The Unified ICM software makes the best use of your contact handling resources while ensuring that each customer is directed to the most appropriate resource available. To get an idea of how the Unified ICM software fits into the contact center and carrier environments, refer the following sections. These sections examine how the Unified ICM software routes telephone calls.

The CallRouter is the part of the Unified ICM system that contains the call routing logic. The Unified ICM software receives call routing requests and determines the best destination for each call. It also collects information about the entire system. The Unified ICM software serves as a real-time server by forwarding performance and monitoring information to Administration & Data servers.

The Logger is the interface between the Unified ICM software and the database manager (Microsoft SQL Server). The Unified ICM software collects performance and monitoring information about the system and passes the information to the Logger for short-term storage in a central relational database. The Logger forwards historical information to the Historical Data Server (HDS). The HDS on the Logger maintains statistics and data for monitoring and reporting.

The NIC connects the Unified ICM software to the IXC signaling network. The NIC receives a route request from the signaling network for each incoming call and passes the request to the Unified ICM software. The Unified ICM software responds with routing information (a routing label), which the NIC passes back to the IXC signaling network.

Note	Figures usually show the NIC as a separate computer. Actually, NICs are implemented as software on the Unified ICM software platform (usually on the CallRouter or CallRouter/Logger [Rogger] machines).

Each contact center device (ACD, PBX, or VRU) communicates with a Peripheral Gateway (PG). The PG reads status information from the device and passes it back to the Unified ICM software. The PG runs one or more Peripheral Interface Manager (PIM) processes, which are the software components that communicate with proprietary ACD systems. A single PIM is required for each peripheral to which the PG will interface. Therefore, a single PG (and its associated PIMs) can serve multiple peripherals of the same kind. For example, one PG with four Aspect ACD PIMs can serve four Aspect ACDs in the contact center.

Note	A single PG can support both ACD PIMs and VRU PIMs; however, the ACD PIMs and the VRU PIMs must all be the same type of PIM (ACD PIMs must be the same type; VRU PIMs must be the same type).

A single server can support up to two PGs. For details, refer to the .

The Administration & Data Server is the human interface to the Unified ICM software. It serves as a control console from which you can monitor agent and contact center activity and change how the Unified ICM software routes calls. For example, you can use the Administration & Data Server to configure the Unified ICM contact center data, create call routing scripts, and monitor and report on the Unified ICM system or some part of the system. Administration & Data Servers can be located anywhere, as long as they have LAN or WAN connections to the Unified ICM software.

Administration & Data Servers have several roles: Administration, Real-time data server, Historical Data Server, and Detail Data Server. A Unified ICM deployment must have Administration & Data Servers to fill these roles. The servers can be deployed in the following combinations to achieve the needed scalability with the minimum number of servers:

• Administration Server and Real-time Data Server (AW)

• Configuration only Administration Server

• Administration Server, Real-time and Historical Data Server and Detail Data Server (AW-HDS-DDS)

• Administration Server and Real-time and Historical Data Server (AW-HDS)

• Historical Data Server and Detail Data Server (HDS-DDS)

An Administration Client (formerly known as a "client AW") serves the administration role, but is deployed as a client to an Administration Server for scalability. The Administration Client can view and modify the configuration, and receive real-time reporting data from the Administration & Data Server, but does not store the data itself, and does not have a database. You must install each Administration & Data Server on a separate server for production systems to ensure no interruptions to the real-time call processing of the Call Router and Logger processes. For lab or prototype systems, you can install the Administration & Data Server on the same server as the Call Router and Logger.

Administration & Data Servers need to access historical data (half hour data, call detail, and so on) for historical reporting in the Script Editor or in third-party tools. You must install at least one real-time Administration & Data Server in a system with a Historical Data Server (HDS) to support reporting and long-term historical data storage. The HDS IP address requirements are identical to those of a standard Administration & Data Server.

The Historical Data Server (HDS) and Detail Data Server (DDS) are used for longer-term historical data storage. The HDS stores historical data summarized in 15 or 30 minute intervals and is used for reporting.

DDS stores detailed information about each call or call segment and is used for call tracing. Data may be extracted from either of these sources for warehousing and custom reporting.

