The purpose of this document will be to outline the various call flow tools available to Teams Enterprise Voice clients both from Cisco & Microsoft. Based on the client's needs and how their users operate on a daily basis will drive which path we go down as far as configurations. 

OVERVIEW

Before we dive into the different scenarios, below is a high-level overview of each component:

Microsoft Call Queues  Call queues allow for specific routing of calls in cases where the total number of callers in the queue or the wait time exceeds the limits that you specify. Calls can be routed to specific people, voicemail, other call queues, or auto attendants. For each call queue, you can specify if agents in the queue can opt out of taking calls and if calls should be routed to them based on their presence indication in Teams. You can assign a phone number to a call queue, however call queues do not provide separate call routing for off hours and holidays. Unless your call queue is staffed 24/7, we recommend assigning the phone number to an auto attendant that redirects to the call queue during business hours. Call queues are managed in the Teams Admin Center ONLY.

Cisco Hunt Groups Hunt Groups distribute calls through a telephone number or extension to multiple users within an organization.  Within the hunt group settings Admins can control which line(s) will receive the incoming call and in what order. Similar to a Call Center, Hunt Groups allow users to be grouped together to handle incoming calls received by a Hunt Group's DID or extension (or both). Hunt Groups do not have as many features and options as a Call Center and are limited to a smaller subset of users (usually under 10 users).

Cisco Call Centers Cisco Call Center Queues are essentially more sophisticated Hunt Groups. Both are used to route calls to agents but what sets queues apart is their ability to provide queue information and hold time estimates, on-hold music and even promotional information allow clients to handle larger call volumes and offer a better overall customer experience versus hunt groups. Queues also have the ability to route calls based on priority or skill levels and the ACD (Automated Call Distribution) will route calls accordingly. Agents can log themselves out from a queue so their priority is not considered by the ACD. The ACD is also aware when agents are already on calls and can route traffic elsewhere.

FEATURES

Outside of there being a specific need (i.e. CRM Integration) where a client will need to use one application over another, if you are comparing Cisco & Microsoft at a high level, here are some key features to consider:

CALL ROUTING

Regardless of which platform you are setting groups up on, both Cisco & Teams use the same distribution options for getting calls to your agents: 

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In scenarios where Cisco Hunt Groups or Call Centers are being used with Teams, the key piece in getting Cisco and Teams to work in unison is making sure that all intervals set up in OSSmosis are LOWER than they are in each user's Teams Call Answering Rules. This will allow calls to reach agents on their Teams application, but if they are unable to answer a call for one reason or another, the call will still be able to move onto another agent without the risk of a Teams voicemail picking up the call. Please note that each ring lasts approximately 6 seconds in duration. 

Examples: 

• Call Centers - If your queue's Bounced Calls Settings in OSSmosis are set to Bounce calls after ringing after 3 rings (approx. 18 seconds), each agent's Ring for this many seconds before redirecting setting should be AT LEAST 20 seconds (default) in Teams. Whether call center agents have a voicemail box assigned to them is at the client's discretion (most agent's sole purpose is to answer queue calls). If agents do not have a need for personal voicemail boxes, users can set their If unanswered setting to Do Nothing. This will also allow the call center's routing policy to continue on without issue. 
• Hunt Groups - Same rules will apply when clients are using any routing policies outside of Sim Ring. The Skip to next agent after ____rings settting will need to be less than the Teams setting. 

Note: In addition these interval settings, admins and/or call center supervisors should also be instructing their agents to not decline incoming queued calls in Teams. This will (1) indicate to OSSmosis that the call has been responded to and halts the call flow and (2) if the agent has voicemail set up, it will send that call to their personal voicemail box rather continuing on with the rest of the routing policy and ultimately a group mailbox inside of that HG or CC (if applicable).

Unlike Hunt Groups, Call Center ACD states allow OSSmosis to send calls to agents who are available to answer a queued call, which adds another layer to which agents should be presented with a call. 

NOTE: Teams' presence is not shared back to OSSmosis so agents will need to make sure their queue ACD state is up to date otherwise, OSSmosis will continue to present calls as long as they are eligible to receive them.