Manage Queue Agents

This page contains instructions on how to manage queue agents.

Overview

Any Phone terminal extension can be a local agent or a remote agent for a particular queue.

The Queue Agents for Queue <extension_number> page allows you to manage both the queue's local and the remote agents. All Phone terminal extensions and remote agents that need to log in to the queue must be configured from here.

After being configured from the interface, remote agents can connect to a queue by using a Queue login center extension.

The available controls are grouped into the two sections described below.

Tools

The Tools section allows you to define the extensions and the remote agents that will be granted access to this queue:

•  Add local agent
•  Add remote agent

Queue agents information

The Queue Agents Information table displays an overview of the agents already defined for the current queue, both local and remote.

You can use the specific controls to promote or to demote an agent to and from the supervisor position, to edit an agent, set its behavior or visualize a personalized report.

Change agent role

The Queue Agents Information table allows you to change a specific agent's role with a click on the Type icon:

Local queue agent: Click to set the local agent as a queue supervisor.
Queue supervisor: Click to revert the supervisor to a normal queue agent.

For more information on the extra features available to a queue supervisor, please read the Queue Supervisor section below.

Queue supervisor

The queue supervisor is able to listen to any of the active queue conversations by dialing *999 from his phone terminal, followed by the number of the queue extension. VoipNow will announce the active agent that answered a call last and will start playing his conversation. To listen to the next available call, the queue supervisor must dial *.

The supervisor can listen to the active queue conversations ONLY if he is logged in from his extension. e.g. Agent 0077*001 is marked as a supervisor for queue 0077*004. If he logs in from another extension, 0077*003, and dials *999004, he will not be able to listen to the active conversations.

The queue supervisor is able to whisper something to any of the registered queue agents by dialing *998 from his phone terminal, followed by the number of the queue extension. He will be connected to the active agent that answered a call last. To whisper to the next available agent, the queue supervisor must dial *.

A queue supervisor extension can log in to the queue only after dialing the PIN code set up from its Queue Membership page. For more information about how to configure the access code, see The Phone Terminal's Queue Membership section.

Edit agent

To edit one of the available agent's parameters, click its corresponding link in the Agent column of the Queue Agents Information table and use the controls available in the displayed pop-up panel. For more details on how to configure the specific parameters, see the Add local agent or the Add remote agent sections, depending on the agent type.

When editing the parameters, one extra line is displayed: Old queue login PIN.

Set penalty

When the queue receives a call, it needs to distinguish between agents to assign it. That's when the penalty level becomes a criterion. For instance, if the call distribution algorithm is set to Ring All, calls will be distributed to agents according to their penalty level. So when the call is received, VoipNow first applies the distribution algorithm to the set of agents with Penalty = 1. If no available agent is found, VoipNow applies the algorithm to the agents with Penalty = 2 and so on. Fewer calls will be assigned to agents with high penalty values.

To modify the penalty set for the agent, fill in another value in the the Penalty column text box. The accepted values range from 0 - the most calls will be assigned to this agent to 100 - the highest penalty level, causing the fewest calls to be distributed to this agent.
For more details, see the Add local agent section.

Set state

The queue agent's status that can be managed by clicking the link available in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table. A pop-up window will be displayed, allowing you to choose the desired action.

For each agent type, various actions are possible.

Local agent

If the agent is Logged out, click the link in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table and choose the action you want to perform from the pop-up window.

1. A pop-up window similar to the one below lets you to log in a local agent and choose the extension where he will be receiving calls. 

   This will log in the agent <extension_number> on extension <extension>. He will be able to receive calls immediately. Are you sure?

   Where:

   • <extension_number>: The agent's extension number.
   • <extension>: By default, the calls are routed to the agent's extension, but you can use the drop-down list to choose another one. All the extensions that belong to the same organization account are displayed. This feature is useful when the agent is away from his office and he can log in to the queue only from one of his colleagues' extensions.

   The extensions that do not have the User is multi user aware option enabled from their Roles and Phone Numbers page can log in to the queue ONLY from their account. If the User is multi user aware option is enabled, then the extension can log in from any other multi user aware user belonging to the same organization account.

   The actions available are:

   • Yes, I want to log in the agent to the <queue_number> queue only: Click to log in the local agent to the current queue only.
   • Yes, I want to log in the agent to all queues: Click to log in the local agent simultaneously to all the queues he is member of.
   • No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without logging in the local agent.

   If the agent is Logged in, click the link in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table and choose the action you want to perform from the pop-up window.
   
