Managing Tasks with the MultiChannel Console

Use the MultiChannel Console to accept, respond to, transfer, and complete tasks and to initiate or join chat sessions.

This section discusses how to use the MultiChannel Console to work with tasks.

If your user ID includes security permissions for PeopleTools MCF Console, the MultiChannel Console navigation tool appears in the universal navigation header and if your user ID includes security permissions for PeopleSoft MultiChannel Framework, you can access the Multichannel Console. To access the console, click the tool.

Image: MultiChannel Console navigation tool

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the MultiChannel Console. You can find definitions for the fields and controls later on this page.

The MultiChannel Console navigation tool having the following editable fields: Tasks, Agent Chats, Buddies, My Queue, and Presence.

You cannot launch two MultiChannel Consoles on the same workstation.

You can launch consoles on different workstations using the same user ID, but you cannot log on to physical queues served by the same MCF cluster.

When the MultiChannel Console is launched, it attempts to connect to the real-time event notification (REN) server associated with the last physical queue listed in the My Queue drop-down list box. If that REN server is not running, the agent receives an error message. If one or more of the agent's physical queues are associated with a running REN server, the agent can log on by selecting another queue.

Newly assigned tasks appear as a link above the Tasks drop-down list box, and display a flashing icon. Click the link to accept the task. Accepted tasks appear in the Tasks drop-down list box.

Collaborative chat requests (agent-to-agent chats) may appear as a link above the Agent Chats drop-down list box, but all collaborative chat requests (accepted or not) appear in the Agent Chats drop-down list box.

Configure the size and initial location of the MultiChannel Console on the agents Window Config (window configuration) page.

Note: If you use web content zones in Microsoft Internet Explorer security options, your PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture web server address and your REN server address must be in the same security zone.

If you use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security, you may receive a security warning message when your console first opens. You can accept the warning message without compromising SSL security.

Field or Control

Definition
Tasks

After you accept an assigned task, the task appears here.

Activate a task to work on by selecting it. Activating a task brings the window associated with that task to the foreground. If the associated task window is not running, it is launched by the console.

A task is removed from the task list when you mark the task as done using one of the following methods:

  • For email and generic tasks, the application page of the task may include a Done button; refer to the application's documentation.

  • For chat, the task is complete when the chat dialog ends.
Agent Chats

Displays a list of your collaborative chats, both accepted and requested, including a label indicating if the chat is inbound or outbound. Select a chat to activate it.

If you are invited to join in a chat session (conference), the conference chat is added to the list. After you accept the conference, the conference is added to the Tasks drop-down list box and removed from the Agent Chats drop-down list box. The chat is removed from the list when the chat dialog ends.
Buddies

Includes agents that are identified as buddies in your agent configuration. Add buddies on the Buddy List page of the Agent component.

To initiate a collaborative chat, select an agent. A chat dialog box displays.

Note: You can only initiate a collaborative chat with an agent who appears on your buddy list. However, if you appear on another agent's buddy list, that agent can initiate a collaborative chat with you, even if that agent is not one of your buddies.
My Queue

Select a queue to log on to that queue.

The drop-down list box includes the physical queues that you can access.

To change queues, select a new queue. You are logged off from the old queue and logged on to the selected queue.

Add or delete queues on the Queues page of the Agents component.
Presence

Displays your current presence and enables selection of a new presence. Select from:

  • Active

  • Inactive

Customize presence labels to more closely track agent activity. Edit your presence options on the Presence page of the Agent component.

If you select an inactive presence, an icon appears in the upper-left corner of the MultiChannel Console. Changes in agent presence are logged and include the customized presence description.

Presence status persists for eight hours from the time of its last change.

You can use hot key combinations, described in the following table, to navigate between MultiChannel Console fields:

Hot Key Combination

Opens

ALT + A

Agent chats

ALT + B

Buddies

ALT + P

Presence

ALT + Q

My Queues

ALT + T

Tasks