Q: We have a couple of call centers with phones that don’t have extensions on them, only ACD, MSB, NRD and ADL keys. Whenever one breaks I try first to replace it. If that doesn’t fix it, I get out the tools and trace the wires to find out which card to replace. I have the same problem when I need to change the programming on one of them. Is there a better way to find the port?
A: You should mark the positions with either the TN, the DN (second number on key 0) or both. That way your supervisors can report the phones and you can test them remotely before even entering the center.
Of course you don’t want to go through and trace wires on every phone, so you should be able to use Call Center Manager 6.0 to help you locate them first. One way would be to find out what agent is logged into each phone and then look up the agents in CCM to see what ports they are logged into. Another way would be to create an agent ID in CCM and use it to log into each phone before checking in CCM.
If you don’t have CCM or if your version is older, you can use an old trick to get the TN. Find a 2616 set with a 22-button module or a 3904 set with a key module attached. Go to each set and replace the ACD phone with the 2616 or 3904 set. Press one of the keys on the add-on module and you should have an SCH error on your maintenance terminal that tells the TN. The error tells you that the system suspects a hardware problem because a key was pressed that does not exist in the programming for the set on the TN it came from.
Once you have the set information, use it to label the jacks. Don’t just label the phones (very important tip). In centers I’ve seen, the phones get moved around and that would defeat your purpose. Label each jack or desk with both the TN and the position ID of the phone. You might want to create a chart for your personal records, too. You could include the cable number and feeder position, if any. In most centers, these stay pretty constant. Remember to update the labels if you should change TNs or other information that now appears on the label.
Q: I tried creating a phantom digital set to control a group of numbers without making them prime on any real phones, but I get an error as soon as I type in the TN. Is there a system setting to let me make these?
A: There are a few restrictions in selecting a port for a phantom digital set. To begin with, you should select a related port to a phone you are working with. It isn’t really a requirement, but keeping a physical relationship between the two TNs makes it easier when you’re scratching your head in the future to figure out what was happening when you set this up.
Let’s say you have a department with a phone for each person and personal extensions on each. You also want to have a department extension and rollover keys that appear on all of the department’s phones. The phantom extension you’re setting up will control the department number that has different HUNT/FDN from the phones it appears on. Select one of the phones in the department and put the phantom on its data port. If the TN was for instance 12-0-8-9 and there are 16 ports on the card, then add 16 to 9 and put the phantom set on 12-0-8-25. Before you program the set look at the phone programmed on 12-0-8-9. If it’s a 3904 set use the same set type for the phantom. That should avoid the SCH0127 error.
Remember, you will need to have FLXA and VCE in the CLS on the phantom set for this to work. You should also consider using TDD in the CLS of the department phones so caller ID will appear on any line ringing in, including the department number. Using IRA in the CLS and LPK set high enough will allow the user to pick up the call by lifting the handset even if it’s not the PDN. Don’t forget HTA, FN, and a high enough LHK.
What if you want to forward the department calls somewhere else at times? Use Remote Call Forward. If this is too complicated for the department you’re setting up, consider placing a real phone instead of using the phantom. If you add a Call Forward key users should feel comfortable changing the destination for the calls whenever necessary.
Perhaps the department number sends calls to a department voice mailbox at times. Do you want to have a message key on all of the department sets for the department number? Use an XMWK key.
To me, one of the primary jobs for telecom is to make it easier for others in the company to do their jobs without having to worry about how to make it work.
Reach the author at philruffin@hotmail.com.
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