Interactive Voice Response

Transcription

1 Virtual Contact Center Interactive Voice Response Revision 1.0

2 Copyright 2012, 8x8, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is provided for information purposes only and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission. 8x8 is a registered trademark of 8x8, Inc.

3 Contents INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) - OVERVIEW... 1 BASIC IVR SCRIPT... 2 INTERMEDIATE IVR SCRIPT... 2 ADVANCED IVR SCRIPT... 5 IVR - VOICE RECORDING SETTINGS... 8 Benefits... 8 IVR ENHANCEMENTS TEST QUEUE Longest Wait Time BACK TRACKING Benefits DEFAULT TERMINATION EXTERNAL IVR Benefits CONCLUSION... 23

4 Interactive Voice Response (IVR) - Overview Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an integral component of the 8x8 Virtual Contact Center which provides an extensible solution for routing inbound calls to the desired destination. Virtual Contact Center IVR offers the following capabilities: Allows callers to self direct their call to the desired destination without waiting for human assistance. Set up a phone menu system to route incoming calls. Route calls to call queues, agents, and voic systems. Route calls to an external number or an external IVR. Set up call routing rules based on the business hours, as well as after hours and holidays. Set up call routing rules based on calling line ID. Define an overload path if agents are not available or if a call queue is overloaded. Create submenus to handle complex call trees. Supports data dipping in the Virtual Contact Center CRM to validate customers. Test the condition of a queue before entering a queue and inform the caller of an approximate waiting time. Define rules to allow call recording based on caller s permission overriding the queue and agent level recording settings. Limits accidental call drops. Relay a customer call to an external IVR server, complete a self service authentication, and resume the call as desired by the customer. IVR scripts can be designed to be as complicated or as simple as needed. The following are script examples of varying complexity with a description of what they do. 1

5 Basic IVR Script The script below is an example of a simple script that plays a greeting message and forwards the call to a queue when the call center is open. If the call center is closed, it will notify the caller and send them to an off hours voice mailbox. MainIVR Schedule [Main Hours] open Play [Wait for Agents] The overload exit point is triggered when an Overload Processing rule is met. Forward to queue [To Agents] overload closed Play [Office Closed] Forward to voice mail [Off hours VM] #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 Intermediate IVR Script Overload processing routes calls that are still in the IVR. It does not affect calls already waiting in the queue. Building on the Basic script, we will add additional routing options to the IVR as follows: MainIVR 1. Add a main menu to provide the caller with options for connecting to sales (option 1) or Support (option 2). 2. If the caller selects option 1 for Sales, a secondary menu will provide 3 choices for different products (a-c). 3. If the caller selects option 2 for Support, the IVR script will simply check if the caller exists within the CRM and screen pop the caller s information to the Agent when the agent answers the call. 4. Direct Agent Access is also used to allow customers to use a virtual extension to reach a specific Agent. Schedule [Main Hours] open Menu [Main Menu] 2

6 0 1 Menu [Sales Product Menu] 0 1 Play [Product A] Forward to queue [Sales A] overload 2 Play [Product B] Forward to queue [Sales B] overload 3 Play [Product C] * # Forward to queue [Sales C] overload The empty branch is triggered when a caller does not input any value into the menu. The too many invalid branch is triggered after 3 failed attempts at a valid menu entry. Adding instructions under these branches for menus will override the empty play messages on the Menu properties: extension empty too many invalid 2 Play [2 Support] Check ANI [Check Caller ID] contact found Goto [To General] -> Normal Support contact not found Label [Normal Support] Forward to queue [to General Support] overload 3

7 * # extension Forward to agent [Direct Agent Access] Forward to Agent is only used under extension after creating a menu option. Only Agents with Direct Agent Access feature turned on will be accessible. resume Forward to queue [To General Q] overload too many invalid Forward to queue [To General Q2] overload Resume is an option that provides an ability to send the caller to a queue should the caller opt not to leave a message for the Agent. empty too many invalid closed Play [Office Closed] Forward to voice mail [Off hours VM] #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 4

