Server connects to the ICM through its Media Blender component. This component is required because Cisco Collaboration Server itself must sit outside the corporate firewall to allow for incoming connections from customers.
When doing blended voice and collaboration sessions with IP-based agents, Media Blender talks to the Media Routing PG to route calls. When doing blended voice and collaboration with TDM-based agents, Media Blender talks directly to the TDM switch to queue phantom calls to agents.
Cisco Collaboration Server provides desktop user interfaces for both callers and agents. These components allow the callers and agents to collaborate using a variety of media, including chat, web page sharing, advanced web page sharing (using the Dynamic Content Adapter), application sharing, white boarding. Cisco Collaboration Server also provides an API for developing custom media.
Cisco Collaboration Server can use its own internal routing engine or it can use the ICM's routing engine to assign incoming calls to agents. Cisco Collaboration Server provides the ability, through its multi-session chat desktop, for agents to work with more than one caller at a time.
Cisco Unified Outbound Option
Agents can handle both inbound and outbound contacts, which helps in optimizing contact center resources. The Cisco Unified Outbound Option enables the multi-functional contact center to take advantage of ICM enterprise management. Contact center managers in need of outbound campaign solutions can take advantage of the enterprise view that Cisco Unified ICME and Cisco Unified CCE maintain over agent resources.
Cisco Unified Mobile Agent
Cisco Unified CCE provides the capability for an agent to use any PSTN phone and a quality high-speed data connection between the agent desktop and the CTI OS server. For design guidance and considerations for implementing Cisco Unified Mobile Agent, see the chapter on Cisco Unified Mobile Agent, page 6-1.
System Unified CCE
System Unified CCE is a new deployment model that simplifies installation and configuration by using three predefined configurations for Unified CCE that eliminate unnecessary Unified ICM and non-Unified CCE deployment options. System Unified CCE utilizes a new single installer to simplify installation and configuration, and it provides web-based administration. Configuration of System Unified CCE is further simplified by removing Services, Translation Routes, Device Targets, Labels, Sub Skill Groups, and Agent IDs. There is only one routing client in a System Unified CCE installation. No matter how many peripherals are configured, the system handles the internal details about individual peripherals and their routing client details.
System Unified CCE supports only new installations. It continues to provide fault tolerance through the duplex operation on the Central Controller and Agent/IVR Controller. System Unified CCE can connect to a parent Unified ICM, and the connection is made between the child Unified CCE System PG and the parent Gateway PG.
System Unified CCE consists of the following internal components, illustrated in Figure 1-9:
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Figure 1-9 System Unified CCE
For more information on System Unified CCE, see the chapter on Deployment Models, page 2-1.
Unified ICM Routing Clients
A Unified ICM routing client is anything that can generate a route request to the Unified ICM Central Controller. The Unified CM PIM (representing the entire Unified CM cluster) and each Unified IP IVR/Unified CVP PIM are routing clients. Routing clients generate route requests to the Unified ICM Central Controller. The Unified ICM Central Controller then executes a routing script and returns a routing label to the routing client. A redundant PIM is viewed as a single logical routing client, and only one side of a PIM is active at any point in time. In a Unified CCE deployment with one Unified CM cluster (with any number of nodes) and two Unified IP IVRs, three routing clients are required: the Unified CM PIM and the two Unified IP IVR/Unified CVP PIMs.
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) can also function as a routing client. The Unified ICM supports a software module called a Network Interface Controller (NIC), which enables the Unified ICM to control how the PSTN routes a call. Intelligently routing a call before the call is delivered to any customer premise equipment is referred to as pre-routing. Only certain PSTNs have NICs supported by the Unified ICM. For a detailed list of PSTN NICs and details on Unified ICM pre-routing, refer to the Pre-installation Planning Guide for Cisco ICM Enterprise & Hosted Editions, available at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps1001/prod_installation_guides_list.html
Other applications such as the Cisco Media Blender, the Cisco Collaboration Server, and the Cisco E-Mail Manager can also function as routing clients to allow the Unified ICM to become a multi-channel contact routing engine. Details of currently available multi-channel routing are available on Cisco.com.
