Notes for Integrators

If CRM applications send numbers to Softdial CallGem™ on request, rather than upload a complete batch at the start of a shift then the CRM application should be sized so as to be able to respond rapidly to Call Request [CR] messages. If this doesn't happen, and Softdial CallGem™ wants to make a predictive call, but has run out of numbers in its predictive queue, then it will send an Error Code 128 message (Delayed Number) the next time a Make Call [MC] is received. If Make Call [MC] messages are frequently delayed, then wait times between calls will increase, and Softdial CallGem™ performance will drop.

Triggering starvation alerts

From V10.6.913 - if CallGem detects a lack of response to Call Request [CR] messages for a particular campaign, a starvation event is triggered, and it sends a Play Busy [PB] message with a Data (DT) parameter signalling to Softdial Telephony Gateway™ to play a specified alert sound for every waiting agent on that campaign. This sound is specified in the <agentMessageNoDataFile> item of the STG Configuration file.

The threshold value in seconds for triggering a starvation event is specified in the CallGem registry setting StarvationTimeout. See Registry Settings.

If starvation continues, the trigger will be repeated no more frequently than every 20 seconds.

To help prevent call starvation, the following actions should be taken.

• Total call throughput for a campaign should be estimated, and converted to a rate of calls per minute. This rate should then be doubled to allow for variations in calling patterns. The database technology being used should be able to deliver this calling list rate to Softdial CallGem™, with no delay, during the course of the campaign.
• If there are any doubts about the responsiveness of the database technology being used by the CRM application, then it is strongly advised to keep a pool of numbers in RAM equivalent at least to the number of agents logged into a campaign. As it responds to Call Request [CR] messages by supplying numbers from this pool, the CRM application, concurrently, should be replenishing it from the calling list.

If the CRM application has no more numbers to pass to Softdial CallGem™, and receives a Call Request [CR] message from it, then the CRM application should either suspend or close the campaign.

It may well be that Softdial CallGem™ still has some numbers in its queues, at the same time that it is sending Call Request [CR] messages to the CRM application, but these messages will be sent only if Softdial CallGem™ knows that it has insufficient numbers to dial to keep all agents busy, without them having to experience extended wait times. For example, the busy retry queue may have a lot of numbers in it, but all time-stamped for some minutes ahead.