Peter Connects Attendant is a powerful operator station allowing fast and easy handling of large numbers of phone calls. The software is easy to use and provides a range of smart features for flawless call handling. Easy call handling Combines telephone directories from various sources Determines employees current location Caller recognition Sends text messages to IP phones Sends messages to pagers
Fast and easy handling of large numbers of phone calls Features Easy call handling using keyboard or mouse All actions, such as answering calls, placing on hold, transferring, conferencing in another caller and setting up conference calls are easy to perform. Combining telephone directories from different sources Telephone directories can be compiled from up to 10 sources. All common database link standards are supported. The telephone directory is synchronized with the sources on a daily base. The telephone list can optionally be made available on the telephones of all users or on the intranet (using Click-to-dial). Determining the current location of employees and adding information fields The current location of logged-in employees (with Extension Mobility) is displayed on the operator station, based on the location of their phones. In addition, the operator station can add information fields to employees, e.g. on holiday (with end date). Caller recognition Telephone numbers of external callers are recognized and when a call comes in, name and details are displayed on the operator station (as well as on the phones). In addition, common call forwarding numbers are preselected and priority can be given in the queue. This allows important callers to receive priority service. A web-based link to a CRM application is also possible. This allows immediate display of the records of a calling client. Sending text messages to employee IP-phones Sending short text messages to employees even when the destination phone is busy. Messages are delivered with a sound signal, with confirmation option if desired, for fast communication with the busy employee. Sending messages to pager Quick and easy sending of text or number messages to pagers. This requires a link between the paging system and Peter Connects. Optional features Automatic call answering and routing Calls can be answered automatically using a welcome message. Based on a menu, calls can be sent in the right direction. If the telephonist is busy, the queue position is given. Day/night forwarding plays a message to the caller when closed and allows them to be routed to an alternative destination (e.g. voice mail or a different phone number). Determining the location of WiFi phones and tags Displays the current location of an employee on a map on the operator station based on the location of (wireless) WiFi phones (or tags). Multi-tenant Setting up multiple separate operator stations and phone directories is possible using a Peter Connects system (e.g. collective office buildings). Insight into employee calendars A link with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes allows the attendant to view the calendars of employees. Statistics All data of incoming calls at the operator station(s) is collected. This data can be used to compile various reports to help monitor the quality of the operator station(s). Displaying employee presence status Shows Presence status of employees from MS/Office Communications Server and/or Lotus Same Time on the operator station. Sending e-mail to employees Sends e-mail directly from the phone directory. The call data is automatically inserted into the e-mail message. Texting employees (SMS) Sends SMS messages directly from the phone directory. Broadcasting messages over telephone speaker Spoken announcements from the operator station to the loudspeakers of one or more phones simultaneously. Real-time reports Up-to-date overview of incoming calls and how they are being handled. With extensive information on waiting times, number of calls and the performance of the attendants.
Screen layout The Attendant main window Explanation of the fields on the main window of the Attendant program 1. Incoming (new) calls 2. Work queue with returned and parked calls 3. Calls on own IP-telephone 4. Current active call 5. Criteria to select employees in the telephone directory. 6. Telephone Directory (corporate and Attendant s own) 7. Various information (can be displayed full-screen as well): a. Detail data of the selected employee or department. b. Routering history of the selected call. c. List of calls waiting until the destination becomes available. d. List of participants in a conference call. e. Appointments in the agenda of the selected employee. f. Web-browser (also usable for CRM and webcam integration). g. List of handled and missed calls.
