What you need to know:
ProConnect's Business Call Center is a carrier-class communications management product fully integrated that provides Automatic Call Distribution functionality.
MENU
Introduction
Consolidated ProConnect Call Center is a carrier-class communications management product integrated which provides an advanced Automatic Call Distribution capability.
ProConnect's Call Center delivers the following real benefits to users:
- Efficient call handling and automatic call distribution (ACD) state management by Call Center agents.
- Integration of online directories with Click-To-Dial capability.
1.
Getting Started
ProConnect's Call Center is hosted on Consolidated's network and you access it either from your web portal or from a web browser. The sign-in procedure is the same for agents and supervisors.
NOTE 1: The minimum screen resolution required for the Call Center is 1024 x 768 pixels.
NOTE 2: Call Center does not support logging in as different users from the same machine at the same time.
NOTE 3: Call Center Thin Client Application will use the same login credentials as ProConnect apps and portal.
1a. Launch Call Center Application
- Log in to the Call Center Thin Client Application from the URL that was provided to you via email.
- Enter your ProConnect user ID and enter your password.
- Check Stay signed in to instruct the client to automatically reconnect and sign in to the server when it detects a network connection. This should generally be enabled to help mitigate intermittent internet connections. When disabled, the client signs out the user when the connection is lost.
- To add a bookmark to this page in your browser, click Bookmark this page and follow the instructions of your browser.
- Click Sign In. Call Center starts and you are signed in.
- When you sign in to Call Center for the first time, it is recommended that you configure the following settings:
- Configure the queues you want to join on sign-in.
- Configure your post sign-in and post call ACD states.
- Configure the supervisors whose call status you want to monitor. For information, see the Supervisors to Monitor article.
For more information about the settings you can configure in Call Center, see the Call Center Settings – Agent article.
1b. Get Help
The Call Center Thin Client provides you with online access to a portable document format (PDF) version of this guide.
- To access the document, click the Help link in the top right-hand side of the main interface.
1c. Sign Out
- To sign out of the Call Center Thin Client, click Sign Out at the top right-hand side of the main interface.
If you are the last agent to sign out of a call center, a message appears, providing the details of queues in which you are the last agent to sign out and asking you to confirm that you want to sign out.
NOTE: This functionality is not available when you close the application using the browser's Close button or when you refresh (F5) the browser.
- To stay signed in, click No. You are returned to the application. OR To continue signing out, click Yes.
- A message appears asking whether you would like to save your current workspace.
- To save your current workspace, click Yes. This allows you to retain the same interface setup at your next session. For information about the elements of the Call Center workspace that can be customized and retained between sessions, see Set Up Call Center.
1d. Change Your Password
You can change your password when you are signed in to Call Center.
- To change your password, click the Settings link at the top right-hand side of the main page.
- Click the General tab and then click Change Password.
- Enter your old and new password in the provided text boxes and click Change Password.
Note that the Reset button does not reset your password. It only clears the input boxes.
NOTE: This password is shared with your web portal and other client applications that share the Single Sign-On feature.
1e. Change Your ACD State
At the top right-hand side of the main window, click the ACD states box and select your ACD state from the drop-down list.
To change your ACD state, click the drop-down menu and choose from one of the following ACD states:
Available – This indicates the agent is at their workstation and ready to take a call.
Unavailable – This indicates the agent is away from their desk. This should be used to indicate when the agent is on a break, at lunch, in a meeting, etc.
Wrap-Up – This indicates the agent state is designed to allow the agent to complete paperwork or other post call procedures associated with the last call. Calls may be delivered to agents in Wrap-Up state depending on the call center configuration.
1f. Enable or Disable Services
You can use the following services in Call Center: Call Forwarding Always, and Do Not Disturb, provided that your administrator has assigned the services to you.
To enable or disable Do Not Disturb or Call Forwarding Always:
- At the top right-hand corner of the main page, click Settings. The Settings page appears.
- Click Services.
- On the Services page that appears, select the service you want to enable or disable, and check or uncheck the Active box.
