Handle calls in 8x8 Contact Center for ServiceNow

To receive or place calls using 8x8 Contact Center for ServiceNow, you must:

• Be a member of the call queue to which the call is routed.
• Be in the Available status in the 8x8 Contact Center integration app.

What happens when I receive a call?

With your ServiceNow dashboard and your status in 8x8 Contact Center for ServiceNow app is set to Available, when a call is offered, your phone rings and a call panel displays, indicating an incoming interaction.

You can preview the caller info from the call panel. Answer the call. If there is a matching record, the caller’s historical ServiceNow incident record opens in a new browser tab. Otherwise, for a new inbound caller, a new incident opens in separate browser tab at the end of the call. The incident features a transaction ID, call initiation time, call termination time, call duration, and more of your personal observations during the call.

What is the typical inbound call flow?

For an incoming call, if there is a matching user record for the caller in ServiceNow, the record displays so you can preview the customer’s historical ServiceNow user details and prepare for the conversation.
Otherwise, for a new inbound caller, a new incident opens in separate browser tab at the end of the call.

To receive a call:

1. When a call is offered, answer the call.
2. The system searches the ServiceNow CRM for a matching user record. If a matching record is found, it displays in a new browser tab. If no matching record is found, a new incident opens in separate browser tab at the end of the call.
3. Click to end the call. The post-processing time initiates.
4. If required, select a disposition code.
5. Click Wrap up.
6. Click Work Offline if you need more time to complete any post-processing task.
7. After completing the phone conversation, you can process notes in the existing or new incident associated with the inbound caller.
   
   
8. Click next to the incident number and select Save. Your notes are saved in the ServiceNow database and associated with the caller.

What is the screen pop behavior for a phone call?

If enabled by your administrator, you can receive a screen pop during an inbound call. A screen pop searches the caller’s phone number and shows you whether there is a matching record in the ServiceNow database. Upon finding a matching record, it presents the record for you to preview and prepare for the call you have received. With 8x8 Contact Center for ServiceNow, the screen pop occurs when an interaction is connected for inbound calls or when an outbound call is offered.

The search may return:

• A single match: The matching record is presented in a new browser tab. When the call ends, an incident is automatically generated. The incident includes information on the transaction ID, call initiation time, call termination time, call duration, etc. Optional notes added by you or another agent is also displayed.
• Multiple matches: In the event of multiple matching ServiceNow users, the 8x8 Contact Center app lists all matches in the Search tab. By default, the incident is associated with the first matching record in the list. You can select another record in the list to associate the call with. To open the user record from the list of possible matches, click the phone number listed under the relevant user. The user record will open in a new browser tab.
  
• No match: In the absence of matching records, there is no screen pop. After the call ends, an incident is created. Create the new user record and associate it with the incident.

How do I place outbound calls?

You can place outbound calls to agents and ServiceNow users using either the 8x8 Contact Center integration app or click-to-dial. If your 8x8 Contact Center administrator has set up phone codes, you must also select the correct code to apply the right calling line ID to your outbound calls.

• Making calls using the 8x8 Contact Center app: You can make outbound calls from the 8x8 Contact Center app by entering the desired number in the Make a call field or by clicking Add interaction > Call to use the dial pad to enter the phone number. If configured by the admin, you may be required to select a dialing reason before the placing the outbound call.
  
  The 8x8 Contact Center integration app uses a two-step process to dial an outbound call:
  
  1. Type the phone number and call.
  2. If required, select a dialing reason, then click Confirm and dial.
  3. Your agent telephone rings first. Answer the call.

  4. The call is then directed to the destination. Your external phone number rings next.

     If the phone number is linked to a user, the user record pops after the call connects. An incident displays in a new browser tab after the call ends.

     Note: If your connection mode is set to Persistent, the offered calls are instantly connected. The system dials out to the destination without calling workplace phone firstl. For details, see how to change your connection mode. Additionally, confirm your 8x8 Contact Center outbound call policies with your supervisor.

• Making calls using click-to-dial: If configured by your administrator, you are able to click and dial phone numbers from records from within the ServiceNow platform.

How do I select outbound phone codes?

If your 8x8 Contact Center administrator has set up phone codes, you have to select the appropriate codes to apply the right calling line ID to your outbound calls.

To select outbound phone codes:

1. Dial a number to call, and then click in the 8x8 Contact Center app.
   The dialing reason list displays.
2. Select an option from the list.
3. Click Confirm and dial.
   The calling line ID associated with the code is used to process the outbound call.
   

Transfer calls

Warm and cold call transfers between agents is now supported. This new integrated functionality aims to increase efficiency in communication and improve customer experience.

Let’s say as an agent, you receive a call from a customer with questions that are best suited for a more experienced agent. You can now transfer the call to the agent that can provide a solution to the customer. While on a call, click the transfer icon, and select:

• Warm Transfer: Implies notifying the agent you wish to transfer the call to before transferring the call. The customer is placed on hold while you are connected with the other agent. After briefing the agent, you can complete the transfer.
• Cold Transfer (blind transfer): The call is transferred without notifying the other agent. The agent receiving the call transfer will not see which agent transferred the call. If the second agent does not answer the phone, and the agent does not have 8x8 Contact Center voicemail set up, the call is dropped after the timeout period. For information about your contact center's timeout interval, contact your contact center administrator

Notes:
- A warm/cold transfer can only be performed if the agent you are transferring the call to has the status set to Available.
- The agent receiving the warm/cold transfer via an agent/queue/direct agent routing is presented with a screen pop with the customer information if a record of the customer already exists in the CRM. If the search does not yield a matching record, the system pops a new record entry screen.
- The call context such as the reason for the call, the reason for the call transfer, the agent's notes, etc., is not transferred.