AvayaŽ Interactive Response · 2004-05-03 · AvayaŽ Interactive Response Release 1.2.1 System...

Avaya� Interactive Response Release 1.2.1 System tech tours

Issue 1.0 Publication Date: June 2004

Federal Communications Commission Statements © 2004, Avaya Inc. All Rights Reserved Part 15: Class A Statement

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

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Preventing Toll Fraud �Toll fraud� is the unauthorized use of your telecommunications system by an unauthorized party (for example, a person who is not a corporate employee, agent, subcontractor, or working on your company's behalf). Be aware that there may be a risk of toll fraud associated with your system and that, if toll fraud occurs, it can result in substantial additional charges for your telecommunications services. Part 68: Answer-Supervision Signaling. Allowing this equipment to be

operated in a manner that does not provide proper answer-supervision signaling is in violation of Part 68 rules. This equipment returns answer-supervision signals to the public switched network when:

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• answered by the called station, • answered by the attendant, or • routed to a recorded announcement that can be administered by the CPE

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• A call is unanswered. • A busy tone is received. • A reorder tone is received. Canadian Department of Communications (DOC) Interference Information

Your company's �telecommunications equipment� includes both this Avaya product and any other voice/data/video equipment that could be accessed via this Avaya product (that is, �networked equipment�). This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

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Such intrusions may be either to/through synchronous (time-multiplexed and/or circuit-based) or asynchronous (character-, message-, or packet-based) equipment or interfaces for reasons of: • Utilization (of capabilities special to the accessed equipment) • Theft (such as, of intellectual property, financial assets, or toll-facility

access) • Eavesdropping (privacy invasions to humans) • Mischief (troubling, but apparently innocuous, tampering)

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• Harm (such as harmful tampering, data loss or alteration, regardless of motive or intent)

Be aware that there may be a risk of unauthorized intrusions associated with your system and/or its networked equipment. Also realize that, if such an intrusion should occur, it could result in a variety of losses to your company (including but not limited to, human/data privacy, intellectual property, material assets, financial resources, labor costs, and/or legal costs).

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2 Avaya IR R1.2.1 System tech tours

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Acknowledgment This document was written by the CRM Information Development group.

Issue 1.0 June 2004 3

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Contents

Tech Tours ..............................................................................................................................5

Avaya IR system example...............................................................................................6 Background: the decision..............................................................................................6 Merging data and telephony networks ..........................................................................7 Changes in operations ................................................................................................10

System administration tours..........................................................................................14 Administering channels...............................................................................................14 Administering users ....................................................................................................23 Completing backups ...................................................................................................25 Scheduling backups....................................................................................................29 Getting started with backups.......................................................................................32 Stopping and starting the voice system ......................................................................33 System monitoring ......................................................................................................35

Index ......................................................................................................................................39


Tech Tours

This section provides tours that introduce you to a real world example of an Avaya IR system and that give you practice administering the Avaya IR system.


Tech Tours

Avaya IR system example This example shows you how an Avaya IR system can be set up to meet business requirements. You review information on a sample Avaya IR installation and related operations. Throughout the tour, you may link to detailed information on hardware, functions, and features.

The example is a high-level view of a particular configuration. As you review it, keep in mind that an Avaya IR system can be configured in a multitude of ways. Business requirements determine the number of channels and their use, selected features, and the method of developing voice response applications, among other options.

This section includes the following topics:

Background: the decision.................................................................. 6

Merging data and telephony networks .............................................. 7

Changes in operations .................................................................... 10

Background: the decision

The topics in this section explain how TechCare decided to add Avaya IR systems to their network.

Requirements for IVR services

The fictional company described in the tour, TechCare, is based on Avaya IR system features and on experience with Avaya IVR customers. TechCare handles customer service calls and orders for a major computer manufacturer and for other clients. They have two service centers, one in Bismark, North Dakota, and one in Des Moines, Iowa. TechCare plans to add a third center next year in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Goals for improving service

TechCare was using an Auto Attendant feature in their voice messaging system to provide callers with basic options related to trouble tickets. For instance, callers could press 1 to open a trouble ticket, 2 to find out about the status of a trouble ticket, and so forth. Based on caller responses, the MultiVantage (DEFINITY) system routed calls to agent splits.


Avaya IR system example

TechCare already provided customers with access to information about trouble tickets through their website. However, customers whose systems were down, or who simply preferred phone contact, called the agents.

TechCare had these goals for improving operations:

• Focus agents on helping customers with problems, rather than looking up information and reading it to them over the phone

• Provide self-service options for customers using the phone as well as for those using the website

• Handle the same volume of calls at a lower cost

• Serve callers at a level appropriate to their value to TechCare's client company

Why an Avaya IR system?

TechCare had considered IVR in the past but not made a purchase because of concerns that:

• They would not be able to provide quality service to callers.

