Short and simple about difficult - routing in "8-800"

In the previous post, we reviewed the basic principles of the “8-800” service. Today we will talk about routing. What is “intelligent” routing and how does it work in the “8-800” service I propose to consider using real examples from my practice in MegaFon.

Once again, in the “8-800” service, SCP ( Service Control Point ) processes only routing rules, i.e. "Signal" component of the call. According to the rules of optimal routing, the voice path is terminated along the shortest route from the switchboard of subscriber A, which makes a call to number “8-800” to the switchboard of subscriber B, which receives it.

What parameters does SCP "8-800" have for making a call routing decision?
First of all, these are the actual A and B numbers involved in the call. For number A, its regional affiliation and location can be determined if it is a mobile subscriber. Of course, the rule can be built on the analysis of the time of day (for example, working or non-working time) and the day of the week (for example, weekday or weekend) or a specific date (for example, an additional holiday weekend). From a technological point of view, the number of connecting lines (SL) on number B and their occupancy can be analyzed. In addition, the reason for the inability to establish a connection with the number B can be analyzed (for example, there are no free trunk lines or an “accident” on the number, that is, the number is not available for some reason). The personal “black” and “white” lists of the user of the “8-800” service can be analyzed, for example, the list of A numbers (or entire areas) listed in the “black” or, on the contrary, VIP list (list of numbers for priority processing) .
')

(1) "From the technical assignment for routing numbers 8-800".
The 8-800 routing platform should provide call forwarding according to the following rules:
1. On workdays from 9-00 to 18-00, all calls should be redirected to 495 XXX-XX-XX.
2. During non-business hours, calls should be redirected to:
2.1 Calls from city and mobile numbers of the Moscow region - to number 499 XXX-XX-XX.
2.2 Calls from the city and mobile numbers of the Leningrad Region and the city of St. Petersburg to the number 812 XXX-XX-XX.
2.3 Calls from the city and mobile numbers of other regions - to the number 383 XXX-XX-XX.
3. In case of unavailability of any of the call forwarding numbers, all calls should be redirected to the number 4822 XX-XX-XX.

This non-complicated routing option was implemented using standard tools - checking the time / date conditions and Subscriber A belonging to a region. Additionally, the function of checking the availability of a call forwarding number was used to make a call.

(2) "From the technical assignment for routing numbers 8-800".
It is necessary to ensure georeservation of the number on the basis of three contact centers (CC) in Russia: the main flow of calls should be routed to CC in Tver (90 SL). If the trunk line of the Tver KC overflows, the remaining calls should be routed to the CC of the Volga region (60 trunk lines). In the event of a Tver KC accident, route calls to the Volga region, and in the case of an overflowing trunk line of the latter, to the third KC in Yekaterinburg via SIP. In case of an accident of the Tver and Povolzhsky KC, all calls should be routed via SIP to the KC of Yekaterinburg. In the event of an accident in Ekaterinburg KC, play a message to subscribers about the unavailability of the service.

This variant of the routing settings was implemented using the “primary / backup” routing function, arranging the target CC numbers in “cascade” one after another. For KC Ekaterinburg, the connection through the “MultiPhone SIP-Trunk” via the VPN channel was configured. For each of the CC, its own emergency timer was selected (the time during which the service tries to establish a connection with the number) on the line.

(3) "From the technical assignment for routing numbers 8-800".
It is necessary to ensure the routing of calls to the rented CC during the promotion. Allow calls to number 8-800 only from certain regions of the Russian Federation. Be sure to limit the bill to pay for traffic based on the budget of the advertising company.

A joint calculation of the potential volume of calls was made with the client, the average call processing time was calculated, the maximum allowable number of trunks was calculated based on the planned load on the CC and a plan was drawn up for the maximum possible number of calls per day. Regional routing was configured and counters were set for the maximum number of calls per day. Thus, the advertising campaign was carried out within the framework of the budgeted by the client. In addition, according to the statistical reports received, the Client was able to determine the actual number of potential consumers of his services and their belonging to the regions of the Russian Federation, which made it possible to use this data for further business development.

(4) "From the technical assignment for routing numbers 8-800".
It is necessary to ensure the routing of the calls of the state utility operator to its own contact center and ensure the reservation of the channel in the event of an accident. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the transfer of part of calls to the operator’s quality control service. It is also necessary to limit the invoice for payment of traffic based on the budget.

The routing scheme was configured similarly to the previous one (3). It was necessary only to take into account a significant “imbalance” of the load in the first days of the month (apparently, the peak of the load was at the time of issuing and paying utility bills). In addition, the cycling counter routing was configured so that every 20th call was routed to a separate Customer Quality Control Group. Separately, we had to pick up the maximum number of SLs, taking into account that calls were received on the direct Moscow number of the Customer’s CC.

From these examples, I hope, it becomes clear the practical application of the functions of the “intelligent” routing of the “8-800” service. Of course, these functions can be used in various combinations, achieving the solution of the problem. It is also important that all the service configuration tools, as well as the most detailed call statistics, are available to client administrators through the “8-800” management interface.

Separately, I will note an important point for potential customers of the 8-800 service. It is imperative to predict and plan the potential volume of traffic that will arrive at number 8-800 and use certain routing settings to eliminate the excess load on their operators and reduce the risks of budget overruns. In MegaFon's toll free number 8 800 service , for example, there is a setting — the number of simultaneous calls that the client is ready to accept at a given time. This parameter is usually set depending on the number of telephone lines and operators who are ready to receive a call at the moment. The value can be changed, for example, to reduce it at lunchtime, during non-working hours, etc. This is necessary in order for callers to the number 8-800 not to “hang out” for a long time on the handset in the queue, but to call back or contact the company in another way. Also, with a tightly limited budget, you can set the parameters for the number of calls that the company is ready to receive per day, week or month.

In the next short article, I propose to consider in more detail the pricing issues of the 8-800 service.