Response Group Application

Unassigned Numbers Service

Call Park and Group Call Pickup Call forwarding and Simultaneous Ring Authorization

Response Group Call queuing, treatment, and routing for departments

Unassigned Numbers Service Prompt playback and transfer capability for unassigned numbers Group Call Pickup Users in a group can retrieve calls presented to another user

Call Park Asynchronously transfer of a call between users, endpoints, or both

Scenarios include Receptionist, Helpdesk, and Departmental call routing

Recorded messages, interactive voice response (IVR), music on hold, anonymous outbound calling, business hours/holidays Flexible routing with integrated presence serial, parallel, longest available Formal and informal agents formal agents sign into Response Group application Role-based administration with manager functionality

Limited management capabilities. No real-time views, monitoring/barge-in/whisper, agent reporting Limited integration. No database dips, programmability, skills matching, weighted routing

Installed with Enterprise Voice, licensed with Lync Plus CAL. Server side media application that runs on all Front End (FE) Servers along with web-based administration. Call detail records and reporting.

Pool. Each Front End Server runs a matchmaker service with one active; uses SQL mirroring. Data center. Enabled with paired pools with RGS cmdlets supporting manual failover and failback process.

Per Enterprise Per Standard Edition pool (8 FEs) Edition server Incoming calls per second 16 2 Concurrent calls to IVR or MoH 480 60 Concurrent anonymous sessions 224 (64 with IM) 28 (8 with IM) Active agents (formal & informal) 1200 Number of hunt groups 400 (200 with speech recognition)

Workflow

Group
Agent

Queue

Response Group Service - Architecture

Workflow
Defines call behavior from entry into RGS until answered by an agent. Associated with one or more queues.

Queue

Agent Group

Holds the caller until an agent answers the call.

Specifies set of users designated as agents.

Associated with one or more agent groups.

When a caller is in queue, RGS looks for an available user in the group.

Huntgroup or IVR group SIP address and phone number Business hours and holidays Welcome message Music on hold Speech recognition 26 supported languages

Queue overflow - Maximum number of callers to wait in the queue.

Agent routing method Set of users defined as agents

Queue timeout - Maximum time for a caller to wait in the queue.

Agent alert time - Time to offer a call to an agent before moving to the next one.

RGS is great for a phase two

Make sure basic knowledge worker scenario is configured and functioning properly. Call center rollout can be more labor intensive / support intensive.

Take advantage of this robust capability

Manager features scale out administration duties. 26 languages available by default with integrated speech recognition.

Make sure that RGS capabilities meet the needs

Understand the existing call center requirements in terms of routing, scale, and capabilities. Mock up a test workflow configuration and test functionality as necessary before migrating. A Lync Call Center partner solution may be needed for advanced requirements. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lync/hh972602

In Lync Server 2013, a Response Group Administrator can delegate the management of response groups to a Response Group Manager. The Manager role improves the scalability of a response group deployment by decentralizing the management of response groups. The scope of a Response Group Manager is at a workflow level.
Managers cannot see or modify response groups for which they are not a manager.

Add and remove agents from agent groups Modify specific properties of the response group workflow, including: Business hours Holidays Welcome message Interactive Voice Response (IVR) structure Manage the response groupassociated queues and agent groups Delegate management rights to other managers

Lync Server Control Panel Response Group Web Configuration Tool Lync Server Management Shell

Managed
Management

Unmanaged
Managed only by a Response Group Administrator Delegation not supported

Managed by a Response Group Administrator or Manager Managed by a Response Group Administrator or Manager

Delegation

Sharing

Cannot share the response group queues or agent groups with any other response group
Visible to the Response Group Manager Visible to the administrator Not visible to other Managers

Can share queues and agent groups with other unmanaged response groups
Visible only to the Response Group Administrator Not visible to any manager

Visibility

Administrator(s)

Manager 1
Workflow
Managed Manager 1

Manager 2
Workflow
Managed

Workflow
Unmanaged

Workflow
Unmanaged

Manager 2

Queue

Queue

Queue

Queue

Queue

Agent Group

Agent Group

Agent Group

Agent Group

Agent Group

Unassigned Numbers Service

Call treatment for numbers unassigned to users
Entire DID number ranges can be entered or unique numbers. Treatment configured for a given range or entryplay a prompt or transfer to Exchange. Incoming calls that dont match a user or an outgoing route are routed to the unassigned number table. Can be used to block outgoing numbers for everyone Different announcements can be uploaded.

Planning considerations
Overlapping entries are matched from top down. Unique DID number entries needs to be above any inclusive range.

Both features are built on the same service

Orbit range - globally unique numbers allocated for parking calls, can start with * and #. Specific number ranges assigned to pools. No call retrieval authentication - any user or integrated PBX phone can retrieve a call.

Call Park
User dials an extension to retrieve the call after it has been parked Users are enabled via voice policy and allowed to park calls.

Group Call Pickup

User dials an extension to retrieve the call while ringing Orbits can be flagged for Group Call Pickup - Users are enabled by being assigned an orbit number. Private Line, Delegation, Teamcall, Simulring, RGS, and Personal Contact calls not allowed to be picked up.

Find unique internal extensions DIDs are not supported. Allocate orbit ranges to pools in a logical manner provide overhead for Group Call Pickup uptake.