Device Targets
Each IP phone must be configured in the Unified ICM Central Controller database as a device target. Only one extension on the phone can be configured as a Unified ICM device target. Additional extensions may be configured on the phone, but those extensions will not be known to the Unified ICM software and, thus, no monitoring or control of those additional extensions is possible. The Unified ICM provides call treatment for Reroute On No Answer (RONA), therefore it is not necessary to configure call forwarding on ring-no-answer in the Unified CM configuration for the phones. Unless call center policy permits warm (agent-to-agent) transfers, the Unified CCE extension also should not be published or dialed by anyone directly, and only the Unified ICM software should route calls to this Unified CCE phone extension.
At agent login, the agent ID and phone extension are associated, and this association is released when the agent logs out. This feature allows the agent to log in to any agent phone. At agent login, the Unified CM PIM requests Unified CM to begin monitoring the agent phone and to provide device and call control for that phone. As mentioned previously, each phone must be mapped to the Unified ICM JTAPI user ID in order for the agent login to be successful.
Labels
Labels are the response to a route request from a routing client. The label is a pointer to the destination where the call is to be routed (basically, the number to be dialed by the routing client). Many labels in a Unified CCE environment correspond to the Unified CCE phone extensions so that Unified CM and Unified IP IVR can route or transfer calls to the phone of an agent who has just been selected for a call.
Often, the way a call is routed to a destination depends upon where the call originated and where it is being terminated. This is why Unified CCE uses labels. For example, suppose we have an environment with two regionally separated Unified CM clusters, Site 1 and Site 2. A phone user at Site 1 will typically just dial a four-digit extension to reach another phone user at Site 1. In order to reach a phone user at Site 2 from Site 1, users might have to dial a seven-digit number. To reach a phone user at either site from a PSTN phone, users might have to dial a 10- digit number. From this example, we can see how a different label would be needed, depending upon where the call is originating and terminating.
Each combination of device target and routing client must have a label. For example, a device target in a Unified CCE deployment with a two-node Unified CM cluster and two Unified IP IVRs will require three labels. If you have 100 device targets (phones), you would need 300 labels. If there are two regionally separated Unified CM clusters, each with two Unified IP IVRs and 100 device targets per site, then we would need 1200 labels for the six routing clients and 200 device targets (assuming we wanted to be able to route a call from any routing client to any device target). If calls are to be routed to device targets only at the same site as the routing client, then we would need only 600 labels (three routing clients to 100 device targets, and then doubled for Site 2).
Labels are also used to route calls to Unified IP IVR CTI Ports. Details on configuring labels are provided in the Unified CCE Installation Guide, available on Cisco.com. A bulk configuration tool is also available to simplify the configuration of the labels.
Agent Desk Settings
Agent Desk Settings provide a profile that specifies parameters such as whether auto-answer is enabled, how long to wait before rerouting a call for Ring No Answer, what DN to use in the rerouting, and whether reason codes are needed for logging out and going not-ready. Each agent must be associated with an agent desk setting profile in the Unified ICM configuration. A single agent desk setting profile can be shared by many agents. Changes made to an agent's desk setting profile while the agent is logged in are not activated until the agent logs out and logs in again.
Agents
Agents are configured within the Unified ICM and are associated with one specific Unified CM PIM (that is, one Unified CM cluster). Within the Unified ICM configuration, you also configure the password for the agent to use at login. These passwords are local only to the Unified CCE application and do not interact with the Active Directory or any other encryption or authentication system.
Skill Groups
Skill groups are configured within the Unified ICM so that agents with similar skills can be grouped together. Agents can be associated with one or more skill groups. Skill groups are associated with a specific Unified CM PIM. Skill groups from multiple PIMs can be grouped into Enterprise Skill Groups. Creating and using Enterprise Skill Groups can simplify routing and reporting in some scenarios.
