Extend and Connect

Overview of Extend and Connect

With the Extend and Connect feature, Unified Contact Center Express agents and supervisors can work from a remote location using any device.

This feature gives the user (agent or supervisor) the flexibility to answer or make calls using devices that are connected to the PSTN or to mobile or other PBX networks. Extend and Connect functions by leveraging CTI remote device and persistent connection features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM).

You can enable the Extend and Connect feature through the Cisco Jabber client by selecting only the Extend mode. This feature provide the following connections:

  • CTI remote device—CTI remote devices are Unified CCX off-cluster devices for users that can be connected to any of the third-party networks, such as PSTN, mobile, or PBX.

  • Persistent connection—Unified CCX users use this feature to set up a persistent call connection to remote destination. The advantage of this connection is that call establishment to the remote destination is much faster.

For information about Extend and Connect feature, see Features and Services Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/admin/10_0_1/ccmfeat/CUCM_BK_F3AC1C0F_00_cucm-features-services-guide-100/CUCM_BK_F3AC1C0F_00_cucm-features-services-guide-100_chapter_010111.html.

For more information about remote destination, see Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.

Server Configuration

To use the Extend and Connect, follow these server configuration steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Perform the preinstallation tasks for IM and Presence nodes.

See "Perform pre-installation tasks for IM and Presence nodes" section in Installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-installation-guides-list.html
Step 2

Configure the Cisco IM and Presence node details on Call Manager before you install Cisco IM and Presence. From Cisco Unified CM Administration on the publisher node, choose System > Server > Server Type and then choose CUCM IM and Presence.

For information about server setup, see the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.

Step 3

Install Cisco IM and Presence as a Call Manager subscriber.

For information about Cisco IM and Presence installation, see Installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-installation-guides-list.html
Step 4

Activate and start all the Cisco IM and Presence services in Cisco Unified Serviceability.

For information about activating services, see the "Activate services" section in Installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-installation-guides-list.html
Step 5

Create Presence Redundancy groups in Call Manager.

  1. Choose System > Presence Redundancy Groups > Add New.

  2. Select Cisco IM and Presence, which you installed from the Presence Server drop-down list.

    For information about the Presence redundancy group setup, see the "Presence redundancy group setup" section in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.
Step 6

Create UC services for CTI and IM Presence services in Call Manager.

Note 
You must select CTI and IM Presence services.
For information about creating UC services, see the "Add CTI service" section in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.
Step 7

Set up the service profile in Call Manager.

Note 
You must specify CTI and IM Presence service that you created in step 6.
For information about Service profile setup, see the "Service profile setup" section in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.
Step 8

Set up the end user in Call Manager.

Perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to User Management > End User.

  2. Click the User ID that you want to set up.

  3. In the Service Settings section, select Enable User for Unified CM IM and Presence (Configure IM and Presence in the associated UC Service Profile) and then in UC Service Profile, select the profile that you created.

  4. In the Mobile Information section, select Enable Mobility.

  5. In Permission Information, add Standard CCM End user and Standard CTI enabled.

  6. Navigate to User Management > Assign Presence End Users.

  7. Click the User ID that you want to set up and then choose Assign Selected Users.

Step 9

Set up the trunk in Call Manager.

For information about the Trunk setup, see the "Trunk setup" section in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.
Step 10

Add the route pattern in Call Manager to route the calls to the remote device.

For information about route pattern setup, see the "Route pattern setup" section in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.
Step 11

Configure the Presence Gateway configuration on IM and Presence.

For information about configuring Presence Gateway on IM and Presence, see the "Configure Presence Gateway configuration on IM and Presence" section in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html.

Persistent Connection

Unified CCX makes a persistent connection call to the agent's remote phone when an agent logs in to the agent desktop.


Note
The agent must first answer the persistent connection call and then change the status to Ready in the agent desktop to answer the incoming call.

After establishing the persistent connection, the call remains connected until the Maximum Call Duration timer expires or until the agent logs out, provided that no other problems occur in the remote destination network. You must specify to match the time on the Maximum Call Duration timer with your company shift time or specify more than your company shift time. If the persistent connection gets disconnected, it retries until the connection is established.

Add Customized Announcement for Persistent Connection Call

When an agent answers persistent connection call, make an announcement to the agent indicating that the persistent connection must be retained so that further calls from or to customers are established over persistent connection.

If the agent's remote device supports Caller ID display, it displays EC Mode as the caller name, which indicates a persistent connection call.

By default, the Cisco Unified Communications Manager has announcements created. Unified CCX, through JTAPI communication to Cisco Unified Communications Manager, calls the announcement ID UCCX Persistent Connection Prompt. You must create the UCCX Persistent Connection Prompt customized announcement ID.

To add the customized announcement ID, see the"Upload customized announcement" procedure in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-manager-callmanager/products-maintenance-guides-list.html. Enter UCCX Persistent Connection Prompt in the Announcement Identifier field.


Note

  • Add a customized prompt to the created UCCX Persistent Connection Prompt, click Upload Files and select the desired prompt (.wav file).

  • When the announcement is played, the Caller ID information on agent's remote phone changes to Voice Connect.

  • If no announcement ID is created, Cisco Unified Communications Manager does not play any announcement to the agent when the persistent call is answered.

Incoming Call Notification

An agent can configure a sound alert to notify an incoming call when the customer calls are routed through Persistent Connection Calls of the agents.

To receive the sound alert, in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, configure the Announcement ID as UCCX Customer Call Prompt. When the Announcement ID is configured, Unified CCX plays the announcement before the call is routed to a desktop. If you do not configure an Announcement ID, Unified CCX does not play an announcement, and then the agent relies on desktop signal for an incoming call.


Note
Configure UCCX Customer Call Prompt in the English language in Cisco Unified Communications Manager.