Typically these Data Servers are deployed with a primary AW as a single server serving all three roles (AW-HDS-DDS).

The Unified ICM Reporting solution provides a Unified Intelligence Center interface to access data describing the historical and real-time states of the system.

Reporting concepts and data descriptions are described in ; this description is independent of the reporting user interface being used.

The Unified ICM software uses pre-routing to execute routing decisions before a call terminates at a contact center. With pre-routing, the Network Interface Controller (NIC) receives the route request from the IXC and passes the call information to the Unified ICM software. The Unified ICM software processes the route request through a call routing script, which defines how the call should be routed. The Unified ICM software returns a route response to the NIC, which in turn forwards it to the IXC. The route response contains the call's final destination.

In pre-routing, the Peripheral Gateway's role is to keep the Unified ICM software informed of the real-time status of switches, calls, and agents in the Unified CCE. The Unified ICM software uses this real-time data to make an informed call routing decision.

Pre-Routing systems require the following components:

• Network Interface Controller (NIC)

• CallRouter

• Logger

• Administration & Data Server

• Peripheral Gateway (PG)

The pre-routing capabilities are enabled through the Network Interface Controller (NIC) and the CallRouter processes. NICs are implemented as software on the Unified ICM software platform (for example, on the CallRouter or Logger machines).

The Unified ICM routes calls within the public network based on several dynamic variables. You can use any combination of the following variables to route calls:

Calls are routed in the most efficient manner possible given the current contact center load conditions.

In a traditional time-division multiplexing (TDM) environment, post-routing systems have software that allows the CallRouter to make secondary routing decisions after a call is received at a contact center. In post-routing, the ACD or VRU submits a route request to the Unified ICM software. The Unified ICM software executes scripts to process the routing request and return a destination address to the ACD. The Unified ICM software then directs the ACD to transfer the call to an agent, skill group, or service, either in the same contact center or at a different contact center. In making a post-routing decision, the Unified ICM software can use the same information and script it uses in pre-routing. In other words, the same call routing intelligence that is used in the pre-routing of calls is applied to calls that are interflowed between contact center sites, transferred between agents, or transferred into or out of VRU's.

A pre- and post-routing Unified ICM system is a complete intelligent call routing, monitoring, and reporting system. The Unified ICM software can execute routing decisions before a call terminates at a contact center. It can also make secondary routing decisions after a call is received at a contact center. You can expand a Pre- and post-routing system with optional features such as Unified ICM Application Gateway, Unified ICM Gateway SQL, Unified ICM IVR interface, and CTI Server to create an intelligent call routing and management solution in which all the elements of the Unified CCE play a role in intelligent routing.

Cisco CTI software provides an interface between the Unified ICM software and agent desktop and server applications. The CTI software works with a PG's ACD and IVR interface software and all associated ACDs to track events and transactions and forward call- and transaction-related data to an agent's desktop computer.

The CTI software has full third-party call control features that allow agents and integrated desktop applications to perform tasks such as transferring calls, conferencing calls, and setting call data all within an enterprise framework. An agent at the desktop can transfer voice and data in the form of a screen-pop among agents and across different ACD platforms. This allows customer and transaction data to accompany a call from an IVR or web server to the agent and from site-to-site as required. The Unified ICM system can also use CTI data to determine call destinations based on factors such as customer value, business objectives, market penetration, and personalized service.

The Voice Response (VRU) interface software runs on a PG platform. It allows the Cisco Unified ICM software to route calls to targets on VRU's and collect data from VRU's for use in call routing, real-time monitoring, and historical reporting.

The VRU interface can also provide queuing at a network-based or premises-based VRU. With this feature, calls can be directed to an VRU queue when no other appropriate answering resource is available. The VRU interface is not specific to a particular VRU system or manufacturer. It is based on an open VRU model. Many VRU systems support Cisco's Open VRU Interface Specification, including Unified CVP.

The Cisco Customer Voice Portal integrates with both traditional time-division multiplexing (TDM) and IP-based contact centers to provide a call-management and call-treatment solution with a self-service VRU option that can use information available to customers on the corporate Web server. With support for automated speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities, callers can obtain personalized information and can conduct business without interacting with a live agent.

For a list of VRU's that support this interface, contact your Cisco representative.

