14CTI Toolbar

CTI Toolbar

This chapter describes how to use the CTI toolbar. It includes the following topics:

• Logging In to the Communications System

• Logging Out of the Communications System

• Receiving Inbound Work Items

• Initiating Work Items

• Releasing Work Items

• Transferring or Conferencing Work Items

• Forwarding Work Items

• Changing to Not Ready State

• Changing to Ready State

Logging In to the Communications System

This procedure describes how to log in to the communications system.

To log in to the communications system manually

• After starting the application, click Log In.

Logging Out of the Communications System

This procedure describes how to log in out of the communications system.

To log out of the communications system

• Click Log Out.

Receiving Inbound Work Items

When an inbound work item arrives for you, the Accept Work Item button blinks, and you can accept and begin working on the item.

The Accept Work Item button shows what type of work item is coming in: a Phone icon represents a voice call, an Envelope icon represents an email message, and so on.

When an inbound work item arrives, the following events might also occur:

• Customer data might be displayed in the customer dashboard.

• A screen with relevant data might appear, or you might have to navigate to the appropriate part of the application.

Accepting an Inbound Work Item

This procedure describes how to accept an inbound work item.

To accept an inbound work item

• Click Accept Work Item when the button blinks to indicate the arrival of a work item.

  You can have multiple work items at the same time, such as voice calls on hold or other paused work items. However, only one work item is active at a time. The channel type of the active work item appears on the side of the communications toolbar.

Releasing an Inbound Work Item

This procedure describes how to release an inbound work item.

To release the current work item

1. Select the work item from the Work Items list.

2. Click Release Work Item, as appropriate for the channel type for the work item.

Note: If you are working with an activity record or another type of record that is automatically associated with a work item, then you must save any changes to the record before you release the work item. In addition, to make changes after releasing the work item, you must first refresh the record. Otherwise, changes you make to the record might be lost.

Initiating Work Items

You can initiate communications work items, such as voice calls or email messages, from the communications toolbar. Use the Initiate Work Item button to choose the channel type for the work item.

Note: Using the Send Email, Send Fax, Send Wireless Message, or Send Page commands in the File menu is equivalent to using the communications toolbar to initiate these activities.

To initiate a work item

1. Optionally, specify the recipient for the work item by selecting a contact or employee record, or by entering a phone number into the text input field.

   Note: Recipient information entered into the text input field of the communications toolbar applies to initiating voice calls only. It does not apply to initiating email, fax, wireless, or page messages.

2. Do one of the following:

   • If no work item has been initiated within the current session, then click Initiate Work Item to initiate a work item of the channel type that corresponds to the current context.

   • If a work item of a particular channel was previously initiated, then click the Initiate Work Item button to initiate another work item of the same channel type.

   • To choose the channel type explicitly, click the arrow next to Initiate Work Item, and then select a supported channel type from the displayed menu.

   • In some cases, you can initiate a voice call to a contact by clicking a hyperlink phone number in a list or by clicking a phone button next to a phone number in a form. This action does not use the communications toolbar.

3. If you did not specify contact information first, then do so now in the dialog box that appears.

Releasing Work Items

This procedure describes how to release the current work item.

To release the current work item

1. Select the work item from the Work Items list.

2. Click Release Work Item, as appropriate for the channel type for the work item.

Note: If you are working with an activity record or another type of record that is automatically associated with a work item, then you must save any changes to the record before you release the work item. In addition, to make changes after releasing the work item, you must first refresh the record. Otherwise, changes you make to the record might be lost.

Transferring or Conferencing Work Items

You can transfer a current work item to another person (such as when you want to escalate an item to a supervisor, or conference another person into a customer call). For more information, see the following topics:

• Performing a Blind Transfer on an Active Work Item

• Performing a Consultative Transfer on an Active Voice Call

Performing a Blind Transfer on an Active Work Item

This procedure describes how to perform a blind transfer on an active work item.

To perform a blind transfer on the active work item

1. Specify the person to whom you want to transfer the active work item by selecting an employee record or by entering contact information, such as phone extension, in the text input field.

2. Click Blind Transfer.

   The work item is released immediately.

Performing a Consultative Transfer on an Active Voice Call

This procedure describes how to perform a consultative transfer on an active voice call.

To perform a consultative (two-step) transfer on the active voice call

1. Specify the person to whom you want to transfer the active voice call by selecting an employee record or by entering the recipient’s extension in the text input field.

2. Click Consultative Transfer.

   The current call is paused, and the transfer recipient is dialed.

3. Do one of the following:

   • When the transfer recipient answers and indicates acceptance of the transfer, click Consultative Transfer again (toggle the button) to complete the transfer and release the call.

   • If the transfer recipient does not accept the transfer, then click Retrieve Call to retrieve the call.

Creating a Conference for the Active Voice Call

This procedure describes how to create a conference for the active voice call.

To create a conference for the active voice call

1. Specify the person with whom you want to conference the active voice call by selecting an employee record or by entering the recipient’s extension in the text input field.

2. Click Conference.

   The current call is paused, and the conference recipient is dialed.

3. Do one of the following:

   • When the conference recipient answers and indicates acceptance of the conference, click Conference again (toggle the button) to complete the conference and include all parties on the active call.

   • If the conference recipient does not accept the conference, then click Retrieve Call to retrieve the call.

4. Repeat step 1 through step 3 to add participants, as appropriate.

Pausing the Active Work Item

This procedure describes how to pause the active work item.

To pause the active work item

• Click Pause Work Item.

  A voice call is put on hold, or a work item of another channel is paused, until you resume it.

Resuming a Paused Work Item

This procedure describes how to resume a paused work item.

To resume a paused work item

1. If you have an active work item, then pause it, as described earlier.

2. Select a work item from the Work Items list.

3. Click Resume Work Item to activate the selected work item.

Forwarding Work Items

You can have inbound work items of supported channel types forwarded to you, such as having voice calls forwarded to you at a different extension. Only work items subsequently routed to you are forwarded. The toolbar button is a toggle, where the button name changes depending on the state.

To specify forwarding for inbound work items

1. In the text input field, enter the contact information, such as a phone extension, where you want your work items forwarded.

2. Click Forward Work Items.

3. Toggle the button to cancel forwarding.

Changing to Not Ready State

This procedure describes how to indicate that you are not ready to receive inbound work items.

To indicate that you are not ready to receive inbound work items

• Do one of the following:

  • Click Change Ready State to indicate that you are not ready to receive any inbound work items of all channel types for which you are eligible.

  • Click the arrow next to Change Ready State, then choose one or more options from the displayed menu to indicate that you are not ready to receive work items for the applicable channel types.

  Note: If you click the Change Ready State button to set the Not Ready State for all channel types, but the button does not display as toggled-down (depressed), then this might be due to a configuration error or some other issue for one or more channels. Report this issue to your supervisor. You can still choose the Not Ready State for individual channels, as described in the second bullet item.

Changing to Ready State

This procedure describes how to indicate that you are ready to receive inbound work items.

To indicate that you are ready to receive inbound work items

• Do one of the following:

  • Click Change Ready State to indicate that you are ready to receive any inbound work items of all channel types for which you are eligible.

  • Click the arrow next to Change Ready State, then choose one or more options from the displayed menu to indicate that you are again ready to receive work items of the applicable channel types.