Switchboard

This page describes the configuration needed to have a switchboard on your XiVO.

Overview

Switchboard functionality is available in the XiVO client. The goal of this page is to explain how to configure your switchboard and how to use it.

The switchboard xlet and profile allow an operator to view incoming calls, answer them, put calls on hold, view the calls on hold and pick up the calls on hold.

Limitations

Note

The shortcut keys of the switchboard do not work on the Mac version of the XiVO client.

Note

The enter shortcut to answer a call will not work if the focus is currently on a widget that will consume the key press. ie: a text field, a drop down

Note

The call center statistics are not applicable to the switchboard queues. The only valid counter is the ‘received’ calls counter.

Configuration

Quick Summary

In order to configure a switchboard on your XiVO, you need to:

• Create a queue for your switchboard
• Create a queue for your switchboard’s calls on hold
• Create the users that will be operators
• Activate the switchboard option for your phone
• Create an agent for your user
• Assign the incoming calls to the switchboard queue
• For each operator, add a function key for logging in or logging out from the switchboard queue.
• Set “no answer” destinations on the switchboard queue

Supported Devices

The supported phones for the switchboard are:

Brand	Model	XiVO version	Plugin version
Aastra	6755i	>= 14.07	>= xivo-aastra-3.3.1-SP2, v1.0
Aastra	6757i	>= 14.07	>= xivo-aastra-3.3.1-SP2, v1.0
Aastra	6735i	>= 14.07	>= xivo-aastra-3.3.1-SP2, v1.2
Aastra	6737i	>= 14.07	>= xivo-aastra-3.3.1-SP2, v1.2
Polycom	VVX 400	>= 15.11	>= xivo-polycom-5.3.0, v1.3
Polycom	VVX 410	>= 15.11	>= xivo-polycom-5.3.0, v1.3
Snom	720	>= 14.14	>= xivo-snom-8.7.3.25.5, v1.0
Snom	D725	>= 14.14	>= xivo-snom-8.7.5.17, v1.4
Yealink	T46G	>= 15.01	>= xivo-yealink-72.0, v1.22.1

Create a Queue for Your Switchboard

All calls to the switchboard will first be distributed to a switchboard queue.

To create this queue, go to Services ‣ Call center ‣ Queues and click the add button.

The following configuration is mandatory

• The General ‣ Name field has to be __switchboard
• The General ‣ Ring strategy field has to be Ring all
• The General ‣ Preprocess subroutine field has to be xivo_subr_switchboard
• The Application ‣ Allow caller to hang up call option has to be enabled
• The Application ‣ Allow callee to transfer the call option has to be enabled
• The Advanced ‣ Member reachability timeout option has to be disabled
• The Advanced ‣ Time before retrying a call to a member option has to be 1 second
• The Advanced ‣ Delay before reassigning a call option has to be disabled
• The Advanced ‣ Call a member already on option has to be disabled
• The Advanced ‣ Autopause agents option has to be No

Other important fields

• The General ‣ Display name field is the name displayed in the XiVO client xlets and in the statistics
• The General ‣ Number field is the number that will be used to reach the switchboard internally (typically 9)

Create a Queue for Your Switchboard on Hold

The switchboard uses a queue to track its calls on hold.

To create this queue, go to Services ‣ Call center ‣ Queues and click the add button.

The following configuration is mandatory

• The General ‣ Name field has to be __switchboard_hold
• The General ‣ Number field has to be a valid number in a context reachable by the switchboard

Other important fields

• The General ‣ Display name field is the name displayed in the XiVO client xlets and in the statistics

Warning

This queue MUST have NO members

Create the Users that Will be Operators

Each operator needs to have a user configured with a line. The XiVO client profile has to be set to Switchboard.

The following configuration is mandatory for switchboard users

• The General ‣ First name field has to be set
• The General ‣ Enable XiVO Client option has to be enabled
• The General ‣ Login field has to be set
• The General ‣ Password field has to be set
• The General ‣ Profile field has to be set to Switchboard
• The Lines ‣ Number field has to have a valid extension
• The Lines ‣ Device field has to be a supported device
• The Services ‣ Enable call transfer option has to be enabled
• The Services ‣ Enable supervision option has to be enabled

Activate the Switchboard Option for your Phone

The switchboard option must be activated on the phone. It’s possible to activate this option only on supported phones and plugins.

• Edit device associated to your user in Services ‣ Devices
• Check the switchboard checkbox and save
• Synchronize your phone to apply the changes

Polycom Phones

To be able to use a Polycom phone for the switchboard, the XiVO must be able to do HTTP requests to the phone. This might be problematic if there’s a NAT between your XiVO and your phone.

It’s possible to configure the Polycom switchboard via the configuration files of xivo-ctid. The following options are available:

switchboard_polycom:
    username: xivo_switchboard
    password: xivo_switchboard
    answer_delay: 0.5

You will also need to change the XML API username/password by creating a custom template for your phone.

Snom Phones

When using a Snom switchboard, you must not configure a function key on position 1.

To be able to use a Snom phone for the switchboard, the XiVO must be able to do HTTP requests to the phone. This might be problematic if there’s a NAT between your XiVO and your phone. The following command should work from your XiVO’s bash command line wget http://guest:guest@<phone IP address>/command.htm?key=SPEAKER. If this command does not activate the phone’s speaker, your network configuration will have to be fixed before you can use the Snom switchboard.

It’s possible to configure the Snom switchboard via the configuration files of xivo-ctid. The following options are available:

switchboard_snom:
    username: guest
    password: guest
    answer_delay: 0.5

You have to change the username and password option if you have changed the administrator username or administrator password for your phone in Configuration ‣ Provisioning ‣ Template Device.