Note	You can integrate VRU systems into the Cisco Unified ICM software in several ways. Interactive Voice Response (VRU) Systems provides more information on VRU integration as well as examples of how you can integrate VRU's with the Cisco Unified ICM system.

The Cisco Unified ICM Application Gateway option allows the Cisco Unified ICM software to interact with a host system that is running another contact center application. Within the Cisco Unified ICM software, the Gateway feature is implemented as an Application Gateway node in a call routing script. You add an Application Gateway node to a script to instruct the system to execute an external application. This allows the script to evaluate responses from the external application and base subsequent routing decisions on the results produced by the application.

The Gateway option allows the Cisco Unified ICM system to interface with any external application, not just database applications.

You can use the Gateway option within the Cisco Unified ICM system to:

• Allow other applications to select a call's destination.

• Control or trigger external applications through Cisco Unified ICM call routing scripts.

• Pass data to and collect data from other contact center applications.

For example, a simple Gateway application might return a variable to the CallRouter that identifies the caller as having a premium account. The routing script can use this information to control where and how the call is routed. Optionally, the Cisco Unified ICM can pass the retrieved information to the site that is receiving the call. Data such as account numbers, dates, billing phone numbers, and addresses can be passed along with the call to an answering resource.

Note	ICM Application Gateway and ICM Gateway SQL planning provides more information on planning for the Gateway feature.

Cisco Unified ICM Gateway SQL allows the Cisco Unified ICM software to query an external Microsoft SQL Server database and use the data in call routing. If you have databases that contain customer account or profile information, you can perform database lookups to assist in call routing. You can base the database lookups on Calling Line ID (CLID), Dialed Number (DN), or Caller Entered Digits (CED) such as account or social security numbers.

A typical Gateway SQL application can prioritize callers. For example, a call routing script can use the caller's CLID to access a database and retrieve data about the caller such as the caller's average monthly bill. Based on this information, the routing script routes the caller to the most appropriate answering resource.

Note	Before implementing the Gateway SQL and DB Lookup functionality, consider a Unified CVP VXML Application for database lookup instead. The DB Lookup node will interrupt routing while doing it's queries. The Unified CVP VXML Application will scale well.

The following figure shows a basic Gateway SQL configuration. Note that this configuration requires an additional database server on which you can load the external Microsoft SQL Server database and data.

Note	You must perform some pre-installation planning if you are going to use the Cisco Unified ICM Gateway SQL option. ICM Application Gateway and ICM Gateway SQL planning provides more information on planning for the Cisco Unified ICM Gateway SQL feature.

Internet Script Editor is an application that works with routing and administration scripts. It provides the same functionality as the Cisco Unified ICM Script Editor software, without the need for an Administration & Data Server.

Internet Script Editor works through the IIS Web server on Cisco Unified ICM software, using HTTP to communicate with the Cisco Unified ICM software.

The Internet Script Editor and the Cisco Unified ICM Script Editor GUIs are essentially the same. The menus, toolbars, palette, and work space are utilized in the same manner in both applications. The differences between the two occur primarily in the method by which each application communicates with the Cisco Unified ICM software.

Cisco Unified Contact Center combines Cisco IP telephony products and Cisco Unified ICM software to create an IP-based contact management solution. Cisco Unified Contact Center provides a migration path to an IP-based contact center by supporting integration with legacy call center platforms and networks. With Cisco Unified Contact Center, agents can use Cisco IP phones to receive both time-TDM and VoIP phone calls. Capabilities of the Cisco Unified Contact Center include intelligent call routing, ACD functionality, network-to-desktop CTI, Unified IP IVR integration, call queuing, and consolidated reporting.

Cisco Unified Contact Center is based mainly on two Cisco products: Unified CM and ICM software. Unified CM provides traditional PBX telephony features in an IP telephony environment. Unified ICM software provides enterprise-wide management and distribution of voice and data from ACDs, Unified IP IVR systems, small office/home office (SOHO) agents, and desktop applications. Cisco Unified IP phones and Unified IP IVRs (as well as traditional TDM IVRs) are also part of the Cisco Unified Contact Center.

Note	For information on Unified CCE, see the at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/customer-collaboration/unified-contact-center-enterprise/products-installation-guides-list.htmland the .