# Uniform Call Distribution - Overview

Uniform Call Distribution (UCD) routes incoming calls to hunt groups (agents) according to the type of information or service required by the caller. Agents are trained to provide the information or service the caller is requesting. If calls are not answered immediately, rather than forcing a caller to listen to ringback or a returning busy tone, UCD places calls in a queue to await the first available agent. While waiting in the queue or camping-on to a busy trunk or station, UCD with Recorded Announcement Devices (RADs) supplies recorded announcements and music while ringing an idle station.

The following list of examples show the flexibility of UCD combined with RADs and call rerouting:

- RAD 1 - The directory number of the RAD containing the first announcement given to callers when members of the hunt group are busy, in Make Busy mode, or fail to answer the call. A Class of Service option designates a device as a RAD. A Class of Service timer determines how long the call listens to ringback while waiting for the first announcement.

- RAD 2 - The directory number of the RAD containing the second announcement given to callers. Class of Service timers determine the interval between announcements.

- Night RAD - The directory number of the RAD containing the announcement given to callers if all members of the hunt group, or the hunt group itself, is in Do Not Disturb mode.

- Priority - Hunt groups support up to 64 priority levels for answering incoming calls. If the agent is in more than one group, the priority of the hunt group determines which call arrives at the agent first.

UCD distributes calls to voice groups (agents) as they become available. For example, the taxation department would use UCD to handle the influx of calls they normally receive during tax time. UCD allows queued calls (calls camped-on to a voice group) to overflow at programmable intervals to two different voice groups as backups. It also offers the ability to prioritize calls to different voice groups so that when calls to a high priority department overflow and queue onto back-up groups, the priority calls are presented first to the back-up group.

For the supervisor in charge of different voice groups, UCD offers phantom groups. Phantom groups load share (Intraflow) incoming traffic between voice groups by dynamically switching a percentage of the incoming traffic from one group to another. UCD allows the supervisor to switch all of the incoming traffic on one voice group to an alternate destination (Interflow) or recorded announcement for off-hours operations.

Call display is used by the agent to see the name of the department (such as, hunt group pilot number or telephone directory name) the caller is trying to reach while the telephone is ringing. UCD displays the name of the originally called destination, while ringing one of the alternate or back-up agents when phantom groups has rerouted incoming traffic.

Related Topics

- Positions

- Hunt Groups

- Call Progression

- Agent Queue Status Display

- Call Overflow

- Do Not Disturb - Remote Set Up and Cancel

- Make Busy

- Night RAD Message

- Priority Queuing

- Phantom Hunt Groups

- Phantom Hunt Groups Called Number Display

- Intraflow

- Interflow