Question
What is an 8x8 Contact Center platform switch?
Applies To
- 8x8 Contact Center
- Platform Switch
Answer
A platform switch occurs at our datacenter. It is an event where a tenant (the instance of the Contact Center agents log into) is moved from a primary platform to a secondary platform within the datacenter. There is no downtime associated with a platform switch since all logged-in agents are only required to log out and log back in. End customers calling/chatting/emailing to the tenant see no impact.
Why is a platform switch necessary during off-hours?
A platform switch for scheduled or emergency unscheduled maintenance during off business hours is done in order to complete software/hardware upgrades and other general system maintenance. These events are normally communicated in advance with upgrades that have a change to the user environment or to introduce new features. System maintenance can also happen during normally scheduled maintenance windows of Sunday and Thursday nights between 9:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. Pacific Time for general system upkeep such as adding system memory or other capacity related issues.
Why is a platform switch necessary during business hours?
In order to provide business/operational continuity, a platform switch for unscheduled maintenance during normal business hours may be inevitable and required to address an issue that cannot wait for an off-hours maintenance window. These switches are only done during business hours to proactively address an issue that could potentially disrupt services if not addressed immediately or to address issues that are alerting or reporting to be impacting ongoing services at that time.
What to expect, and what do agents need to do?
During scheduled maintenance events, logged in agents will receive a pop-up message 15 minutes prior to the maintenance event as a courtesy reminder. The pop-up message does not interrupt service and the agent should simply close the message after reading it. In addition to the notification message, a red alert bar also shows up at the top of the control panel alerting agents and reminding them to exhaust the interactions waiting in the queue. No other actions are necessary.
If the end users are not logged in at the time when the broadcast notification message is sent, they will see the message next time when they log in, advertising about the platform switch in the next 15 minutes. The time will need to be correlated with the email received 5 days prior to the platform switch.
If the end user encounters any login issues please have them clear their browser cache and try again to resolve any issues. Contact 8x8 support if you have any questions or need help with how to clear browser cache.
What happens when the switch takes place?
When a platform switch is initiated, all logged-in agents receive an on-screen pop-up message notifying them to complete any calls in queue and to log-off and back on to the system.
What will happen to interactions that are currently connected in the IVR or in Queues?
- After the final notification, agents should complete the remaining interactions in the queue, log out and back into the system. Agents who do not log out eventually may experience a non-responsive Agent Workspace and see the status of Connection Lost. Note: Unattended calls in queues are abandoned at the expiry of final notification.
- Calls and Chats that are connected to agents will not be disconnected and will continue until either party ends.
- Calls that are in the IVR or queue will be offered to any available agent in that respective queue. Agents should accept all interactions in queue before logging out and logging back failing which those interactions will be ‘dropped’.
- Chats, Emails and Voicemails in the queue will be automatically redirected to the new platform and will be presented upon logging in as well as any new callers that call into the queue after receiving the platform switch message.
- Reporting is unaffected however the agent log-out and log-in activity will be reflected.
Additional Information
Monitoring and wallboards will be resetting after the platform switch.
Objective
Create a callback option for your queue in the IVR script.
Applies To
- 8x8 Contact Center
- Callback Options
Procedure
Ensure an Outbound Queue is already created as the Outbound Queue will need to be selected in the script steps below.
- Add a Label object outside of the Forward to Queue object.
- In your desired location in your Forward to Queue script, Add a Play or Say object that will inform the customer they have an option to opt out of the queue if they no longer wish to wait. For example, "Thank you for waiting, please continue to hold or press (number selection) to leave a callback number". If a play object (music/audio) exists before your Play or Say object, set the Play object to "interruptible" to allow the caller to bypass the music if desired.
- Add a Get Digit object after your Play or Say object. This will provide a number list that will include 0-9, *, and # that can be used for alternative options.
- Select your desired key number and add a Go To object. Choose the Label you first added to send the caller to that label.
- Go to your Label and Add a Get Value object. The Get Value object will allow you to choose your Invite Message (audio file) that will ask for the customers 10 digits call back number.
Do not use a Say object before the Get Value object instead of the Invite Message. If the caller presses a digit before the Get Value object is reached in the script it is not recorded as part of the Value.This can cause the callback to fail as the number is missing the first digit.
