Communicating Internally

Interaction Workspace supports internal communication through Voice, Instant Messaging, and eServices Chat. The various interaction interfaces, such as Interactive Notifications, Interaction Window title bars, and lists of parties involved in an interaction, support the display of internal parties.

Employing Internal Communication for Coaching and Barge-in

Interaction Workspace is an agent-only application that supports supervision in many different ways, including separate interactions integrated into one interaction window. Supervisors can silently monitor agents, and agents can be aware when they are being silently monitored. Agents can consult with internal targets (supervisors and others) about their voice, chat, and e-mail interactions, by starting a consultation interaction in the same window as their contact interaction. Agents can also communicate with a supervisor who has initiated coaching with the agent, or barge-in with the agent and the contact.

Voice Communication

Interaction Workspace provides many facilities for voice communication between agents, between agents and supervisors, and between agents and internal experts. The following functionality is available:

• Originating a consultation call
• One-step transfer
• Two-step transfer
• One-step conference
• Two-step conference
• Sending DTMF from a consultation call
• Holding a call
• Retrieving a call
• Alternating (toggling) between calls
• Canceling calls

This functionality is handled by the following privileges:

• Complete Transfer
• Complete Conference
• Alternate
• Reconnect (Cancel consult)
• Send DTMF

You can use the following options in the interaction-workspace section to configure internal voice communications:

• voice.one-step-trsf-mode -- Specifies the type of one-step transfer. If you specify default, the default one step transfer type for your switch is applied. For a Lucent G3 switch, the default type is mute-transfer; for a SIP switch, the default type is single-step-transfer; for an Alcatel A4400 switch, the default type is single-step-transfer.

Voice Conference Functions

Interaction Workspace supports four-way conferencing. Agents can mute and parties can drop out without ending the call. The following functionality is available:

• Prevent a party from listening to the conversation
• Re-allow a party to listen to the conversation
• Remove a party from the conference

Use the following privileges to enable these voice conferencing functions:

• Can Delete From Conference
• Can Prevent a Conferenced Party From Listening
• Can ReAllow Conferenced Party To Listen

Instant Messaging Communication

Interaction Workspace provides many facilities for instant-messaging communication between agents, between agents and supervisors, and between agents and internal experts. The following functionality is available:

• Invite an internal target to join an Instant Messaging session
• Accept or Reject an invitation to join an Instant Messaging session
• Time-out if the internal target does not respond to an invitation

Use the following option in the interaction-workspace section to configure internal instant-messaging conferences:

• im.toast-timeout -- Defines the duration, in seconds, of Interactive Notification for interaction instant messaging in the Information area of the Main Window. The value 0 means the Interactive Notification is not displayed.

eServices Chat Consultation

Interaction Workspace supports integrated chat consultation in the Chat Interaction window. A chat consultation enables an internal target to view the chat transcript between an agent and contact, and to chat with the agent privately in a second chat session in the same Chat Interaction window. The internal target can see the messages that are exchanged with the contact, but the contact does not see the messages that are exchanged with the internal target.

eServices Chat Conference

The Interaction Workspace Chat Interaction window enables agents to instant-conference the current chat interaction with an internal target. In an instant conference, the conference starts as soon as the other party accepts the interaction. All parties in a chat conference can read all messages that are sent by each party.

Transitioning to a Different Channel

During a collaboration with an agent or a knowledge worker, agents can perform the following tasks:

• Change from an Instant Message consultation to a Voice consultation
• Change from a Voice consultation to an Instant Message consultation
• Change from an Chat consultation to a Voice consultation
• Change from an Chat consultation to an Instant Message consultation

Note: When an IM is transferred or conferenced to a different agent, or if an internal IM consultation is transitioned to a Voice consultation, or vice versa, all the information about the transferring agent is included with the interaction.