• System administration would be too time-consuming.

• Application development would be too costly.

TechCare was pleased with their MultiVantage system, and liked the completeness of Avaya's call center portfolio. They were particularly interested in combining an Avaya IR system and Avaya Interaction Center. With speech recognition, they felt that flexible and personalized call handling was possible.

Merging data and telephony networks

The key to reducing cost and improving efficiency is to merge the separate data and telephony networks, maximizing the equipment investment and reducing management costs.


Tech Tours

Starting point: separate data and telephony networks

Before implementing their Avaya IR system, TechCare's telephony and data networks were completely separate. The graphic below shows telephony connections in blue and data connections in black.

With separate telephony and data networks:

• Calls from the public switched telephone network went to the MultiVantage (DEFINITY) system, which used the Auto Attendant feature to provide options to callers. Recorded messages on the voice messaging system prompted callers with the options.

• Based on caller response, the MultiVantage system routed calls to agent splits through internal trunks.

• Agents checked account information in the customer database and trouble ticket information in another database, using the LAN for access.

• Agents provided information to callers and made any required updates.

• All calls at both call centers were handled by agents.



With Avaya IR: merged data and telephony networks

Now, an Avaya IR system in each location provides an interface between the data and telephony networks. (Again, telephony connections are in blue, and data connections in black.) The Avaya IR systems at each call center have access to information stored in data bases, which they convert to spoken information.

The TechCare call centers have nearly identical call handling requirements:

• 1800 calls at the busy hour

• 1400 calls per hour average

• Acceptable average hold time of 60 seconds

Both Avaya IR platforms are configured with:

• Two dual T1 boards

• 48 channels, with 42 used for their applications and six ready for growth

• One voice response application that supports the creation, status update, and closing of trouble tickets

These configurations are adequate for current call volume at both centers, and they provide 22% additional capacity for growth. At both TechCare sites, the hardware and software components of the solution are distributed across the LAN. The voice response application resides on the hard drive of the Avaya IR systems. The proxy speech server stores the required Text to Speech (TTS) programs.

Future plans: converged network operations

At the new center in Erie, Pennsylvania, TechCare plans to install an IP-enabled DEFINITY, which will route calls to agents across the LAN, rather than using trunks. All components of


Tech Tours

the telephony network, including the voice messaging system, will reside on the LAN. The figure that follows shows the configuration for the converged network.

With the converged telephony and data networks:

• TechCare will use the Avaya IR system VoIP capability to support applications and communications that can be handled more economically over an Ethernet connection than over T1. These connections use C-LAN and Prowler cards in the MultiVantage and a network interface card in the Avaya IR system, rather than T1/E1 cards in each system with a T1/E1 connection between them. The VoIP connections support low-volume applications that would not justify the addition of T1 or E1 connections. For instance, a simple password reset program for technicians might be handled in this way.

• As more voice response applications are developed, they will be located on a server, rather than on the Avaya IR system's hard drive. Locating the applications on a server reduced demands on the Avaya IR system. Additionally, the application can be placed on the same server that stores trouble ticket data for the website, putting the data source closer to the application.

Changes in operations

The addition of the Avaya Interactive Response system resulted in more efficient business operations for TechCare.

Streamlined business operations

With the Avaya IR systems:

• Calls from the public switched network still go to the MultiVantage systems, which forward them to the Avaya IR systems via a LAN connection.



• The Avaya IR systems provide callers with information and options. Based on caller response, they provide information from the trouble ticket database, or return the call to the MultiVantage for routing to agents or the voice messaging system. Generally, agents handle only those calls that require personal interaction.

• If the call is routed to an agent, information about the customer and the problem is sent to the agent's desktop by Avaya Interaction Center, which acts on information provided by the Avaya IR system.

• If a technician is calling to close a trouble ticket, the Avaya IR system sends information on ticket status to the trouble ticket application. Agents are no longer involved in closing trouble tickets.

New handling of trouble tickets

This section explains how the Avaya IR system improves TechCare's handling of trouble tickets.

Opening trouble tickets Before TechCare added the Avaya IR systems, customers called an 800 number and pressed 1 to open a trouble ticket. The call was routed to an agent, who took information from the customer, accessed and reviewed the customer's account, discussed the problem with the customer, and scheduled a technician visit, if necessary.

With the Avaya IR systems, customers still call the 800 number, are welcomed, and press 1 to open a trouble ticket. However, call handling is automated after these initial actions, and an agent is involved only when necessary. Callers may communicate through TouchTone or by speaking their responses, which are interpreted by speech recognition. The voice response application drives the interactions:

• Recorded speech prompts ask callers to provide their account numbers, which the application uses to retrieve configuration and contact information from a data base.

