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The WRQ call tracking system was built for use by the company's tech support team.
The foundation was a Scopus call tracking system, customized to the point of unrecognizability.
I led the design team, coded the user interface, wrote the database procedures and integrated
the real-time CTI code that controlled the phone switch. This kept me out of mischief
for quite a while.
Click on an image below to see a full-size version in a new window.
The Take a Call screen was what support engineers used to take notes, keep status and
otherwise track a support issue. The screen was a sort of master control panel, and
could be used for research as well as data entry. The application allowed multiple
instances of this screen to be visible; this allowed engineers to hunt for answers in one
window and take notes in another.
The Open Call List screen showed callers waiting in the phone queue. WRQ was
unique in wanting human dispatchers to answer the phone and take the first notes down
from the customer. Customers waited in the queue after speaking with the
dispatcher. You'll notice a Refresh button; the screen wasn't auto-refreshed
due to database performance concerns under load. This wasn't such a bad thing; pressing
Refresh repeatedly turned out to be a good way to get rid of nervous energy, sort of like
worry beads.
The QMail screen was what agents used to retrieve voicemail messages left in queues.
This might happen if a customer phoned during off hours, or abandoned a call in a phone queue.
The customer's recorded message could be retained indefinitely, and was associated with the
support incident and retrievable from the Take a Call screen.
In the free-thinking place that was WRQ tech support, engineers could self-assign to phone
support queues using the Queue Membership screen. Shift managers would ensure there
was coverage, but there was a good deal of free will involved.
Pretty busy toolbar, isn't it? There was a joke going around that I was paid
piecework, by the button. The support engineers loved it though.
The Queue Scheduling screen was where the opening and closing times of the queues were
set up. This helped configure after-hours messages in the phone system. The
queues opened on schedule even if no agents were ready; callers would leave a message in
the QMail system and their question would go to the top of the queue.
The Soft Phone was really fun to build. You could perform all the operations of a multi-line
phone from this screen. The agent's real telephone would light up, dial and so on to
match what the Soft Phone did.
The first usability test of the Soft Phone was a revelation. I started out making it
application-modal, without really thinking about it. I knew this was a bad choice
within the first minute of the first usability test. What stuck with me though was
how I really didn't know this until that first test. I've been a believer in
early prototype testing ever since.
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The CTI project was an unforgettable experience. Two great engineers from WilTel
led the interface design team. Shaun Botha built the CTI server, Derick Clack created the
QMail system and debugged the switch interface. I created the UI and database code.
The project turned out to be a huge challenge. It was more of an
invention than a systems integration project. Shaun, Derick and I worked long hours for
the better part of a year on the system.
Shaun and Derick are now principals in their own company, Twisted Pair Solutions LLC.
Their current work centers around Voice Over IP software and network integration.
Smart guys and great to work with. Recommended.
So what did you build the CTI system out of?
Well, the call tracking system started out as a Scopus CRM system; it was a predecessor
to Siebel, who ended up buying them. Scopus ran on a Sybase database and the client
code used Tcl, pronounced "tickle". The CTI and QMail servers were written
in C++ and ran on NT servers. Integration between the Scopus Tcl client and the
CTI API was done using Visual Basic for Applications. There was a big-big
Meridian telephone switch involved, and some Dialogic interface cards in one of the
CTI servers to commune with it. All the agents had special telephone sets we
could remotely address through software. There was probably other stuff too,
but you get the idea, there were about 10,000 moving parts.

WRQ doesn't use the Scopus call-tracking system anymore, sigh. They had Cambridge Technology
Partners build them a Siebel system at great expense, and ported the CTI phone switch
interface to it.
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