- If you checked the Active box for the Call Forwarding Always service, in the Forward To text box, enter the phone number to forward your call to. Also, check the Ring Splash box if you would like to be notified by a short ring to let you know a call came in and was forwarded.
- Click Save.
2.
Explore Workspace
When you sign in to Call Center, the main page appears, where you perform most of your call management or monitoring tasks. In addition, the main page provides links to other pages and windows of Call Center, where you change other Call Center settings.
Most call center controls are context-based, which means that they appear only when the action they represent can be taken. Context-based controls that allow you to take actions on calls are called action buttons. For the list of controls available in the Call Center, see section Controls. The action buttons are described in the section Call Action Buttons.
The Call Center interface contains the following elements:
Interface Element |
Description |
Logo Pane |
Located at the top of the main interface, the Logo pane displays global messages, information about the logged user, and links to other Call Center interface elements and functions. |
Call Console |
The Call Console is where you manage your current calls. |
Contacts Pane |
The Contacts pane contains your contact directories and allows you to manage your contacts and use contacts to make calls or take actions, such as transfer to contact or queue, on existing calls. |
Settings Pages |
The Settings pages, accessible from the main page via the Settings link, allow you to configure various user-level and application settings. |
Dashboard |
The Dashboard is a shortcut view to active calls in the call center. |
This section describes the following elements of the Call Center interface:
- Logo Pane
- Call Console
- Contacts Pane
- Controls
3.
Logo Pane
The Call Center main window interface contains a logo pane that displays the Call Center client or company logo, global messages, links to other interface elements or Call Center functions, and information about the logged-in user.
3a. Global Message Area
The Global Message Area, the center area of the Logo pane, is used by Call Center to display various information, warnings, and error messages to the user. A message is displayed for several seconds and then disappears.
3b. Links to Other Interface Elements and Functions
The Logo pane displays links to the Settings pages and the Help and Sign Out links.
3c. Logged User Information
Information about yourself, that is, your name, your availability to take calls, and your voicemail status, is displayed at the top right-hand side of the main interface.
Your current ACD state is displayed to the right of your name. You can change your ACD state by selecting a new state from the drop-down list.
- ACD State
- In addition, information about the following services and features is provided:
- Do Not Disturb (DND)
- Call Forwarding Always (CFA)
- Busy Phone State
- Voice Messaging
The information is presented in the form of icons to the left of your name in the following format:
<DND/CFA/Busy> <Voice Messaging>
The <DND/CFA/Busy> state is represented by one icon, where Do Not Disturb has precedence over Call Forwarding Always, which has precedence over your Busy Phone State. If none of the services is enabled and your phone state is Idle, the icon is not displayed.
The Voice Messaging icon is present only if you have outstanding voice messages.
4.
Call Console
You use the Call Console to view and manage your current calls. For information on managing your calls, see the section Manage Calls.
The Call Console contains the following areas:
4a. Header Bar
The header bar contains various controls that allow you to configure your services and perform call and service-related actions.
The header bar can contain the following controls:
- Call Waiting button – This allows you to enable or disable the Call Waiting service.
- Options button - Enables grouping of calls
4b. Dialer
The Dialer, located at the top of the Call Console, below the header bar, allows you to make ad hoc calls and set your outgoing calling line identity (CLID) for the next call.
It contains the following elements:
- The Outbound CLID button, which allows you to configure the number you want to use for outgoing calls.
- The Enter Number text box, in which you enter the number to dial.
- Action buttons, which change depending on the context and allow you to perform operations on calls. For more information, see the section Call Action Buttons.
4c. Current Calls
The Call Console displays your current calls, both direct and ACD, and allows you to take actions on them. Direct calls are calls placed from or received on your own phone number, whereas ACD calls are calls routed to you from a call center that you are staffing as an agent.
If you are involved in a conference call, its details are displayed in a separate area of the Call Console, called the Conference Call panel. The Conference Call panel is described in the following section.
The following information is displayed for each call:
- Call State icon – This is a visual representation of the current state of the call. For more information, see section Call States and Actions.
- Remote CLID – This is the name of the remote party (if available) and the phone number in parenthesis.