• Callers are asked to select from a brief list that describes typical problems. Subsequent actions depend on their choices and on their account information:

― Callers who have Internet-related problems and have TechCare's customer as their Internet Service Provider (information gleaned from the account) are put in queue for an agent. Callers with Internet-related problems who have another ISP hear a recorded message advising them to contact their ISP for assistance.

― For callers who indicate that their systems are not operating, the application checks a database for technician availability and plays recorded speech that identifies the next available service time. Callers accept the proposed time by pressing 1 or saying, "yes" or by requesting further options. Once a service call is scheduled, the voice response application sends the data to the service application for scheduling of the call and provides the caller with a trouble ticket number.


Tech Tours

― Callers who report installation problems with hardware or software purchased from TechCare's customer choose to leave a message or be put in queue for an agent. If callers want to leave a message, they can do so in the voice response application's mailbox. Because the voice response application interacts with Avaya Interaction Center's EDU data base, messages can be accessed or included in future transactions by Avaya Interaction Center.

― Callers who report less-serious problems are offered the choice of IVR assistance or talking to an agent only if they are gold or platinum level customers. Customers below the gold or platinum level may listen to Frequently Asked Questions, visit the support page of the website, or leave a message for a technician to return their call within 24 hours.

Checking trouble tickets Before TechCare added the Avaya IR systems, customers called an 800 number and pressed 2 to check trouble ticket status. The call was routed to an agent, who looked up the trouble ticket on a service management application, provided the customer with an update, and escalated the problem, if necessary.

With the Avaya IR systems, customers still call the 800 number and press 2 to check trouble ticket status. Then, the voice response application drives the interactions:

• Recorded speech prompts callers to provide their trouble ticket numbers, which the application uses to retrieve status information from a data base. Status information is provided by the Proxy Text to Speech (PTTS) feature. For instance, the caller may hear that a replacement part was shipped, and will arrive in two days.

• If the Avaya IR system receives information from the Interaction Center EDU data base indicating that service time lines are at risk, or if the ticket is closed but the customer has further questions, the call is routed to an agent. When the agent takes the call, information on the customer account from the common EDU data base is displayed through Avaya Interaction Center.

Closing trouble tickets Before TechCare added the Avaya IR systems, technicians who had resolved problems called an 800 number and pressed 2 to be routed to an agent. The technician provided information, and the agent located and closed the trouble ticket in the service application. Then, the agent sent a fax or email message to the person who initiated the ticket to confirm that the ticket was closed.

With the Avaya IR systems, technicians still call the 800 number when a problem is resolved. Now, they respond to prompts by entering 3 to close a trouble ticket. They then enter the trouble ticket number, hear the number read back, and press the pound sign (#) to confirm. Data is sent to the service application, and the trouble ticket is closed. The technician chooses that either a fax or an email confirming the closing of the trouble ticket be sent automatically. The choice is based on customer preference. TechCare uses Avaya Interaction



Center to initiate the fax or email. Avaya Interaction Center uses information in the EDU data base to generate the email or fax. Faxes may be held and sent during less busy periods.

Administering the Avaya IR system

By integrating voice and data networks, TechCare has improved the efficiency of administration work.

System administration The Web Administration interface application is installed on the hard drive of each Avaya IR system. TechCare system administrators go to the administration interface via the LAN, logging in through their web browsers. The Web Administration interface may be reached from any machine on the network, so system administrators may monitor and make changes from another location, including from home. The system administrators at each location perform tasks like backing up the system and monitoring voice operations. The administration interface is similar to other Windows-based applications, making it easy to learn.

Application development TechCare worked with a vendor to develop the voice response application that handles calls about trouble tickets. The vendor provided several voice talent examples. TechCare selected a warm, friendly voice that they feel reflects the employees who are their agents. The vendor developed the voice response application in VoiceXML, using IVR Designer. TechCare's IT employees are learning VoiceXML so that they can maintain and update the current application. They plan to rely on their internal IT employees for continued application development.

System maintenance System administrators are responsible for preventative maintenance. Logging and alarms keep administrators informed of system events and problems. Avaya has remote access to both Avaya IR systems for troubleshooting and testing.

Benefits

The Avaya IR system, along with Interaction Center, enabled TechCare to:

• Maintain quality customer service

• Use current IT staff for system administration

• Develop applications that motivated 30% of callers to use self-service options

• Implement a solution that will continue to grow to meet their needs


Tech Tours

Using the Avaya IR systems to handle trouble tickets has provided these benefits to TechCare:

• Agents find that they can focus more on solving problems, rather than searching through systems for information.

• Agents like not having to close out trouble tickets for technicians. Technicians appreciate not having to wait on hold for an agent to take their call.

• Customers like being able to avoid waiting in queue by getting answers to their questions through Frequently Asked Questions or by leaving a message requesting a call back.