Directory (Dialed) Numbers and Routing Scripts
In order for Unified CM to generate a route request to the Unified ICM, Unified CM must associate the DN with a CTI Route Point that is associated with the Unified ICM JTAPI User. The DN must also be configured in the Unified ICM. Once the Unified ICM receives the route request with the DN, that DN is mapped to a Unified ICM Call type, which is then mapped to a Unified ICM routing script.
Agent Login and State Control
Agents log in to Unified CCE from their Unified CCE agent desktop application. When logging in, the agent is presented with a dialog box that prompts for agent ID or login name, password, and the Unified CCE phone extension to be used for this login session. It is at login time that the agent ID, phone extension (device target), agent desk setting profile, skills, and desktop IP address are all dynamically associated. The association is released upon agent logout.
Unified CCE Routing
The example routing script in Figure 1-10 illustrates how Unified CCE routes calls. In this routing script, the Unified CM PIM (or cluster) is the routing client. Upon receipt of the route request, the Unified ICM maps the DN to a call type and then maps the call type to this routing script. In this routing script, the Unified ICM router first uses a Select node to look for the Longest Available Agent (LAA) in the BoatSales skill group on the CCM_PG_1 peripheral gateway (or cluster). The Unified ICM router determines that agent 111 is the LAA. Agent 111 is currently logged in from device target 1234 (Unified CM phone extension 1234 in this scenario). The Unified ICM router then determines the label to be returned, based upon the device target and routing client combination. The appropriate label is then returned to the routing client (Unified CM cluster) so that the call can be routed properly to that phone (device target).
Figure 1-10 Routing Script Example
Translation Routing and Queuing
If no agents are available, then the router exits the Select node and transfers the call to a Unified IP IVR to begin queuing treatment. The transfer is completed using the Translation Route to VRU node. The Translation Route to VRU node returns a unique translation route label to the original routing client, the Unified CM cluster. The translation route label will equal a DN configured in Unified CM. In Unified CM, that DN is mapped to a CTI Route Point that is associated with the JTAPI user for the Unified IP IVR to which the call is being transferred.
Unified CM and Unified IP IVR will execute the JTAPI routing control messaging to select an available CTI Port.
When the call is successfully transferred to the Unified IP IVR, the Unified IP IVR translation routing application first sends a request instruction message to the Unified ICM via the SCI between the Unified IP IVR and the Unified ICM. The Unified ICM identifies the DN as being the same as the translation route label and is then able to re-associate this call with the call that was previously being routed. The Unified ICM then re-enters the routing script that was previously being run for this call. The re-entry point is the successful exit path of the Translation Route to VRU node. (See Figure 1-11.) At this point, the routing client has changed from the Unified CM cluster to IPIVR1.
While the call was being transferred, the routing script was temporarily paused. After the transfer to the Unified IP IVR is successfully completed, the Unified IP IVR becomes the routing client for this routing script. Next the routing script queues the call to the BoatSales skill group and then instructs the Unified IP IVR to run a specific queue treatment via the Run VRU Script node. Eventually agent 111 becomes available, and as in the previous example, the label to be returned to the routing client is identified based upon the combination of device target and routing client. Note that the routing client is now the Unified IP IVR. The label returned (1234) when agent 111 becomes available causes the Unified IP IVR to transfer the call to agent 111 (at extension 1234).
Figure 1-11 Translation Routing and Queuing
For each combination of Unified CM cluster and Unified IP IVR, a translation route and a set of labels is required. For example, if a deployment has one Unified CM cluster and four Unified IP IVRs, then four translation routes and sets of labels are required.
For deployments with multiple Unified IP IVRs, the Unified ICM routing script should select the Unified IP IVR with the greatest number of idle Unified IP IVR ports and then translation-route the call to that specific Unified IP IVR. If no Unified IP IVR ports are available, then the script should execute a Busy node. If a high number of calls are executing Busy nodes, then it is important to resize your Unified IP IVR port capacity.
