Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

You can administer a converse-on step to send a Calling Party Number (CPN) / Billing Number (BN) to the IVR system using the caller keyword.

Intra-switch CDR

If a converse-on call is answered and either the caller or the VDN associated with the call is administered for intra-switch recording, timing for the call is started and the CDR record shows calling party to VDN as the originating and answering parties.

Line-side T1 connectivity

T1 connectivity between Communication Manager and the IVR system is supported for VRI. The DS1 board must be a TN767E or later, or TN464F or later.

Administer all converse agents as DS1FD-type stations. Operation of the converse step using Line-side T1 is identical to that over a tip/ring line. In particular, delay-timing and outpulsing speed is the same as for analog lines.

T1 connectivity to the IVR system is supported only in the United States and Canada.

Look-Ahead Interflow (LAI)

If an incoming call or a call routed by a converse-on vector step is answered by a VRU, or is queued to the converse split or skill while an LAI call attempt is outstanding, the attempt is accepted.

Message Center

Converse-on steps can deliver calls to message hunt groups. Such calls are handled as direct calls to the message hunt group.

If a call is forwarded to a VDN and a converse-on step delivers the call to a message split, the call is handled as a redirected call.

A converse-on step can queue a call to three different skills and then to a converse skill group or split.

Music-on-Hold (MOH)

During the data return phase of a converse-on step, the caller is placed on hold, but does not hear music.

Non vector-controlled splits

A converse-on step cannot route a call to a non vector-controlled split.

Queuing

Converse-on calls queue when delivered to busy hunt groups. Call Vectoring audible feedback is not disconnected while a converse-on call is queued.

If a converse-on step is run while a call is queued to a non-converse split or skill, the call remains in queue, even after being answered by the VRU.

Converse-on steps can queue calls at one of four priority levels: low, medium, high or top. You administer the queue priority of a call on the converse-on step.

R2-MFC signaling

R2-MFC signaling trunks can send Automatic Number Identification (ANI) to VRUs using the ani data item on the converse-on step.

Recorded announcement

Use VRI to increase the system recorded announcement capacity by offloading some recorded announcements to a VRU. Using the converse-on step, redirect callers to a group of VRU ports by passing the number of the announcement to be played. The IVR system can play any announcement on any port.

Although only one caller can be connected to each port, up to 48 callers can be connected simultaneously to the IVR system. The maximum number of callers that can be connected to a VRU simultaneously varies with each VRU.

Redirection on No Answer (RONA)

If a converse-on step calls a hunt group with no answer time out administered and the call rings an agent or port for longer than the time out interval, the call redirects and the agent or port is put in the AUX work mode or logged out if the agent is an AAS member.

With RONA, the call is requeued to the split or skill. The call cannot requeue to the split or skill if it is an AAS with all agents logged out or if the queue is full. If the call cannot be requeued, the converse-on step fails, a vector event is logged, and processing restarts at the next vector step.

Service Observing

Calls delivered by a converse-on step can be observed. To prevent the observer from hearing tones associated with data being sent to the VRU, the observer is not connected to the call until after data is passed. If the VRU returns data, the observer is put in service-observing-pending mode and the caller is put on hold while the data is sent. When the converse-on session ends and the VRU drops the line, the observer remains in service-observing-pending mode and waits for the next call.

In addition, the observer observing a VDN does not hear data being sent. After data is sent, the observer rejoins the call.

Do not administer a service observing warning tone because the warning tone can interfere with the interaction between the IVR system and the caller.

System measurements

System measurements track converse-on calls to hunt groups.

Touch-Tone Dialing

A caller can use touch-tone dialing while digits are passed in a converse-on session. The data is not corrupted. The system does not collect the dialed numbers as dial-ahead digits.

After the system sends digits to the IVR system, a caller can enter touch-tone digits at the IVR prompt. After the IVR system has returned data to the system and an additional collect <#> digits vector step is run, a caller can enter a touch-tone response to a system prompt.

Transfer

A call delivered by a converse-on step cannot be transferred.

If an attempt to transfer a converse-on call is made, a vector event is logged, the line to the IVR system is dropped, and processing restarts at the next vector step.

If a human agent tries to transfer a call, the transfer fails and the agent reconnects to the call.

Transfer out of AUDIX

If a converse-on step delivers a call to an AUDIX hunt group and the caller tries to transfer out of AUDIX, the transfer fails and processing continues at the next vector step.

Uniform Call Distribution (UCD)

You can administer a converse split or skill as a UCD split or skill.

VDN Display Override

If a call that accesses multiple VDNs encounters a converse-on step that passes VDN, normal display override rules determine which VDN number is sent to the VRU.

Vector-controlled splits or sSkills

Converse-on steps can deliver calls only to skills or vector-controlled splits.