Manage service queues

A service queue is a group of agents to which contacts are routed. It is generally associated with a specific skill. In WFM, you schedule agents to support service queue requirements. For this reason, WFM makes service queues the focal point for schedules and forecasts.

Synced/Non-synced environments

Service queues can be created in WFM or synced from your ACD.

Virtual service queues

A virtual service queue is a collection of service queues with the same service queue type. Virtual service queues exist only in WFM.

NOTE   Do not make a synced service queue a virtual service queue. Select this check box only if you created the service queue in WFM.

A virtual service queue begins to gather historical data from the component service queues after you create it. If historical data already exists for the component service queues, and you want to associate their cumulative historical data with the virtual service queue, you can submit a historical data merge request (see Merge historical data).

NOTE   

You can also submit a historical data merge request if you want to recompute the historical data for a virtual service queue because you have done either of the following to the virtual service queue:

Create a virtual service queue when you want to generate a single forecast, distribution, or schedule for a group of like service queues. The following are examples of some situations where a virtual service queue is useful.

EXAMPLE   A contact center has one service queue for premium customers and another for regular customers. Premium customers reach an agent faster and receive higher value services. The agents who handle customer calls are members of both service queues. Creating a virtual service queue that is comprised of the premium and regular customer service queues simplifies scheduling.

EXAMPLE   An organization has IT help desks in multiple locations. The contact center uses a service queue for each location to account for multiple time zones and to allow reporting by location. The contact center routing consolidates the agents from each location into a single pool and distributes calls to the next available agent regardless of location. By grouping the service queues into a virtual service queue, WFM can schedule the agents as a single group in a pattern that is consistent with the routing and time zones.

Precision queues

A Unified CCE precision queue is a more detailed contact routing method than that used by a service queue. It is based on multiple agent attributes and proficiencies that are configured in Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management (Unified ICM). Precision queues help route calls to the most qualified agent available.

For information about configuring precision queues, consult your Cisco Unified ICM documentation.

WFM treats precision queues like service queues (”skill groups,” in Unified CCE terminology). When WFM is synced with Unified CCE, WFM creates a service queue and skill mapping for each Unified ICM skill group and precision queue. An exception to this is if there are multiple Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM) peripheral gateways set up in Unified ICM. In this situation, for each precision queue and peripheral gateway, WFM creates a service queue. That is:

number of Unified CM peripheral gateways × number of PQs = number of service queues created in WFM

In systems with multiple peripheral gateways, the service queues created in WFM are named as follows:

<PG ID>.<precision queue name>

WFM captures precision queue historical data in the same way it captures service queue historical data.

NOTE   At this time, WFM ignores any of the detailed agent attributes and proficiencies that are used by Unified CCE to route calls.

Field descriptions

Use the Service Queues page to create, edit, and delete service queues.

You are prevented from deleting a service queue that has any scheduled activity (except for Available and Not Available) or if any of the following are true:

BEST PRACTICE    Do not delete service queues. If you delete a service queue, all the historical data and agent schedules associated with it are lost.

The fields on the Service Queues page when you edit or delete an existing service queue, or when you create a new service queue, are described below.

Field Description
Service Queue Name The service queue’s name. In synced systems, the name is created and maintained in the ACD.
Source ACD The ACD that is the source of the service queue data. In a synced system, this field is autofilled. In a non-synced system, the ACD must be selected manually. The default in a non-synced system is Generic.
Service Queue ID The unique ID that identifies the service queue. In synced systems, the ID is created in the ACD. Once an ID is assigned to a service queue, it cannot be changed.
Do not generate forecasts or schedules for this service queue check box

Select this check box to deactivate the service queue. It will no longer be available when generating distributions, forecasts, strategic forecasts, and schedules. However, you can still view its historical data.

NOTE   If you select this check box, be sure to remove the service queue from all multiskill groups it is associated with. If you do not, a schedule request for those multiskill groups will fail.

The service queue type describes the kind of contacts this service queue handles. See Manage service queue types.

Select the time zone to use when scheduling the service queue. The service queue opening and closing hours are interpreted by this time zone. By default, this is the default time zone configured for your company on the Global Settings page (see Configure global settings ).

