Contents
Remote Agents Support
SIP Server supports remote agents that use legacy PSTN phones. These agents could be working from their homes, or in a branch office that has simple PSTN connectivity.
SIP Server supports the following configurations for remote agents, depending on the remote agent locations:
- Remote agents located behind the softswitch
- Remote agents located behind the SBC/gateway
- Remote agents with non-provisioned phone numbers
To learn about benefits of nailed-up connections and how to configure them, refer to the Nailed-Up Connections for Agents topic.
To reconfigure office-based agents to their remote home-based locations, refer to the Enabling office-based agents to work from home topic.
For general information about configuring SIP devices, refer to the Configuring Devices and Services section in the SIP Server Deployment Guide.
Configuring remote agents located behind the softswitch
| Remote agent location | VOIP Service DN: Softswitch configuration |
Extension DNs configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Behind the softswitch | [TServer]
|
The Extension DN (Number property) for each remote agent must be configured with the PSTN number—for example, +1 555 123 1111, and contain no options. [TServer] |
| With nailed-up connections behind the softswitch | [TServer]
|
The Extension DN (Number property) for each remote agent must be configured with the PSTN number—for example, +1 555 123 1111, and contain the following options: [TServer]
|
Configuring remote agents located behind the SBC/gateway
| Remote agent location | Extension DNs configuration |
|---|---|
| Behind the SBC/gateway | The Extension DN (Number property) for each remote agent must be configured with the PSTN number—for example, +1 555 123 1111, and contain the following options: [TServer]
|
| With nailed-up connections behind the SBC/gateway | The Extension DN (Number property) for each remote agent must be configured with the PSTN number—for example, +1 555 123 1111, and contain the following options: [TServer]
|
Limitations
Due to the specifics of gateway behavior in performing SIP REFER methods, support for remote agents has some limitations. In order to use remote agents, you must perform one of the two following steps:
- Provision customers and remote agents to use physically separate gateways (otherwise, calls from agents to customers take shortcuts within gateways, which means that SIP Server loses track of the call and therefore cannot perform call control). Even in this configuration, direct calls between two remote agents on the same gateway are not visible to SIP Server.
- Disable the SIP REFER method for the gateways where the remote agents are located. This enables SIP Server to see agent-to-customer and agent-to-agent calls.
Remote agents with non-provisioned phone numbers
Starting with version 8.1.102.93, SIP Server improves provisioning of remote agent DNs in the Configuration Database. It is no longer required to provision external phone numbers (for example, agent’s PSTN numbers) in the Configuration Database. You must create an Extension DN for each remote agent where a DN number can be a primary office DN number or any other number if an agent doesn't have a primary office DN.
The external phone number is used to reach the agent during the agent session only, thereby limiting the lifetime of the external phone number to a particular agent session. In other words, after the agent is logged out, any associations with that external phone number are removed.
The non-provisioned phone number to be used for the agent session is passed to SIP Server in the TAgentLogin request in AttributeExtensions as the agent-phone key. AttributeThisDN of that request will contain the agent DN configured in the Configuration Database.
This feature requires Workspace Web Edition (WWE) version 8.5.201.95 or later.
Configuring remote agents with non-provisioned phone numbers
| Remote agent location | VOIP Service DN: Softswitch configuration |
Extension DNs configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Behind the softswitch | [TServer]
|
[TServer]
<no options> |
| With nailed-up connections behind the softswitch | [TServer]
|
[TServer]
|
Limitations
- If a non-provisioned phone number is used for the agent session, the agent can only initiate calls using the agent desktop. 1pcc calls originated from the non-provisioned phone number are not supported.
- For agents with nailed-up connections that use a non-provisioned number for the agent session, an establishment of the nailed-up connection by calling into a contact center routing point is not supported.
- Hunt Groups in Business Continuity (BC) functionality are not supported by this feature. That is, in the BC deployment, agent logging with a non-provisioned external phone number to a DN that is a member of the Hunt Group is not supported.