[asterisk-users] Call monitor/barge/train

[David Backeberg]

> The supervisor will have a control panel, where he will see how many
> of his agents are on call. If they are, he can "right-click" on the
> agent and get the options Call Monitor (where the super just listens
> in on the call, or new reps can listenin), Call Train (where the super
> and agent can talk to each other for training, but the customer
> doesn't hear them, or older reps can train newer reps), Call Barge
> (where everyone can hear everyone else, super agent and caller)

We built our own solution that does everything you said, except I
didn't bother with the AJAX, right-click handling, etc. I don't know
why "right-click" has to be a particular part of the feature.

Anyway, our agents dial into a special number, authenticate, get
prompted by an IVR menu for what they want to do (take calls, dial
out, train) and then await calls. Other agents can train by shadowing
other agent calls using ChanSpy(). People with web access can control
who can listen to whom, or if at all. To actively monitor somebody, a
person with web access can configure their own account to have listen
privileges against the chosen agent. We configure all of this using
custom-built web interface with PHP, MySQL backend, and Perl agi-bin
scripts. We built the current level of features over a span of about a
year, and at each stage of development, would add a few features, test
drive on a development system, then put it live, repeat. I don't see
how you're going to get from zero to 100mph without some custom
development work.

The least important part of what you want to do is the interface, but
that's what you led with. If you're really going through with this,
don't prioritize the interface. Instead prioritize the phones
features, and improve the interface once the phones features are rock
solid. I'm not aware of anything ready-built that does what you want.
FreePBX might provide the web-interface part that would at least let
you know what agents are currently logged in, and you might be then
able to extend FreePBX. I've never tried to do anything like this with
FreePBX. Very briefly, if you do the custom thing, design a good data
model that handles your workflow. Make agi-bin scripts and web scripts
that update that data model when things change in the system, then
hook them up to the web interface and asterisk.

I don't know what you're using for agent phones. Before I built our
particular web-based Asterisk system, our proprietary PBX phones had a
literal double-jack feature, where the call could be monitored in
person, while sitting next to the agent. There were also messier ways
to do that with feature codes, using that proprietary PBX, but
ultimately it was too hard to explain, and this system is easier to
use for the end-users.

-David