Call Center Queue

Every call eventually “lands” in a call center queue. A call center queue is a collection of agents that can handle that call type.

Priority Routing vs. Skill-Based Routing

Every call center queue must be configured for either “skill-based routing” or “priority routing”. If the queue is configured for skill-based routing, it will follow the logic described in this document. If the queue is configured for priority routing, it will follow the logic that existed prior to the introduction of skills-based routing.

In priority routing, each organization decides whether calls will be routed based upon one of the following approaches via the OSSmosis Account Level Call Center settings:

• Longest wait time. In this approach, the longest waiting call across all queues to which that agent is “joined” will be delivered.
• Priority. Explicit priorities assigned to every queue (e.g.  a Sales call is always more important than a Service call) that dictates which queue’s call will be delivered to an available agent. In this approach, every call center queue is force ranked and the queue with the highest priority takes precedence over calls in other queues.

Secondary Routing Algorithms

A secondary routing algorithm must be assigned to every call center. This algorithm determines which agent should receive a call when 2 or more agents that are equally skilled in a queue are both available.

The possible options include:

• Uniform – the amount of time each agent has been in an Available state determines which agent receives the next call. The agent who has been in an Available state the longest will receive the call. This is the most common approach used by XTIUM’s customers.
• Regular – each agent’s sequence order determines which agent receives the next call (based upon a sequential order). The system will look for an available agent starting with the agent with the lowest number and increment sequentially. Each agent’s sequence number is specified via the OSSmosis Agents screen.
• Circular – each agent’s sequence order determines which agent receives the next call (based upon a “round robin” approach). The system will look for an available agent based upon the last agent that answered a call in this queue. The system will increment the sequence number by 1 and then search sequentially. Each agent’s sequence number is specified via the OSSmosis Agents screen.

Call Center Agents

Each call center agent must be assigned a skill level from 1 to 20 in each call center queue. This denotes the agent’s proficiency in each queue. A skill level of 1 is the highest skill level and 20 is the lowest skill level.

Call Distribution

Whenever an agent becomes available and there are calls in queue, the following logic is applied based upon the call centers an agent is “joined” to:

1. If there are any Bounced calls, they are offered to the agent
   • If only one call center has a bounced call, this call is offered to the agent. This is true even if the agent is more skilled in another call center that has a call queued.
   • If more than one call center has a bounced call, the call with the oldest initial offer time is distributed to the agent.
   • If more than one bounced call has the same “oldest initial offer time”, the skill levels of the agent in the call centers with those bounced calls are compared. The agent is offered the bounced call from the call center where the agent is most skilled.
   • If the agent has equally high skills in more than one of these call centers, priority-based routing is used to select
2. The agent is offered a call from the queue where they have the highest skill level
3. If the agent has equal skills in more than 1 call center, Priority Routing discussed above is used to determine which queue’s call the agent will be offered
4. If multiple agents are available, the agent with the highest skill level is offered the call
5. If multiple agents are available and they are at the same skill level, the secondary routing algorithms discussed above determine which agent will be offered the call

Additional Resources:

• Skills-Based Routing Best Practices Document
• Skills-Based Routing – Quick Reference Guide (How to activate SBR in OSSmosis)
• Call-Surplus-in-a-Skills-Based-Routing-Environment.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Skills-Based Routing?

A. SBR is a routing option that will properly align the “right” agent to each call by defining each agent’s skill levels (or proficiencies) with each call type.

Q. What if I want to change my queues back to priority routing? How easy is it for me to switch back?

A. First we recommend making the switch before or after business hours as not to interrupt your day to day operations.  However, the switch is very easy.  Within OSSmosis, under the Call Center Tab, select Routing next to the queue you wish to make the changes to.  Once selected, choose priority routing, the proper hunting type and save your changes.

Q.  What if I don’t think my skills-based routing is working?

A.  Log into the Supervisor Client and pull down reports that provide you with SBR data.  Two reports we recommend are the Presented Calls Report and the Agent Call by Skill Report, because they will provide you with the percentage of calls that were answered within each skill level.

Q. Where do I go if I want to make changes to an Agents Skill Level?

A. There are two options when changing an agents skill level. The first is logging into OSSmosis and utilizing the Find User > Services option which will enable you to configure the Call Center Premium Agents setting.  The second is under the Call Center Tab> Queue > Agents within the queue they are assigned.

Q. I don’t quite understand how skills based routing is supposed to work and the routing policy it is wrapped around.  Where can I find more information to get a better understanding?

A. There is a great document titled Skills-Based Routing: Best Practices (BROKEN LINK) on the Knowledge Base that outlines exactly what skills-based routing is and how it operates within a queue and call center.

Q. Do you have any documentation on how to implement SBR into my queues and make the necessary changes to my agents?

A. If you access the Knowledge Base you will find quick reference guides along with quick tip videos on how to make these changes, as well as referencing the Skills-Based Routing: Best Practices (BROKEN LINK) document.

Q. How do I know when Priority Routing kicks in vs Secondary Routing?

A. Priority Routing will kick in when you have one agent assigned to multiple queues with the same skill level.  If there are calls waiting in each queue the call that is delivered to the agent first will be based on your account level queue priority settings.

Secondary Routing will kick in if you have multiple agents with equal skill level assigned to them within the same queue.  If a call is waiting in queue the call will be delivered to the appropriate agent based on whether you have Circular, Uniform or Regular setup for the Secondary Routing.

Q. Which number represents the most skilled agent? 

A. SBR is based on a 1-20 scale, with 1 representing the highest skill level.

Q. How do I know if a queue is setup for Skills-Based Routing?

A. Clicking on an Agents name in the Supervisor client will show you all the queues an agent is assigned to.  If an agent has a N/A next to a queue under Skill Level it means that particular queue is not setup for SBR.

Q. Where can I see my Agents skill levels.

A.  You can see the different skill levels an agent is assigned in the Supervisor client as well as the OSSmosis Admin Portal within the Call Center tab.

Q. How does Skills-Based Routing interact with my Queue if I have multiple DNIS?

A. Please refer to the following document, as this will provide you with a detailed overview of how calls will be routed to agents when multiple DNIS’ are involved: Call Surplus in a Skills-Based Routing Environment (BROKEN LINK)