More information: www.peterconnects.com/attendant Suitable for: telephonists; receptionists; secretaries. Also available: Peter Connects is a registered product of JDM Software BV JDM Software BV Hellingkade 9 3144 EJ Maassluis The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)10 592 78 92 Fax: +31 (0)10 592 81 46 E-mail: info@peterconnects.com Web: www.peterconnects.com
The Automated Attendant option Variations in welcome texts and menus Queue announcements Handling outside opening hours Variations in welcome texts and menus The Automated Attendant consists of two mechanisms offering many deployment variations: Welcome message, selection menus (IVR; Interactive Voice Response) and queue announcement An extensive mechanism for handling calls outside opening hours It is possible to have all calls that come in to an Attendant (or group of Attendants) automatically answered with a recorded welcome message. Different voice messages can be played for each dialed number. This makes it possible to offer the caller a menu for direct forwarding to the desired department(s). If the Attendant(s) is/are busy, a message can be played to the caller (position in the queue). Incoming calls can optionally remain invisible to the Attendants until the welcome message (and any IVR menus) have been completed. This considerably lightens the workload for the reception as the calls are going directly to the departments, completely bypassing the reception. The Automated Attendant option Welcome OPEN Selection menu Other Caller CLOSED Queue position announcement Attendants We are closed TAKES TOO LONG Alternative Helpdesk Sales Selection menu Alternative Voice mail
Queue announcement This mechanism can be flexibly deployed. One option is to only play a welcome message when a call comes in (without selection menu and/or queue position announcement) after which the call is offered to the Attendant. Or automatically answering a call that has been waiting a long time (can be set) with a welcome message and optionally a queue announcement (if the Attendant is already busy). While the caller is waiting, additional actions can be performed. These actions can be planned based on the elapsed waiting time. Additional messages or selection menus can be played, and the caller can be routed to an alternative destination or to voice mail after a specific waiting time. It is also possible to let the caller select a different language for the menus and queue announcements. The selected language is indicated by a flag in the Attendant, allowing the call to be answered in the correct language. Handling outside opening hours The open/closed mechanism of the Automated Attendant offers extensive options for the handling of calls outside opening hours (before/after hours, during lunch, or on holidays). The message to be played to the caller can be selected, and optionally the destination to which the call will be routed after the message (alternative destination, voice mail). It is also possible to play a selection menu. During opening hours, calls are offered to the Attendants. A week profile can be created and exception days can be added (e.g. vacations, public holidays). Changes for the current day can be set without altering the week pattern (e.g. in case of early closure). This also allows the use of separate voice messages (can be recorded on the spot). After a caller has received a closed message, it is possible to route the call to an (internal or external) alternative destination or to voice mail. In addition, an extra message can be recorded (one for each Attendant queue) and used straight away without changing any existing settings. More information: www.peterconnects.com/attendant Suited for: telephonists; receptionists; secretariats. Also available: Peter Connects is a registered product of JDM Software BV JDM Software BV Hellingkade 9 3144 EJ Maassluis The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)10 592 78 92 Fax: +31 (0)10 592 81 46 E-mail: info@peterconnects.com Web: www.peterconnects.com
Options for reachability Displaying appointments from calendars Displaying Presence Current location of WiFi phones and tags Displaying appointments from calendars Peter Connects Attendant allows the telephone operator to consult employee calendars (Outlook and Lotus Notes) real time. After selecting an employee in the company phone directory, the employee s calendar can be viewed using the Calendar button (in the Attendant). It will be displayed in the bottom right area of the Attendant screen. Today s appointments have a white background, allowing them to be recognized at a glance. Appointments for subsequent days are displayed against a blue background. Later appointments are shown against a green background. When an employee has marked an appointment as Private, its subject and location are invisible to the Attendant user. This Calendar option is available for both Microsoft Outlook (Exchange) and Lotus Notes. Reachability view in calendar
