TAA Scheduling. User s Guide

TAA Scheduling User s Guide

While every attempt is made to ensure both accuracy and completeness of information included in this document, errors can occur, and updates or improvements may be implemented without notice. For these reasons, Startel cannot accept responsibility for the complete accuracy of this data. Microsoft, Windows, Windows 7, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2008 Server, SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) are copyrights, trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Part Number: 91-1146-030 This manual reflects Administrative Controls version 12.1. Copyright 2014 by Startel Corporation The information contained herein is proprietary to, and considered a trade secret of, Startel Corporation, and shall not be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, or stored in any retrieval system in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Startel Corporation, 16 Goodyear, Bldg. B # 125, Irvine, California 92618, U.S.A. Revision Date: April 22, 2014

Contents TAA Scheduling User s Guide... 7 Introduction to Time Activated Alerts... 8 Defining and Enabling a TAA Schedule... 9 Defining a TAA Schedule in the TAA Plug-in... 9 Using Toolbar Features to Add, Edit, Delete, and Copy TAA Schedules 11 Enabling a TAA Schedule in the Client Maintenance Plug-in... 12 Using the TAA Schedule Manager... 14 Launching the TAA Schedule Manager... 14 Opening a TAA Schedule... 16 Using the TAA Schedule Manager Toolbar... 18 Adding Time Activated Alerts to a TAA Schedule... 19 Editing Time Activated Alerts... 22 Deleting Time Activated Alerts... 23 Copying a By Date Alert Across a Date Range... 24 Viewing TAA Schedule Notes... 26 Index... 27 3

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This document describes how to create and use TAA Schedules in your Startel CMC System. Sections include: Introduction to Time Activated Alerts (page 8) This section describes Time Activated Alerts and introduces concepts and features that are fundamental to TAA Scheduling. Defining and Enabling a TAA Schedule (page 9) This section describes how to define and enable a TAA Schedule for a client account using Startel CMC Administrative Controls. Using the TAA Schedule Manager (page 14) This section describes how to use the TAA Schedule Manager in Agent Interface to create and manage Time Activated Alerts for client accounts. 7

INTRODUCTION TO TIME ACTIVATED ALERTS Using the Startel Time Activated Alerts (TAA) feature, you can create client TAA Schedules that will pop or display Time Activated Alerts (TAAs) to agents in Agent Interface. By default, TAA Schedule windows appear in the upper left corner of the Agent Interface screen. However, they can be dragged to any location. Time Activated Alerts appear as pop-up messages like the following: When a TAA Schedule window is dragged, the new location is remembered the next time the window pops for the same agent station. A Time Activated Alert can be set up to appear in AI client screens: at a particular time of day on certain days of the week on a specific date all the time Just when and how a TAA appears is controlled by the client s TAA Schedule. TAA Schedules must be initially set up and enabled for clients using two Administrative Controls plug-ins: the TAA plug-in and the Client Maintenance plug-in. The actual alerts that is, the text messages that appear in TAA Schedule pop-up windows are typed or input and scheduled in Agent Interface using a feature called the TAA Schedule Manager. This document describes the simple procedures that you will use to define and manage TAA Schedules for your clients. 8

DEFINING AND ENABLING A TAA SCHEDULE Before Time Activated Alerts can be added to a client account in Agent Interface, two simple procedures must be performed in CMC Administrative Controls (AC). The TAA Schedule must be named and given an ID number in the TAA Schedule plug-in. (See below.) The TAA Schedule must be selected and enabled for the client in the Client Maintenance plug-in. (See page 12.) Defining a TAA Schedule in the TAA Plug-in To perform this procedure in Startel Administrative Controls, you must be assigned to an Access group that gives you Add rights in the TAA plug-in. Follow these steps to define a Name and ID Number for a TAA Schedule in the TAA plug-in. 1 Launch CMC Administrative Controls to display the AC Home page: 1 Double-click the shortcut to open the TAA plug-in. 9

The TAA plug-in opening window is displayed. If any TAA Schedules have already been defined for your call center, they will be listed here. 2 Click (Add) on the AC toolbar (or double-click in the blank row of the displayed table). Now the screen looks like this: 3 Enter an ID number in the Schedule ID field. This can be any number (up to 10 digits), but it s normally advisable to enter the Client ID associated with the client for whom this schedule will be used. This will make it easy to identify when it s time to enable the TAA Schedule for the client in Client Maintenance. 10