8 Advanced IVR Script Building on the intermediate script, the advanced script includes data dipping in the Contactual CRM to validate customers. This script provides customers with different levels of support once they are identified within the CRM. If they are Premium Support users, they will be forwarded to the Premium Support queue if an agent is available; if not, the caller will be transferred to an overload where additional agents are available. Premium customers also get forwarded to an external number for after hour calls. Additional Labels were added for Goto functions. This allows the re-use of previously defined IVR processing. MainIVR Schedule [Open Hours] open Menu [Main Menu] 0 1 GetValue [Account Number] found empty Label [Value Found] Check Picklist [is Premium] matched Forward to queue [To Premium Queue] overload not matched Forward to queue [Overflow] overload Check Picklist [is Standard] matched Forward to queue [Standard Support] overload not matched Goto [No Support Found] -> Account Not Found Label [Account Not Found] Forward to queue [No Support] overload Forward to voice mail [Really Busy] GetValue allows you to compare caller inputted digits to a value stored within Contactual CRM. It will allow you to compare them to any numeric field that stores only unique values. A Picklist can be checked after the caller has been identified by either using GetValue or Check ANI. 5

9 too many invalid Goto [Acct Not Found] -> Account Not Found * # extension Label [Agent Extension] Forward to agent [Find Agent] resume Forward to queue [General Queue] overload too many invalid Hang up [Finish] empty Check ANI [Check Caller ID] Use Label and Goto to reduce recreating similar portions of the IVR Script. contact found Goto [Check Found] -> Value Found contact not found Goto [no support.] -> Value Found too many invalid closed Label [Office Closed] Menu [Closed Menu] 0 1 GetValue [Get Acct Num] found Check Picklist [is Premium?] matched 6

10 Forward to external number [Send to VIP Offhours] not matched Goto [Closed VM.] -> Closed VM empty Goto [Closed VM..] -> Closed VM too many invalid Goto [Closed VM...] -> Closed VM * # extension Goto [To Direct Agent] -> Agent Extension empty Label [Closed VM] Forward to voice mail [Closed VM] too many invalid #1 Play [Holiday Closure] Goto [Office Closure] -> Office Closed #2 #3 #4 #5 Alternate call flows can be used for other dates such as Holiday closures. These are set from the Schedules section to be used in the IVR Script: #6 7

11 IVR - Voice Recording Settings If your Virtual Contact Center operates in jurisdictions which require seeking 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. In some extreme situations, it may be necessary to override the caller s choice not to be recorded. This situation may occur when a caller is identified to be harassing an agent or the organization. The above mentioned situations require altering call recording settings at run time for each call. The Virtual Contact Center IVR language has introduced finer granularity into voice recording capability. The Voice Recording Settings object in IVR logic allows control over call recording within the IVR logic. Benefits The Voice Recording Settings object in IVR logic: Overrides recording settings at the agent and queue level to accommodate caller s permission. Overrides the agent s ability to record. Offers optional call recording regardless of caller s permission. (overriding caller s disapproval). Lets you define recording settings based on caller s permission. Selects appropriate voice recording controls based on the permission setting. Offers options to override default permission based voice recording controls. The order of recording may be indicated as: Agent & Queue level settings > Caller s permission to Record > Special Case Recording. Caller s permission to record Action Keep prior setting Not asked Granted Denied Keep prior setting for automatic and agent initiated recording No automatic recording but allow agent to initiate recording Follow Agent & Queue recording settings for automatic recording and allow agent to initiate recording No automatic recording and do not allow agent to initiate recording 8

12 Special case recording - Automatic call recording Keep prior setting Record this call Do Not record this call Record % of calls Action Keep prior setting for automatic recording The current call will be recorded The current call will not be automatically recorded IVR %, Queue % and Agent % probabilities all will be used to decide if the call will be recorded automatically or not Special case recording Allow agent to initiate recording Keep prior setting Yes No Action Keep prior setting for agent initiated recording Allow agent to initiate recording of this call Do not allow agent to initiate recording of this call 9

13 For example, Acme Support receives calls from a jurisdiction that requires a caller s permission to record calls with a special exemption for callers previously known to be abusive. The IVR script first checks to see if the Calling Line Id (CLID) is recognized in the customer database, if it is recognized the IVR checks a field in the customer record to see if this caller is known to be abusive. If the caller is marked as being abusive then the Voice Recording Settings are set to record this call no matter what choice the caller makes in the recording permission prompt later on. Figure: Voice Recording Setting override set recording on 10

14 Figure: CRM Setting identified abusive user 11

15 To provide consistent service and meet the jurisdiction requirements the IVR now asks the caller to press 1 to deny recording permission or to press 2 to grant recording permission. The Voice Recording Settings object is used in each case to capture and respect the wishes of the caller. Only if the caller is marked as abusive will the system record the call regardless of the caller s response to the permission question. Figure: Voice Recording Setting permission denied 12

