This chapter covers the following topics:
Oracle TeleService agents interact with telephony functionality via the Oracle Oracle Universal Work Queue and its Work Controller (Softphone).
Note: If you decided to hide the Softphone as part of your implementation, then you can use the physical telephone set to achieve the same functionality as that mentioned below for the softphone. The only exception is the handling of Web callbacks which must be done with the Softphone.
The topics and procedures in this section highlight a few aspects of telephony important to Oracle TeleService. For detailed operation instructions on the softphone please see Oracle Universal Work Queue User Guide.
When someone calls your organization, Oracle Advanced Inbound tries to determine the caller's identity based on the phone number or the information the caller has provided to the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Customers can enter a unique identifier, such as an order number, and a call reason, indicating they want to create a service request.
The application displays the customer information either in the Contact Center or the Service Request windows, depending on the setups performed by the application administrator.
No matter what information the application displays about the customer, the agent must always verify that it is correct. The caller may be calling from someone else's phone or about someone else's service request, or has made a mistake in entering the service request number that just happens to match an existing service request number.
The application behaves differently if the customer information matches a unique record or not.
When the caller's phone number matches a unique customer or contact phone number, the application displays that party's record in the Contact Center or Service Request window.
If the customer is making an inquiry, the Find Service Request window appears with a list of the open service requests for that party. If the customer is calling to log a service request, the Service Request window appears with the party details.
When the caller's phone number matches the phone number of more than one customer or contact, the application displays the Customer Search window within the Contact Center, populated with all the matching records.
This can occur when a number of people share the same phone line or when the contact's phone number is the same as the phone number of the organization that the contact works for.
You must select one of the parties listed and click OK.
The party you select depends on the context of the call.
For example, if the number the caller is calling from matches:
The main phone number of your customer General Technologies (a party of Organization)
The personal phone number of Mel Bordeaux (a party of Person)
The work number of Mel Bordeaux who works for General Technologies. (Contact for General Technologies)
You select different party types depending on what the caller is calling about:
| If the caller: | You select: |
|---|---|
| Is the person listed and is calling with a personal request | The party of Person. This is the individual listed without affiliation to any organization. |
| Is the person listed and is calling with a request on behalf of the organization | The person with a relationship to the organization. |
| If you determine the caller is not the person listed. | The organization itself. |
The application administrator can also set up the application to display the Find Service Request window, listing the matching service requests for the party.
When the application does not find any matches for the caller's phone number or the other information the caller has provided, you receive a blank Contact Center or the Service Request window, depending on how your administrator sets up the application.
In the Contact Center, you must search for the customer record manually by using the lists of values or the Customer Search window, available by clicking Search in the toolbar.
In the Service Request window, if the caller is making an inquiry on an existing service request, the Find Service Request window appears. You can use this window to search existing service requests. If the caller wishes to log a service request, a blank Service Request window appears, so that you can create a new service request.
Customers can enter both, a unique identifier such as an order number, and a call reason, indicating they want to create a service request. The information the customer enters determines how the Contact Center or Service Request forms open.
In the Contact Center, the default tab and mode depends on the setup of the application and the information the customer enters into the IVR:
If the customer enters a call reason, this information determines the default tab and the mode.
If the customer does not enter a call reason, the identifier is used to determine the default tab and mode.
In the Service Request window, the identifier and/or the call reason determine the window and the mode. The default tab within the Service Request window is determined by a profile option.
While working in the Contact Center or the Service Request window, you can use the icWork Controller (or the physical phone set) to transfer or conference a customer together with the customer information displayed on your screen to Tier-1 agents using the Contact Center or specialists using the Service Request window. It is also possible for agents logged into either the Contact Center or the Service Request window to transfer calls to users logged into the Oracle E-Business Center.
For example, if you are transferring or conferencing a call while working on a service request in the Contact Center's Service Request tab, the application displays the same Service Request tab and Contact Center information for the second agent. You can also pass service key information or unique identifiers entered in the IVR by the customer. This ensures that the customer does not need to repeat identifying information.
