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Guide for Agents

Using Agent Desktop

For an introduction to using the agent session controls, either

  1. watch this video (under 7 mins, opens in a new tab/ window) showing voice and chat sessions in operation, or
  2. read the guidance below
ClosedUsing Agent Desktop

To get started with Agent Desktop, the user must first log in. See Accessing Client Applications.

On successful login, Agent Desktop opens with a screen similar to Fig. 1.

Opening screen

Fig. 1 - Opening screen

The window has 4 distinct areas (as numbered in red in Fig. 1), described below.

ClosedThe window areas
Closed1 - Title and User Controls

The following may be displayed:

Left -

ClosedTitle

The application title (Agent Desktop) is displayed.

ClosedOn Hold - duration indicator

From V10.7.1216 - When a connected 3rd party is placed on hold, an On Hold duration indicator is shown to the right of the title, displaying the duration (HH:MM:SS) of the current hold period (Fig. 2).

Hold timer

Fig. 2 - On Hold duration indicator

When the call is retrieved, the On Hold indicator disappears.

The Hold Timer should not be confused with the Endpoint In ProgressTimer. See Status tab explained.

Right -

ClosedPhone (if configured)

Phone

Fig. 3 - Phone

The Phone facility enables the user to make and receive phone calls within the browser. The Phone button will only be present if the facility has been configured for that user.

  1. On opening Agent Desktop, the user will be asked to allow access the computer’s microphone . Click Always allow.

    Use of microphone

    Fig. 4 - Use of microphone

  2. When the Webphone is loading, this icon will be shown:

    Webphone loading

    Fig. 5 - Webphone loading

  3. When the Webphone is connected and with a nailed-up call, this icon will be shown:

    Webphone connected

    Fig. 6 - Webphone connected

From this point, the Webphone is available for use.

Webphone ready

Fig. 7 - Webphone available

ClosedUser Control

User Control

Fig. 8 - User Control button

By default, the User Control button (Fig. 8) displays the name of the current user (as defined in Softdial Repository™ Users & Endpoints) . In Fig. 8, the user name is 111.

Clicking on the button reveals the following options:

Option Description
Go Available Clicking this option tells the system that the user is ready to Go Available on all configured endpoints
ClosedFrom V10.7.1409

Request break per endpoint

Fig. 9 - Go Available per endpoint

Hovering over this option reveals 2 further options:

  1. All endpoints - click here to Go Available on all configured endpoints. (Equivalent to clicking Go Available)
  2. <endpoint name> - click on an endpoint name to Go Available only for that endpoint. All other endpoints are unaffected. Currently available endpoints will be disabled in the list.
Request Break Hovering over this option reveals a preconfigured list of available break reasons.

Clicking on a reason tells the system that (when released by Softdial CallGem™) all configured endpoints will be on break for the selected reason, and unavailable for handling sessions.

ClosedFrom V10.7.1409

Request break per endpoint

Fig. 10 - Request break per endpoint

Hovering over a reason reveals 2 further options:

  1. All endpoints - click here to request to go on break for this reason for all configured endpoints
  2. <endpoint name> - click on an endpoint name to request to go on break for this reason only for that endpoint. All other endpoints are unaffected. Endpoints currently on break will be disabled in the list.
Exit Clicking this option closes the Agent Desktop and re-presents the application selection screen
Closed2 - Session Control

The Session Control bar offers the user control over the progress of the session, via the following buttons.

From V10.7.1429 - each of these can be shown/ hidden, per campaign, via the Softdial Repository™ Campaigns & Queues tab.

Item Action Description
Accept Accept For inbound and Preview-type outbound - accepts the session being offered
Start Wrap Start wrap Disconnects from the 3rd party end of the session, and puts the agent into a Wrapping state.

The session is not completed until either of the following are clicked:

  • Answering machine Outcome - answering machine
  • Complete session Complete session
Ad-hoc call button Ad-hoc call Starts an ad-hoc voice call. Available only when the agent is
  • logged in to the system, and either
    • unavailable, or
    • in wrap
Hold Hold For voice sessions only. Puts the 3rd party end on hold.

To retrieve from hold, click again.
Record Record For voice sessions only. Records the audio (and video, if configured) for the session
Mute Mute For voice sessions only. Mutes the agent microphone.