4 Enter a descriptive name for the schedule in the Description field. (For example, ABC Property Management.) You can enter up to 49 characters, including spaces. 5 Click (Save) on the AC toolbar, then click (Back). The TAA Schedule you defined is now listed in the TAA Schedules opening window. Using Toolbar Features to Add, Edit, Delete, and Copy TAA Schedules The TAA Schedules. features on the AC toolbar can be used to add, edit, delete, and copy If you edit a TAA Schedule that has already been assigned to a client account for example, if you change the ID number of the TAA Schedule there is no negative impact. The TAA Schedule remains enabled for the client, and the change will be reflected in Client Maintenance. If you delete a TAA Schedule that has already been assigned to a client, the connection to the TAA Schedule is automatically removed from the client in Client Maintenance. Notes: The Edit, Delete, and Copy features on the AC toolbar do not become enabled until you select a TAA Schedule in the TAA Schedules window. You can also use commands on the Admin Controls Edit menu to add, edit, delete, and copy TAA Schedules. 11

Enabling a TAA Schedule in the Client Maintenance Plug-in Note: You can perform this procedure before or after you have added TAAs to the TAA Schedule in Agent Interface. After you have defined a TAA Schedule Name and ID in the TAA plug-in, you can enable the schedule for the intended client in Client Maintenance. Follow these steps: 1 Open Startel Administrative Controls. 2 Double-click the shortcut in the AC Home page. The Client Maintenance opening window is displayed. 3 Select the client for whom you want to enable the TAA Schedule. The client s General Settings screen is displayed. 4 Select the (TAA) element under the Applications heading in the left pane of the Client Maintenance window. 12

The TAA screen is displayed: 5 Select the Enable checkbox. Additional settings in the screen are now active. 6 Open the Schedule drop-down menu and select the TAA Schedule that was created for the client. 7 Do ONE of the following: It s advisable to check Automatically display on new call. When this is checked, agents don t have to remember to check for active TAAs. If you want the TAA Schedule window to open automatically when Time Activated Alerts are scheduled to display, check Automatically display on new call. If you want to require agents to press Alt-A to check for TAAs, leave the checkbox cleared. 8 Click (Save) on the AC toolbar. The selected TAA Schedule is now enabled for the client account. 13

USING THE TAA SCHEDULE MANAGER Though you need to do some initial setup tasks in the TAA and Client Maintenance plug-ins, most tasks related to Time Activated Alerts are performed in Agent Interface using the TAA Schedule Manager. Refer to the following topics for details on how to use the TAA Schedule Manager to create and manage Time Activated Alerts. Launching the TAA Schedule Manager (see below) Opening a TAA Schedule (page 16) Adding Time Activated Alerts to a TAA Schedule (page 19) Editing Time Activated Alerts (page 22) Deleting Time Activated Alerts (page 23) Copying a By Date Alert Across a Date Range (page 24) Viewing TAA Schedule Notes (page 26) Launching the TAA Schedule Manager The TAA Schedule Manager can be launched from any Agent Interface screen. Follow these steps in Agent Interface: 1 Press Alt-A or select View > Time Activated Alerts from the Agent Interface menu bar. A small Time Activated Alert window opens. This is the same pop-up that displays when a TAA is scheduled to appear in a client screen (see page 8). 2 Select Settings > TAA Manager in the TAA window, as shown above. 14

The TAA Schedule Manager opens. If you launched the TAA Schedule Manager from a client account for which a TAA Schedule has been enabled, that schedule opens automatically. In the above sample window, no schedule is open. See page 16 for information on how to open a schedule in the TAA Schedule Manager. 15

Opening a TAA Schedule Follow these steps to open a TAA Schedule from the TAA Schedule Manager: 1 Launch the TAA Schedule Manager (see page 14). 2 Select Schedule > Open Time Activated Alerts... in the TAA Schedule Manager menu bar. A TAA Schedule List is displayed: This list contains all the TAA Schedules that your Agent profile authorizes you to access. Authorization is based on your Agent profile s Access Group. 16

3 To open a schedule in the TAA Schedule List, double-click on the schedule s ID number (or select the ID number and click OK). Any alerts that have already been added to the selected schedule are now listed in the TAA Schedule Manager, as shown below: Now that the TAA Schedule is open, you can use features on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar to add, edit, delete, and copy alerts in the current TAA Schedule (assuming the necessary access rights). 4 When you re ready to exit the TAA Schedule, do ONE of the following: Select Schedule > Close (or click ) to close the TAA Schedule Manager. Select Schedule > Open Time Activated Alerts to open a different TAA Schedule. Select (View Notes) to view details logged for the TAA Schedule. For details on how to manage items in a TAA Schedule, see these topics: Using the TAA Schedule Manager Toolbar (page 18) Adding Time Activated Alerts to a TAA Schedule (page 19) Editing Time Activated Alerts (page 22) Deleting Time Activated Alerts (page 23) Copying a By Date Alert Across a Date Range (page 24) Viewing TAA Schedule Notes (page 26) 17

