For some businesses it is necessary to be able to communicate with several calling customer simultaneously to sort out a task. The agent then needs access to the functions as for an enquiry, i.e. Alternate, Conference and Transfer but without calling a colleague. To do this, the Associate function is used.
By associating a parked call with a call in progress, alternating, three-party conference and call transfer may include one agent and two external customers. An active call is associated with a parked call by ACE calling the IVR where the parked call is located. The agent is then able to alternate between the associated calls, create a three-party conference or make a transfer to enable the two associated calls to continue without the agent being involved. A basic requirement for association to take place is so-called troboning.
In the sketch below you see a conference between an agent and two associated external calls, customer A and customer B. At a conference a new call is created telephony-wise between the agent and the PBX. The three parties communicate through the newly created conference point in the PBX. By specifying transfer in ACE Agent the agent hangs up and the two external parties can continue their call via the IVR, by tromboning between the IVR lines L1 and L2
If the IVR supports the function for associating calls, a group number leading to this IVR (and to this IVR only) must be configured in ACE Admin Telephony | Locations, switches and access codes menu choice, under the IVR locations tab. This number is used by ACE Agent when association is initiated between a call in progress and call earlier parked in the IVR in question by the agent. The group number must be unique; both in relation to other group numbers for association of calls and in relation to group numbers for parking/requeuing.
Using group numbers for association requires reservation of DNIS numbers in a switch or the telephony net (depending on where the IVRs are located). These numbers must not be used for incoming IVR calls, parking or requeuing but must be unique for association. The party responsible for the technical solution therefore must secure these numbers and inform the ACE administrator about them.