To unmute, click again.
Transfer Transfer Allows transfer of the session to another agent, supervisor, etc
Answering machine Outcome - answering machine For voice sessions only. Sets the outcome to Answering Machine and completes the session
Select outcome A predefined selection of possible outcomes
Complete session Complete session Completes the session using the selected outcome (see above)

If no outcome is selected, a preconfigured default is applied.

Wrap is not mandatory, i.e. sessions may be completed with this button without first clicking the Start Wrap button Start Wrap, which puts the user into Wrapping state.
Closed3 - Session Selection and Status

This pane contains status tabs for each session the user is configured to support (Fig. 11):

Session placeholders

Fig. 11 - Session status tabs

Fig. 11 shows that this user has 3 endpoints, and can therefore accept simultaneously a maximum of

  • 1 voice session on the Mobiles campaign
  • 2 chat sessions on the Chat campaign

In Fig. 11, no sessions are connected.

To select a session for active engagement: when connected, click on its status tab.

Each status tab can display a variety of indicators in compact form.

Endpoint summary tab

Fig. 12 - Endpoint status tab

ClosedStatus tab explained

The status tab displays the following indicators:

  Indicator Description
1 Media type The media type for this session. Either:

Voice - Voice

Chat icon - Chat

Email icon - Email
2 Session direction The direction of the current session. Either:

Outbound - outbound

Inbound - inbound
3 Endpoint status The current endpoint status

For On Hold status, an additional timer is shown in the title bar. See On Hold duration indicator.
4 Campaign The campaign with which this session is associated
5 Customer display name The customer identifier.

What exactly is displayed can be configured using the <CustomerIdentity> tag in the Campaign Properties XML file
6 Endpoint In Progress timer This timer starts and becomes visible when a session is associated with an agent, showing the duration this session has been in progress for this endpoint.

The timer disappears when the session state becomes either

  • Expired
  • Disconnect Requested
  • Disconnected
  • Disposed

When transferring a call from one agent to another, at the point when the transfer is accepted:

  • the timer for the transferringendpoint disappears
  • the timer for the receiving endpoint starts from 0 (i.e. displaying duration in progress for the endpoint, not the session).
ClosedContext menu

From V10.7.1409 - Right clicking on a session tab reveals a context menu (Fig. 13):

Context menu

Fig. 13 - Context menu

The menu has 2 items:

  1. Go Available - click this option to Go Available only for that endpoint. All other endpoints are unaffected. Currently available endpoints will be disabled in the list.
  2. Request Break - Hovering over this option reveals a preconfigured list of available break reasons. Click a reason to request a break for that reason for only that endpoint. All other endpoints are unaffected. Endpoints currently on break will be disabled in the list.
Closed4 - Workspace

The contents of the Workspace area depends on the media type, as follows:

Media type Script area contains...
Voice
  • The assigned script for the campaign
Chat
  • The text of the chat conversation since connection

    From V10.7.1425 - agent messages appear on the right

  • A text area in which to type a response

    From V10.7.1419 - To create a line break, press Shift+Enter

  • The assigned script for the campaign
Email
  • The body of the email conversation thread
  • A range of standard email client tools for formatting text, adding attachments, etc
  • The assigned script for the campaign

For users with supervisor permissions, the Workspace also contains a Supervisor Panel. See Supervisor Functions.

ClosedMaking ad-hoc calls

Ad-hoc calls (initiated by the agent rather than presented by CallGem) can be made when the agent is

  • logged in to the system, and either
    • unavailable, or
    • in wrap

If the agent is not in one of the above appropriate states, the Ad-hoc Call button is disabled Ad-hoc Call disabled.

To make an ad-hoc call:

  1. From the call control button array, click Ad-hoc call button. The Make Call dialogue (Fig. 14) is shown.

    Make Call dialogue

    Fig. 14 - Make Call dialogue

  2. Enter a valid phone number
  3. Click OK. The number is called.

For an ad-hoc call made while the agent is in wrap (a.k.a. followup call):

  • the call does not receive an agent outcome when it is disposed, even if there is a script assigned to the current campaign
  • the agent is returned to wrapping state

For an ad-hoc call made while the agent is unavailable:

  • the agent is returned to unavailable state

 

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