(Non-interactive service queues only) The redistribution type that determines how non-interactive contacts that arrive during the service queue’s closed hours are redistributed among target intervals for forecasting purposes. Target intervals are determined by the handling threshold. Your options are the following:

  • None—Contacts that arrive during closed hours are ignored and not redistributed (default).
  • Proportional—Contacts are redistributed proportionally among target intervals based on the target intervals’ distribution ratios.
  • Even—Contacts are redistributed evenly among the target intervals.

In the Handling Threshold field, enter the amount of time in which contacts must be handled, in minutes. Valid values are from 0 to 4,320 minutes (72 hours).

Field Description
Service Queue Priority

The service queue priority: any number from 0 to 999, with 0 being the highest priority. The service queue priority allows WFM to resolve scheduling conflicts when agents are assigned to multiple service queues.

EXAMPLE   You designate some of your agents to support two service queues. If WFM generates the schedules for the two service queues and discovers that there are not enough agents to support all forecast requirements for both, it compares the priority value of each service queue and schedules agents for the service queue with the highest priority first.
Average Talk Time

The average amount of time, in seconds, that a contact lasts for this service queue. WFM uses this information to determine the number of agents needed to meet requirements when it generates a distribution for this service queue.

You can opt to let WFM calculate this value for you automatically when it generates a distribution by selecting the check box in the Service Queue Standard Times section of the Distribution Request page.

Average After Contact Work Time

The average amount of time, in seconds, that an agent spends in after contact work for this service queue. WFM uses this information to determine the number of agents needed to meet requirements when it generates a distribution for this service queue.

You can opt to let WFM calculate this value for you automatically when it generates a distribution by selecting the check box in the Service Queue Standard Times section of the Distribution Request page.
Service Level Objective (Interactive service queues only) The percentage of contacts to be answered within a specified number of seconds. The number of seconds must be greater than zero. WFM uses this goal to determine the number of agents needed to meet requirements when it generates a distribution and forecast for the service queue.
Forecast Precision Level Percentage

(Read-only) The value calculated when you run a forecast accuracy computation request for the service queue. If you have not done this, then the value displayed is zero percent.

The forecast precision level is a measure of how accurate a forecast was. This value is calculated by comparing forecasted contact volume with actual contact volume.

EXAMPLE   If the forecast precision level is 105 percent, the forecasted contact volume was 5 percent greater than the actual contact volume.

The days and hours of operation of the service queue. A check mark indicates that the service queue is active (or ‘open’) on a particular day of the week. The hours of operation are in 24-hour format, and must be in multiples of five minutes. If anything else is entered, the value is rounded to the nearest five minutes. The exception is the value 23:59, meaning midnight.

Select the “Enforce a minimum scheduling block duration” check box to set the minimum block of time this service queue can be scheduled for. Valid values range from five minutes (00:05) to 16 hours (16:00), in five-minute increments.

This setting is optional. Consider using it if you have agents who support multiple service queues and you do not want them switching between service queues too frequently. You do not need to use this setting if your agents support a single service queue or if they are able to easily switch back and forth between the service queues they support.

The minimum scheduling block duration applies only to schedules run using the Balanced scheduling method. If you run a schedule using the Prioritized scheduling method, this setting is disregarded. Other instances where the minimum scheduling block duration is ignored when changing schedules include:

  • Agent schedule edits
  • Optimizing schedules
  • Changes as a result of messaging requests
  • Copying schedule activities

The minimum duration is followed when running a Balanced method schedule, even if it means an agent cannot be scheduled for best coverage, for all of the agent’s service queues, or at all if the minimum cannot be met. Coverage can be negatively affected, especially if the minimum duration is set higher or close to the duration of the minimum work shift length.

NOTE   Using this setting will lengthen the time it takes to run your schedules, especially if your schedules are complex (for example, they include many agents, service queues, and work conditions, and use variable work shifts).

NOTE   If this service queue is part of a multiskill group, and the service queues in that group have different minimum schedule block durations, then the longest duration configured is used for the multiskill group.

Select the “Enforce a maximum scheduling percentage” check box to set the maximum percentage of time in an agent’s shift that can be allocated to support this service queue. Valid values range from 1–99 percent.

