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Understanding Calling Groups
A calling group is a team of people who handle the same kind of calls, such as a telephone sales team
or customer service department; they are assigned a single extension number.
Calling Group Calls
Calling group calls arrive on SA or ICOM buttons on members' telephones. They may be outside calls,
inside calls, or transferred calls. Inside callers reach the calling group by dialing an extension number
for the whole group. Outside callers dial a published telephone number that bypasses the system
operator and connects directly to an available agent (calling group member).
Call Queues
Incoming calls are placed in a holding area ( queue ) where the system tracks the number of calls, the
order in which they arrive, and the length of time that each call has been in the queue. As callers wait, they
hear either Music On Hold or ringing; some systems also play a recording for waiting callers. As agents
become available, calls are distributed on a first-in, first-out basis.
Calling Group Supervisors & Agents
Generally, a calling group supervisor has the responsibility for one or more teams of agents dedicated
to handling specific types of calls. Responsibilities include: monitoring agent call handling, making
sure the number of logged-in agents is sufficient to handle the volume of calls, and assuring that any
calls the group is too busy to handle or that have been in the queue too long (called overflow calls ) are
properly re-directed.
About This Guide
This guide is designed to help you achieve the most from your system by presenting those features and
settings intended for calling groups. Use it in conjunction with your Direct-Line Console (DLC)
operator's guide. Agents have their own guides for their telephones. To help with their activities, see
Agent-Related Activities, pp. 11–12.
- Settings_
Through system programming, your system manager programs system settings to best meet the
needs of your calling group. This book explains these settings (see Calling Group Settings,
pp. 6–7) to help you troubleshoot problems and to assist you with suggestions for improving group
performance. Settings determine:
• How calls are distributed to agents
• The telephone that will receive messages for the group
• The calling group or QCC queue that will receive the overflow calls
• The maximum number of calls that can be waiting in the queue before being sent to the overflow
receiver
• Whether extensions will be automatically signed in after a power failure
• The number of calls that can be waiting in the queue before an alarm is activated
• The amount of time a call can remain in the queue before being sent to the overflow receiver
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Features &
Buttons_
Line buttons programmed with calling group features (see p. 9) can make both your and your
agents' work easier, although agents may have single-line phones, which do not have program-
mable buttons. Features can also be used by entering feature codes (on any telephone) or by
selecting them from the display (MLX display telephones only).
Monitoring agent status requires either DSS buttons or programmed inside Auto Dial buttons
called Agent buttons.
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