Contemporary Unified Communications and Contact Center: Better Together

UC and CC: Lync and CIC

Doug Splinter
VP, Sales Engineering

Avtex Customer Conference 2012
The Intersection of Technology and Customer Experience
Hyatt Regency | Minneapolis |10.25.2012
Avtex Customer Conference 2012 The Intersection of Technology and Customer Experience Hyatt Regency | Minneapolis |10.25.2012

Agenda

• Session goal review – why are we here?
• Microsoft UC “in the box”
– Lync and Exchange Features
• The opportunity and overlap between CIC and
Lync
• Integration architecture options
• Q&A


Session Goal
Why are we here?
• Two key enterprise products deployed or be
evaluated at many customers
– Interactive Intelligence CIC – Contact center platform
– Microsoft Lync – Enterprise UC platform

• In this session we’ll review CIC integration from a
“what are the advantages of combining with
Microsoft UC?” point of view
– There is significant overlap, but also unique
advantages in combining.
– This is NOT a competitive overview

Components of and Functions Provided by
The Microsoft UC Stack


Pre-Integrated

ONLI
NE

Content Messaging Collaboration Communications

Active Directory Services
Identity

Microsoft Lync 2010
What is in the box:
– Core services w/Std., Ent. and Plus CALs:
• Presence and Availability
• Instant Messaging and File Transfer
• Personal Voice & Voice Conferencing
• Video Conferencing
• Web Conferencing

– Platform for applications:
• IVR/Speech (Microsoft Speech Server)
• Audio/Video conferencing
• Calendaring and Email
• Business process integration


Microsoft Exchange 2010
What is in the box:
• Features(w/Std. and Ent. User CAL)
– Core Messaging
• Email
• Calendaring
• Tasks Management
• Mobile Access
– Unified Messaging
• Single inbox for a variety of message types
• Integrated voicemail with many end-user features
– Compliance and Archiving


New Connected Experience
Find and connect with the right people Stay connected with your network
Skill
People Search Search Unified Contact Store Activity Feed


escalate to
voice, video,
audio playback desktop
sharing

contextual
contact options

ignore text preview of
conversation voicemail


The Microsoft Unified Communications Offering
Common Communication Silos
Instant Audio & Web E-mail and Self Service &
Messaging (IM) Video Conferencing Calendaring Speech
Voice Mail Conferencing Telephony

Telephony Instant
and Messaging
Unified
E-mail and Conferencing:
Voice Mail Calendaring Audio, Video,
Web

Authentication Authentication
Administration Administration
Storage Storage
Storage Storage

Storage Storage Storage
Storage
Compliance
On-Premises
The Intersection of Technology and Customer Experience In the Cloud

Microsoft UC and CIC:
Better Together!


The overlap and the opportunity

Where does CIC play in an MS UC world?

• From a Microsoft standpoint, CIC is a key
Contact Center partner
• CIC offers advanced MS Lync integration
• Base functions offered today in CIC 3
• Features
Avtex Customer Conference 2012 are being advanced in CIC 4.0

History of CIC: Note MS Integration

• First integration offered with OCS 2007 and
CIC released in 2008; this was the first MS rev
that offered deeper integration offerings


Key overlap areas
Between CIC and Lync

• Core telephony
– Which system will provide dial tone for non-agent users?
• Instant messaging
– Both products have it
• Presence and availability
– CIC has basic PA functionality, granular CC Agent
– Lync has deeper “regular user” presence
• Audio conferencing
– Both platforms support audio bridges
– Lync bridges are integrated with Outlook and Lync Web
Meetings


Key differentiating areas
Between CIC and Lync

• Advanced contact center agent functions
– True ACD functionality
– Skills-based routing
– Call recording
– Workforce Management
– Surveys
– Outbound dialer
– Auto-answer
– Supervisor monitor and reporting
– More…


Functional Goals of Combining
Playing the right role for your company

• High Level Roles
– CIC: Contact Center functionality
– Lync: Enterprise UC functionality

• Functional Combinations
– Presence and availability
– Telephony call control (RCC) for “non-agent” users
– Instant Messaging integration
– Voice endpoint for agents


For CIC Agents – Presence Data
Server-side and Client-side
• Lync presence availability data shown in CIC
directory to CIC users
– Users running CIC agent can see availability of
Lync users via server-side directory integration
– Agents don’t need to run Lync to see other users
– However, no x-system communication is available
unless the agents also run the Lync client


Integration Step 1: Presence
Both CIC and Lync offer presence services
• CIC Presence
– Agent status based on CIC
– Many presence states

• Lync Presence
– Normally 7 basic presence states
– Presence managed in a variety of ways
• PC/Device State – Away, Available
• Exchange Calendar – Meeting Status, OOF
• Online Meeting: In a Conference
• Lync Audio Device Status: On a call, In a Conference
• Third-party PBX integration: In a Call


ININ CIC and Microsoft Lync
Presence Sync- The issue is, they don’t “match up”


CIC Agent Presence Mapping
CIC Voice with Lync joint client - Current/Future
• In rev. 3.0
– Base state mapping
– All to the same

• In rev 4.0 (released!)
– Advanced state mapping


Remote Call Control
Used if CIC is your PBX for “regular”, AND you run Lync for collaboration

• ONLY for Lync client users who use CIC-
attached phones
• Offers 2 key elements
– “base” remote control functions of the phone
• click-to-call
• click-to-answer

– Phone “in a call” state advertisement to Lync


Lync as a Voice client for CIC agents
Rev. 3.0 integration

• Lync voice client can be used as a Remote Agent
endpoint
– Works just like normal CIC endpoint
– Potential for call handling issues
• If the Lync user receives a call outside of the CIC media path
then CIC will not have accurate presence status, and may
ring ACD calls inbound
• Calls placed on hold in Lync will not be accurately reflected
or managed by CIC
– No true support for high volume dialer and auto-
answer scenarios


Lync as a Voice client for CIC agents
Rev. 4.0 integration

• Lync voice client enhanced support
– Works just like normal CIC endpoint
– Reduced potential for call handling issues

• Visibility of queues in Lync
– Calls in queue
– Open/closed status


Demos


Potential Future States

• Agent support for
– Lync as IM client for queue-based chat sessions
• Current agent consult tools
– Better Lync voice client support
• Currently has some small gaps – multiple inbound scenario
when sep gateways exist, etc.
• Mostly only advanced scenarios; core works well
• Future potential functionality
– Better direct CODEC support
– Better upstream/downstream media management


Q&A


Remote Call Control
Lync as collaboration, CIC as the phone system


Lync Voice and Remote Call Control
CIC Agents do not run Lync; mixed PBX from Lync and CIC


Lync Voice and Remote Call Control
CIC Agents may or may not run Lync; mixed PBX


Full CIC and Microsoft Lync
End goal: Ad-hoc mix; agents and regular users on both systems


Thank You!


Contemporary Unified Communications and Contact Center: Better Together

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