• Almost 30% of callers are able to get the information they need without talking to an agent, reducing call handling costs considerably.

• The return on investment (ROI) for each hour of the Avaya IR system operations in each of TechCare's call centers is $1,953.00. The breakdown is as follows:

― Both TechCare centers handle an average of 1400 calls an hour. With the Avaya IR systems, 420 of these calls do not require support from an agent.

― Calls handled by TechCare's Avaya IR systems cost $.43 on average, while the average cost of an agent-assisted call is $5.08. The cost saving for each call handled by an Avaya IR system is $4.65.

420 (calls/hour handled by an Avaya IR system ) x $4.65 = $1,953.00 (reduction in call handling costs with the Avaya IR system).

System administration tours In the system administration tours, you see examples of how common administration tasks are done. Then, you get a chance to practice administrative tasks yourself.

These tours show examples based on a fictional company, Integrity Insurance, which is different from the TechCare company used in the system description example. Seeing another company provides an additional perspective on how the Avaya Interactive Response system is used to meet business requirements.

Administering channels

In this section, you see an example of the Integrity Insurance system administrator completing common channel administration tasks. Then, you practice channel administration on your own.


System administration tours

Administering new channel services

Whenever a new voice response application is created, you must assign a channel or channels to the services provided by the application. You also may unassign channels when the services assigned to them are discontinued or to re-distribute call load.

Before services can be assigned to channels, the voice response applications for those services must be completed, tested, and installed on the Avaya Interactive Response system.

Note: You can assign new services to channels without first unassigning existing services. The new services replace the previous service assignments.

Assigning services to channels Integrity Insurance has developed a voice response application to support calls about their new Supplementary Medicare insurance. The Integrity system administrator needs to assign channels to this service. She knows that the number to be used for the new service is 800-555-1351 and that the voice response application for the service is called medicare.

To assign services to channels:

1. Go to the Channel Services screen (Configuration Management > Voice Services).


Tech Tours

The system displays the first page of the Channel Services screen. Each page shows 10 channels. On the Integrity insurance system, the first 10 channels are already assigned to DNIS service.

2. Identify the channels you want to assign.

The system administrator paged through the screens and found that channels 20-30 were unassigned. You can also change the Display field to show all channels and scroll through the list. Or, you may have identified the channels you want to assign to the service ahead of time.

3. Select the channels to which you want to assign services.

4. Select Assign Selected.

The system displays the Assign Services to Channels screen.

5. Specify the information for the new service and select Submit.



The system administrator completed the screen as shown in the following screen.

After you assign services, the system displays messages to indicate that the channels are reassigned.

Assigning phone numbers to services The system administrator will assign a phone number to the service. The number entered here represents the telephone number callers dial to reach the service. The number of digits must match those that the switch provides.

To assign phone numbers to services:

1. Go to the Voice Services screen (Configuration Management > Voice Services).

2. On the Voice Services screen, select Number Services.

The system displays the Number Services screen.

3. Select Assign Service.

The system displays the Assign Number Service screen.

4. Specify the number service information and select Submit.


Tech Tours

The Integrity system administrator completed the Assign Number Services screen as follows: she entered the 800 number to be used for the service in the Called Numbers field. (Because the field scrolls to the left, you cannot see the entire number here.) Since the system should accept calls from any number, she left the default entry, any, in the Calling Numbers field. Finally, she selected medicare as the Service Name, since medicare is the voice response application for the new service.

Unassigning services from channels The Integrity system administrator found that unused fax service were assigned to five channels and decided to unassign the services to eliminate confusion.

To unassign services from channels:

1. Go to the Channel Services screen (Configuration Management > Channel Services).

2. Select the channels you want to unassign from their services.



The Integrity system administrator made the entries shown in the following screen to unassign channels 35 through 40.

3. Select Unassign Selected.

The system displays a confirmation message.

4. Select OK.


Tech Tours

The service is immediately unassigned from the channel or channels. The screen that follows shows the result of the change made by the Integrity system administrator.

Administering equipment groups

Assign channels to equipment groups to shield the service or services supported by the channels from the effect of other services. For example, you might dedicate an equipment group to outbound call bridging so that bridging does not interfere with incoming calls. You change equipment group assignments when necessary, by unassigning and reassigning.

Unassigning channels from equipment groups Integrity Insurance has added a service to provide callers with information on their new supplementary Medicare insurance. The service is assigned to channels 20-30. A week after adding the service, the Integrity system administrator found that other operations were sometimes interfering with calls handled by the new number. To avoid further problems, she decided to dedicate equipment group 5 to the channel. Other services are currently using group 5, so the first step is to unassign the channels from the group.

To unassign channels from the equipment group:



1. Go to the Channels to Groups screen (Configuration Management > Voice Equipment > Channels to Groups).

The system displays the Channels to Groups screen.