Note: Conferencing is not the same as screen sharing. Screen sharing permits two or more people to work together while sharing the same screen. Conferencing displays the same customer information to a second agent, but both of you can continue to work in independent windows so you do not see what the other agent is doing.
If you have multiple windows open, the application displays the Contact Center for the second agent regardless if it is active. For example, if you are viewing a customer's service request in the Service Request window and have the Contact Center in the background, the transfer or conference call uses the Contact Center window.
Note: If you are using the Contact Center or the Service Request window with standard service request security on, you should be aware that service request security is enforced during call transfer and conferencing. If you try to transfer a call for a service request to another agent, the agent cannot receive the call if he does not have access to the service request type. This also applies to conferencing.
Prerequisites
You must be on the phone with a customer.
To transfer customer information when conferencing or transferring a call
Click Save on the toolbar to save any work you are doing. This ensures the second agent receives the latest information.
Transfer or conference the call using the Softphone as described in Using the icWork Controller section of the Oracle Universal Work Queue User Guide. This procedure is slightly different depending on the type of telephony hardware your organization uses.
Two agents cannot work on the same record at the same time, so if you do continue to work after the conference or transfer is initiated, you must ensure that you are not both updating the same information.
Both agents can create notes and tasks because these create separate records, for example, but they cannot modify the customer's address or contact information at the same time. If you do attempt to modify the same record, only one of you can save your work.
End your interaction with the customer either by clicking the End Interaction or Call Wrap-up buttons.
If your administrator has set up your application to make call wrap up mandatory, and you select End Interaction, a pop-up window appears that you must complete before you can end the interaction. After you enter the wrap up information, you have wrapped up the call and you don not have to click End Interaction.
Note: If you wish to see the results of any work done by the second agent, you must requery the customer record.
Use this procedure to call a customer in response to question they have entered on the Web. Customers can request an agent to call them back by filling out a Web form in iSupport with their phone number, the time they wish to be called, and their question.
When you are logged into the Web Callback work queue in the Universal Work Queue, the application automatically dials the customer number for you and displays customer details in either the Contact Center or the Service Request window. The customer's question appears as a note.
Note: You must use the Softphone for Web callbacks. You cannot use your physical phone.
Prerequisites:
You must log into the Web Callback queue in the Universal Work Queue.
To handle Web callbacks
When you are assigned a Web callback, the Contact Center appears automatically showing the details of the customer who requested the callback. The application dials the customer number displayed in the icWork Controller (Softphone).
Click the flashing green line button on the Softphone to talk with the customer.
Select the Notes tab to view the customer's question.
When you are done speaking with the customer, then close the interaction either by clicking End Interaction or Call Wrap-up icon on the toolbar to indicate you are ready for the next call back.
If your administrator has set up your application to make call wrap up mandatory, and you select End Interaction, a pop-up window appears that you must complete before you can end the interaction. After you enter the wrap up information, you have wrapped up the call and you will not need to click End Interaction.
Use this procedure in the Service Request window.
Prerequisites:
You must log into the Web Callback queue in the Universal Work Queue.
To handle Web callbacks in the Service Request window
When you are assigned a Web callback, the Service Request window appears automatically showing the details of the customer who requested the callback. The application dials the customer number displayed in the icWork Controller (Softphone).
Click the flashing green line button on the Softphone to talk with the customer.
Select the Workbench tab to view the customer's question.
When you are done speaking with the customer, then close the interaction either by clicking End Interaction or Call Wrap-up icon on the toolbar to indicate you are ready for the next call back.
If your administrator has set up your application to make call wrap up mandatory, and you select End Interaction, a pop-up window appears that you must complete before you can end the interaction. After you enter the wrap up information, you have wrapped up the call and you do not have to click End Interaction.
The application makes it possible to dial customers with the click of a button or by entering customer number manually into the icWork Controller (Softphone) to make outgoing calls.
You can initiate a call to a customer from the Contact Center and the Service Request window.
Use the following procedures to initiate a call to customer from the Contact Center.
Prerequisites
You must log into UWQ and select a customer with a phone number.
