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Find Agent

This block finds an agents qualified to handle a given interaction. When the agent becomes available, it creates a variable called $(destination) and sets it to the agent’s phone number (for voice) or username (for chat).

Important: The Connect Call or Connect Chat block should be used immediately after the Find Agent block to connect the interaction to the identified agent.

For example:

1. The scenario collects data from a caller.
2. Based on the collected data, the scenario determines the qualifications necessary to handle the call.
3. The scenario uses the Find Agent block to find an agent with the necessary qualifications, e.g., Peter at extension 151.
4. That agent’s extension is stored internally in the $(destination) variable. In this example, the variable will be set to 151.
5. The scenario uses the Connect Call block to distribute the call to the number stored in the $(destination) variable.

Note that the block properties will be different depending on whether it is used in a voice or a chat scenario.

Conditional Exits

• No Agents – This exit is taken if no agents with matching skills are logged in (or when the last such agent logs out before the call is routed.)
• Queue Limit – Your service provider may have set up a limit for the number of items you can have queued for distribution to agents simultaneously (for all services combined). If an interaction processed by the given scenario exceeds this limit upon entering the queue, this exit will be used. Note that a repeated attempt to place the interaction in the same queue will result in termination of the scenario.
• Escape Digit – The caller presses the escape digit to exit the queue. This exit will be displayed only if the Escape button setting is defined (see below). Applies to voice scenarios only.
• Callback – This exit will be taken if the Virtual Queue option (see below) is offered to, and is accepted by, the caller. Applies to voice scenarios only.
• Time Out – This exit will appear only if you define one or more escalation intervals for Agent skills required (see below) provided that the last interval is finite. This exit will be taken if the last interval expires before any agents with matching skills become available. (Note that if the last matching agent logs out before the timeout expires, the No Agents exit will be taken.)

Prompts

• Music on hold - The prompt the scenario plays while the call is in queue. If not defined, the default Music on hold and in queue treatment will be played. The Keep playing hold music while ringing on agent parameter controls when the music is stopped; see below for details.
• Initial Prompt – An optional prompt that, if defined, will be played to the caller as soon as the call is places in queue (i.e., before the Music on hold starts).
• EWT Announcement - The prompt the voice scenario plays when providing the estimated wait time (EWT). The scenario uses the system to read the actual EWT. For example, the prompt announces The estimated wait time is…, and then the system announces the EWT, such as eight minutes.
• Virtual Queue availability announcement – The prompt that will be played to callers to offer them an option of requesting a callback instead of waiting in the queue. See the description of the Virtual Queue option below for details.
• Periodic reminder - The prompt the scenario will periodically play to the call in queue at the frequency you set in the Periodic reminder - repeat every field. If you do not set this prompt, the reminder does not play. You can use the EWT Announcement prompt as a reminder prompt.

Settings

• Title text - The name of the block instance.

• Agent skills required – Agent selection rule expressed as a sequence of escalation intervals with different agent selection criteria defined for each. The term ‘escalation’ implies that each subsequent interval will normally have less stringent selection criteria thus increasing the probability of finding an agent available to attend to the waiting interaction. Any number of escalation intervals can be defined within the expression. The last interval can be finite or infinite (leave the end time empty to use an infinite interval). To specify an interval, first define its length; then click add to define your agent selection condition for this interval:

  • Specific agent – Matches the interaction to the specified agent, for example, the agent who handled the previous interaction with the same customer. Variable’s value must be the agent’s global identifier in system configuration (see property User ID of the Get User Configuration block). This option is available for the first interval only. If the specified agent is logged out, the next interval will be tried immediately. This option will ignore any the skills requested by the interaction and any skills possessed by the specified agent.

  • Specific skill from variable – Matches the interaction to the skill in the specified variable. This condition can be used as a logical extension of the above Specific agent option. If a specific agent does not become available within the first interval, the interaction can then be routed to a group of agents who share a particular property with that specific agent (e.g., work in the same office). Such a property can be represented by an auxiliary skill. You can obtain this skill and store it in the specified variable using property Skill name of the Get User Configuration block. This option will ignore any skills requested by the interaction and any agents’ skills except the one identified by this variable.

  • Skill from skill group – Matches the interaction to qualified agents according to skill requirements specified in the preceding Request Skill or Service blocks. This is the condition that is normally used for skill-based routing. You can define multiple skill groups within the same interval. A minimum acceptable skill level must be assigned to each skill group.

  • Specific skill – Matches the interaction to qualified agents according to an explicitly specified skill. This option can be used instead of option Skill from skill group in simple scenarios without IVR-based service/skill selection. You can define multiple skills within the same interval. A minimum acceptable skill level must be assigned to each skill group.

• Overflow call handling starts at – Defines at which escalation interval the identified agent will be considered an overflow destination unless his skills/levels match the skill/level requirements of the preceding escalation intervals

• Escape button - The key on the telephone keypad (0-9, *, or #) that a caller can press to exit the queue. When the caller presses the escape digit, the scenario executes the Escape Digit conditional exit. Typically in such situations, the scenario sends the caller to a voicemail or terminates the call. Applies to voice scenarios only.

• Keep call in queue – If selected, the scenario will keep the call in queue even if there are no agents currently logged on. If not selected, the No Agents conditional exit will be used. Applies to voice scenarios only. Applies to finite intervals only. Does not apply to condition Specific agent.

• Virtual Queue option – This option allows the callers to request a callback instead of waiting for an agent in the queue. Calls that requested callbacks are said to be waiting in a virtual queue.The decision to offer the callback option is made based on the call’s estimated wait time (EWT) in queue. If a caller selects this option, the Callback exit is taken. This exit would normally lead to a Request Callback block where the caller’s original inbound call will be disconnected while his position in the service queue will be preserved. The callback is made when it is the caller’s “turn” to be routed to an agent. Note that the callback option must also be enabled in the general properties of the corresponding service. To enable the Virtual Queue option, select the enable if EWT is greater than checkbox and specify the threshold EWT; the Virtual Queue option will be offered only if the Estimated Waiting Time for a given call exceeds this threshold value. Specify the Callback button, i.e., the phone key that the caller will have to press to select the Virtual Queue option (i.e., to request a callback instead of waiting in the queue). If the Virtual Queue option is selected, the conditional exit Callback will be executed allowing the scenario to collect the callback data and place the call in the virtual queue (see block Request Callback). The Virtual Queue option applies to voice scenarios only. For more information, see the ServicePattern Virtual Queue Tutorial.

• Periodic reminder - repeat every - The number of seconds you want the scenario to wait between playing the Periodic Reminder prompt. Set this field only if you want the scenario to play the Periodic Reminder prompt. Enter 0 if you want to disable this feature. Applies to voice scenarios only.

• Keep playing hold music while ringing on agent – if selected, the Music on hold will continue after the Find Agent blocks exits; the prompt is stopped only when the subsequent Connect Call block actually connects the caller to the destination (destination answers). Otherwise, the caller will hear the ring-back tone from the moment his call is delivered to the agent and until the agent answers. This option only works if the block actually finds an agent; for all conditional exits the hold music stops immediately. Applies to voice scenarios only.

• HTML code – Defines the page that the customer will use during the chat session. Applies to chat scenarios only.

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