2. Select Unassign.

The system displays the Unassign Channels from Equipment Groups screen.

3. Specify the channels and groups to unassign and select Submit.

The Integrity system administrator made the entries as shown in the following screen to unassign channels 1 through 19 from group 5.

Equipment group 5 is now free to be assigned to other channels.

Assigning channels to equipment groups To assign channels to equipment groups:

1. Go to the Channels to Groups screen (Configuration Management > Voice Equipment > Channels to Groups) and select Assign.

The system displays the Assign Channels to Equipment Groups screen.

2. Specify the channels and groups to assign and select Submit.


Tech Tours

The Integrity system administrator made the entries as shown in the following screen to assign channels 20 through 30 to group 5.

Getting started with channel administration

In this exploration, you become familiar with the channel assignments on your system and make changes, if necessary. You should complete the other topics in this section to see examples of how channels are administered. You may make changes to channel assignments if changes are required and you are authorized to make them.

WARNING Making unauthorized changes to channel assignment may disrupt or completely stop services to callers. If no changes are required, simply review the information about services on your Avaya IR system.

To administer channels:

1. Go to the Display Equipment screen (Configuration Management > Voice Equipment > Display Equipment).

2. Scroll down and review all the services that are assigned on your Avaya IR system. To become familiar with the services, find the information that answers the questions that follow:

― How many services are supported?

― What phone numbers are assigned to services?

― How are equipment groups assigned? Do any services have dedicated equipment groups?



3. Make any required changes to how services are assigned to channels.

4. Make any required changes to the assignment of equipment groups.

5. Return to the Display Equipment screen, if necessary.

6. Select File > Print to print a copy of the Display Equipment screen for your records.

Administering users

Avaya IR system administrators need a user name and password to use the Web Administration interface and other functions. Set up user names and passwords through the Solaris operating system. You can enter commands or use Admintool graphical interface.

Use commands to add or remove user permission levels. Permission levels control whether users have full or limited access to the voice system. In this tour, you see how the Integrity Insurance system administrator removes a user, adds users, and assigns permissions using the Admintool interface.

Adding users

There have been some staff changes at Integrity Insurance, and the Avaya IR system administrator needs to administer users to reflect those changes.

A new person, Rob Dillon, will be helping with system administration tasks. The Integrity system administrator will use the Admintool interface to add him as a user. She has planned the entries she will make.

Note: To use Admintool, you need to have an X Window environment, such as CDE (Common Desktop Environment) for Sun systems or Exceed for Microsoft Windows systems. If you do not have access to an X Window environment, you can establish user accounts with the Solaris command useradd and groupadd.

To add a user to the IR system:

1. At the UNIX prompt, type admintool & to start the admintool interface.


Tech Tours

The system displays the Users main menu. You use this window to manage account information.

2. On the Edit menu, select Add.

The system displays the Add User window.

3. Complete the Add User window with information about the new user and select OK.

Note that:

― User ID numbers must be a whole number less than or equal to 2147483647. They are required for both regular user accounts and special system accounts. Although User ID numbers 0 through 99 are reserved, you can add a user with one of these numbers. However, do not use them for regular user accounts. By definition, root always has User ID 0, demon has User ID 1, and pseudo-user bin has User ID 2.

― When adding a user account, you must assign a primary group for a user or accept the default group, staff (group 10). The primary group should already exist (if it does not exist, specify the group by a GID number).

The Integrity system administrator completed the window by making the following entries:

― User name: rdillon

― User ID: 1006

― Primary Group: administration

― Secondary Group: no entry

― Login Shell: ksh

― Password: admin

― Min Change: 2 days



― Max Change: 42 days

― Max Inactive: 90 days

― Expiration Date: None

― Warning: 5 days

― Path: /export/rdillon

Rob is now added as an Avaya IR user. The list of user accounts displayed in the Users main window is updated to include the new user account. The next step is to assign permissions to allow him access to the Avaya IR system.

Changing user permissions

Assigning and changing user permissions

Rob Dillon is added as a Avaya IR system user. To give him access to system administration functions, the Integrity system administrator types the following command at the UNIX root prompt:

# assign_permissions rdillon Operations

This permission level allows Rob to access configuration management, reports, and system monitor capabilities. When Rob gains more experience, the Integrity system administrator will type the following command to give him full control of the voice system:

# assign_permissions rdillon Administration

Removing user permissions

Julie, the person Rob is replacing, is moving to another position and will no longer be working with the Avaya IR system. The Integrity system administrator enters the following command at the UNIX root prompt to remove Julie's permissions:

# unassign_permissions jgomez

Julie is no longer able to access and administer the Avaya IR system. However, her user ID and password remain in effect for other system activities on Solaris, such as using e-mail.

