Understanding Cisco CallManager Extended Services

Table Of Contents

Understanding Cisco CallManager Extended Services

Cisco CallManager Extension Mobility Overview

Login Service

Logout Service

Cisco CallManager AutoAttendant Overview

Components of Cisco CallManager Extended Services

Understanding Cisco CallManager Extended Services

CiscoCallManagerExtended Services bring valuable IP telephony capabilities to a CiscoCallManager deployment. These new extended services significantly differentiate Cisco's IP Telephony solution from features provided with traditional PBX systems.

CiscoCallManager Extended Services consist of two features: CiscoCallManager ExtensionMobility and CiscoCallManagerAutoAttendant.

Use this document if you are running CiscoCallManager Extended Services with CiscoCallManager pre-3.3(2) and CiscoCustomerResponse Application (CiscoCRA) 2.2 and later.

Note With CiscoCallManager 3.3(2) and later, the CiscoCallManager Extension Mobility application and the CiscoCallManager ExtensionMobility service in CiscoCallManager provide the extensionmobility functionality. The feature no longer requires the CiscoCRA engine. If you are using Extension Mobility and AutoAttendant with Cisco CallManager 3.3(2) and later, see the CiscoCallManager Features and Services Guide at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_callmg/index.htm

This section provides an introduction to CiscoCallManagerExtended Services:

• Cisco CallManager Extension Mobility Overview

• CiscoCallManagerAutoAttendant Overview

• Components of CiscoCallManager ExtendedServices

Cisco CallManager Extension Mobility Overview

The CiscoCallManagerExtensionMobility feature allows users within a CiscoCallManager cluster to configure any Cisco IP Phone7960/7940 as their own, temporarily, by logging in to that phone. Once logged in, the phone adopts the user's personal phone number(s), speed dials, services links and other user-specific properties. After logout, the phone adopts the original user profile.

With CiscoCallManager ExtensionMobility, several employees can share office space on a rotational basis instead of having a designated office.This approach is commonly used in work environments such as sales offices and consulting firms where employees do not routinely conduct business in the same place or keep the same hours every day.

Login Service

Administrators can program the login service, an XML-based authentication service, for a variety of uses, including duration limits on phone configuration and login authorization for particular phones. Programming is done in CiscoCallManager Service Parameters Configuration.

The user interface to the login service is accessed through the Services button on Cisco IP Phone Models 7960 or 7940. The user enters login information in the form of a UserID and a Personal Identification Number (PIN). The LoginApplication receives the XML-over-HTTP request and verifies the information against the Cisco IP Telephony Directory (see Figure1-1). The phone is reconfigured automatically with the individual user device profile information.

Logout Service

The user logs out by pressing the Services button and selecting logout. After the user logs out, CiscoCallManager sends the original user profile to the phone and restarts the phone.

Figure 1-1 Cisco CallManager Extension Mobility Architecture

Cisco CallManager AutoAttendant Overview

The CiscoCallManagerAutoAttendant (CiscoCallManagerAA), illustrated in Figure1-2, works with CiscoCallManager to receive calls on specific telephone extensions and to allow callers to select appropriate extensions.

Figure 1-2 Using Cisco CallManager AA

The CiscoCallManagerAA provides the following functionality:

•Answers a call

•Plays a user-configurable Welcome prompt

•Plays a Main Menu prompt, asking the user to perform one of three actions:

–Press "0" for the operator

–Press "1" to enter an extension number

–Press "2" to spell by name

•If the caller chooses to spell by name (option 2), the system compares the letters entered with the names configured to the available extensions.

–If one matches, the system prompts the user for confirmation of the name, and transfers the call to that user's primary extension.

–If there is more than one match, the system prompts the user to select the correct extension.

–If there are too many matches, the system prompts the user to enter more characters.

•When the caller has specified the destination, the system transfers the call.

–If the line is busy or not in service the system informs the user accordingly and replays the Main Menu prompt.

Components of Cisco CallManager Extended Services

The CiscoCustomerResponse(CR) Platform provides the components required to run CiscoCallManagerExtendedServices. The Cisco CR platform provides a multimedia (voice/data/Web) IP-enabled customer care application environment. The Cisco CR Platform uses Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, so your telephony network can share resources with your data network.

CiscoCallManagerExtendedServices uses four main components of the CiscoCustomerResponsePlatform:

•Gateway—Connects the enterprise IP telephony network to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and to other private telephone systems such as Public Branch Exchange (PBX).

•CiscoCallManager Server—Provides the features required to implement IP phones, manage gateways, provides failover and redundancy service for the telephony system, and directs Voice over IP (VoIP) traffic to the CiscoCustomer Response Application (CiscoCRA) system.

•Cisco IP Telephony Directory—Stores configuration information and CiscoCRA application scripts in a LDAP directory. The subdirectory that stores CiscoCRA scripts is called the repository. Storing application scripts and configuration information in an LDAP directory allows you to load application scripts on any CiscoCRA engine in the network. The repository keeps one backup version of each script for recovery purposes. You can revert to the previous version if necessary.

•Cisco CRA Server—Contains the CiscoCRA Engine that runs CiscoCRA applications. CiscoCRA applications comprise a series of steps, implemented as Java Beans packaged in .jar files.

Figure1-3 shows how CiscoCRA integrates with your Cisco IP telephony solution.

Figure1-3 shows CiscoCallManager and CiscoCRA systems running on separate servers. You can install CiscoCallManager ExtendedServices co-resident on the same server as CiscoCallManager or on a separate server.

Figure 1-3 Cisco IP Telephony Solution Components

For more information about the Cisco CR Platform, refer to the Cisco Customer Response Applications Administrator's Guide.