To initiate a call from the Contact Points tab
Display the Customer in the Contact Center.
Select a telephone phone number from the list of contact points.
This activates the Initiate Call button.
Click Initiate Call.
The icWork Controller window appears and dials the telephone number automatically.
Note: You can also initiate a call to the primary phone number from the Contact Center header and the Report menu respectively.
From the Contact Center header select, Initiate Call button to the right of the Phone field.
From the Report menu, select Initiate Call.
You can initiate a call from the following places within the Service Request window:
From the toolbar: using the Call Customer icon.
From the toolbar: using the Call Contact icon.
From the Service Request header: using the Phone icon next to Contact Phone.
From the Service Request header: using the Phone icon next to Customer Phone.
Prerequisite
You must log into UWQ and select a a service request with a customer or contact phone number.
To initiate a call from the Service Request window
Navigate to the Service Request window.
Query a service request.
Select the Initiate Call button to the right of the Phone field for either the customer or the contact.
The icWork Controller window appears, and dials the telephone number automatically.
Note: You can also initiate a call to the Customer's primary phone or the Contact's primary phone from the toolbar.
Select the Customer Phone icon from the toolbar.
Select the Contact Phone icon from the toolbar.
When you wish to switch media queues, from handling incoming calls to placing outbound Web callbacks or vice versa, you must remember to always click the Stop Media button before selecting the next queue. This ensures you are recognized by the application as ready to receive the next call.
To switch between Web Callback and Inbound queues
Navigate to the Universal Work Queue.
Click Stop Media on the toolbar.
Select the next queue.
Use the following procedure when you wish to close the application down at the end of the day or when you go on a break.
To quit the application
:Save your work.
Close any interactions.
Close the Contact Center and Service Request windows.
Navigate to the Universal Work Queue.
Click Stop Media in the toolbar.
Close the Universal Work Queue window. This closes the icWork Controller (Softphone) automatically.
Use this procedure to view information about a call of a customer on the phone.
Prerequisites
Oracle Inbound telephony must be implemented and a customer must be on the phone.
To view information about a call
Click the Call Information icon on the toolbar of either the Contact Center header or the Service Request header. This is the icon with a telephone and the letter "i".
The Information Window appears displaying information about the call. This includes information gathered automatically by Oracle Inbound and that entered by callers themselves.
Close the window by clicking Close on the window's title bar. This is the button in the upper right-hand corner that is standard in all applications.
Use this procedure to record outcomes of your interaction with a customer and to review and update the activities recorded by the application.
The application administrator can set up the application to make call wrap up mandatory. See Setting Up Wrapup.
Prerequisites
An interaction must be in progress. You can tell if an interaction is in progress when the End Interaction icon in the toolbar is enabled. This is the traffic light icon with a red light.
To wrap up a call
Click Call Wrapup in the toolbar of either the Contact Center window or the Service Request window.
The Call Wrap Up window appears displaying the activities that are recorded in the interaction history.
If you wish to modify any of the listed activities, then make alternate selections using the list of values provided. Each activity can have its own outcome and result.
Not all customer-related activities are recorded automatically. If you wish to add additional activities to be recorded as part of your interaction, then:
Click New in the toolbar.
Use the lists of values (LOVs) to record the Action, Action Item.
Enter the outcome of the activity using the Outcome LOV.
Optionally enter the Result and Reason.
Click OK.
Clicking OK ends your interaction and signals your telephony application that you are ready to accept the next call.
Use this procedure to end an interaction without entering call wrap-up information. The application automatically records the default outcome, result, and reason for the interaction.
Prerequisites
An interaction must be in progress. You can tell if an interaction is in progress when the End Interaction icon in the toolbar is enabled. This is the traffic light icon with a red light.
To wrap up a call:
Click End Interaction in the toolbar. This is the stoplight icon with the red light.
If your administrator has set up your application to make call wrap up mandatory, and you select End Interaction, a pop-up window appears that you must complete before you can end the interaction. After you enter the wrap up information, you have wrapped up the call and you do not have to click End Interaction.