[asterisk-users] agents and music on hold with autoanswer..

[MAS!]

>> BUT if the agent have to go elsewhere for some minutes (coffe  
>> break, go
>> to piss, and so on..), usually he press the 'hold' button on the  
>> phone;
> Does the phone have a DND ("Do not disturb") button?

yes, the phone have this options; I have to check if that works

> Are all the agents trained to press hold when they need to go the  
> bathroom?

yes...

> If the answer to the last question is yes, you have more than a
> technology problem on your hands. Perhaps this is why your colleague
> left in the first place :)

may be you're right :)

>> We are using asterisk 1.2.1 with Thomson ST2030.
> The Thomson is the telephone set?

yes.
and I use the 'diva' modules for the phone card on asterisk

>> (...)
>>    -- Executing Queue("CAPI/ISDN4/********-ce", "coda_azienda|t| 
>> 3600")
>> in new stack
>>     -- Started music on hold, class 'music', on channel
>> 'CAPI/ISDN4/******-ce'
>>     -- agent_call, call to agent '1005' call on 'SIP/barbaran-621c'
>>     -- Playing 'beep' (language 'it')
>>     -- Called Agent/1005
>>     -- Agent/1005 answered CAPI/ISDN4/******-ce
>>
>> [WARNING: in the truth the Agent is in hold mode now; there is the
>> autoanswer on]
> (!)
> Why?
> (FYI: Auto answer is normally enabled in the telephone  
> configuration and
> not in Asterisk.)

we don't receive so many calls/minute; usually the agent keep the own  
phone with the speaker on, to have the hands free; when there is a  
new call on the queue, he can hear the voice ("a new call is  
incoming"), then he press the 'speaker off' button and the handle the  
call normally...
then the call is finished, he doesn't hangup the phone, but he puts  
again the phone with the speaker on

>> [AND NOW THE CALLER DON'T HEAR ANYTHING    until the agent will press
>> the hold button again]
> Well, that's to be expected. The phone has answered the call!

true :(

> A few bits of advice to start:
> 1. Agents shouldn't be using "hold" for bathroom breaks. Most phones
> have a button specifically for this purpose called "Do not disturb".
> Asterisk then treats the station as busy.

I have to try that...

> 2. Queue phones shouldn't answer automatically. That's just inviting
> disaster. What if somebody forgets to log out when they leave?  
> Somebody
> is going to get silence if they're unlucky enough to be connected to
> that agent.

you're right.. I have to investigate here too!

> Fix both those things and you won't have to worry about Music On Hold
> not playing for the caller :)

:) ok, thank you so much!
bye bye
marco