What are Agent Groups?

ACD Agents are normally grouped together to handle incoming telephone calls that are associated with particular functions or departments in an organization; for example, Sales or Engineering. Callers are then directed to the Group that best serves their needs. The formation of ACD Agent Groups with two or more Agents in each Group allows calls to be handled on a Group basis rather than on an individual basis. An Agent can have multiple Agent ID’s, but Agents can only have one Agent ID per group, and can only log in one Agent ID per telephone.

Agent Groups are assigned a unique 3-digit reporting number as well as an Agent Group directory number. You will use both of these numbers as discussed throughout this guide.

Agent Groups can be programmed to overflow between each other. This means that if activated, calls that are directed to one Agent Group can be programmed to overflow to other Agent Groups if the first Group was unavailable due to being in an overload condition. This overflow capability allows ACD calls to be handled, even though an Agent Group has been set in a Do Not Disturb mode.

You can have your set programmed to receive additional information concerning Group activity. This information is called Queue Threshold Alert and Queue Status.

The following Agent functionality is described in this section:

Logging In describes the procedure for logging in to a telephone programmed for Automatic Call Distribution (ACD).

Displaying Agent Log-In Information describes the procedure for displaying your Agent I.D. number for verification after logging in.

Logging Out describes the procedure for logging out from a telephone programmed for ACD.

Answering Calls describes the procedure for answering ACD calls.

Using the Auto Answer Feature describes the feature which allows you to answer calls automatically after one short ring.

Using a Headset describes the procedure for installing and programming a headset for hands-free call answering.