Setting up precision queues in Unified Contact Center Enterprise

Do

• Count the attributes planned for each agent; an agent can have a maximum of 50 attributes 31.
• Count, per agent, the precision queues they will match plus the skill groups they keep; an agent can belong to a maximum total of 50 combined precision queues and skill groups 30.
• Count the queues per Agent PG: each configured precision queue creates a skill group for each Agent PG 40, and for configuration limits each precision queue effectively has a weight of 2 skill groups 42.
• Check the per-peripheral total: the maximum combined skill groups and precision queues per peripheral is 4,000 in each 15.0(1) agent reference design 53.
• Check the system total: the 15.0(1) reference designs support 4,000 configured precision queues per system, and larger models qualify this by skill groups per system divided by agent PGs 39.
• Check system-wide attributes and steps: the 15.0(1) reference designs support 10,000 precision routing attributes 13 and 10,000 precision queue steps 41.
• Check agents per PG: under dynamic sizing the maximum agents per PG falls as queues per agent rise, from 2,000 agents at 5 or 15 queues per agent to 1,000 at 30 and 600 at 50 6.
• Check each supervisor's team: Unified CCE supports a maximum of 50 unique skill groups across all agents on a supervisor's team, and exceeding it causes performance issues 60.

Verify

Suggested check: record the worst-case agent, peripheral gateway and supervisor team with their counts, and confirm each count stays under the limit listed above.

Do

Add attributes under Unified CCE Administration > Organization > Skills > Attributes by entering a unique name, selecting Boolean or Proficiency, and selecting a default of True or False, or 1 to 10 1. A Boolean attribute is true or false, and a Proficiency attribute is a rating from 1 to 10 11. For a Proficiency attribute, 10 is the highest level of expertise 44. Create attributes before any precision queue, because attributes are a prerequisite for creating precision queues 12. Plan each queue around at most 10 unique attributes, the maximum a precision queue can reference 64.

Verify

Suggested check: open the attributes list and confirm each planned attribute shows the intended type and default.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: delete the attributes you created but no longer need, after confirming no queue formula refers to them. A valid Consider If formula becomes invalid if an object it references is deleted after the precision queue is saved 20.

New queue: no skill group carries this traffic today

Do

Find agents by username, agent ID, first or last name, or description, and filter by site and peripheral set names 5. Assign attributes to an individual agent on the Attributes tab of the agent record, using the add icon to pick from the list of all attributes 2. To change many agents at once, select multiple agents, edit their attributes together, then save to apply the change 16. Do not add agents to precision queues, because they become members automatically based on their attributes 14.

Verify

Suggested check: open a sample of agents and confirm the attributes tab shows the intended values.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: remove the added attributes from the affected agents. Several agents can be selected and their attributes edited together, then saved to apply the change 16.

Replacing: skill groups route this traffic today and must keep working until cutover

Do

Cisco states that precision routing enhances and can replace traditional skill group routing 18. With skill groups an administrator defines the skill group and then assigns agents to it, whereas agents matching a precision queue's attribute criteria become associated with it automatically 52. Assign attributes to the agents who serve the traffic being replaced, either on each agent's Attributes tab 2 or by selecting multiple agents and editing their attributes together 16. An agent can belong to a maximum total of 50 combined precision queues and skill groups 30. WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that during a phased move off skill groups, an agent who keeps old skill groups while matching new precision queues consumes the 50 combined membership budget for both, so overlap must be planned per agent 32.

Verify

Suggested check: open a sample of agents and confirm each shows both the old skill group memberships and the new attributes. Suggested check: count each agent's kept skill groups and matched queues against the per-agent limit from the first step.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: remove the added attributes from the affected agents; skill group memberships are not changed by this step. Several agents can be selected and their attributes edited together, then saved to apply the change 16.

Do

Create the precision queue only after attributes exist, because attributes are a prerequisite for creating precision queues in Unified CCE Administration 12.

• Name: in release 12.6(2) a precision queue name is up to 32 alphanumeric characters and underscores and is case-sensitive 38.
• Media routing domain: it defaults to Cisco_Voice when not set 33, and in the Precision Queue API the mediaRoutingDomain of a precision queue cannot be updated after creation 9. An agent can be a member of skill groups or precision queues in up to 3 media routing domains, for example voice, email and chat 3.
• Agent order: choose Longest Available Agent (the default), Most Skilled Agent, or Least Skilled Agent 4.
• Service level type: choose Ignore Abandoned Calls (the default), Abandoned Calls have Negative Impact, or Abandoned Calls have Positive Impact 56.
• Service level threshold: it is used for reporting only and does not change how long a call stays in the queue 55.
• Bucket interval: a bucket interval has at most 9 configurable upper bounds in seconds, can be associated with precision queues, and a built-in default bucket interval cannot be edited or deleted 15.

