Howto:IQM manipulative behaviors

This article describe some security features to control e prevent manipulation in a contact center.

Note: Some of the described features are normal innovaphone PBX features and have nothing to do with iQM; they are described anyway for the Contact Center Supervisor.

Applies To

This information applies to

iQM version 1.65 or higher

From version 2.02 on this automatic log-out can be disabled in the setup, if the option "No Unreg warning" is checked no control of the registration is done.

More Information

This article describes manipulative behaviours of agents. Those operations are done usually because the agent is no longer willing to serve phone calls, but tries to appear “busy” for the supervisor and the system.

Some typical tries are:

- The agent unplugs his IP-phone

- The agent lifts the receiver and puts it beside

- The agent calls a colleague or friendly partner

- The agent sets a presence status

- The agent sets a Call forward

All the described items belong to innovaphone phones, 3rd party phones or analog sets are not considered in this description.

Unplugging the IP-phone

If an innovaphone IP-phone is unplugged it will be deregistered in the PBX. This will not happen immediately but after a time-out (<1 minute). The PBX knows now about the state change and will no longer transfer calls to that phone, but the phone is not automatically logged out of the group. That is from a PBX point of view not necessary; deregistered = “offline” in the PBX is enough for call processing to skip the agent. So this task is done by the iQM; the iQM server even detects when an agent is no longer active in the PBX. If an agent unplugs his phone, the iQM client will force the log out of the group in the PBX and therefore the logged counter shows the real ready number of agents.

Additionally when an agent phone is unplugged a warning is displayed in the main view:

Near the agent counter a warning triangle indicates unregistered agents. A tool-tip “warning AGENT PHONE NON READY” is shown in the Mouse over event.

If the agent plugs in again his phone the warning will disappear.

Note: After a start- up of the iQM server the warning triangle is shown and will disappear after the first call or any operation of any agent.

Even in the iQM Event log file an entry is done.

Example: “24.08.2012 16:44:05 AGENT_WARNING 24 Rossi Valentino -- PHONE NOT O.K. –“

If the agent's client is running (or start it) and the phone is unplugged, the status shows instead of “Offline” a “!”:

Now the status toggle key is disabled (locked) and unlocked just when the agent phone is plugged in again, registered and active.

Please note that also a registration requires some seconds in the innovaphone PBX.

In the agent list (therefore this can be seen also by the supervisor...) the unplugged phones are indicated with “DEREG!” in the Status column:

The agent lifts the receiver and puts it beside

If you pick up a handset and put it beside, the phone is detected as busy (because you can dial, maybe first you have to search for a number or similar).

But after 2 minutes the phone will switch in a “semi-idle” situation: the display indicates a invalid dialled number, active phone calls are no longer possible and the dial tone changes into a busy tone.

The bad news for the agent is that in this situation the set will ring (again) and receive calls. So from a PBX point of view this phone is “free” again! And the set is now considered even as free in iQM and so “returns” to the available agents.

The agent calls a colleague or friendly partner

The solution is resumed in one word: “Reporting”.

It is not possible for a machine to detect if a connection is o.k. or not, but checking the reports you can easily detect those situations where agents call each other just to simulate being busy or call friendly customers or colleagues and put the receiver away.

Presence Status

If a presence state is activated on the agent phone, the phone will be excluded from ringing.

But the presence state is anyway displayed in the agent list and iQM put the agent out of the “Logged” counter. So this situation is clearly visible. If you dont want to allow your agents to set a presence state, have a look at the last paragraph.

Call Forward

If an agent activates a call forward, calls from the Queue are still sent to the phone. So the phone will ring (just for calls from the WQ, all other call will follow the forward). Please note that for this behaviour it is necessary to unflag the option ”CFU disables Operator” in the setup of the PBX, Waiting queue, Queue.

At least if you are afraid anyway…, it is possible to disable the access or at least the change of parameters in the phone itself. Flag the Option “Protect Configuration at phone” in the phone menu, section “Protect” or see related article.

Allow Agent Forking

If checked an Agent can even be a not registered Phone, if a Forking e164 destination is configured in this user object the iQM consider that Agent like a registered one. So if he is in the group he will become calls, and the counter “ready” will also count hose dummy forking extension. On start up anyway the error “no registered Phone” appears (the triangle in the agent count), to avoid that switch on “No Unreg Warning”. In the Agent list instead “UREG!” a “UNREG/FORK” is displayed if idle. Wrap up etc. will work like on a “normal” Agent user.

Related Articles

• Howto:Queue_Monitor_-_Overview
• Reference9:phone/Protect