Completing backups

Failure to maintain adequate and up-to-date IR system backups is a common and costly mistake. The tours in this section show you how to complete and schedule backups.


Tech Tours

Note: If your company has a specialized application for completing backups, you may use it to back up your Avaya IR system and its files. You also may do backups by using Unix commands. This tour explains how to do backups using the Web Administration interface.

Backup guidelines

Regular backups are essential to preventing possible data loss and interruption to service. This section provides guidelines on completing backups.

Backup requirements During backups, the Avaya IR system copies files into the backup directory that you establish on another system. Systems used for backups must have NFS service available. The backup directory must be an NFS mount point. If the mounting requirements are not met, you will receive an error message, and the backup will not proceed. Additionally, completing a full backup requires that the voice system be stopped.

Full vs. partial backups Full backups

During a full backup, all Avaya IR system files, including voice response applications, are copied. Before starting a full backup, the voice system is stopped. Schedule full backups for times when there is little or no system traffic. You may direct traffic to another Avaya IR system, if you have that option.

Partial backups

During a partial backup, the Avaya IR system copies any system files that have changed during the specified time. You do not need to stop the voice system to perform a partial backup, although it is recommended. If a large number of files will be backed up, the activity may affect system resources. It is best to perform partial backups at times of low system activity.

Scheduling and maintaining backups Once your Avaya IR system is installed and set up, perform a full backup to ensure that you can restore the system, if necessary. After that, establish a schedule of regular full and partial backups to protect system data and ensure that backups have a minimal impact on system operations. Schedule a full backup weekly (generally on Sunday) and a partial backup daily. At a minimum, you should complete full backups monthly and partial backups weekly.



The Avaya IR system tracks backup activity. To review backups, go to the Backup History screen (Backup/Restore > Backup History).

The system displays information on backups. An example follows:

Last complete backup done on Mon Jul 29 15:52:10 MDT 2002 Last partial backup done on Tue Jul 30 07:42:16 MDT 2002

When backup files are no longer required, delete them, using the Delete Backup Files screen. Clean out backup files regularly, so that only up-to-date required files are stored. Deleting unwanted backup files saves disk storage space and eliminates confusion if you need to restore files.

Completing full backups

To complete a full backup of the system:

1. Go to the Backup screen (Backup/Restore > Backup) and select Full Backup.

The system displays the Full Backup screen.

2. On the Full Backup screen, enter the required specifications and select Submit.

The Integrity system administrator completed the Full Backup screen as shown. The system will assign a name to the backup file based on the name of the machine being used for the backup, the time of day, and the type of backup (full or partial). The Backup file title entered here appears in the header of the file. The default priority setting (high) is appropriate.


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Since the voice system must be stopped in order to do a full backup, system resources should be more than adequate.

Completing partial backups

At Integrity Insurance, a partial backup of the system runs Monday through Saturday at 9 p.m. (On Sunday, a full backup runs.) Today, the Integrity system administrator has made a number of changes to a voice response application before noon. She decided to do a partial backup right away, rather than waiting for the regular nightly backup to run.

To complete a partial backup:

1. Go to the Backup screen (Backup/Restore > Backup) and select Partial Backup.

The system displays the Partial Backup screen.

2. On the Partial Backup screen, specify the backup parameters and select Submit.



Note: You may specify one of three backup parameters: Days, Directory, or File List

The Integrity system administrator made entries as shown in the following screen to back up changes made that day to the medicare application. Since she was backing up in the middle of the workday, she chose low priority. The system will wait for resources to become available before completing the backup.

Scheduling backups

By scheduling backups appropriately, you make sure that your system is fully-protected and can be restored as quickly as possible. Once the Integrity system administrator completed her first full backup of the Avaya IR system, she created a backup schedule.

Scheduling full backups

To schedule regular full backups:

1. Go to the Backup Scheduling screen (Backup/Restore > Backup Scheduling).


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The system displays the Backup Scheduling screen.

2. Select Setup Schedule.

The system displays the Setup Backup Schedule screen.

3. Specify the parameters for full backups and select Submit.

The Integrity system administrator made entries as shown in the following screen. A military time format is used, so the backup will start at 1:15 a.m. every Sunday morning, not 1:15 p.m., which would be entered as 13:15.

Note: When planning scheduled backups, take into account that the voice system will be stopped to complete them.



Scheduling partial backups

To schedule regular partial backups:


2. On the Backup Scheduling screen, select Setup Schedule.

The system displays the Setup Backup Schedule screen.

3. Specify the parameters for partial backups and select Submit.

The Integrity system administrator made the following entries. Partial backups will be done Monday through Saturday at 1:15 a.m.

Note: When planning scheduled backups, take into account that the voice system will be stopped to complete them.


Tech Tours

Getting started with backups

In this topic, you become familiar with the backup parameters for your system. You also may change the schedule for backups and complete a partial backup if changes are required and you are authorized to do so.

