Capabilities
Whisper Announcement plays a brief, prerecorded message to an agent just before the agent connects with each caller. The announcement plays only to the agent; the caller hears ringing (based on existing ring tone patterns) while the announcement plays.
The content of the announcement can contain information about the caller that helps prepare the agent to handle the call. The information can include caller language preference, choices the caller made from a menu (Sales, Service), customer status (Platinum, Gold, Regular), and so on.
After Whisper Announcement is enabled, the played announcements are specified in the call routing scripts. The determination of which announcement to play is controlled in the script and is based on various inputs, such as the dialed number, a customer ID look up in your customer database, or selections you made from a VRU menu.
Whisper Announcement is supported for blended outbound agents when they receive inbound calls.
Functional Limitations
Whisper Announcement is subject to these limitations:
-
Announcements do not play for outbound calls made by an agent. The announcement plays for inbound calls only.
-
For Whisper Announcement to work with agent-to-agent calls, use the SendToVRU node before you transfer the call to the agent. Transfer the call to Unified CVP before you transfer the call to another agent. Then, Unified CVP can control the call and play the announcement, regardless of which node transfers the call to Unified CVP.
-
CVP Refer Transfers do not support Whisper Announcement.
-
Whisper Announcement supports Silent Monitoring with this exception: For Unified Communications Manager-based Silent Monitoring, supervisors cannot hear the announcements themselves. The supervisor desktop dims the Silent Monitor button while an announcement plays.
-
Only one announcement can play for each call. While an announcement plays, you cannot put the call on hold, transfer, or conference; release the call; or request supervisor assistance. These features become available again after the announcement completes.
-
The codec settings for Whisper Announcement recording and the agent's phone must match. For example, if Whisper Announcement is recorded in G.711 ALAW, the phone must also be at G.711 ALAW. If Whisper Announcement is recorded in G.729, the phone must support or connect using G.729.
-
Forking happens in Gateway in NBR only when a caller is connected to the agent (with two-way audio). Whisper announcement is played only with one way audio with agent (before connecting to the caller).
-
In an IPv6-enabled environment, Whisper Announcement might require extra Media Termination Points (MTPs).