Routing interactions with the Offer to Agent Group activity

The Offer to Agent Group activity specifies the agent groups that are offered interactions in queue, establishing a primary response agent group and overflow agent groups.

If an agent in the group is available, the Agent Available branch is followed and the agent is offered the interaction. If the agent accepts, the Success branch is followed. If the agent does not accept, the Failure branch is followed and the system checks again for an available agent. If an interaction terminates in the queue before reaching an agent, the Completed branch is followed. This activity also offers overflow options if agents are unavailable, if interactions wait in queue too long, and if agents in the primary group are logged out. Configuring the Offer to Agent Group activity also enables administrators to implement push, pick, and mixed model routing.

An agent group can only be associated with an Offer to Agent Group activity once per Inqueue workflow. Attempting to associate an agent group with additional Offer to Agent Group activities returns a validation error.

The Offer to Agent Group activity is available to Inqueue workflows for all media types.

The following procedures explain how to configure routing options for offering interactions to agent groups.

Note:

To enable mixed model routing, where agents select their interactions from queues, but interactions waiting in queue past a specified time are offered to available agents, see "Enabling mixed model routing".

Configuring routing options for offering interactions to agent groups

The following procedures explain how to
  • Specify the agent groups offered interactions
  • Set the time limit for accepting interactions
  • Enable overflow to additional agent groups
  • Disable overflow to additional agent groups
  • Overflow interactions instantly if agents are logged out
  • Instruct the system to push interactions to agents
  • Enable agents to pick interactions out of queue
  • Specify how frequently the Interval branch is followed
CAUTION:

If an Offer To Agent Group activity is enabled for overflow and there are no activities in either the Overflowed branch of the Offer to Agent Group activity or following the Offer to Agent Group activity in the workflow, interactions will be lost when they are routed down the Overflowed branch.

To specify the agent groups offered interactions
  1. Select the Offer to Agent Group activity and click Properties.
  2. After Answering Agent group, click ....
  3. Select the agent group to handle interactions and click OK.
    Note:

    In the Properties pane, the workflow must have ‘Validate workflow’ selected to successfully offer interactions to the agent group. See "Validating workflows" for more information.

  4. Click Save.
To set the time limit for accepting interactions
  1. Select the Offer to Agent activity and click Properties.
  2. After Requeue Time, type a length of time in hh:mm:ss.
  3. Click Save.
To enable overflow to additional agent groups
  1. Select the Offer to Agent Group activity and click Properties.
  2. After Overflow Time, type the time interactions wait in queue before the Overflow branch is followed.
    Note:

    If the Inqueue workflow contains activities that can take a significant amount of time to execute such as: Ask, Delay, Query, or Subroutine, then the Overflow Time duration entered in the Offer to Agent Group activity must include the time spent within these activities in addition to the specified duration of time the interaction will be offered to the group. For example: Offer to Agent Group activity (Overflow Time: 10 seconds) > Delay activity (Delay: 1 minute) > Offer to Agent Group activity (desired Overflow Time: 10 seconds). The second Offer to Agent Group activity would set its Overflow Time to 1 minute and 20 seconds.

  3. Click Save.
To disable overflow to additional agent groups
  1. Select the Offer to Agent Group activity and click Properties.
  2. Select Do Not Allow Overflow and set the Overflow Time to 00:00:00.
  3. Ensure there are no subsequent Offer to Agent Group activities on the Canvas.
  4. Click Save.

To overflow the interaction instantly if agents are logged out

Note:

This option also instantly overflows interactions if the preferred agent is logged off. For more information, see "Routing contacts with the Offer to Preferred Agent activity".

  1. Select the Offer to Agent Group activity and click Properties.
  2. Select the Overflow item when all agents are logged out check box.
    Note:

    Ensure 'Do Not Allow Overflow' is not selected.

  3. Click Save.

To instruct the system to push interactions to agents

Note:

A push model instructs the system to evaluate all agents within a skill level and direct the interaction to agent longest idle. To assign skill levels to agents, see "Managing agent group membership, presence, and skill level".

  1. Select the Offer to Agent Group activity and click Properties.
  2. Select the Push Items to Agent check box.
  3. Click Save.

To enable agents to pick interactions out of queue

Note:

A pick model enables agents to select interactions from the queue using Ignite.

  1. Select the Offer to Agent Group activity and click Properties.
  2. Deselect the Push Items to Agent check box.
  3. Click Save.

To specify how frequently the Interval branch is followed

Note:

The workflow follows the Interval branch to perform additional activities, at set intervals, while interactions are routed. For example, in a pick routing model, the Interval branch can check interactions’ time in queue and, after a time, push them to agents. Administrators can add activities to the Interval branch to determine actions the system takes when this branch is followed.

  1. In the Offer to Agent Group activity, select the Interval branch activity.
  2. After Interval Time, type how often the Interval branch is followed.
  3. Click Save.
Parent topic: Activity list
↑