Post-Call Routing

Post-Call routing is the process of routing a call after it connects to a specific location. In post-call mode, Interaction Director acts as a multi-server ACD.

In this configuration, Director uses scoring to decide which CIC server and agent can best handle the call. Upon receiving this information, the starting CIC server works with Interaction Director to connect the call to that server and agent. Director verifies that the call reached the intended recipient and if not, reassigns it. In post-call routing scenarios, the CIC servers perform static routing when Interaction Director can't provide on-demand routing.

Post-call routing occurs when Director cannot redirect a call until after the call connects at a specific location. For example, a customer calls a local number in New York. The communications system at the New York contact center that answers the call uses interactive voice response (IVR) to ask questions and obtain information. Based on that information, or based on other factors such as the New York center's load level, Director transfers the call to another site.

Post-call routing occurs when a call connected to a CIC server routes to another CIC server over a tie line or other channel. Director uses post-call routing based on the scoring factors defined in the Enterprise Group configuration on the Director server.

Interaction Director supports post-call routing using SIP or circuit-based TDM tie lines. Specifically, Interaction Director supports T1/E1/PRI connections, PSTN connections, and SIP-based IP telephony as the tie lines between CIC servers. Post-call routing does not require a network interface connection with the carrier, only a Director server connected to the IP network, which is the same LAN/WAN that contains the CIC servers.

Post-call routing process

Following is the post-call routing process:

1. The call ended on a system trunk line.

2. After the CIC server notifies Director of the waiting call, Director determines when to route the call to an agent and at which locations.

3. If the agent is not on the same server as the waiting call, Director instructs the originating server to make a trunk-to-trunk call, which is a consult call to the remote agent. The trunks can dedicate to a virtual private network or through the customer's provider. SIP tie lines are best for most flexible call routing.

4. The originating CIC server passes call-identifying information through DTMF, ANI, or SIP.

5. After the agent answers the consult call, Director connects the original call and the consult call, known as "tromboning." If the carrier, hardware, and CIC version on both the source and destination servers support it, the call can reroute without tromboning using "take-back and transfer" (which lets the carrier reroute the call to another number).

Interaction Director defaults to post-call routing, which you can configure. Post-call routing can balance loads across several CIC servers. Director sends post-call routed calls to available agents regardless of their location and allows you to have full control over the IVR before assignment. Any call is a candidate for post-call routing, not just 8YY calls. (8YY is an acronym for the ability to dial toll-free numbers that start with prefixes such as 800, 888, and 877.) Director also supports screen pops and custom audio-on-hold.

Post-call routing example

Post-call routing occurs as follows:

1. CIC receives a call from an external caller over lines connected to the carrier.

2. The caller hears the main IVR menu and selects an option. CIC transfers the call to a specific queue.

3. If you configured that queue in Interaction Administrator so that Director handles the call, CIC notifies Director of the waiting call.

4. While the caller is waiting, handlers control the state of the on-hold audio that plays. You can use a customized handler to determine whether to play patience prompts.

5. When Director locates an agent based on the scoring criteria, the following occurs:

1. • If the agent is in the same workgroup queue where the call is waiting, Director alerts the agent the same way as for a call that the local ACD processes.

   • If the destination agent is at a remote site, Director sends a data packet to that site with the routing information about the call and then calls that site.

   • If the agent answers, the inter-site call and the original call connect.

   • If the agent does not answer, the inter-site call drops and the original call continues to wait for another agent.

Post-call Director Server settings

Post-call CIC settings for Interaction Director include prioritizing calls and setting overflow rules. Each CIC server that receives an interaction may need to handle the interaction according to local requirements. 

Settings used for post-call routing include:

• Interaction Priority

• Interaction Time in Queue

• Interaction Time in System

• Agent Skills Weight

• Agent Cost

• Agent Available Time

• Routing Cost

• Number of Free Lines

• Queue Member Order

Example:

For example, one site wants to hold calls for 30 seconds locally before offering the call to another location, and another site wants to hold calls for 15 seconds. For each monitored workgroup in an Enterprise Group, the following configuration options are available:

• In-queue timeout, which acts as an "alarm clock" to perform customized routing logic.

• Overflow "rules" that can specify when to queue or not queue an interaction under certain conditions. Those conditions include too many waiting interactions, lengthy wait time, whether the system can service an interaction immediately, and whether there is no viable destination within an enterprise group. You can define multiple Overflow rules to specify the interaction processing order.

• Full consideration of agent and interaction skill requirements. You can set skill weights individually for each CIC server.

• Support for prioritization – which you can use to set calls coming into one location as having a higher base priority than similar calls coming in from other locations.