Planning a successful Contact Center implementation using Cisco UCCX

9-12-2019 Edit –> Added the Excel Spreadsheet on Planning a successful Contact Center implementation using Cisco UCCX.xslx

As you may know, I’m very much into contact center stuff, and I have been creating different videos, but I really got worried because there are so many things to show and do on UCCX, and I did not have a road-map or a document to use to base my configurations on.

I decided that I needed a Design and a Planning session with myself and created this document.

In case you want to take a look at previous videos on the subject check the links — If not just jump to the next section – Happy Reading!

UCCX Labs rmcm user, jtapi user, skills, resource groups, contact service queues, resources, teams

UCCX Labs CUCM Device Preparation CTI Ports CTI Route Points Auto Attendant

UCCX Labs Understanding the CCX Editor, Validating a Script, Using the Reactive Script for Debugging

Now to the Post –>

This post looks to explain what are the things to consider and have ready when configuring Contact Center services using Cisco UCCX. Is not as technical as you may think it will be, the reason behind: “We Need to learn how to walk before we know how to run”

In case you are interested in getting a copy of the Spreadsheet I created, feel free to connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. Also, I’m making the Spreadsheet available as part of the post

Planning a successful Contact Center implementation using Cisco UCCX.xlsx

Assumptions

At this stage is assumed that you currently have a healthy CUCM environment, and also a UCCX Server installed

Scenario Requirements

A high-level overview of the requirements is needed to be able to accomplish a successful deployment. This process usually happens at the Design Meetings with the client. The following serves as the minimum requirements.

  • The company you are working with needs to be able to support a Contact Center with 10 Agents and 2 Supervisors.
  • There should be 2 different groups of Agents, Sales, and Compliance.
  • Agents from the Compliance group should be able to back up the Sales group in the case all Sales agents are busy attending to other clients
  • In the event that no agents are available, not ready or logged out, the calls should be transferred to a General Mailbox
  • Callers should hear a recording that instructs the caller how to reach the different departments
    • Sales
    • Compliance
    • IT Department
  • Supervisors should have the ability to Monitor calls received by the agents
  • Call Recording is required

Process Description

It is very important to understand the high-level process along with the different sections that we are going to be working with during the Configuration.

The following serves as a good roadmap of what will be done, and what will be accomplished, based on the requirements of your Installation and requirements from the client.

UCCX Integration and Configuration

Script overview

Having a successful design and planning meeting with your client will help you define the needs and the steps to follow from this point
Asking the right questions will help you define all the requirements, business needs and you will have a successful deployment
scripto

Definition of the Recordings

It’s important to define the creation of the recordings, either the client will complete this step, or there will be a third party company creating the prompts
recordings

CUCM Preparation

Directory Numbers Allocation

Define the numbers that will be used by UCCX. UCCX creates CTI Route Ports to be able to handle the calls, also Uses CTI Route Points to be able to send calls to the applications in UCCX
dns

AXL User

This user is the one required to create CTI Route Ports and CTI Route Points into CUCM from UCCX, it’s also the one in charge of creating the JTAPI and RMCM users in CUCM.
axl

Agents and Supervisors – Phones/Devices

Define all the Agents, Supervisors and Phone that will be used for the Contact Center
agentsnsuper

UCCX Preparation

Complete Cisco Unified CM Configuration

This section looks to define the relevant information that will help UCCX interact with CUCM. The creation of the JTAPI user and RMCM user will be started from UCCX itself.

AXL User

axl1

JTAPI User

jtapi1

RMCM User

rmcm1

Configure Call Control Groups

Call control groups are the ones used to handle incoming calls to the UCCX applications
ccgroups

Configure Triggers

Triggers are the numbers assigned to the different applications in UCCX. Multiple triggers/DNs can be assigned to an individual application. Triggers create CTI Route Points on CUCM.
triggers

Configure Resource Manager Contact Manager (RMCM)

Configure Skills

Skills are variables used for the Call routing decisions. A contact center can route calls based on skills, resource groups, last available and so on
skills1

Configure Resource Groups

Resource Groups are also logical containers or variables that can be used to influence the routing decisions, based on many factors
resourcegroups1

Configure Contact Service Queues

Contact Service queues are where all the routing decision are made based on Skills, resource groups and longest time available among other. You can declare how calls are routed per group(CSQ) and which skills are calls routed when intended for a group (CSQ)

csq1
csq2
csq3

Configure Resources (Agents/Supervisors)

This section is about making sure Skills assignments, Resource Groups, Teams and other vital information on the behavior of agents is configured.
reousrce1e

Configure Teams

Team configuration is for Supervisors to have better visibility of the members of each logical group. Here you define Supervisors and allocate Resources to different teams
teams

Configure Contact Center Applications

Configure Prompts

Remember on the initial section about defining all recordings and the foundation of the script? The list of prompts and relevant information is stored in this section.
prompts22

Configure Scripts

The definition of the Script files and locations
script23

Configure Application and Application Parameters

application12

What to look forward to?

In case you are interested, I can send you a copy of this SpreadSheet, which I just created to make my life easier with new deployments.

About the Author:

Andres Sarmiento, CCIE # 53520 (Collaboration)
With more than 13 years of experience, Andres is specialized in Unified Communications and Collaboration technologies. Consulted for several companies in South Florida, also Financial Institutions on behalf of Cisco Systems. Andres has been involved in high-profile implementations including Cisco technologies; such as Data Center, UC & Collaboration, Contact Center Express, Routing & Switching, Security and Hosted IPT Service provider infrastructures.

You can follow Andres using Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook

36 thoughts on “Planning a successful Contact Center implementation using Cisco UCCX”

  1. Hi Andres
    This is great tool, thanks
    But why alll that scripting?
    In our system, you can, without being uccx expert, create a call flow from scratch, add audio files, menus and create queues.
    We focus on the user should be able to make changes without having to worry about breaking anything, therefore we created several roles a user can have ex. a user may have the right to see how a call flow is structured but not the right to make changes, but in another call flow user has the right to make changes.
    Try to look a little on our web jubar.dk, it is good enough only in Danish. but we are working to translate it.
    See also here: http://jubar.dk/demo/

    Br,
    Morten Skovborg

  2. great work, I see we can set Skill at both queue level and agent level. I wonder if any there is anywhere something more specific about skills strategy.
    Thanks

  3. This definitely one of the nicest and complete documentation on how to proceed with uccx project to start with!!
    Wish I had that kind of layout when tried to explain to clients long time ago.
    Wish to receive your spreadsheets, if possible.
    Thank you and keep up the good work. Going through all the articles as fast as I could.:)))

  4. Andres,
    Thank you so much for the useful information. We greatly appreciate it. I will make sure to tell others about your wonderful blog. Can you please send me a copy of your spreadsheet to eunishap@gmail.com?

    Thank you

  5. Hello My Friend, i am looking uccx deployment / project documents from beginning to end.

    i know uccx technology but i have no idea about below

    1. Assessment of client requirements (question what we should ask to customer to get required information)
    2. Build HLD as per client requirements.
    3. Other project steps.

    Please provide spreadsheet as well.

    Thanks
    Tahir Farooq

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