The Data to collect field should be selected to customers: Phone Number and make sure Entry is mandatory is checked.
- Select Contact Found and add a Callback object. Select your Outbound Queue, the Channel Number you wish to display, Dial Plan, and Callback parameters.
- Select callback queued and add a Say or Play object to inform the customer they will be called back.
You have now completed a basic callback option in your IVR script.
Additional Information
You can allow your caller to hear the number they entered and allow them to re-enter their phone number by following the steps below.
- Select Contact Found under Get Value and add a Say object. This message should say "The number you entered is (number here)". If you have an audio file, you can use a Play object instead.
- Add another Say object. Change the Value to play to $callback phone number. This will repeat the number that was entered.
- Add a third Say object. This message should say something like "If the number is correct, we will give you a call shortly. If the number is incorrect, please press (number key desired) to re-enter your 10 digit callback number." You can use a Play object instead of you have an audio file.
- Add a Get Digit object.
- Select your desired key number and add a Go To object. Choose the Label you first added to send the caller to that label to re-enter their phone number.
Question
What phone IVR Script Objects are available in 8x8 Contact Center?
Applies To
- 8x8 Contact Center
- Script Objects
Answer
Phone Script Objects
Object | Description | ||
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Schedule | Use the Schedule object to perform a particular sequence of script operations when the contact center is either open or closed. Parameters:
Exit points: The Schedule object uses the Select schedule value to transfer control to the script sequence specified within the following exit points:
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Check ANI | Use the Check ANI object to use the phone number of the inbound caller to perform a lookup in the customers file. If a matching phone number is found in the Customer file, the record is loaded in memory and can be used to check the value of picklist fields to determine how to route the call. Parameters:
Exit points: The Check ANI object uses the value of the caller's ANI phone number to transfer control to the script sequence specified within the following exit points:
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Get Value | Use the Get Value object to request or require the caller to use their telephone's keypad to provide the following Local CRM data:
Exit points: The Get Value object uses the value of the caller's response to transfer control to the script sequence specified within the following exit points:
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Get Digit | This object is used after Play and Say messages that prompt for digit tone input. Get Digit is a menu optimized for the input of a single digit. Use Get Digit to receive the caller's DTMF input after prompting the caller for input. Parameters: None Exit Points:
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Check Picklist | Use the Check Picklist object to evaluate the value of a particular item from the CRM database. Perform a Check Picklist comparison after you have used the Check ANI or Get Value object to load a customer or case record into memory. Parameters:
Exit points: The Check Picklist object transfers control to the script sequence specified within the following exit points:
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Play | Use the Play object to play an audio file in a particular location in the IVR script. Parameters:
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Say | This object converts programmed text and variable objects such as phone number and queue position into speech. The Say object is also interruptible or not. For details, see our content on Text To Speech. Parameters:
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Menu | Use the Menu object to present a list of options to the caller. Parameters:
Exit points: The Menu object contains the following labeled exit points:
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Voice Recording Settings | If your Virtual Contact Center operates in jurisdictions which require seeking the caller's permission before recording a call, the caller's choice must be able to override the queue and agent level recording settings as well as the agent's record on demand capability. Use the Voice Recording Settings object to determine the circumstances under which a call may be recorded. Parameters:
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Set Agent | The Set Agent object facilitates direct agent access. Set Agent checks if the ANI or case number associated with an incoming call has corresponded with an agent on previous calls, and provides call routing choices based on the search result. Set Agent allows you to look up agents based on the following parameters:
Set Agent may return empty if there is no agent associated with ANI or case number. Exit points: The Set Agent object uses the returning value from the search above to transfer control to the script sequence specified within the following exit points:
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Transfer to Agent | The Transfer to Agent object connects the caller to the agent.