   

2. A pop-up window similar to the one below lets you pause a local agent.

   You can immediately pause agent <extension_number> on phone <connected_to>. Are you sure?

   Where:

   • <extension_number>: The agent's extension number.
   • <connected_to>: The number of the extension the local agent is logged in from.

   The actions available are:

   • Yes, I want to pause the agent on <queue_number> queue only: Click to pause the local agent on the current queue. When paused, an agent cannot receive calls.
   • Yes, I want to pause the agent on all queues: Click to pause the local agent on all the queues he is member of.
     
     

3.  A pop-up window similar to the one below lets you log out a local agent.

   You can log out agent <extension_number> from phone <connected_to> immediately. Are you sure?

   The actions available are:

   • Yes, I want to log out the agent from the <queue_number> queue only: Click to log out the local agent from the current queue.
   • Yes, I want to log out the agent from all queues: Click to log out the local agent from all the queues he is member of.
   • No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without logging out or pausing the local agent.

   If the agent is Paused, click the link in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table and choose the action you want to perform from the pop-up window.
   
   

4. A pop-up window similar to the one below allows you to unpause a local agent. 

   This will unpause agent <extension_number> on phone <connected_to>. He will be able to receive calls immediately. Are you sure?

   The actions available are:

   • Yes, I want to unpause the agent on {queue_number} queue only: Click to enable the local agent to receive calls on the current queue.
   • Yes, I want to unpause the agent on all queues: Click to unpause the local agent and allow him to receive calls on all the queues he is member of.
   • No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without unpausing the local agent.

Remote agent

If the agent is Logged out, click the link in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table and choose the action you want to perform from the pop-up window.

You may log in a remote agent to the queue depending on his Registration preferences: static or dynamic.

Static

A phone number was defined for the remote agent and the registration is done always based on that number. The remote agent can use only his terminal to log in to the queue.

This pop-up window allows you to log in a remote agent whose registration is made based on a fixed phone number. The following message is displayed:

Where:

• <agent_id>: The remote agent's identification number.
• <phone_number>: The specified Agent phone number. All the remote agent's calls will be routed to this number.

The available actions are:

• Yes, I want to log in the agent to the <queue_number> queue only: Click to log in the remote agent to the current queue only.
• No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without logging in the remote agent.

Dynamic

The remote agent can be registered on any phone terminal, regardless of its number, therefore he will be able to log in to the queue from any public number.

1. A pop-up window similar to the one below allows you to log in a remote agent whose registration is made dynamically, from any phone number. Anytime you want to log in such an agent you will be required to specify the number you want to register.

   This will log in agent <agent_id> on the device with number <phone_number>. He will be able to receive calls immediately. Are you sure?

   Where:

   • <agent_id>: The remote agent's identification number.
   • <phone_number>: Specify the remote agent's phone number you want to register to the queue.

   It is mandatory to fill in a phone number in order to register the agent to the queue!

   The available actions are:

   • Yes, I want to log in the <phone_number> to this queue: Click to register the specified phone number to the queue. The remote agent will be able to answer the calls from this number.
   • No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without logging in the remote agent.

   If the agent is Logged in, click the link in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table and choose the action you want to perform from the pop-up window.
   
   

2. A pop-up window similar to the one below allows you to pause a remote agent.

   You can immediately pause agent <agent_id> on phone <connected_to>. Are you sure?

   Where:

   • <agent_id>: The remote agent's identification number.
   • <connected_to>: The public phone number the remote agent is logged in from.

   The only available action is Yes, I want to pause the agent. Click to pause the remote agent on the current queue.

   When paused, an agent cannot receive calls.

3. A pop-up window similar to the one below allows you to a log out a remote agent.

   You can log out agent <agent_id> from phone <connected_to> immediately. Are you sure?

   The actions available are:

   • Yes, I want to log out the agent: Click to log out the remote agent from the current queue.
   • No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without logging out or pausing the remote agent.

   If the agent is Paused, click the link in the State column of the Queue Agents Information table and choose the action you want to perform from the pop-up window.
   
   

4. A pop-up window similar to the one below lets you unpause a remote agent. 

   This will unpause agent <agent_id> on phone <connected_to>. He will be able to receive calls immediately. Are you sure?

   The actions available are:

   • Yes, I want to unpause the agent: Click to allow the remote agent to receive calls again on the current queue.
   • No, forget about this: Click to close the panel without unpausing the remote agent.

Agent report

Click the  icon in the R column of the Queue Agents Information table to view the agent report. For more details, see the Agent Status section.