The Expanded Agent capabilities feature allows EAS agents to have up to 60 skills assigned. Each skill can be assigned a level from 1 to 16, where 1 is the highest level and 16 is the lowest. The numeric level, from 1 to 16, replaces the skill type, p for primary or s for secondary, that is used in earlier communication server releases. Agents can have a call handling preference that is based either on the skill level, on the greatest need, or percent allocation. A skill level call handling preference means that agents service the calls that are waiting for their highest level skill before servicing the calls that are waiting for any lower level skills. A greatest need call handling preferences means that agents serve the highest-priority, oldest call waiting for any of their skills, or percent allocation, based on the percent distribution of calls among the agent’s skills, regardless of the agent’s skill level in that skill. Percent Allocation call handling preference means that agents receive calls based on meeting an allocated percent for each skill.

The expanded agent capabilities feature also makes it possible to specify a skill that is used only for direct agent calls. Specifying a direct agent skill makes it possible to control when direct agent calls are delivered in relation to ACD calls. For example, if the direct agent skill has a skill level of 1 and the agent is assigned the skill level call handling preference, then direct agent call are always answered first. Also, if the direct agent skill has a skill level of 1 and the agent is assigned the greatest need call handling preference, then the direct agent calls will be answered on the basis of priority and time-in-queue.

The “top skill” can be useful in EAS implementations that use skill level call handling preference for the agents. An agent’s first-administered, highest level skill is the agent’s top skill because the agent is most likely to handle calls for this skill. Agents in a skill that is their “top skill” are “Top Agents” and are considered to be the most reliable and knowledgeable agents for that skill.

The expanded agent capabilities on the Avaya communication server include options for Most Idle Agent (MIA) call distribution. You can enable MIA distribution across skills, rather than for each skill. You can also choose whether agents in ACW are included in the agent free list. These options have no direct impact on CMS because CMS does not track MIA.