Verify

Suggested check: open the queue and confirm the media routing domain, agent order and service level settings match the design. The Precision Queue configuration API at https:///unifiedconfig/config/precisionqueue supports create, list, get, update and delete 8.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: delete the queue while no saved script references it. A precision queue referenced statically in any version of a saved script cannot be deleted 34.

One step: one fixed set of criteria, the call waits there until answered

Do

Build the step from terms: Boolean attributes take Equal or Not Equal, while Proficiency attributes take comparison operators including Greater Than and Greater Than or Equal To 62. A single step is the queue's last step, and a Consider If expression cannot be added to the last step of a precision queue 21. On the last step a call remains queued until it is routed, abandoned or ended 29.

Verify

Suggested check: open the queue and confirm it shows one step with the intended terms. The Precision Queue API accepts attributes=true to include the attribute names used by the queue 7.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: edit the step back to its previous terms. Updating a precision queue definition re-evaluates all calls queued in it and restarts their execution from the first step, resetting step wait timers 26.

Several steps: start narrow and relax criteria as wait time passes

Do

Build up to 10 steps, the maximum a precision queue can have 59. Cisco's precision queue example widens over 5 steps from proficiency greater than 8 to greater than 6, greater than 4, greater than 3 and finally at least 1 68. Boolean attributes take Equal or Not Equal, while Proficiency attributes take comparison operators including Greater Than and Greater Than or Equal To 62.

• Wait time: a step's wait time can be 0 to 2,147,483,647 seconds, and if left blank the call moves to the next step immediately 66. When a step's wait timer expires, the call moves to the next step if one exists 58.
• Consider If: only the Call, PQ, Skillgroup, ECC, PQ Step, Call Type and Custom Function scripting objects are valid in a Consider If formula 22. When a step's Consider If formula evaluates to false, the call advances to the next step immediately 19. A Consider If expression cannot be added to the last step of a precision queue 21.
• Wait if Agents Not Logged In: if it is checked for a step and none of that step's agents are logged in, the router still waits that step's configured wait time 65.
• Last step: a call remains queued there until it is routed, abandoned or ended, and the router waits indefinitely regardless of the Wait if Agents Not Logged In setting 29.

WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that, because each precision queue counts as 2 skill groups toward limits while extra steps only count against the steps limits, widening one queue through more steps uses less skill-group capacity than separate queues per proficiency band 67.

Verify

Suggested check: open each step and confirm its terms, wait time and condition match the design. A Consider If expression cannot be added to the last step of a precision queue 21.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: edit or remove steps to restore the previous definition. Updating a precision queue definition re-evaluates all calls queued in it and restarts their execution from the first step, resetting step wait timers 26.

Do

Run the Agent Precision Queue Membership real-time report, which shows agents' active membership in precision queues along with the attributes in those queues 47. The Precision Queue API also accepts agentcount=true to include an agent count 7.

Verify

Suggested check: confirm every queue, and for a queue with several steps its widest step, lists the expected agents. Suggested check: if a queue is unexpectedly empty, recheck the agent attributes and the step terms. Agents become members of a precision queue automatically based on their attributes 14.

Yes, or only a few queues: one script node names one precision queue

Do

Add a static Precision Queue node, which targets a single configured precision queue 57. Set Priority, the initial queuing priority, from 1 (top) to 10 (least); the default is 5 37. Check Enable target requery if you want the requery feature 61. A single Precision Queue node cannot reference multiple precision queues, but multiple nodes can run sequentially so one call is queued on several precision queues 36. A call queued on multiple precision queues is routed to whichever of them first has an available agent 17. If no resource is available when a call enters the node, the call is queued and the node transfers it to the default VRU while the script continues 35.

Verify

Suggested check: validate and save the script. Once any saved script version references a precision queue statically, that queue cannot be deleted 34.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: activate the previous script version. Static references in any saved script version still prevent deleting the queue 34.

No, many queues share treatment: one script picks the queue by name or ID

Do

Add a dynamic Precision Queue node, which suits one script serving many queues whose call treatment does not differ 57. Configure it to resolve its target from a formula by either the Precision Queue Name option or the Precision Queue ID option 25. Set Priority from 1 (top) to 10 (least); the default is 5 37. Check Enable target requery if you want the requery feature 61. If no resource is available when a call enters the node, the call is queued and the node transfers it to the default VRU while the script continues 35. For multichannel routing, Cisco's example scripts categorize contacts by media routing domain and then queue them to precision queues specific to that domain 50.