- Call State name – This is the display name of the "call" state the call is currently in.
- Call duration [Held duration] – This is the duration of the call from the time the call was received from the queue and it reflects how long the call has been present in the system. In addition, for held calls, the time a call has been on hold is displayed.
The call entry also displays action buttons for the operations that you can currently take on that call. The actions you can perform depend on the state of the call.
For the list of Call Center action buttons, see section Call Action Buttons and for the list of actions that can be taken in each call state, see section Call States and Actions.
4d. Conference Call
The Conference Call panel displays your current conference and allows you to manage your conference calls.
NOTE: You can only be involved in one conference call at a time.
The header bar contains various controls that allow you to manage the conference:
- End Conference button – This allows you to end the current conference.
- Leave Conference button – This allows you to leave the conference.
- Hold Conference button – This allows you to place the conference on hold.
- Resume Conference button – This allows you to resume the conference that you previously placed on hold.
The Conference Call panel, when expanded, lists the call logs that make up your current conference. Each two-way call is displayed on a separate line. The information displayed for each call log is the same as the information displayed for two-way calls. For information, see the section Current Calls.
5.
Contacts Panel
The Contacts pane contains your contact directories and allows you to use your contacts to make or manage calls. For information on using contacts to manage calls, see Manage Calls.
For information about organizing and managing your contact directories, see the section Manage Contacts.
The Contacts pane contains the following panels:
- Search Panel
- Company Panel
- Personal Contacts
- Supervisors Panel
- Call Centers Panel
- Outlook Panel
- Directories Panel
The contact directories you have access to depend on your system configuration as well as the services assigned to you. For more information, contact your administrator.
The directories you see in the Contacts pane also depend on your setup. When you click a contact, the entry expands and the contact's information, such as phone numbers and the action buttons for the operations that you can currently take on that contact appear.
You can only view the details of one contact per directory at a time. When you click another contact in the same directory, the details of the currently expanded contact are automatically hidden.
For the list of Call Center action buttons, see section Call Action Buttons.
5a. Search Panel
You use the Search panel to look for specific contacts in your contacts' directories and, if available, in the configured LDAP directory.
5b. Company Panel
The Company Contact panel contains the contacts in your enterprise directory.
5c. Personal Contacts Panel
The Personal panel contains the contacts from your Personal Phone List which have been entered in the client. It displays the name/description and phone number of each contact.
For information about managing your personal contacts, see section Manage Personal Contacts.
5d. Supervisors Panel
The Supervisors panel, available to agents, contains the list of your supervisors. The main purpose of this directory is to allow you to contact a supervisor quickly.
5e. Call Centers Panel
The Call Centers panel is available to both agents and supervisors. It lists the call centers you are staffing as an agent or monitoring as a supervisor and the associated Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) numbers. The primary purpose of this panel is to provide you with a quick way to transfer calls to queues.
5f. Outlook Panel
The Outlook panel contains your Outlook contacts. This panel is available to you if you have the Outlook Integration service assigned.
5g. Directories Panel
The Directories panel consolidates the contacts from the Enterprise and Personal directories. This panel is always visible. You can choose which directories to display in the Directories panel and you can collapse the panel, but you cannot close it.
You can also place a copy of a directory below the Call Console. This allows you to view more than one directory at a time easily. For more information, see the section Manage Contacts.
6.
Call States and Actions
The following table lists the possible call states and actions that can be performed on calls in each state.
Call State |
Display Name |
Display Icon |
Call Personality |
Call Actions |
Ringing In (Local) |
Incoming Local |
Click-To-Dial |
Answer, End |
|
Ringing In (Remote) |
Incoming |
Terminator |
Answer, Conference, End |
|
Ringing Out, Outgoing |
Outgoing |
Originator |
Conference, End |
|
Active |
Active |
Any |
Transfer, Hold, End, Conference |
|
On Hold |
Held |
Any |
Transfer, Resume, End, Conference |
|
On Hold (Remote) |
Remote Held |
Any |
Transfer, Hold, End, Conference |
|
Active (In Conference) |
Active |
Conference |
Transfer, Hold, End |
|
Held (In Conference) |
Held |
Conference |
Resume, Transfer, End |
|
Ringing In (Recalled Call) |
Call Recalled |
Terminator |
Answer, Conference, End |
7.