This setting is optional. Consider using it if you have agents who support multiple service queues and you want to specify how much of their work shift can be scheduled to support this service queue. You do not need to use this setting if your agents support a single service queue or a multiskill group, or if there is no reason to limit how much time they spend supporting this service queue.

NOTE   An agent will not be scheduled for the week if the only options available violate the configured maximum scheduling percentage.

The maximum scheduling percentage applies only to schedules run using the Balanced scheduling method. If you run a schedule using the Prioritized scheduling method, this setting is disregarded. Other instances where the maximum scheduling percentage is ignored when changing schedules include:

  • Agent schedule edits
  • Copying schedule activities
  • Changes as a result of approved schedule trades and offers
  • Updating schedules using Schedule History and Restore
  • Optimizing schedules

This section displays the name of each multiskill group that this service queue is a part of. Assign a priority (from 0 to 999, with 0 being the highest) to each multiskill group. The priority you assign here helps to determine how agents are scheduled to support the service queues that make up the multiskill groups.

Assigns one or more skill mappings to the service queue and sets their priorities (0–999, with 0 being the highest). You can assign one, multiple, or all skill mappings to the service queue.

Skill mappings link agents to service queues. In order for agents to be scheduled to support this service queue, both the agents and the service queue must be assigned to the same skill mapping. Assigning a priority to each skill mapping allows WFM to resolve scheduling conflicts when agents with multiple skills belong to multiple service queues.

Select the check box if this service queue is a virtual service queue (see Virtual service queues). Once you do this, a service queue selection pane opens so you can assign service queues to be members of the virtual service queue. The available service queues all have the same service queue type.

NOTE   Do not make a synced service queue a virtual service queue. Select this check box only if you created the service queue in WFM.

NOTE   In order to make changes to a virtual service queue, all the source service queues in the virtual service queue must be within your view and scope. If they are not, they do not appear in the list of source service queues and you are blocked from making any changes to the virtual service queue.

Makes this service queue the main service queue for one or more agents. You can search for agents with the basic or advanced filter, and you can assign one, multiple, or all agents to the main service queue.

NOTE   Assigning an agent to a main service queue automatically removes any previous main service queue assignments for that agent.

The order in which agents are scheduled for the service queue. WFM compares the agents based on this order and schedules the highest-priority agents first. If you want to reset the order to the system default, click the Restore Default button.

The criteria used are the following:

  • Maximum hours available—The sum of the maximum number of hours an agent can be scheduled each day of the week
  • Minimum hours available—The sum of the minimum number of hours an agent can be scheduled each day of the week
  • Maximum hours per week—The maximum number of hours per week configured for the agent’s work shift (from the Work Shifts page)
  • Minimum hours per week—The minimum number of hours per week configured for the agent’s work shift (from the Work Shifts page)
  • Rank—The agent’s ranking in the contact center based on expertise (from the Agents page)
  • Company start date—The date the agent started working for the company (from the Agents page)
  • Department start date—The date the agent started working for the department (from the Agents page)

Select the default shrinkage scenario, which applies the shrinkage adjustment factor to the forecast. A service queue can be assigned to only one shrinkage scenario.

Enter a value to adjust the way the system forecasts the number of agents to schedule. This factor is intended to represent the efficiency of the agents working a specific service queue. (Note that this is different from the efficiencies due to multi-skilling.)

  • Example of a situation that calls for an adjustment factor less than 1—a chat service queue that allows agents to answer concurrent chats. The agents on this service queue are more efficient. If they are able to answer twice as many chats as phone calls, then an appropriate adjustment factor might be 0.5.
  • Example of a situation that calls for an adjustment factor greater than 1—an inbound call service queue that generates followup work (such as outbound calls, research, and emails) on a case-by-case basis. The agents working on this service queue are only partially available for the incoming phone calls. In this case, a scheduler should enter a value that reflects the number of agents needed to complete one hour of incoming phone calls.

(Optional) Assigns default metadata values to, or removes default metadata values from, any or all of the following activities:

  • In Service
  • Overtime
  • Closed Service

For more information about configuring metadata values for activities, see Manage activity metadata values.

The color that represents this service queue in the schedule. This color is used only for in-service scheduled activities. Closed service queue and overtime scheduled activities for the service queue use standard, non-editable colors.