Reroute On No Answer (RONA)
When a call is routed to an agent but the agent fails to answer the call within a configurable amount of time, the Unified CM PIM for the agent who did not answer will change that agent's state to not ready (so that the agent does not get more calls) and launch a route request to find another agent. Any call data is preserved and popped onto the next agent's desktop. If no agent is available, the call can be sent back to the Unified IP IVR for queuing treatment again. Again, all call data is preserved. The routing script for this RONA treatment should set the call priority to "high" so that the next available agent is selected for this caller. In the agent desk settings, you can set the RONA timer and the DN used to specify a unique call type and routing script for RONA treatment.
Combining IP Telephony and Unified CCE in the Same Unified CM Cluster
It is possible for a Unified CM cluster to support Cisco Unified IP phones with both normal IP Telephony (office) extensions and Unified CCE (call center) extensions. When running dual-use Unified CM clusters with both IP Telephony and Unified CCE extensions, it is important to realize that sometimes the most recent Unified CM software release will not immediately be supported in Unified CCE deployments until testing is completed later. It is also important to note that many contact center environments have very stringent maintenance windows. Additionally, Unified CCE agents process far more calls than typical administrator phone users on a Unified CM cluster, so their device weight (or the amount of processing power required per agent) is higher than a typical business phone user. For example, an administrator-only cluster might be able to support 20,000 phones, but a Unified CCE cluster might support only 2,000 agents because of the higher call volume and messaging that Unified CM is required to maintain to support those agents. Because of these software and environmental limitations, it might sometimes be advantageous to separate the Unified CM clusters for IP Telephony extensions from the Unified CM clusters for Unified CCE extensions. It is important to consider the environment where Unified CCE is being deployed to determine whether a separate Unified CM cluster is advantageous.
Combining IP Telephony and Unified CCE Extensions on the Same IP Phone
Unified CCE supports only one agent ACD line on the IP phone, which typically will not have voicemail or any call forwarding defined so that Unified CCE can manage and control all calls sent to the agent on this line. Typically, the agent extension is not used as the agent's DID or personal line. A separate line can be assigned to the agent's phone for that purpose and configured with voicemail and other calling features.
The position of the line on the phone determines which line will be answered or used if the agent just picks up the handset. In a typical call center, the ACD line would be the first line on the phone to make it easier for the agent to answer inbound ACD calls and also to ensure that any calls the agent makes using the phone are tracked by the system as external calls for that agent. Additionally, the agent's state will change based upon this line. If the agent picks up the phone to place a call, they will be put into not ready mode and the Unified CCE will not route a call to them.
In some cases the agents are knowledge workers, or they do not take as many ACD calls as they do normal extension calls. The call center manager would not want to track all of their phone activity that is not ACD related, and it might be inconvenient for those users to always get the ACD line first when they want to pick up a DID call instead. In this case, the order of the lines might best be reversed, placing the ACD line on the last (or bottom) line appearance on the phone and placing the DID or normal extension on the first line on the phone. This arrangement will allow the users to pick up the phone and answer the first line as well as use this line for all calls they place by default. To answer an ACD call, they will have to select that line on the phone or use the agent desktop to answer that line appearance directly. They should also be aware that they will have to manage their agent state and go into not-ready mode manually when they want to place a call on their normal extension, so that Unified CCE will not attempt to route a call to them while they are on the other line.
It is possible to have a deployment where the agent extension is the same as the agent's DID or personal line. When call waiting is configured on the agent phone, agent-to-agent calls could interrupt a customer call. To prevent this from happening, agent-to-agent routing can be used and the agent-to-agent routing script can be set up to queue or reject the call if the agent is busy. This is a good option if there is a need to see all agent activity and to avoid all interruptions for the agent. The configuration involves using CTI Route Points in Unified CM instead of the agent DID in order to send the calls to Unified CCE for agent-to-agent routing. For ease of configuration and to reduce the number of CTI route points, the Unified CM wildcard feature can be used, although the ICM will require distinct routing DNs, one for each agent.
Queuing in a Unified CCE Environment
Call queuing can occur in three distinct scenarios in a contact center:
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When planning your Unified CCE deployment, it is important to consider how queuing and requeuing are going to be handled.