Using the TAA Schedule Manager Toolbar The TAA Schedule Manager Schedule and Entry menus contain commands that function just like these toolbar features. When a toolbar feature is grayed, it means either that an item is not selected, or that you do not have the access rights to use the feature. Notice the small toolbar at the top of the TAA Schedule Manager window. Features on this toolbar work as follows: Feature Function Displays the TAA Schedule list, from which you can open any TAA Schedule that you re authorized to access. (See page 16.) Lets you add alerts to an open TAA Schedule. This feature is enabled when a TAA Schedule is open. (See page 19.) Lets you edit an alert in an open TAA Schedule. This feature is enabled when a TAA Schedule is open, and you have selected an alert in the TAA window. (See page 22.) Lets you delete an alert from an open TAA Schedule. This feature is enabled when a TAA Schedule is open, and you have selected an alert in the TAA window. (See page 23.) Lets you copy an alert scheduled By Date across a specified number of consecutive days. This button is enabled when a TAA Schedule is open, and you have selected an alert scheduled By Date in the TAA window. (See page 24.) 18

Adding Time Activated Alerts to a TAA Schedule If your Agent profile s Access Group assignment authorizes you to add Time Activated Alerts to a TAA Schedule, the (Add Entry) feature is enabled on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar when a TAA Schedule is open. Follow these steps to add an alert to an open TAA Schedule: 1 Open the TAA Schedule to which you want to add an item. 2 Click (Add Entry) on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar. A Notes box is displayed. Here, you have the option of attaching a note to the alert. 3 Type a note and click OK, or bypass the feature by simply clicking OK. 19

A dialog box like the following opens. 4 Type the alert text in the field labeled Alert. (Alert text can be a maximum of 15 lines.) 5 In the Time Period fields, specify the time period during which you want the alert to display. (By default, the current time is entered in both the From and To fields.) If you want the alert to display all the time, enter 12:00:00 AM in the From field, and 11:59:59 PM in the To field. NOTE: To specify From and To values, you need to use the controls to select the values for each time segment. and When you schedule by date, you can t specify a date range you can schedule a single day only. However, you can use a Copy function to copy a single-day assignment across any number of consecutive days in the same month. See page 24 for details. 6 Open the drop-down menu located below the time period fields. 7 Select a menu option, and follow the instructions described for the choice below: By Specific Date: Select this if you want the alert to appear on a specific date. The current date is selected by default. To specify a different date, click the icon and select a date from the pop-up calendar. If you want the TAA to repeat on this date every year, select the checkbox labeled Repeat every year. 20

By Day of the Week: Select this if you want the message to appear on one or more specific days of the week. When you select this option, the screen changes to display 7 checkboxes, one for each day of the week. Select the checkbox next to each day on which you want the message to display. By Day of the Month: Select this if you want the message to appear on one specific day of the month. When you select this option, the screen changes to display a date field. In this field, enter the day of the month on which you want the message to display. By default, the current day of the month is selected. 8 When you re finished, click OK to close the Time Activated Alert dialog box and redisplay the TAA Schedule Manager, where the new alert is now listed. 21

Editing Time Activated Alerts If your Agent profile s Access Group assignment authorizes you to edit items in a TAA Schedule, the (Edit Entry) feature becomes enabled on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar when you select an alert. Follow these steps to edit a Time Activated Alert in a TAA Schedule: 1 Open the TAA Schedule Manager and select the TAA Schedule that you want to change. 2 In the TAA Schedule window, select the TAA that you want to edit. 3 Click (Edit Entry) on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar. A Notes box is displayed. Here, you have the option of attaching a note to the edited TAA. If you attach a note to an edit, the note is added to the View Notes log associated with the TAA Schedule. See page 26 for more information. 4 Type a note and click OK, or bypass by simply clicking OK. 22