16 Finally if the caller does not respond to the recording permission prompt then the Voice Recording Settings object is set to Not asked which means the call will not be recorded automatically using Queue and or Agent percentages. The call is sent to a special queue where the agent will know to ask permission verbally before manually starting recording if verbal permission is granted. The abusive caller override applies without agent involvement if it was set. Figure: Voice Recording Setting not asked Note: The agent will not know if his or her manual recording button will work or not. It always appears to work even if the Voice Recording Settings inhibits its operation. The initial design thinking is that we do not want to influence agent behavior based on his or her knowledge of actually recording or not. This design is subject to review and revision in future releases. Note: Use of Voice Recording Settings Object is not recommended for those tenants who operate in jurisdictions that do not require caller s permission to record a call. 13

17 IVR Enhancements The Virtual Contact Center IVR introduces new capabilities to test the condition of queues, catch calls that would inadvertently hang up in a flawed IVR, know the longest waiting call in a queue, and to back track when a call reaches a non terminating exit condition. The Virtual Contact Center IVR is enhanced with: Test Queue Test Queue object Back tracking capability Longest wait time Default Terminating node A Test Queue provides a mechanism to test the condition of a queue before entering a queue. Test queue provides a set of conditions which when met can trigger specified actions. The test queue object gives IVR designer a lot more routing and announcement flexibility by allowing repeated testing of queue status. You can insert a Test Queue object anywhere in the IVR tree. The object enables you to test conditions and determine queue conditions at a given point of time. A Test Queue has two exit points: Condition matched Condition not matched The Test Queue offers conditional tests that determine routing choices based on agent availability or queue performance. The tests can check if: There are no qualified agents waiting in the queue. There are no qualified agents logged in. There are number of calls in the queue ahead of this call. There is a call waiting longer than seconds in the queue. The instantaneous expected wait time calculation for a call exceeds seconds. If a specified condition matches, you may play a message to announce the approximate call waiting time, or direct a call to voic , or another queue providing better user experience. If the condition does not match, you can run another test queue, or vice versa. 14

18 The test queue can be used to test multiple conditions in the queue. The test result from the first test is cached and to allow repeated tests on a stable snapshot of queue data. The snapshot cache expires after 5 seconds. If a message is played between test queue queries there is a good chance that the test queue results may have changed. Example: During a snow storm if an airline is experiencing high call volume, callers to the Airline Help Line do not have to stay connected waiting for a representative without knowing an approximate waiting time. If you introduced test queues in the IVR to check the condition of the queue, you can inform a caller of an approximate wait time through a message. IVR Script 1 15

19 The IVR script 1 illustrates how a Test Queue object can be used to check the condition of a queue before transferring a call to it. The script starts by checking if the contact center is open. If it is open, then introduces five test queues to check the condition of a queue, determine an approximate call waiting time, and take appropriate actions based on the test results. Let s review the test conditions and results. The script shows the test queues numbered from (1) to (5): 1. The Test queue (1) checks if there are no agents logged into the tenant. If the condition matches, plays an emergency closure message and terminates the call. If the condition does not match indicating agents are logged in, test queue (2) triggers. 2. The test queue (2) checks if logged in agents are busy (not waiting). If true, triggers test queue (3). If false, forwards the call to queue where agents are available to answer the call. 3. The test queue (3) checks if a call in the queue has waited longer than 1 minute. If true, triggers next queue. If false, plays a message Your expected wait time for this call is less than 3 minutes, and forwards the call to a queue. 4. The test queue (4) checks if a call has waited longer than 2 minutes. If true, triggers TQ (5). If false, plays a message to indicate an expected wait time and forwards the call to a suitable queue. 5. The test queue (5) checks if a call has waited longer than 5 minutes. If true, plays a busy tone, and terminates the call. If false, plays a message to indicate an expected wait time and forwards the call to the queue. Thus Test Queue object evaluates agent availability and queue performance before transferring a call to the queue. Note: Live experience would provide experience feedback to improve the test tree thresholds and corresponding expected wait announcements. Small populations of agents require coarse measurements and announcements whereas a large population of agents is far more predictable and can use more granular strategies. Longest Wait Time The current IVR has the ability to check the condition of a queue and overload if certain conditions are met. Now a relatively simple test is added to check if there is a call in this queue that has waited longer than xxxx seconds. If this condition matches, you can take appropriate action to inform the caller of an approximate waiting time. This update applies to both Forward to Queue and Test Queue objects. 16