Call queuing in a Unified CCE deployment requires use of an IVR platform that supports the SCI interface to the Unified ICM. The Unified IP IVR is one such platform. Cisco also offers another IVR platform, Unified CVP, that can be used as a queuing point for Unified CCE deployments. The chapter on Deployment Models, page 2-1, provides considerations for deployments with Unified CVP. Traditional IVRs can also be used in Unified CCE deployments, and the chapter on Deployment Models, page 2-1, also provides considerations for deployments with traditional IVRs.
In a Unified CCE environment, an IVR is used to provide voice announcements and queuing treatment while waiting for an agent. The control over the type of queuing treatment for a call is provided by the Unified ICM via the SCI interface. The Run VRU Script node in a Unified ICM routing script is the component that causes the Unified ICM to instruct the IVR to play a particular queuing treatment.
While the IVR is playing the queuing treatment (announcements) to the caller, the Unified ICM waits for an available agent with a particular skill (as defined within the routing script for that call). When an agent with the appropriate skill becomes available, the Unified ICM reserves that agent and then instructs the IVR to transfer the voice path to that agent's phone.
Transfers in a Unified CCE Environment
Transfers are a commonly used feature in contact centers, therefore it is very important to consider all of the possible transfer scenarios desired for your Unified CCE installation. This section explains basic transfer concepts, and the transfer scenarios themselves are discussed in the chapter on Deployment Models, page 2-1.
Transfers involve three parties: the original caller, the transferring agent, and the target agent. The original caller is the caller that made the original call that was routed to the transferring agent. The transferring agent is the agent requesting the transfer to the target agent. The target agent is the agent receiving the transfer from the transferring agent. This terminology is used throughout this document when referring to the different parties.
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When a transferring agent wants to transfer a call to another skill group or agent, the transferring agent clicks on the transfer button on the Unified CCE Agent Desktop. A dialog box allows the transferring agent to enter the dialed number of a skill group or agent. An alphanumeric dialed number string (such as sales or service) is also valid. The transferring agent also selects whether this transfer is to be a single-step (blind) transfer or a consultative transfer. (Single-step transfer is the default.) The transferring agent then clicks OK to complete (single-step) or initiate (consultative) the transfer. The transfer request message flows from the transferring agent desktop to the CTI Server and then to the Unified CM PIM.
Any call data that was delivered to the transferring agent or added by the transferring agent is sent along with the transfer request to the Unified CM PIM.
Conferences in a Unified CCE Environment
Conferences are a commonly used feature in contact centers, therefore it is very important to consider all of the possible conference scenarios desired for your Unified CCE installation. This section explains basic conference concepts, and the conference scenarios themselves are discussed in the chapter on Deployment Models, page 2-1.
Conferences involve three or more parties: the original caller, added participants, the conferencing agent, and the target agent. The original caller is the caller that made the original call that was routed to the conferencing agent. Added participants are parties that are already in an existing conference call. The conferencing agent is the agent requesting the conference to add the target agent. The target agent is the agent being added to the conference. This terminology is used throughout this document when referring to the various parties in a conference.
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When a conferencing agent wants to conference a call to another skill group or agent, the conferencing agent clicks on the conference button on the Unified CCE Agent Desktop. A dialog box allows the conferencing agent to enter the dialed number of a skill group or agent. An alphanumeric dialed number string (such as sales or service) is also valid provided it is configured in the Unified CCE Dialed Number Plan. The conferencing agent then clicks OK to initiate the conference. The conference request message flows from the conferencing agent desktop to the CTI Server and then to the Unified CM PIM.
Note that single-step blind transfers are not supported.
Any call data that was delivered to the conferencing agent or added by the conferencing agent is sent along with the conference request to the Unified CM PIM.