WARNING Making unauthorized backups may disrupt or completely stop services to callers. If no backups are required, simply review the information about backups on your Avaya IR system.

Reviewing backup parameters

To review backup parameters:

1. Go to the Default Backup Parameters screen (Backup/Restore > Default Backup Parameters).

2. On the Default Backup Parameters screen, select Display Default Parameters and review the information on backup standards in effect for the Avaya IR system. To become familiar with the parameters, find the information that answers these questions:

― If you needed to restore files from backups, which directory would you check?

― How often are full and partial (incremental) backups done?

― How may days go by before a file that was modified is backed up?

― What is the priority for backups?

― How many days are full backup files retained? How many days are partial (incremental) backup files retained? (Refer to entries for cleanup.)

― How long will go by since the last full backup before an alarm is sent? How many days will go by since the last partial (incremental) backup before an alarm is sent?

Changing the backup schedule

To change the backup schedule:


2. On the Backup Scheduling screen, select Setup Schedule.

3. Make any required changes to the backup schedule.



Completing a partial backup

To complete a partial backup:

1. Go to the Partial Backup screen (Backup/Restore > Backup > Partial Backup).

2. On the Partial Backup screen, enter the backup parameters and select Submit.

Stopping and starting the voice system

You stop the voice system in order to perform certain system tasks, such as full backups. The voice system may also need to be stopped when hardware upgrades are performed.

Stopping the voice system

It is time for the Integrity Insurance Avaya IR system to be upgraded. Before that happens, the system administrator will stop the voice system.

Preparing to stop the voice system When you stop the voice system, all voice services are halted after a specified time period. For that reason, you should stop the voice system only when absolutely necessary. To minimize the impact, take one of the following steps:

• Do administrative tasks that require stopping the voice system during non-business hours.

For instance, you may do these tasks during evening hours or on the weekend, if those are times of low or non-existent call volume.

• Use another Avaya IR system for voice response services during the shutdown time

If your organization has multiple Avaya IR systems, you may be able to route calls to another system when voice services are stopped. The system that is receiving calls must be able to:

― Perform the same functions and access the same data as the system it replaces

― Handle the increased call volume

During times of low call volume, you may choose to route calls directly to agents. If you choose to do this, you may need to arrange for agents to receive calls when automated services are off, especially if the agents will be looking up information that is usually provided automatically.


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Stopping voice system services Since there are two Avaya IR systems at Integrity, the system administrator does backups during times of low call volume and relies on the other system to handle calls.

1. Go to the Stop Voice System screen (Configuration Management > Stop voice system).

The system displays the Stop Voice System screen.

2. Enter the number of seconds to wait before voice services are shut down.

The Integrity system administrator completed the Stop Voice System screen as shown on the following screen. 600 seconds (10 minutes) is the maximum wait time. During the wait time, calls in process are completed, but no new calls are accepted.

3. Start system monitoring, if desired. At the command line, enter sysmon.

The Integrity system administrator views call processing and waits until all calls end, as shown on the System Monitor screen that follows. You may skip this step if you are shutting down the voice system at a time when no calls are being handled. You follow the sysmon command with a number indicating the number of pages you want displayed. Since the Integrity IR system has fewer than 120 channels, one page of information is enough.

4. Initiate stopping of the voice system

a) Return to the Stop voice system screen.



b) Select Submit.

System messages appear as the voice system is shut down.

Starting the voice system

With the upgrade complete, the Integrity system administrator is ready to start voice services again.

1. Go to the Start Voice System screen (Configuration Management > Start Voice System).

The system displays the Start Voice System screen.

2. On the Start Voice System screen, select Submit.

The system displays messages to let you know that it is starting voice services.

3. Enter sysmon, if desired, to check on the operation of voice services.

If the System Monitor window was open when the system was shut down, it may display channels in the Pending state. When this happens, close the window and open it again.

System monitoring

Regular monitoring of system operations helps you to spot problems before they become serious. This example takes you through system monitoring steps on a sample system, as completed by the system administrator for Integrity Insurance.

Making test calls

Every day, the system administrator makes phone calls to the same numbers used by customers, or has someone else in the group do that and report back. Calls are made during peak calling periods to ensure that the system is working well under heavy volume. The goal is to make sure that the following is occurring:


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• Calls are going through without callers having to make repeated attempts.

• Line quality is good.

• The Avaya IR system is answering calls, prompting callers, and responding to their input.

Today, when the system administrator makes the calls, a problem is apparent. When she calls the information line for supplementary Medicare coverage services, she keeps getting a busy signal. She has to call repeatedly to get through.

Viewing system operations live

When the Integrity system administrator has problems getting through to the Medicare number, she decides to check service operations right away by using the sysmon command.

