Emergency Agent Login Alert

[Stinney]

As many of you already have in process, we have an agent that we can log in to re-route calls out of queue to an announcement during an emergency.

Is there anything we can use, that will alert us if someone logs this agent in, or logs into the skill, other than a real-time report on the skill?

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[Stinney]

Forgot to mention we are using s8710s, 462x sets and CMS r12.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[koglass]

Would assigning that Agent Login ID a password help?

Password
Appears only if both the AAS and AUDIX fields are n. Enter up to nine digits as the password the Agent must enter upon login. Valid entries are the digits 0 through 9. Enter the minimum number of digits in this field specified by the Minimum Agent-LoginID Password Length field on the Feature-Related System Parameters screen. Default is blank. Values entered in this field are not displayed on the screen.

 

[Stinney]

It has a password. It's not an issue of security, just a need to know as quickly as possible when it is logged in.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[wildcard100001]

How about queuing it up to the emergency skill for a short time before the disconnect announcement step. Put a q-call indicator for the emergency queue on the phones labeled emergency. It would only light when the call was actually queued though....

Thanks,

Wildcard

 

[wil19148]

How about administering an agent exception for the emergency skill - time in AUX greater than 0 seconds, threshold set to 0? That way as soon as the emergency agent is logged in and they go into AUX default, the CMS will generate the exception.

 

[Stinney]

I was actually hoping to set up some kind of alert, like a crisis alert or outcalling. We don't use wallboards, which would be great. My old company did, and you could have sounds play on the board based on reporting information.

The Q-Call indicator and exception reports are good suggestions. However, we use 46xx IP phones, and a q-lamp will only highlight the screen, not provide a nice bright red led like the old phones. So, it's not as obvious/visable when it "lights".

The exception report is good, but I usually have other screens open over CMS and don't have the sound on my computer on during the day.

Again, all good thoughts, just not what we would like to do. It may not be possible and is just a dream like so many other functionalities we would like.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[jfh9219]

If you have CMS, you could write a VB program that checks to see if that particular agent/skill is activated using CMS interface. Then you could set the refresh rate to something reasonable and run the VB program continuously in the background. Notification would be very much wide open. email, screen pop, noise, phone call to set number, page, etc.

If you don't have CMS, and your PBX is on the network, you could do similar approach but terminal emulate into the PBX and check the status of the "special" agent to see whether it is staffed.

Either approach would work. You need to make sure that you don't overburden you systems by asking, are they staffed?, are they staffed?, are they staffed? too frequently.

 

[Stinney]

I read a post that said I could cross connect an analog device to the threshold warning port defined in the hunt group. I understand this concept. Does anyone have a suggestion for a fairly "quite" but noticible audible device that also has a light? I assume I can attach any generic buzzer as long as it uses 24v?



- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[warcomlee]

Assuming you're using a vector to check if the agent is "staffed" and routing from there, could you add something to place a call to an extension, then continue the routing? You'd get a warning almost immediately then?

 

[Stinney]

Got it working. Had a *duh* moment. Set up the hunt group, warning threshold of 1 call in queue.

Set port to an analog port, crosswired it to my desk and plugged in a regular analog phone.

Changed the vector to queue to the emergency skill before playing the disconnect announcment.

Now when the Emergency Agent is logged in, the call goes to the vector, queues to the skill, which triggers the threshold and makes the phone ring to let us know that calls are being routed to the emergency vector.

It will continue to ring until calls stop routing to the queue. So, we can also purchase a strobe if we want a visual indicator as well.

Is there any device that we could purchase that would call out if it received this type of ring notification? I haven't seen one out there.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.

 

[BHodgins]

how about using ec500 on that station you have the alerting on?

 

[Stinney]

It's not actually a station. The port is programmed on the hunt group and just provides ring voltage down the line.

- Stinney

Favorite all too common vendor responses: "We've never seen this issue before." AND "No one's ever wanted to use it like that before.