20 Longest Wait Time test condition Note: Migrating from 6.8 to 7.0 platform the Longest Wait Time test option shows in the existing script. To activate the new test option, you must re- save the current IVR tree. Back Tracking Prior to 7.0 release, every possible exit branch in an IVR tree required an explicit Forward to Queue, Forward to Voic , Forward to External Number, Forward to Agent or Goto directive. In the absence of this directive an IVR branch automatically hung up a call. These Forward to directives are classified as IVR Terminating Conditions. The former requirement for an explicit IVR Terminating Condition at every possible exit branch created a situation where it was easy to overlook rarely used logic and unintentionally hang-up on some callers. The 7.0 release introduces Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Back Tracking feature to support the new Test Queue feature and to help alleviate unintentional hang-ups with a new Default Termination feature. The IVR tree branches without a Terminating Condition cause the IVR logic to backtrack (or move on) to the next logical branch in the tree. IVR logic flows from the current branch to the next branch below to the extent that the next branch is not a part of a condition that isn t valid. In this case the IVR logic seeks the next branch below that is not in the scope of conditions being 17

21 tested or selected. For example, the back tracking mechanism ignores all following or all possible choices within a Schedule, Menu or Test branch as it does not make any sense to direct the call to those choices. The backtracking term applies because the logic backtracks out of exhausted Schedule, Menu and Test branches prior to continuing to the next branch below. Along with the creation of backtracking logic there is now a Default Termination branch at the bottom of every IVR tree. Now if the backtracking logic reaches the last branch at the bottom of the tree you can pick an explicit Forward to choice rather than just Hang Up. Note: Backtracking is limited to a single IVR tree and hence does not travel through another tree during IVR chaining. Test Queue with backtracking is useful to check the condition of a queue before a call is directed. Multiple test criteria can be used to check the condition and backtracking ensures the call exits the IVR in a controlled manner. 18

22 IVR Script 2 Example: IVR Script 2 is a functional replica of IVR script 1. While the script 1 specifies actions for each condition matched, script 2 uses backtracking for each condition matched with no terminating conditions. In test queue (1), actions are specified when a condition matches. From test queue (2) through (5), when a conditional test passes, in the absence of a terminating condition, the call backtracks to the parent Test Queue branch, and triggers the test queue in 19

23 the next branch below. When the condition for Test Queue (5) matches, the IVR logic backtracks to the parent Test Queue [q greater 5 min], and processes the next branch, plays a busy tone, and backtracks to the parent Schedule and processes the next branch which is the Default Termination that hangs up the call. Benefits A script which implements backtracking Reduces the possibility of errors with its linear design. Improves clarity and readability. Default Termination Prior to 7.0, IVR programming errors and omissions resulted in call drops leading to unpleasant user experience. For example, if a call landed on an IVR node with a non terminating exit criterion such as Play or Label, and no follow-up actions, the call terminated. To improve the user experience, IVR tree now provides a default termination action node that catches all calls that inadvertently dropped due to flawed IVR previously. IVR tree has two primitives/nodes: Main IVR Default Terminating Node. IVR Default Terminating Node The default termination node is the last node in the IVR tree and cannot be deleted from the tree. You can add IVR primitives between these nodes only. 20

24 Default termination catches calls, and treats them with one of the four exit options: Forward to Queue: Directs the call to a queue. Forward to Voice Mail: Directs the call to a voice mail queue. Forward to External Number: Forwards the call to an external phone number. Hang up (default option to ensure backward compatibility): Terminates the call. IVR Script showing Default Termination Action Note: Migrating from 6.8 to 7.0 platform the Default Termination action node shows in the existing script. To activate the node and use the exit options, you should modify and re-save the current tree. 21

25 External IVR External Interactive Voice Response (IVR) allows a tenant to relay a customer call to an external IVR server, complete a self service authentication, 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. You can integrate with an on-premise or hosted IVR server outside of the Virtual Contact Center. 22

26 Benefits Allows tenants to utilize a more robust external IVR system with capabilities such as voice recognition. Embeds within the existing IVR server. Redirects an incoming call to an external SIP URI address, or a phone number, which lands on an external IVR system. Notifies interaction router with call information, such as call/connection id/sip call id. Detects hang-up event and redirects a call to a predefined or assigned destination. Provides the capability to resume within the Virtual Contact Center IVR tree. Provides contact center status information such as basic queue statistics, agent availability, etc., on demand through a RESTful API for real time statistics. Provides an External IVR API to relay customer data and target queue selection information from the external IVR server to the VCC server. The data flow requires a SIP connection. Conclusion IVR Tree with External IVR The Virtual Contact Center Interactive Voice Response is a powerful feature that manages inbound call routing. This document discusses the highlights of the feature. For details refer to the Configuration Manager Guide. 23