Displaying Presence eter Connects Attendant allows the Presence status of employees to be displayed. This information is obtained from Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005 (LCS), Office Communications Server 2007 (OCS) or Lotus Sametime. current location is carried out by the Cisco Wireless Location Appliance or Cisco Wireless Mobility Services Engine (MSE). From there Peter Connects automatically obtains the required data, such as maps and indications of campuses, buildings, floors and rooms. The presence status of employees is displayed in real time in a separate column of the company phone directory. Current location of WiFi phones and tags Peter Connects Attendant is able to display the current location of employees, via mobile WiFi phones or devices provided with a tag. The current location is displayed in a separate column of the company phone directory and on a map of the floor where the selected employee is located. The map is displayed on a tab in the bottom right area of the Attendant screen, but full-screen display is also possible. The map shows all tags and all employees with WiFi phones. The selected employee is highlighted. Several maps can be selected. It is also possible to display the time of the previous location determination. The process of determining someone s Presence column Map with employee locations More information: www.peterconnects.com/attendant Suitable for: telephonists; receptionists; secretaries. Also available: Peter Connects is a registered product of JDM Software BV JDM Software BV Hellingkade 9 3144 EJ Maassluis The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)10 592 78 92 Fax: +31 (0)10 592 81 46 E-mail: info@peterconnects.com Web: www.peterconnects.com
Options for sending messages Sending e-mail messages Sending SMS text messages Broadcasting messages Destination groups Sending e-mail messages Peter Connects Attendant allows the sending of e-mail messages to employees selected from the telephone directory. After selecting an employee from the telephone directory, you can send an e-mail to this employee by simply clicking on the E-mail button or pressing the Ctrl+E hotkey combination. Various standard texts can be predefined by the Attendant user (e.g. a callback note). When handling a call, selecting the standard text will suffice. Information on the current or previous call is automatically inserted into the selected text (name and number of the caller, date and time of the call; details of the Attendant who has handled the call). This is a quick and easy way to leave a message for callees who are not present or unavailable. Sending SMS text messages Peter Connects Attendant allows SMS text messages to be sent directly to the employee s mobile phone (GSM). When the telephone operator selects an employee in the telephone directory, the employee can be sent an SMS message by clicking on the SMS button or using the Ctrl+S hotkey combination. This option requires a link with the GSM mobile network. Peter Connects supports several methods to achieve this. Broadcasting messages Peter Connects Attendant allows the direct broadcasting of messages. The selected employees will hear the message over the loudspeaker of their IP-phone. Employee groups can be created based on data from the phone directory or based on locations (e.g. 2nd floor of building A). These groups can be compiled and stored as presets. The sound volume of the message broadcast can be set. You can select whether the message will also go to telephones that are busy. The network load for the message broadcast is relatively small since the multicast principle is used (a single audio stream passing through the network). In addition to a message broadcast, a text message can be placed on the employees phones (with sound alert) as an alternative. Sending an e-mail message is simple The telephone operator also receives a copy of the sent e-mail message. All e-mail messages sent by the various telephone operators can be copied to a general e-mail box.
Destination groups Messages can be sent to a specific employee or to an entire group of employees. For this, destination groups, as they are known, can be predefined. A destination group can comprise specific employees, or employees selected from the telephone directory using a filter. For message broadcasts, destination groups can be defined based on the room numbers. More information: www.peterconnects.com/attendant Suitable for: telephonists; receptionists; secretaries. Also available: Peter Connects is a registered product of JDM Software BV JDM Software BV Hellingkade 9 3144 EJ Maassluis The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)10 592 78 92 Fax: +31 (0)10 592 81 46 E-mail: info@peterconnects.com Web: www.peterconnects.com
Options for statistics Historical reports Real-time reports Historic reports Peter Connects Attendant gathers data on handled and missed calls. This data can be used to produce various reports regarding the performance and workload of the Attendant(s). The collected data can be delivered in an SQL database or in text files that can be directly opened in a spreadsheet program (e.g. MS/Excel). The MS/Excel wizard can be used to easily produce a wide range of statistics. A sample Visual Basic script for MS/Excel supplied with the software can be used to create graphs of: Caller waiting times (at a specific route point) Total number of calls for the Attendant(s) Percentage of the time that an individual Attendant is busy Call destinations It is possible to change these samples according to your own requirements. Call start time Call answer date Call answer time Call end date Call end time Call hold time (waiting time at the Attendant) Call connection time with Attendant (talk time) Total call time at the Attendant Caller s phone number Caller s name Number called by the caller Name of the called person Number of the destination to which the call was forwarded Call identification (running number) Only the columns whose value is known will be filled. Since the collected data can also be delivered in an SQL database, third party software (such as Crystal Reports) can also be used to create reports. The following data is collected: Log date Log time Number of the route point where the call came in Reception date of the call at the route point Reception time of the call at the route point Position in the queue when coming in Call answer date by an Attendant Call answer time by an Attendant Call end date (disconnected by caller) Call end time (disconnected by caller) Waiting time in the queue Directory number of the Attendant Windows user name of the Attendant Computer (name) running the Attendant program at the time Call reception date on the Attendant phone Call reception time on the Attendant phone Call start date Supplying report data