Create an Agent for the Operator

Each operator needs to have an associated agent.

Warning

Each agent MUST ONLY be a member of the Switchboard queue

To create an agent:

• Go to Services ‣ Call center ‣ Agents
• Click on the group default
• Click on the Add button

• Associate the user to the agent in the Users tab

• Assign the Agent to the Switchboard Queue (and ONLY to the Switchboard queue)

Send Incoming Calls to the Switchboard Queue

Incoming calls must be sent to the Switchboard queue to be distributed to the operators. To do this, we have to change the destination of our incoming call for the switchboard queue.

In this example, we associate our incoming call (DID 444) to our Switchboard queue:

Set “No Answer” Destinations on the Switchboard Queue

When there are no operators available to answer a call, “No Answer” destinations should be used to redirect calls towards another destination.

You also need to set the timeout of the Switchboard queue to know when calls will be redirected.

The reachability timeout must not be disabled nor be too short.

The time before retrying a call to a member should be as low as possible (1 second).

In this example we redirect “No Answer”, “Busy” and “Congestion” calls to the everyone group and “Fail” calls to the guardian user.

You can also choose to redirect all the calls to another user or a voice mail.

XiVO Client configuration

Directory xlet

The transfer destination is chosen in the Directory xlet. You must follow the Directory Xlet section to be able to use it.

Configuration for multiple switchboards

The above documentation can be used for multiple switchboards on the same XiVO by replacing the __switchboard and __switchboard_hold queues name and configuring the operators XiVO client accordingly in the XiVO Client ‣ Configure ‣ Functions ‣ Switchboard window.

Usage

Warning

The switchboard configuration must be completed before using the switchboard. This includes :

• Device, User, Agent and Queues configuration (see above),
• Directory xlet configuration (see Directory Xlet)

If it’s not the case, the user must disconnect his XiVO client and reconnect.

The XiVO Client Switchboard Profile

When the user connects with his XiVO Client, he gets the Switchboard profile.

1. Current Call frame
2. Answer button
3. Call button
4. Blind transfer button
5. Attended transfer button
6. Hold button
7. Hangup button
8. Incoming Calls list
9. Waiting Calls list
10. Directory Xlet
11. Dial Xlet

Note

If you don’t see the Switchboard Xlet, right-click on the grey bar at the right of the Help menu and check Switchboard:

The operator can login his agent using a function key or an extension to start receiving calls.

Call flow

Answering an incoming call

When the switchboard receives a call, the new call is added to the Incoming Calls list on the left and the phone starts ringing. The user can answer this call by:

• clicking on any call in the list
• clicking the Answer button
• pressing the Enter key

Note

The XiVO Client must be the active window for the keyboard shortcuts to be handled

The operator can select which call to answer by:

• clicking directly on the incoming call
• pressing F6 to select the incoming calls frame and pressing the up and down arrow keys

Selecting a call to answer while talking will not answer the call.

Once the call has been answered, it is removed from the incoming calls list and displayed in the Current Call frame.

Making a Call

The switchboard operator can do the following operations:

• Press the Call button or press F3
• Search for the call destination in the directory xlet
• Press to confirm the selection and start the call

Hanging Up a Call

The switchboard operator can hang up its current call by either:

• Clicking the Hangup button
• Pressing the F8 key

If the operator has placed a new call via the Directory or Dial xlet and that call has not yet been answered, he can cancel it in the same way.

Distributing a call

Once the call has been answered and placed in the current call frame, the operator has 3 choices:

• transfer the call to another user
  • using the Blind transfer button or the F4 key.
  • using the Attended transfer button or the F5 key
• put the call on hold using the Hold button or the F7 key
• end the call using the Hangup button or the F8 key.

Transferring a call

Transfer buttons allow the operator to select towards which destination he wishes to transfer the call. This is made through the Directory xlet. For defails about the xlet Directory usage and configuration see Directory Xlet.

Once the destination name has been entered, press Enter. If multiple destinations are displayed, you can choose by:

• double-clicking on the destination
• using Up/Down arrows then:
  • pressing Enter
  • pressing the transfer button again

Blind transfers are straightforward: once the call is transferred, the operator is free to manage other calls.

Attended transfers are a bit more complicated: the operator needs to wait for the transfer destination to answer before completing the transfer.

In this example, the operator is currently asking Bernard Marx if he can transfer Alice Wonderland to him.

1. Complete transfer button
2. Cancel transfer button
3. Transfer destination filtering field (xlet Directory)
4. Transfer destination list (xlet Directory)

Once the destination has answered, you can:

• cancel the transfer with F8 key
• complete the transfer with F5 key

Note

The operator can not complete an attended transfer while the transfer destination is ringing. In this case, the operator must cancel the attended transfer and use the Blind transfer action.

Putting a call on hold

If the user places the call on hold, it will be removed from the Current call frame and displayed in the Waiting calls list. The time counter shows how long the call has been waiting, thus it will be reset each time the call returns in the Waiting calls list. The calls are ordered from the oldest to the newest.

Retrieving a call on hold

Once a call has been placed on hold, the operator will most certainly want to retrieve that call later to distribute it to another destination.

To retrieve a call on hold:

• click the desired call in the Waiting calls list
• with the keyboard:
  • move the focus to the Waiting calls list (F9 key)
  • choose the desired call with the arrow keys
  • press the Enter key.

Once a call has been retrieved from the Waiting calls list, it is moved back into the Current Call frame, ready to be distributed.