Using the Specified Resource feature, you can route work to a customer-specified resource. This feature is applicable to all new and updated work requests.
Specified resources can be of two types:
Preferred Resources: Resources that can be requested with the list of services. If no Preferred Resource or a resource from the specified services is available, the work waits in queue until a resource becomes available.
Required Resources: Resources that are requested without the list of services. If no Required Resource is available, the work waits in the queue until a Required Resource becomes available.
Work Assignment provides the ability to specify up to six specified resources in a Request Resource. If a work with specified resource waits in the queue for a long duration, you can update the work request. When updating a Request Resource, the client can update the services but cannot update the specified resource.
Examples of Work Assignment features that use Specified Resource functionality:
Last Agent Routing: Context store has information about the last agent who addressed customer, when the customer returns to the call centre. A look up is done from context store and agent information is acquired. This information is passed to Work Assignment automatically and the work is queued to that agent. If the agent is unavailable, a service is then added to the Work so that anybody on the service can be assigned to that work.
Defer Email: When an agent defers an email, it remains in the database for a certain period. Avaya Oceana® then attempts to route the email back to the original agent. The original agent is sent in the request to Work Assignment and the work is queued to them. If the agent is unavailable for a certain period, an additional service is added to the work through an update and the work is assigned to any agent on that service.
An angent is allowed to defer only ten emails.
Transfer to user: An agent passes the incoming work to a different agent who is more qualified to address an incoming customer query. The target agent is sent in the request in Work Assignment and the work is queued to that agent. If the agent is unavailable after a certain period of time, a service is attached to the work and the work is assigned to any agent on that service.
These are types of specified resources but:
At the first stage where only the information about an agent is sent in a request without any service, it is a Required Resource.
At the second stage when the update occurs and a service is attached, there is both a service and an agent information. This is considered as a Preferred Resource.