To view service operations:

1. Enter sysmon at the command line.

The system displays page 1 of the service activity matrix. The dynamic matrix shows activities on system channels as they occur, and changes frequently. The following static sample is for purposes of this example:

The matrix for Integrity's system shows all channels taking calls and performing call handling functions. However, channel 20 has a low number of calls when compared to the other channels. The Integrity system administrator decides to check the Message Log Report screen to see if there are messages about hardware or communication failures.

2. Stop system monitoring by pressing F6 (CANCEL) to exit.

Checking the Message Log Report

Even if no problems are present, the Integrity system administrator checks the Message Log Report screen daily. Checking the Message Log Report screen daily is a good practice that you should follow as well.



To check the Message Log Report screen:

1. Go to the Message Log Report screen (Reports > Message Log Report).

The system displays the Message Log Report. A recent message shows that channel 20 has gone from the in service (INSERV) to the out of service (FOOS) state.

Thu Oct 3 11:37:20 2002 MTC

MTC002 NM CH 20 (MTC_STATE_EVENT)Changed state from INSERVE to FOOS.

2. Note information as needed. You may want to write down information on errors and events to use in troubleshooting activities.

In this example, the next step is to check the Display Equipment screen for broken or out-of-service equipment. This is another screen that you should check every day.

Checking the Display Equipment screen

To check the Display Equipment screen:


The system displays the Display Equipment screen. In the following sample, the administrator has scrolled down to see channel 20.

Channel 20 is in the facility out of service (FOOS) state. It is no longer taking calls, and the remaining channels are not adequate to handle service during busy periods. That is the cause of the problem. Diagnostic testing by Avaya or by the system administrator can further define the problem. For now, the system administrator may reassign channels from other services to make up for the loss of channel 20.

2. Close the Display Equipment window.


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Getting started with system monitoring

In this topic, you practice monitoring your Avaya IR system. You should monitor operations every day.

To monitor system operations:

1. During a busy time, make test calls to the numbers that customers use and record any problems. The questions that follow guide you in assessing operations.

― Were you able to reach numbers without having to make repeated attempts?

― Was the connection good?

― Did the Avaya IR system prompt you for information and respond to your input?

2. Go to the Message Log Report screen (Reports > Message Log Report) and review system error messages.

― Are there any critical (*C) or major (**) errors?

― Are there any minor (*) errors?

3. Display explanations of error messages, if necessary.

4. Note any problems and close the Message Log Report.


6. Note any problems and close the Display Equipment screen.

7. If it would be helpful to view service operations live, enter sysmon at the command line. The questions that follow guide you in assessing operations.

― Are any channels taking too few or no calls?

― Are transfers going to the correct extensions?

― Is caller input coming in correctly?

8. Take action as needed based on your observations.


Index

A Adding users � 23 Administering channels � 14 Administering equipment groups � 20 Administering new channel services � 15 Administering the Avaya IR system � 13 Administering users � 23 Application development � 13 Assigning channels to equipment groups � 21 Assigning phone numbers to services � 17 Assigning services to channels � 15 Avaya IR system example � 6

B Background

the decision � 6 Backup guidelines � 26 Backup requirements � 26 Benefits � 13

C Changes in operations � 10 Changing user permissions � 25 Checking the Display Equipment screen � 37 Checking the Message Log Report � 36 Checking trouble tickets � 12 Closing trouble tickets � 12 Completing backups � 25 Completing full backups � 27 Completing partial backups � 28

F Full vs. partial backups � 26 Future plans

converged network operations � 9

G Getting started with backups � 32 Getting started with channel administration � 22 Getting started with system monitoring � 38 Goals for improving service � 6

M Making test calls � 35 Merging data and telephony networks � 7

N New handling of trouble tickets � 11

O Opening trouble tickets � 11

P Preparing to stop the voice system � 33

R Requirements for IVR services � 6

S Scheduling and maintaining backups � 26 Scheduling backups � 29 Scheduling full backups � 29 Scheduling partial backups � 31 Security � 23, 25 Starting point

separate data and telephony networks � 8 Starting the voice system � 35 Stopping and starting the voice system � 33 Stopping the voice system � 33 Stopping voice system services � 34 Streamlined business operations � 10 System administration � 13 System administration tours � 14 System maintenance � 13 System monitoring � 35

T Tech Tours � 5

U Unassigning channels from equipment groups � 20 Unassigning services from channels � 18

V Viewing system operations live � 36

W Why an Avaya IR system? � 7 With Avaya IR

merged data and telephony networks � 9


AvayaŽ Interactive Response · 2004-05-03 · AvayaŽ Interactive Response Release 1.2.1 System...

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Transcript of AvayaŽ Interactive Response · 2004-05-03 · AvayaŽ Interactive Response Release 1.2.1 System...