Automatically controlling voice queue states (ACD path)

Voice queue states can be automatically controlled using Interactive Contact Center queue control. Interactive Contact Center queue control automates queue availability to respond to hours of operation and queue conditions, ensuring that calls do not wait in queue after hours or during busy periods.

Interactive Contact Center queue control consists of business hour schedules and queue control plans.

Business hour schedules open and close queues. For example, a 9-5 business hour schedule applied to the queue closes the queue at 5:00 pm. After 5:00 pm, calls route to the queue’s unavailable answer point, if one is configured. At 9:00 AM, the queue opens and calls again route to the queue.

Queue control plans put queues in DND when certain conditions are satisfied. For example, if the queue’s longest wait time has exceeded 30 minutes for more than one hour, the queue control plan will put the queue in DND. While the queue is in DND, calls route to the queue’s unavailable answer point, if one is configured.

The following procedures explain how to

Opening and closing voice queues using business hour schedules

Note:

If you do not want to open and close queues using business hour schedules, apply the Default 24/7 schedule to the queue.

You can open and close queues automatically by assigning them a business hour schedule. Schedules enable you to customize the hours of operation for individual queues. For example, if your business operates 24 hours a day, but specific queues are open from 9-5 only, you can create individual business hour schedules that will open the queues at 9 and close them at 5.For information on creating business hour schedules, see "Creating and modfying schedules".To assign a business hour schedule to a queue
  1. Click YourSite > Queues.
  2. Select the queue and click the Interactive queue control tab.
  3. Select the Queue uses Interactive Contact Center queue control check box.
  4. After Business-hour schedule, click the Browse button.
  5. Select a schedule to apply to the queue and click OK.
  6. Click Save.

Setting and removing queue DND with queue control plans

Note:

DND can be set manually on a queue via the Queue Now monitor. Queue control plans and business hour schedules do not override a DND state set manually on the queue. Queues put into DND manually must have DND removed manually before queue control plans and business hour schedules can come into effect for the queue, and vice versa, queues opened manually must be closed manually (with set DND command) before queue control plans and business hour schedules can come into effect.

Queue control plans specify conditions under which a queue is automatically put into and taken out of DND.

For example, if customers in queue are experiencing exceptionally high wait times, an administrator might want that queue automatically put into DND. This prevents additional calls from reaching the queue and prevents new callers from experiencing long wait times.

Each queue control plan monitors one queue and, based on the conditions specified, can set and remove DND states for either the queue being monitored, a Directory Number, or an alternate queue. Only one queue control plan can be applied to a queue, but a single queue control plan can be applied to multiple queues.

Setting and removing queue DND with queue control plans requires you to
Optionally, you can
To add a queue control plan to YourSite Explorer
  1. Click YourSite > Enterprise.
  2. Select Queue Control Plans, click Add.
  3. Under General, type a Name for the queue control plan.
  4. Click Save.

    Follow the steps under 'To specify conditions for setting queue DND', below.

To specify conditions for setting queue DND
  1. Under Queue Condition Builder, click Add.
  2. Under Name, select a criterion from the drop-down list.

    For example, ‘Longest Wait Time’.

  3. Select an Operator.

    For example, '>'.

  4. Specify a Value, or select a value from the drop-down list.

    For example, ‘0:30:00’ (30 minutes).

  5. To join conditions, select a Join Type, click Add, and repeat the steps above.
    Note:

    'And' means that all conditions must be met for the queue to go into DND. 'Or' means that only one of the conditions must be met for the queue to go into DND.

  6. Click Save.

    Follow the steps under 'To specify how long conditions are present until queue DND is removed', below.

To specify how long conditions are present until queue DND is removed
  1. Under DND Settings, after Place the device in DND when the following conditions are true for, type the amount of time for which the queue conditions must be met before the queue enters DND.

    For example, once the longest wait time has hit more than 30 minutes for ten minutes, the queue enters DND.

  2. Under DND Settings, after Remove the device from DND when the following conditions are false for, type the amount of time for which the queue conditions must be absent before queue DND is removed.

    For example, once the longest wait time drops below 30 minutes for at least one hour, DND;is removed.

  3. Click Save.

    Follow the steps under 'To specify Monitor Settings', below.

To specify Monitor Settings

Note:

This configuration requires you to select the queue being monitored for the queue control plan conditions. You then specify the queue or Directory Number upon which action is taken once the monitored queue meets the specified conditions.

  1. Under Monitor Settings, after Monitor, click the Browse button, select a queue to monitor and click OK.
  2. Specify whether action will be taken on the Current Queue.

    The ‘Current Queue’ is the queue to which the plan is assigned.

  3. Alternatively, specify whether action will be taken on a Directory Number.
  4. Alternatively, for action to be taken on an Alternate queue, click the Browse button, select the queue, and click OK.
  5. Click Save.

    Follow the steps under ‘To specify when queue control plan conditions are evaluated’, below.

To specify when queue control plan conditions are evaluated
  1. Click YourSite > Queues.
  2. Select the queue and click the Interactive queue control tab.
  3. Select the Queue uses Interactive Contact Center queue control check box.
  4. After Interactive Contact Center queue control schedule, click the Browse button.
  5. Select a schedule and click OK.

    To create a new schedule, see "Creating and modifying schedules".

  6. Click Save.

    Follow the steps under ‘To associate the control plan to a queue’, below.

To associate the control plan to a queue
  1. Click YourSite > Queues.
  2. Select the queue and click the Interactive queue control tab.
  3. Select the Queue uses Interactive Contact Center queue control check box.
  4. After Interactive Contact Center queue control plan, click the Browse button.
  5. Select a queue control plan and click OK.
  6. Click Save.

To remove a control schedule from a queue

Note:

Removing control schedules prevents the queue control plan from running. If you remove a queue control schedule, you must add another in order to use the queue control plan.

  1. Click YourSite > Queues.
  2. Select the queue and click the Interactive queue control tab.
  3. After Interactive Contact Center queue control schedule, click the Clear… button.

    To create a new schedule, see "Creating and modifying schedules".

  4. Click Save.
To remove a queue control plan from a queue
  1. Click YourSite > Queues.
  2. Select the queue and click the Interactive queue control tab.
  3. After Interactive Contact Center queue control plan, click the Clear... button.
  4. Click Save.
To delete a queue control plan
  1. Click YourSite > Enterprise > Queue Control Plan.
  2. Select the queue control plan and click Delete.
  3. When prompted, click OK.
  4. Click Save.
Parent topic: Adding queues