Real-time reports Peter Connects Attendant allows the real-time monitoring of an Attendant queue by several Attendants. The Queue Monitor program used for this runs as a client under Windows. This program can also be used to display information about the queues and agents of the Peter Connects ServiceDesk module. The screen of this program can e.g. be shown on a wall display in the Attendant room or on the PC of the person who is responsible for the telephone operator(s). The Attendant queue in the real-time monitor The contents of the screen areas The upper half of the main window provides information about the queue. The lower half of the window gives information about the Attendants. 1. Top left field: This field displays the current queue. 2. Top middle field: This field displays a summary of the calls that have entered the queue today. The colors indicate (user-defined) waiting times. 3. Top right field: This field displays an overview of the activity in the queue during the current day. 4. Bottom left field: This field displays a list of the Attendants logged on for the queue today. The current status of the Attendants, the logged-on and logged-off time, number of calls handled or missed, and how the Attendants are distributing their time are displayed. 5. Bottom right field: This field displays two graphs per Attendant. The upper graph shows the periods when the Attendant was logged off (black) or on (yellow). The blue line indicates when they are logged on and not logged off yet. The time axis belongs to the upper graph. The lower graph shows the time distribution of the Attendant. This indicates how the Attendant has spent the logged-on time. The area is divided in proportion to the various activities, using the colors indicated in the column headers in the left table. The time axis does not belong to this time distribution. More information: www.peterconnects.com/attendant Suitable for: telephonists; receptionists; secretaries. Also available: Peter Connects is a registered product of JDM Software BV JDM Software BV Hellingkade 9 3144 EJ Maassluis The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)10 592 78 92 Fax: +31 (0)10 592 81 46 E-mail: info@peterconnects.com Web: www.peterconnects.com
Options for shared use of the telephone directory Using telephone directories in the Attendant program Shared use of the corporate telephone directory Viewing current room number Finding free flex stations Using telephone directories in the Attendant program Two telephone directories can be used in the Attendant program: The corporate telephone directory A personal telephone directory The corporate telephone directory is automatically compiled from various sources (up to 10). Data from the Cisco Communications Manager can be loaded directly (via AXL/Soap) but other external sources can also be used. Example: data from Active Directory or company databases (e.g. a personnel database) can be loaded. This functionality supports all common database interfaces, such as LDAP and ODBC. The directory can be synchronized with these sources several times a day at user-defined times. Shared use of the corporate telephone directory from IP phones or via web browser It is possible to compile a comprehensive corporate telephone directory containing many types of employee information. The option for shared use allows the telephone directory to be used by the employees: From the IP phones: Several phone numbers of the selected employees can be viewed (userdefined) and called. The current room number is also displayed (if known). In addition, individual Attendant users can compile their own directory. This list can be stored per Attendant user or shared with colleagues. Usage of corporate and personal telephone directories is a standard component of the Peter Connects Attendant.
Using a web browser: The current status of the internal phone (including do-not-disturb) and the Employees and departments can be easily selected based on a number of presence status is displayed. criteria. Various telephone numbers (internal, alternative, mobile, private) The found telephone numbers can be called by simply clicking on them. It of the selected employees can be viewed, as well as other information is also possible to send e-mail messages from this list by clicking on the (such as: job function, department, room number). e-mail address. Easy location of an employee using the web browser Viewing current room number The rooms where (fixed) IP phones are installed can be stored in the Peter Connects server. This allows the room number where each employee s phone is located to be displayed in the telephone directory. When an employee logs on (via Extension Mobility) to an IP phone in a different room, the room number will appear in the employee s telephone directory entry. This way one can always see which room an employee is working in. Finding free flex stations A web browser can be used to find flex stations that are currently not in use. An overview of the number of free flex stations per room number is displayed. Each IP phone can be assigned to a flex station. If no one has logged on using an assigned IP phone, the flex station is considered free. More information: www.peterconnects.com/attendant Suitable for: telephonists; receptionists; secretaries. Also available: Peter Connects is a registered product of JDM Software BV JDM Software BV Hellingkade 9 3144 EJ Maassluis The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)10 592 78 92 Fax: +31 (0)10 592 81 46 E-mail: info@peterconnects.com Web: www.peterconnects.com