Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/16612
All service desk agents are currently handling calls, however, the application is subscribed to changes in their presence status. An agent’s presence changes to “Available” when the agent finishes handling a call. Since the application is subscribed to changes in agents’ presence, it detects when an agent is available, transfers the call to the agent and then takes the caller off hold. The caller and agent are now connected, and the agent can help the caller with his or her issue. When the call is transferred to the agent, all the details captured by the IVR are exposed to the agent using Conversation Window Extension context. A small Silverlight application containing all the information that the caller has provided is displayed in the agent’s Lync conversation window. The agent doesn’t need to ask the caller to repeat any of the information that has already been provided. If an agent is unable to resolve the caller’s issue, the agent can escalate the call to an expert with the required skills. The agent places the caller on hold and selects the expert skills required to resolve the problem. The application locates an available expert with matching skills and asks if the expert is available to take the call. The expert is conferenced into the call, the agent takes the caller off hold, and together they can help diagnose the caller’s problem. An IT service desk supervisor’s daily duties include monitoring the performance of service desk agents. The supervisor sees a list of on-duty agents and their status, e.g. “In a Call” or “Idle.” The supervisor can choose to listen to a call already in progress. Using the concept of audio routes in UCMA 3.0, the supervisor receives audio from the call stream, but doesn’t broadcast any audio back into the stream. This way the supervisor can listen in on the conversation without the caller or agent knowing. 12 Infrastructure Technologies ILTA White Paper If the supervisor wants to coach the agent on how to better handle a call, the supervisor can establish a whisper channel with the agent. Again using the concept of audio routes in UCMA 3.0, the supervisor can broadcast audio to a specific participant in the call, i.e. the agent. The caller is unaware that a supervisor is on the call coaching the agent on how to provide better service. CALL TO ACTION The SDKs and APIs shipping as part of Lync enable developers to integrate communications functionality into existing applications or build communications-enabled solutions from the ground up. The Lync Controls SDK and Lync API provide developers with the ability to easily integrate communications functionality into their applications. UCMA 3.0 and the UCMA 3.0 Workflow SDK can be used to build powerful server-side or back-office communications solutions. A release candidate version of Microsoft Lync Server 2010 is now available for download on MSDN. A trial virtual machine development environment is also available, allowing you to create a virtualized development lab that you can use to start building communications enabled applications with Lync. Recordings of presentations from Microsoft conferences such as TechEd and PDC are also freely available on those conference websites. They provide excellent additional resources for learning more about Lync. ILTA