Dialed Number Plan
The Unified CM PIM then attempts to match the dialed number with an entry in the Dialed Number Plan. The Unified ICM Dialed Number Plan (DNP) is currently administered via the Bulk Configuration tool on the Unified ICM Administrative Workstation (AW). Entries in the DNP are entered per peripheral (PIM), and all DNP entries for a particular PIM are downloaded to the PIM upon PIM startup. Updates and additions to the DNP are also sent to the PIM dynamically, and they take effect immediately and are used for the next call being conferenced. In order for the Unified ICM to route the conference and have all call data move with the conference and be saved for cradle-to-grave reporting, a match for the dialed number must be found in the DNP for the PIM where the agent is currently logged in.
Within the DNP, fuzzy (wildcard) matching of dialed number strings is allowed. The DNP is not the same as the Dialed Number table used by the Unified ICM router and managed via the AW Configuration Manager tool. The Unified ICM router maps dialed numbers to call types, and call types are mapped to Unified ICM routing scripts. This is how a specific dialed number is mapped to a routing script in the Unified ICM router. For administration details on editing dialed numbers, call types, and routing scripts, refer to the Cisco Unified Contact Center Administration Guide, available at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps1844/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html
For help with designing a dial plan for your Unified CCE deployment, consult your Cisco Systems Engineer (SE).
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Dial Plan Type
Entries in the Dialed Number Plan must be configured with a dial plan type. There are six predefined (via a list box) DNP types that correspond to the types specified in the agent desk settings profile. In order for a call or conference to proceed any further, the DNP type for that call must be allowed in the agent desk setting profile used by the conferencing agent. Because the Unified CM calling search spaces override any desk settings, it is best to allow all dial plan types in the agent desk settings.
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Post Route
Entries in the Dialed Number Plan must also be configured to indicate whether a post-route is required. For dialed numbers to be used in conference scenarios, Cisco recommends that the post-route option be set to Yes for conferences. When this field is set to Yes, the dialed number to be used for the route request must be supplied in the Dialed Number column of the Dialed Number Plan Editor.
Route Request
Assuming a match is found in the DNP for the conference, the DNP type is allowed for the conferencing agent, and the post-route option is set to Yes, then the PIM logic will generate a route request to the Unified ICM central controller using the dialed number specified in this same DNP entry.
Upon receipt of the route request, the Unified ICM router matches the dialed number to a call type and executes the appropriate routing script to find an appropriate target agent for the call. Within the routing script, any of the call data collected so far could be used in the intelligent routing of the call. The Unified ICM router will determine which device target (phone extension and desktop) the agent is logged into and will then return the label that points to that device target to the Unified CM PIM.
At this point there are numerous scenarios that can occur, depending upon the type of conference being performed, as described in the following sections:
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Single-Step (Blind) Conference
A blind conference is used when the conferencing agent does not need to speak with the target agent. After specifying a blind conference in the conference dialog box on the agent desktop, the conferencing agent enters a DN and clicks the Initiate Conference button. The desktop then sends the conference request to the Unified CM PIM. Assuming a match is found in the DNP, the DNP type is valid, and post-route is selected, the Unified CM PIM generates the route request to get a routing label and then instructs the Unified CM to perform a single-step conference (without any further action from the conferencing agent). The conferencing agent will see the call disappear from their desktop and they will transition to the next agent state (wrap-up, ready, or not ready), depending on the agent desk settings for the conferencing agent. While the call is being placed to the target agent, the original caller is temporarily placed on hold. When the target agent's phone begins ringing, the original caller hears the ringing (assuming auto-answer is not enabled). The target agent receives a screen pop with all call data, and the Answer button on their agent desktop is enabled when the phone begins ringing. Upon answering the call, the target agent is speaking with the original caller and the conference is then complete. If the target agent does not answer, then RONA (reroute on no answer) call rerouting logic will take over.
If auto-answer is enabled, the original caller and the target agent do not hear any ringing; the call is just connected between the original caller and the target agent.
If the agent is conferencing the call to a generic (skill-group) DN to find an available agent with a particular skill, but no such agent is currently available, then the Unified ICM routing script should be configured to translation-route the call to a Unified IP IVR for queuing treatment. The call would still be released from the conferencing agent desktop almost immediately. Any call data collected by the conferencing agent would automatically be passed to the IVR. The caller will not hear any ringback tones because the Unified IP IVR CTI Port will answer immediately. When the target agent becomes ready, the Unified ICM will instruct the IVR to conference the call, and the Unified ICM will pop the agent desktop with all call data.
