Split queues
Issue 1.0 May 2003
29
Announcement queuing
External and internal announcement units are available. The number of calls that can be
queued to an announcement depends on the size of the communication server you have.
The capacity tables in the System Description have details for each communication server
model. Queuing for internal announcements is quite different. Internal announcements are
delivered by a 16-channel announcement board, and a call receives an announcement
only when it connects to one of the 16 announcement channels. Therefore, all calls wait in
a single queue to access a channel on the announcement board regardless of the split
announcement they are waiting to receive. The same announcement can be delivered
over multiple channels. Announcements are delivered on demand, so a call that connects
to a channel receives an announcement immediately and does not have to wait for the
announcement to finish and start again.
Answer supervision and abandoned calls
Answer supervision is a signal sent by the communication server to the serving Central
Office (CO). This signal tells the CO that an incoming call has been answered and that the
CO should begin tracking toll charges for the call (if they apply). Answer supervision is sent
immediately before a call connects to an agent’s telephone, to music, or to an
announcement.
Abandoned calls
An abandoned call is a call that reaches a contact center, but does not connect to an agent
because the caller hangs up. A call can abandon while in queue or while ringing at an
agent position. Abandoned calls represent lost sales or lost good will. Adequate split
staffing and effective use of announcements can reduce the number of abandoned calls.
Splits should be staffed so that calls do not have to wait in queue for an unreasonable
amount of time, and announcements can be used to persuade the caller to wait until
someone answers the call.
Abandoned call search
If answer supervision is sent before a caller abandons, ghost calls can occur. A ghost call
is a call that is sent to an agent after the caller hangs up. Ghost calls occur because, after
a caller hangs up, some COs wait 2 to 25 seconds before sending a disconnect signal to
the communication server. Ghost calls are a problem because they waste agents’ time,
and they can delay or prevent other calls from connecting to an agent. To minimize this
problem, Abandoned Call Search can be assigned to specific trunk groups for the
communication server.
With Abandoned Call Search, the communication server checks the incoming trunk before
delivering an ACD call to an agent. If the trunk is on-hook at the CO (the call has been
abandoned), the communication server releases the trunk and does not deliver the call. If a
call is still in progress on the trunk, the communication server delivers the call to an agent.