Verify

Suggested check: validate the script, then place a test call for each queue name or identifier the formula can return and confirm it lands in the intended queue.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: activate the previous script version.

New queue: no skill group carries this traffic today

Do

Put the routing script from the previous step into service; creating routing scripts is the final stage of the documented setup order, after attributes, agent attributes and precision queues 51.

Verify

Suggested check: place test calls and confirm they arrive in the new queue. The 15.0(1) real-time report templates include Precision Queue Real Time All Fields 49.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: return call routing to the previous script version.

Replacing: skill groups route this traffic today and must keep working until cutover

Do

Cisco states that precision routing enhances and can replace traditional skill group routing, so replace skill group queuing in the routing script with the Precision Queue node built in the previous step 18. Once traffic has moved, remove skill group memberships that are no longer used: an agent can belong to a maximum total of 50 combined precision queues and skill groups 30, and Unified CCE supports a maximum of 50 unique skill groups across a supervisor's team 60. Cisco recommends periodically removing unused queues to maintain solution performance 45.

Verify

Suggested check: confirm the retired skill groups receive no new calls and the new queues carry the traffic. The 15.0(1) historical templates for precision queues include Agent Precision Queue Historical All Fields, Precision Queue Abandon Answer Distribution Historical, Precision Queue Efficiency and Precision Queue Interval All Fields 48.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: before skill group memberships are removed, reactivate the previous script version. Suggested rollback: after removal, rebuild the skill group memberships first, then reactivate the previous script version. With skill groups an administrator defines the skill group and then assigns agents to it 52.

One step: one fixed set of criteria, the call waits there until answered

Do

Place a test call with a matching agent available, and another with no agent available; in the second case the call is queued and transferred to the default VRU while the script continues 35.

Verify

Suggested check: confirm the first call reaches the matching agent. With no agent available, the call is queued and sent to the default VRU 35, and on the last step it remains queued until it is routed, abandoned or ended 29. The 15.0(1) real-time report templates include Precision Queue Real Time All Fields 49.

Several steps: start narrow and relax criteria as wait time passes

Do

Log in only agents who match a later step and place a test call; when each step's wait timer expires, the call moves to the next step if one exists 58. Repeat with a step whose Consider If formula evaluates to false, which advances the call to the next step immediately 19.

Verify

Suggested check: confirm the call moves through each step in the designed order and reaches a matching agent. A step whose Consider If is false is skipped at once 19. If Wait if Agents Not Logged In is checked for a step and none of its agents are logged in, the router still waits that step's configured wait time 65. The 15.0(1) real-time report templates include Precision Queue Step Real Time 49.

Do

• Real time: use Precision Queue Real Time All Fields and Precision Queue Step Real Time 49, and Agent Precision Queue Membership, which shows agents' active membership in precision queues with the attributes in those queues 47.
• Historical: use Agent Precision Queue Historical All Fields, Precision Queue Abandon Answer Distribution Historical, Precision Queue Efficiency and Precision Queue Interval All Fields 48.
• Agent Precision Queue Historical All Fields reviews call outcomes and agent state percentages per precision queue and draws on Agent_Skill_Group_Interval and Precision_Queue among other views 46.
• The service level threshold set on the precision queue is used for reporting only 55.
• A bucket interval can be associated with precision queues and has at most 9 configurable upper bounds in seconds 15.
• The Cisco Finesse desktop updates queue statistics every 10 seconds and does not display statistics for unused queues 27.

Verify

Suggested check: after a full reporting interval of test traffic, run each historical template and confirm it returns rows for the new queue.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: remove the added report templates from supervisors' views; routing is not affected.

Do

Schedule queue edits for quiet periods, because updating a precision queue definition re-evaluates all calls queued in it and restarts their execution from the first step, resetting step wait timers 26. Submit no more than 5 configuration updates at once, because the system accepts at most 5 concurrent configuration updates and rejects updates beyond that threshold 28. Before deleting an attribute or other object, check the Consider If formulas that refer to it, because a valid Consider If formula becomes invalid if an object it references is deleted after the precision queue is saved 20.

Verify

Suggested check: after each change, re-run the membership and step reports and confirm agents and calls appear where expected. The 15.0(1) real-time templates include Agent Precision Queue Membership 47 and Precision Queue Step Real Time 49.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: re-apply the previous queue definition. Re-applying it is itself an update, which restarts queued calls from the first step and resets step wait timers 26.