Editing Agents: Updates to Required Fields and the Effects on Coaching
If you have ever tried to update on of the required fields for an Agent, you will have seen a warning message pop-up like the one below. It warns of inconsistencies with grading and reports, but it does not explain what those inconsistencies will be.
Here we are going to discuss the reason for this, the side-effects caused by updating an agent, and how to correct any problems that might come up after the change.
How does CXM uniquely identifies each Agent?
CXM uses a combination of the PBX Agent ID, PBX Agent Name, and Network Username to uniquely identify each new agent. As a result, when any required fields are edited for an agent, a new instance will be created. The original agent information set will be set to an Inactive status. The new combination will create a new Active instance of the agent.
Why multiple instances of an Agent?
This is done to draw the proverbial “line in the sand” between two agents. It prevents a new employee from having access to the previous agent’s recordings or grades. It also prevents confusion in reports that span a timeframe that would have otherwise blended Agent 1’s grades with Agent 2’s.
While great for security, it can create confusion when you are updating information for the same employee. Let’s say as an example that an agent is created with a typo in the PBX Agent Name. It is not caught immediately and the Agent begins to record calls. Later, when the typo is noticed and the PBX Agent Name is updated in CXM, this will be treated the same as if it was a new agent that was reusing an existing PBX Agent ID. The “line in the sand” will still be drawn.
What are the side-effects of updating an Agent?
Each time an instance of an agent becomes Inactive, the calls recorded for that instance of the agent are no longer able to be graded. This can cause issues if your company requires a certain number of calls be graded in a week or month when an agent is updated, and the previously recorded calls cannot be graded.
There will also be an impact on some Scoring Reports due to the change in status. Be sure to look for an option named Include Inactive in the Report Criteria. This will allow you to run reports on Inactive instance of the Agents.
This process can also impact Call Search results for certain Users and will require the use of the Agent Name/PBX Number criteria field in the Call Search page. The new Active instance of an Agent that was specifically assigned to a User or Group will be updated automatically. However, you will need to update the Assigned Agents in Security Details for Users or in Group assignments to include the old Inactive agent instance. If a user has the Full Browse permission, there will be no effect. The user will be able to Search for all calls related to both instances of the agent.
How to resolve User permission issues after updating an Agent?
The best way to do this depends on how your user permissions are currently assigned. You might also decide to do it on an as needed basis when a User specifically requests access to the Inactive agent’s calls. It can be done in either the Groups or Users. The process is essentially the same.
You will navigate using the menu bar to Admin and select Users or Groups. Click the Edit icon in the action bar for the desired User or Group. Enable the Display Inactive slider (shown below). The Available Agents list will update to show all the Inactive Agents. Double click the desired Agent to move it into the Assigned Agents list. Save the Group or User to apply the change.
How to Search for calls recorded with an Inactive Agent?
When a new User is created in CXM, there is a default set of Criteria configured for the Call Search page. The default fields are ANI/Dialed Number, Agent, Station, and Groups. Beginning in CXM UI version 6.30, the Agent and Station criteria field names were changed to Active Agents and Active Stations in order to better explain the purpose of those fields. These fields will always show the current lists of Active Agents or Stations and allow for easy selection of the most commonly used search terms. In order to search for calls based on an Agent or Station that is Inactive or Deleted, you will need to use either the Agent Name/PBX Number or Station Name/Number criteria fields. It is easy to overlook these because they are not part of the default settings.
It is easy to add The Agent Name/PBX Number and Station Name/Number criteria fields for your user. While on the Call Search page, click the Customize Search link located directly above the Search button.
A new window will open with a list of all available search criteria. Scroll down almost to the bottom. Check the box for fields you want to add and click the Set Criteria button.
Your Call Search page will now refresh to include the Agent Name/PBX Number and Station Name/Number criteria fields.
These fields do not include a list selection. You can type any bit of information that you want to find into the field. For example, if you want to find all call recordings for any instance of an Agent with the PBX Agent ID of 2001, just type 2001 into the Agent Name/PBX Number field and click Search. If the Agent Name was updated from “Leia Organa” to “Leia Solo”, you could enter “Leia” to search for a partial match of the name. The results would let you see all results for any Agent that matched and recorded a call inside the date range you selected.
