The Call Center Enterprise 27
1. Overview
1.2.2. Agents and Agent Teams
Within the call center enterprise, an agent is anyone who can answer
incoming phone calls. A peripheral agent is an agent who is associated
with a particular peripheral (ACD, PBX) in the call center enterprise. A
peripheral agent can be a member of one or more skill groups. (Some
peripheral types limit each agent to one skill group assignment.)
Figure 7 shows how agents are organized in a call center enterprise.
Agent Teams
Agents
Agents Agents
Peripheral
Skill Groups
Enterprise Skill Group
Peripheral
Services
Enterprise Service
Figure 7: Agent Hierarchy
Peripheral agents are grouped first into peripheral skill groups. You can
group peripheral skill groups into services or enterprise skill groups.
Optionally, you can group peripheral agents into agent teams. Agent
teams are groups of peripheral agents configured on the same peripheral
to meet a business need. You can have an agent team that includes
agents at the call center and agents who work at home. Although these
agents are at different locations, they are associated with a particular
ACD at the call center. Members of an agent team can also be members
of one or more skill groups.
1.2.3. Trunk and Network Trunk Groups
A trunk group is a collection of trunks (that is, telephone lines). Trunk
groups typically contain trunks that are used for a common purpose. The
ICR routes calls to specific trunk groups; not to specific trunks. Within
Monitor ICR, you can monitor activity for a specific trunk group, but not
for a specific trunk.
A simple trunk group is associated with a single peripheral and typically
reflects the peripheral’s view of the trunks (that is, how the peripheral
organizes its trunks). However, trunks can also be viewed from the
routing client’s perspective. A routing client is an entity that sends
routing requests to the ICR.