Inbound phone call flow

Calls flowing into 8x8 Contact Center stay in a queue until an agent is available. When an agent changes their status to Available, the longest waiting call in the queue is offered to the agent. 8x8 Contact Center searches the Local CRM database for existing records based on Caller ID, account number, case number, or any arbitrary data passed during the interaction. Searching based on arbitrary data requires customization of the CRM workflow and external IVR (eIVR).

If the caller is an existing customer, the relevant customer or case record is presented to the agent through screen pop. A screen pop of matching data occurs either before or after an agent accepts an interaction, based on the screen pop settings configured by contact center administrator. The agent processes the call and selects transaction codes to indicate the call disposition. Selecting transaction codes may be optional or mandatory based on the settings. On ending the call, the agent gets post-processing time for a final wrap-up before the call terminates. If codes are mandatory, the call stays in post-processing mode until codes are selected.

At the termination of the call, 8x8 Contact Center may create an auto call log. If the administrator has configured an auto log, one of the following auto log events occurs:

  • screen pop auto log in view mode
  • screen pop auto log in edit mode
  • no screen pop

Note: Interaction auto logs require administrator configuration.

The sequence of events in an inbound call flow may be represented as follows:

Agent whisper

If the 8x8 Contact Center agent is a member of multiple queues, and the AgentClosedAgents use the Agent Console to view and manage customer interactions. Virtual Contact Center supports Regular agents and Supervisor agents. whisper is set up for the tenant, Agent whisper alerts the agent, upon connection, about the connected call. Let’s say John serves support calls as well as sales calls, upon connection, the system plays a brief message stating if it is a sales or a support call. In Auto Answer mode, agents do not have time between calls. The whisper helps them identify the context of the call even before the customer information pops for preview, thus allowing them to prepare for the call. Agent whisper messages can be heard on both inbound and outbound calls. Agent whisper is only played for the agent. The agent and customer can talk to and hear each other while the whisper is playing. For details, see our content about Agent whisper.

Direct Agent Routing (DAR)

If an 8x8 Contact Center agent is configured for Direct Agent Routing (DAR) calls, the caller is prompted to input a valid direct access number. The call is then directed to the agent directly irrespective of agent's current status. If the agent is not available, the call is transferred to the agent's voicemail. The callers have the option to divert their calls if they prefer not to leave a voicemail for the agent. After a call is accepted by the agent, the agent status changes to busy. The agent is then allowed up to 60 minutes for post-processing after terminating the call, to wrap up any pending notes or actions related to the call.

Calls can be transferred to agents even if the agent's status is busy, on break, working offline, or logged off. 8x8 Contact Center administrators can configure for the calls to be transferred only if the agent's status is Available.

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