If you do not select any option, then the call is transferred only if the agent status is Available. If transfer is successful, change agent status to busy: this option is enabled by default. The agent is offered the post processing state after terminating the call. The object supports separate logic as to why a call may not reach the target agent depending on the agent’s real-time state. Exit points: The Transfer to Agent object uses the following exit points:
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Transfer to Agent Voice Mail | The Transfer to Agent Voicemail object allows a caller to deposit a voicemail for an agent. It assumes the agent is already set through the Set Agent object or Get Value object. The following parameters dictate the call flow. Parameters:
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Forward to agent | Note: Due to the constraints of the Forward to Agent object, we recommend using the Set Agent and Transfer to Agent objects to set up direct access to agents. Please note the Forward to Agent object will be obsolete on new Virtual Contact Center subscriptions past the 8.1 release. If your Virtual Contact Center uses the direct agent access feature, in the Menu script object described earlier in this table, you can use the Forward to Agent object to forward the caller to an agent's phone. The Forward to Agent object does not function unless contained in the extension exit point of a Menu object. Virtual Contact Center rings the agent's phone for the number of seconds specified in the Interaction offer timeout. Parameters:
Exit points: The Forward to agent object uses the value of the extension entered by the caller to transfer control to the script sequence specified within the following exit points:
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Test Condition of Queue | Use this object to check the condition of a queue before entering a queue. Test queue provides a set of conditions which, when met, triggers specified actions. The test queue object gives the IVR designer much more routing flexibility by allowing testing queue status repeatedly. Parameters:
Exit points: Test Queue has two exit points:
One of the many ways the condition matched and condition not matched exit points can be used is to either trigger another test, provide the caller with a choice of waiting in the queue when no agent is available, leave a voicemail, or inform the caller of an approximate waiting time, and then forward to the queue. For example, if there is a call in the queue that has waited longer than 120 seconds, you can insert the Play object under the Condition matched exit point to play a message informing the caller of an expected waiting time for the call to be answered. You can then use the Forward to Queue object to route the call to a queue. |
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Forward to queue | Use the Forward to queue object to forward a phone interaction to a specific phone queue. Parameters:
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Loop and Time Interval | These new in-queue-only objects control the pattern of announcements, queue music, and conditional contact center tests while waiting in queue.
Exit Points: Time Interval: The Intervals inside a Loop can be used to define multiple prompts. Use a Time Interval to define the length of an in-queue action. For example, define an interval to be 60 seconds long and select to play an in-queue prompt for 20 seconds. The queue music plays for the rest of the interval duration. |
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Callback | The Callback object allows callers waiting in a call queue to opt out of the queue and be called back when an agent becomes available. This feature fetches the caller's phone number from the calling line ID, the absence of which requires the caller to input the callback number before exiting the queue. The system retains the queue position of the call and offers an outbound call to an available agent serving the queue. When the agent accepts the call, the call is dialed out to the caller using the callback number. The call is routed through an outbound queue. Parameters:
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Forward to voice mail Queue | Use the Forward to voice mail object to transfer phone interactions to a selected voicemail queue. If the Forward to voice mail object is inserted under the overload exit point of a Forward to Queue object, the caller can choose between waiting in the queue or transferring to voicemail. Parameters:
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Forward to External IVR | Use the Forward to External IVR object to forward a phone interaction to an external IVR server. This redirects an incoming call to an external SIP URI address, or a phone number, which lands on an external IVR system. You can complete a self-service authentication on an external IVR server, and resume the call as desired by the customer. The entry point for an incoming call remains the Virtual Contact Center IVR, with external IVR as an additional tree node within it. The object allows data exchange between the external IVR server and the Virtual Contact Center server through a RESTful API interface. The data flow requires a SIP connection. Parameters:
Exit points: Resume: Provides the capability to resume within the Virtual Contact Center IVR tree on detecting a hang-up event on the External IVR server, and redirects a call to a predefined or assigned destination. |
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Forward to External Number | Use the Forward to external number object to forward a phone interaction to a phone number that is not managed by Virtual Contact Center. Parameters:
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Label | Use the Label object in combination with the Goto object, described later in this table, to redirect call processing to any location in the IVR script. The Goto object redirects the interaction to the parameter of a Label object. Parameters:
Exit points: None. |
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Goto | Use the Goto object to redirect the script to continue running at some labeled location in the script. Parameters:
Exit point: None |
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Set Variable | The ability to set variables allows programming abilities within IVR scripts, enabling better caller experience. You can use variables to remember the user input and use them to drive the call flow. You can create variables to store values of string and number types, and reference them anywhere and any number of times in the script. Virtual Contact Center allows two types of variables in IVR:
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Test Variable | The Test Variable object allows you to test an already defined variable and test it against a set value. To test a variable, select either a system variable or a user-defined variable, and test it against a specific value. For example, test how many calls are ahead of a call using the system variable $QueuePosition. If there are more than ten calls ahead of this call, announce the position to the caller, and offer the caller to receive a call back. If there are fewer than 10 calls ahead of this call, keep the caller in the queue. To access the Test Variable object within the script, click Add next to a node, and select the Test Variable object from the Insert Object list. Exit Points:
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Randomize | The Randomize object allows us to randomly pick callers and offer a different treatment from the norm. For example, in a customer survey program, you may want to randomly select 50% of callers, and direct them to a survey. You will need to use the randomize object that randomly picks callers and offers a specific treatment based on the path chosen. Parameters:
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Hang up | Use the Hang up object to disconnect a phone interaction. The IVR disconnects a phone interaction if the call has not been forwarded to a queue, voicemail, or an external number, and the script flow contains no further script objects. In the Label text entry area, type the alphanumeric label used to uniquely identify the element in the IVR script. Labels can contain a maximum of 21 characters, and must be unique within an IVR script. Exit points: None |
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Default Termination | The IVR tree has two objects:
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Symptom
An agent is unable to log in, but a Supervisor can see that they are.
The agent may experience a spinning icon on logging back in that doesn't go away (see below), or a login screen that is unresponsive.
Applies To
- 8x8 Contact Center
- 8x8 Agent Workspace
Solution
If your agent can't log in, Supervisors need to check their monitoring tab to see if they can see if the agent still is stuck in the system. This can be done by following the below.
- Log into 8x8 Agent Workspace.
- Click Menu > Monitoring.
- Navigate to Agent Management.
- Click Monitor.
- Search for your agent under the Agent column.
- Check their status under the Status column.
- If they are not Logged Off click the Door to force log the user off.
- Ask the agent to refresh their screen (can do this with F5) and then log in again.
Question
Why when running a number of historic reports (DTA, Queues: Transactions, Queues: Detailed entered transactions activity, Media: Accepted transactions - off line media) no calls are seen as routing to the Voicemail queue?
Applies To
- Contact Center
- Historic Reporting
Answer
The option "delete from queue" is misleading. Actually if this box is checked the app doesn't send voicemail to the queue, and it will send the voicemail email to the email addresses provided. That is why historical report doesn't show any voicemails went to the Commercial vm queue. If you uncheck delete from queue, historical report will show up those voicemail transactions, but agents need to accept those voicemails from the app one by one.
Symptom
If a 8x8 Contact Center call is transferred to another 8x8 Contact Center agent that is already on another call, the call recording of the transferred call between the agent and the other party is not stored.
In Admin Console Recordings you may see a call recording with 00:00:00 duration for the call between the agent the call was transferred to and the other party.
In Admin Console Recordings you may see a recording with no audio after the call has been transferred for the recording of the whole interaction.
Applies To
- 8x8 Contact Center
- Call Recording
Resolution
To minimize the risk of a scenario where this can occur:
- Use connection mode on-demand rather than persistent. This setting is in:
- Configuration Manager for Contact Center > Users > Edit > Properties
- Agent Workspace > My Profile > Settings
- Note: On-demand can not be used with progressive or predictive campaign dial modes, only preview.
- If an agent receives a call transfer whilst on another call they should end that call before accepting the call being transferred to them.
- In the Transfer to Agent object in the In the Agents PBX Number Script, which by default is the Agent Extension Script.
- The option to Transfer to agent even if the status is Busy should be disabled.
- The option to Change agent status to busy If transfer is successful should be enabled.
Cause
This is a known issue with one of the 8x8 Contact Center telephony core components. There is an ongoing effort to replace this component.
Additional Information
- It is not possible for an agent's status to be set to busy if they are making an agent-to-agent call.
- 8x8 Work Call recordings are not affected, if your agents use an 8x8 Work extension as their workplace phone you may want to consider enabling call recording on their 8x8 Work extension.