Call Park: 2010 and beyond to park; common area phones and PBX phones can retrieve. Group Call Pickup: 2010 and higher to pick up; mobile, analog phones, and PBX phones not supported.

Configure Call Park behavior specifically fallback behavior on sites. SEFAUtil tool is needed for Group Call Pickup user configuration.

Lync Server 2010: An administrator can enable or disable call forwarding and simultaneous ringing through the user voice policy. Lync Server 2013: Enabled call controls to introduce a flexible callauthorization mechanism for forwarding and simultaneous ringing calls. By using this feature, an organization can restrict calls forwarded by users or through simultaneous ringing to:
Local numbers only, to aid in cost control Internal Lync users only, for security policies Any custom authorization rule set up by the administrator

An administrator can associate a set of PSTN usages to specify this call authorization to a voice policy. Call authorization types:
Voice policy PSTN usages Restrict to Lync users only Custom set of PSTN usages

The same call authorization applies to call forwarding and simultaneous ring.

New CallForwardingSimulRingUsageType & CustomCallForwardingSimulRingUsage properties in CsVoicePolicy

Set-CsVoicePolicy ContosoUserPolicy CallForwardingSimulRingUsageType VoicePolicyUsage

Set-CsVoicePolicy ContosoUserPolicy CallForwardingSimulRingUsageType CustomUsage CustomCallForwardingSimulRingUsage @{add=Local} ... or by using the Lync Server Control Panel

Common Requirements
We have invested in a competitors IP-PBX and handset already. However, we like what Lync has to offer in terms of mobility, softphone, and so on. How can we make the two platforms coexist?
Lync users are enabled for Enterprise Voice and retain their direct inward dialing (DID) number. Enterprise Voice users retain IP-PBX phone set and voicemail. Calls to the users DID number simultaneously ring Lync. Calling party ID is retained on outbound calls. Dial-in conferencing authentication (DID/PIN) experience is preserved. Click-to-call via the Lync contact card, missed call notification, or basic dialing always leaves Lync and rings the IP-PBX phone set. Presence of users IP phone is reflected in Lync (for example, in a call). Pure Lync users are available for test/pilot purposes.

Challenges
What do I enter for LineURI? Who owns the DID number? Political issues with telecom team(s) around call control, ownership, and so on.

Common alternatives
Customize Address Book Server (ABS) phone number normalization based on EV vs. non-EV users. Give users a new DID number non-DID number, or a fake number. Leave the LineURI blank.

Challenges
Roaming or remote users lack voicemail visibility. Presence state of IP phone isnt reflected in Lync. Cant divert to voicemail from Lync. The value of our UC platform is diminished.

Common alternatives
Discussion about Remote Call Control (RCC).

Challenges
What number should the IP-PBX call? Voicemail diversion. Possible cost implications (for example, Avaya PCA license). Increased administrative effort (for example, Cisco remote destination profiles). All Sim Ring calls answered using the IP phone will generate a missed call notification email (should be disabled).

Common alternatives
Sim Ring the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) URI (IP-PBX).

How do I make the same phone number exist on two separate systems at the same time?

Perform extensive digit manipulation on gateway. Mask the LineURI with a DID number that points to an Exchange Auto Attendant.

Challenges
Users who set/reset their PIN receive a warning on the dial in page. We need a unique number across the enterprise.

Common alternatives
Set LineURI to a 4-digit or 5-digit number. Leave out the ;ext= parameter.

Challenges
Normalization to E.164 format (recommended). Reverse Number Lookup (RNL) in Lync prevents PSTN/PBX routing. Need to retain caller ID, conferencing, and so on.

Common alternatives
Set LineURI to a 4-digit or 5-digit number. Leave out the ;ext= parameter. Use ms-skip-rnl parameter.

Sim Ring users

Agree on a Distance Steering Code (DSC) for Sim Ring to Lync. Create pool-based dial plans for inbound digestion of the DSC leaving the DID. LineURI = E.164 formatted DID excluding the plus sign (+). De-normalize caller ID (if necessary) on egress.

Lync only users

LineURI = E.164 formatted DID including the plus sign (+).

16046991234

*725+16046991234

6046991234

6046991234 PSTN

Tel:16046991234;ext=1234 Sip:jassha@microsoft.com

Lync Server 2013 Environment

Cisco Unified Call Manager

Cisco ISR/Gateway

7809669598 6046991234

+16046991234

16046991234
6046991234

6046991234 PSTN

Tel:+16046991234;ext=1234 Sip:jassha@microsoft.com

Lync Server 2013 Environment

Cisco Unified Call Manager

Cisco ISR/Gateway

7809669598

1. 2. 3. 4.

5.
6. 7.

8.

Lync users are enabled for Enterprise Voice and retain their direct inward dialing (DID) number. Enterprise Voice users retain IP-PBX phone set and voicemail. Calls to the users DID number simultaneously ring Lync. Calling party ID is retained on outbound calls. Dial-in conferencing authentication (DID/PIN) experience is preserved. Click-to-call via the Lync contact card, missed call notification, or basic dialing always leaves Lync and rings the IP-PBX phone set. Presence of users IP phone is reflected in Lync (for example, in a call). Pure Lync users are available for test/pilot purposes.