5 The Time Activated Alerts dialog box is displayed. This dialog box is identical to the one that you use to add a Time Activated Alert (see page 20). 6 Edit the TAA as necessary. 7 When you re finished, click OK to save your changes and close the Time Activated Alerts dialog box. Deleting Time Activated Alerts If you attach a note to a deletion, the note is added to the View Notes log associated with the TAA Schedule. See page 26 for more information. If your Agent profile s Access Group assignment authorizes you to delete items from a TAA Schedule, the (Delete Entry) feature becomes enabled on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar when you select an alert. Follow these steps to delete a Time Activated Alert from a TAA Schedule: 1 Open the TAA Schedule Manager and select the TAA Schedule that you want to change. 2 In the TAA Schedule window, select the TAA that you want to delete. 3 Click (Delete Entry) on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar. A Notes box is displayed. Here, you have the option of attaching a note to the deleted TAA. 4 Type a note and click OK, or bypass the feature by simply clicking OK. The item is deleted from the TAA Schedule. NOTES: Access Groups can provide different access rights to different TAA Schedules. You may, therefore, be able to remove alerts from some TAA Schedules, but not others. Be careful when you delete alerts. There is no Undo command. You cannot delete more than one alert at a time. When multiple items are selected in a TAA Schedule, the (Delete Entry) feature is disabled. 23

Copying a By Date Alert Across a Date Range If you ve created a Time Activated Alert for a single date, and you would like the alert to span a number of additional consecutive dates, you can use the (Copy Entry) feature on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar to copy the alert across any number of consecutive days in the same month. Follow these steps: 1 Open the TAA Schedule containing the alert that you want to copy. 2 Select the By Date item that you want to copy. 3 Click the (Copy Entry) feature on the TAA Schedule Manager toolbar. A Notes box is displayed. Here, you have the option of attaching a note, or bypassing the Notes box. 4 Type a note and click OK, or simply click OK to bypass. 24

The Copy Range dialog box is displayed. 5 Specify a date range by entering dates in the From and To fields. To specify each date, click the associated icon, then select a date from the pop-up calendar: 6 When you re finished with the date range, click OK. Multiple alerts now appear in the TAA Schedule Manager window, one for each date in the specified date range. 25

Viewing TAA Schedule Notes Each time a TAA Schedule is viewed or changed, that activity is logged and saved along with the TAA Schedule. Also logged and saved are any notes that were entered by the agents who made changes to the TAA Schedule. To view this information for a TAA Schedule: For details on how to open a TAA Schedule, see page 16. 1 Open the TAA Schedule in the TAA Schedule Manager. 2 Select (View Notes) on the left side of the screen. A screen like the following is displayed: When the screen first appears, columns may not be wide enough to display the information you need to see. 3 If you want to widen any column, place your mouse pointer over the column divider at the top of the table until the pointer looks like this: Then drag the column divider to the right until it displays the complete contents of the column. 4 To exit the View Notes screen, do one of the following: Select Schedule > Close (also closes the TAA Schedule Manager). Select (remains in the TAA Schedule Manager). Click (also closes the TAA Schedule Manager). NOTE: You can neither delete nor edit items in the View Notes screen. 26

Index A access rights 23 Add Entry toolbar button 18, 19 adding Time Activated Alerts 19 Automatically Display on New Call 13 B By Day of the Month option 21 C calendar pop-up for date selection 20, 25 Client Maintenance window 12 Copy Entry toolbar button 18, 24 Copy Range dialog box 25 copying By Date alert across date range 18, 24 D defining TAA Schedule 9 Delete Entry toolbar button 18, 23 deleting Time Activated Alerts 23 E Edit Entry toolbar button 18, 22 editing Time Activated Alerts 22 enabling TAA Schedule in Client Maintenance 12 I introduction to Time Activated Alerts 8 L launching TAA plug-in 9 launching TAA Schedule Manager in Agent Interface 14 N notes added to TAA Schedules 19, 22, 23, 26 Notes box 19 O Open TAA toolbar button 18 opening schedule in TAA Schedule Manager 16 opening TAA Schedule Manager 14 P pop-up calendar 20, 25 R removing Time Activated Alerts 23 Repeat every year 20 T TAA By Day of Month option 21 TAA element (in Client Maintenance) 13 TAA Schedule list 16 TAA Schedule Manager 8, 15 menu commands 18 opening 14 opening TAA schedule in 16 toolbar 18 TAA Schedule Manager Notes box 19 TAA Schedule notes 26 TAA Schedules and Client Maintenance plug-in 8 defining in Administrative Controls 8 Time Activated Alert window 14 Time Activated Alerts adding 19, 22, 23 and Client Maintenance plug-in 8 introduction to 8 removing 23 viewing notes on 26 V viewing TAA Schedule notes 26 27