Controls
Call Center controls are designed in a contextual manner, that is, most controls appear only when the action they represent can be taken. For example, when you enter a number or select a contact, a Dial button appears, allowing you to place a call. The contextual controls that correspond to call operations such as dialing, transferring calls, or putting calls on hold are called action buttons. They appear on the Dialer, in a call entry, in a directory entry (contact), or in a call log.
The following table lists the general controls used in Call Center and the controls displayed on the headers in the panels. For more information on the action buttons, see section Call Action Buttons.
Name |
Description |
Common Controls |
|
Options |
This is located in the upper-right corner of a pane or page. When clicked, it displays a drop-down menu of options that control the display of information in that pane/page. The available options depend on the context. |
Expand/Collapse |
This shows or hides the contents of a window or panel. |
Close |
This closes an interface element, such as window, pane, or panel. |
Edit |
This allows you to edit a list of items, such as agents to monitor or speed dials. |
Dialer, Call Console, Directories Panel, and Search Panel Controls |
|
Outbound CLID |
This allows you to select the phone number to use as your Calling Line ID for the next outgoing call. |
ACD States |
This displays your current ACD state and allows you to change it. |
End Conference |
This ends a conference call. |
Leave Conference |
This disconnects you from the conference while allowing other participants to continue the call. |
Hold Conference |
This holds the conference call. |
Resume Conference |
This resumes a held conference. |
Barge In |
This "un-mutes" your Silent Monitoring call, thereby establishing a Three-Way Conference. |
Pull Out Directory |
This places a selected directory below the Call Console. |
Dialog Box – Notification Window |
|
Web Pop URL |
This opens a page in your browser at the configured URL to provide additional information about the caller. |
vCard |
This saves the caller's phone number and personal information as a vCard in Microsoft Outlook. It appears only when Outlook is running. |
Supervisors Panel |
|
Emergency |
This makes an emergency call to a supervisor. |
Escalate |
This escalates a call to a supervisor. |
Scheduled Reports Window |
|
Load Report |
This loads a scheduled report, allowing you to view and modify it. |
Delete Report |
This deletes a scheduled report. |
8.
Call Action Buttons
Action buttons allow you to perform actions on calls, such as answering or transferring a call, or actions that result in a call being placed, such as dialing a number or contact. They appear on the Dialer, on a call line, in a call history log, in a directory entry, or (for supervisors) in a queued call entry.
Action buttons are contextual, that is, they appear on a line/entry when the corresponding action can be performed on that entry.
For example, when you click a contact in the Group directory, the contact expands and the Call and Extension buttons appear on the line for that contact, allowing you to call the contact. Note that other buttons may appear on the line for a contact, depending on the call state and the contact's configuration.
The following table lists the action buttons available in Call Center.
Button |
Description |
Dial |
This dials the number you entered in the Dialer. |
Call |
This places a call to the selected contact or to a number from Call History. |
Redial |
This redials the last dialed number. |
Extension |
This dials the contact's extension. |
Mobile |
This dials the contact's mobile number. |
|
This brings up a new e-mail message window with the contact's e-mail address, allowing you to send a message to the contact. |
Adhoc Transfer |
This transfers a call to an ad hoc number entered in the Dialer. |
Direct Transfer |
This transfers a call to a selected number or contact. |
Answer |
This answers an incoming call, answers an unanswered call for a contact, or resumes a held call. |
Hold |
This places a call on hold. |
End |
This ends a call. |
Conference |
This establishes a conference call or adds a call to a conference. |
Escalate Call |
This escalates a call to a selected supervisor. |
Emergency Call |
This places an emergency call to a selected supervisor. |
Retrieve |
This retrieves a call from the queue to the supervisor's device. When a call is manually retrieved via this action, the call is reported as an Incoming call rather than an ACD call in the reports. |
Reorder |
This changes a call's position in the queue. |