If the agent has conferenced the call to a number that is not within the Unified ICM Dialed Number Plan, then the caller will be conferenced anyway. The destination for the conferenced call depends upon the number that was dialed and what is configured in the Unified CM dial plan. Conferences not using the dialed number plan are not recommended because of agent roaming restrictions, call data not following the call, and reporting limitations.
Consultative Conference
When the Unified CM PIM receives the label from the Unified ICM router indicating where to conference the call, the Unified CM PIM tells Unified CM to initiate a consultative conference to the number specified in the label. Unified CM places the original caller (or parties) on hold and makes a consultative call to the number specified in the label. The caller generally hears tone on hold while the conference is being completed. The exception is that if it is already a conference call, the parties will still be able to hear and talk to each other but not the agent who is controlling the conference. There is a Unified CM configuration parameter for music on hold that, if enabled, will play music to the participants.
When the target agent phone begins ringing, Unified CM generates a Consult Call Confirmation message and a Device Ringing message.
The Consult Call Confirmation message causes the Unified CM PIM to notify the conferencing agents desktop that the call is proceeding, and it enables the Conference Complete button. The conferencing agent can hear the target agent's phone ringing (assuming auto-answer is not enabled for the target agent). At any time after this, the agent can click the Conference Complete button to complete the conference (before or after the target answers their phone).
The Device Ringing message causes the Unified CM PIM to pop the target agent's desktop with call data and to enable their Answer button (assuming auto-answer is not enabled). When the target agent clicks the Answer button (or auto-answer is invoked), a voice path between the conferencing agent and target agent is established (assuming the conferencing agent has not clicked the Conference Complete button).
Generally the conferencing agent will not click the Conference Complete button before the target agent answers because the probable reason they used consultative conference was that they wanted to talk with the target agent before completing the conference. However, the conferencing agent can click on the Conference Complete button at any time after it is enabled.
If the agent is conferencing the call to a generic DN to find an available agent with a particular skill, but no such agent is currently available, then the Unified ICM routing script should be configured to route the call to an IVR for queuing. In this scenario, the conferencing agent would hear the Unified IP IVR queue announcements. The conferencing agent could press the Conference Complete button at any time to complete the conference. This particular scenario is known as warm transfer. The caller and the agent would then begin hearing the Unified IP IVR queuing announcements while the agent still guides the caller or continues to process the call while waiting. Upon availability of an appropriately skilled agent, the Unified IP IVR conferences the call to this target agent and pops any call data onto their screen.
If the agent is conferencing the call to a number that is not in the Unified ICM Dialed Number Plan and a number that is not valid on the Unified CM, the conferencing agent will hear the failed consultation call and will be able to reconnect with the original caller, as explained in the section on Reconnect.
Reconnect
During the consultation leg of a consultative conference, the conferencing agent can reconnect with the caller and release the consult call leg. To do so, the agent simply clicks the Reconnect button. This action causes the agent desktop to instruct the Unified CM PIM to instruct Unified CM to release the consultation call leg and to reconnect the agent with the original caller.
This is basically the process an agent should use when they want to make a consultation call but for foreseen or unforeseen reasons do not desire to complete the conference. After a call is successfully reconnected, the conferencing agent's desktop functionality will be exactly the same as before they requested the conference. Therefore, the conferencing agent can later request another conference, and there is no limit to the number of consultation calls an agent can make.
Consultative conferences and reconnects are all done from the agent desktop and use the single Unified CM extension that is associated with the Unified CCE. The Unified CCE system does not support allowing the conferencing agent to place the original caller on hold and then use a second extension on their hardware phone to make a consultation call. The hardware phone offers a button to allow this kind of conference, but it is not supported in a Unified CCE environment. If an agent conferences a call in this way, any call data will be lost because the Unified ICM did not route the call.
Alternate
Alternate is the ability for the agent to place the consultation call leg on hold and then retrieve the original (or conference) call leg while in the midst of a consultative conference. The agent can then alternate again to place the original caller back on hold and retrieve the consultation call leg. An agent can alternate a call as many times as they would like.
When the conferencing agent has alternated back to the original caller, the only call controls (buttons) that are enabled are Release and Alternate. The Conference (Complete) and Reconnect controls will be disabled. The Alternate control will alternate the conferencing agent back to talking with the consulted party. When the agent has alternated back to the consultation leg, the Release, Alternate, Conference, and Reconnect call controls will be enabled. The Alternate control will alternate the conferencing agent back to talking with the original caller. The Conference control will complete the conference, and the Reconnect button will drop the consulted party and reconnect the agent with the original caller.
Non-DNP Conferences
Conferences to numbers not in the DNP or to numbers configured in the DNP with post-route set to No are allowed but do not result in a Unified ICM-routed call. In these scenarios, the PIM simply sends a call conference request directly to Unified CM and uses the dialed number from the conference dialog on the agent desktop. Call data is lost if the Unified ICM does not route the call. Cisco recommends that any dialed number for a conference should have a match in the DNP, that it be marked for post-route, and that it have a DNP type that is allowed for the conferencing agent (based on the agent's desk settings).
Agent-to-Agent Conferences
If the conference is to a specific agent, then the agent requesting the conference must enter the agent ID into the conference dialog box. The DNP entry matching the dialed number (agent ID) must have DNP type equal to PBX. This causes the PIM to place the dialed number (agent ID) into the CED field before it sends the route request to the Unified ICM router. In the script editor, use the agent-to-agent routing node and specify the CED field as the location of the agent ID so that the Unified ICM router will route this call properly.
Agent IDs should not match any of the extensions on the Unified CM cluster. If you begin all agent IDs with the same number and they all have the same length, you could set up a generic wildcard string that matches all agent IDs so that you need only one entry in the DNP for agent-to-agent routing.
If your environment has multiple PIMs, then you must use an agent ID number plan to determine which PIM contains this agent. Agent IDs by themselves are not unique. Agent IDs are associated with a specific PIM and can be reused on other PIMs. By not repeating agent IDs across the enterprise and by setting up a consistent agent ID assignment plan (such as all PIM 1 agent IDs begin with a 1, all PIM 2 agent IDs begin with a 2, and so on), you can parse the CED field in the script editor to determine which PIM contains the agent. The parsing may be done via a series of "if" nodes in the script editor or via a route-select node. The agent-to-agent node requires the PIM to be specified.
In the event that the target agent is not in a ready state, the agent-to-agent script editor node allows alternative routing for the call.
Transferring Conference Calls
Transferring of conference calls is allowed with the same conditions as described in the section on Transfers in a Unified CCE Environment.
Conference Reporting
After a conference call is completed, a call detail record for the original call leg will exist and a new call detail record will be opened for the new call leg. The two call records are associated with one another via a common call ID assigned by the Unified ICM. The time during the consultation call leg, and before the conference is completed, is considered as talk time for the conferencing agent.
For more details, refer to the Unified CCE Reporting Guide, available online at Cisco.com.
Combination or Multiple Conferences
During a conference, only the controller may (through the softphone) conference in other participants. Hardware phones might allow this function, but it is not supported by Unified CCE.
After a call has been successfully conferenced, another party can be conferenced in by the controller. The limit on the number of participants depends on the bridging hardware used, the Unified CM configuration, and so forth.
PSTN Transfers (Takeback N Transfer, or Transfer Connect)
Many PSTN service providers offer a network-based transfer service. These services are generally invoked by the customer premises equipment (CPE) outpulsing a series of DTMF tones. The PSTN is provisioned to detect these tones and perform some specific logic based upon the tones detected. A typical outpulse sequence might be something like *827500. This DTMF string could mean, "transfer this call to site 2 and use 7500 as the DNIS value when delivering the call to site 2." Unified CCE has the ability to invoke these types of transfers.
