Attendant Console is an optional application to Nimbus that allows you to handle incoming calls like a front desk operator. The main goal is to attend to Nimbus caller needs more directly and personally, e.g. in a Call Transfer scenario, forwarding them to a target of your choice.
PRECONDITIONS
- Attendant Console is a separately licensed Nimbus Feature and can be enabled per user via User Administration. After the license is enabled for your user account, an "Attendant Console" entry becomes available in your main menu.
- You need to be part of at least one Nimbus service in order for Attendant Console to show as an option.
✅ User Permissions: Attendant Console will check and ask for consent to Required User Permissions on your behalf. These permissions allow Attendant Console to read calendar details, IM presence as well as your user directory for searching. Permissions are managed in your User Preferences (Portal).
✅ Exchange Contact and Licensing; Special requirements apply for Microsoft Exchange (Calendar access).
Show Exchange requirements
✅ Exchange license and user permission requirements
To inspect a contact's calendar, the following requirements must be met:
- User Permissions - Exchange Calendar View User Permissions must be granted in order to access a contact's calendar on your behalf.☝ This is usually done by your tenant administrator.
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Exchange Licenses: Both you and the contact need any of the following Exchange Online plans:
- EXCHANGE_S_STANDARD
- EXCHANGE_S_ENTERPRISE
✅Target user modality: Special requirements on modality licensing apply to serve all channels of communication:
MS Teams / PSTN license requirements
✅ MS Teams licensing and modality restrictions
- If the target contact does have a MS Teams license but no voice (PSTN) license, the transfer to UPN is disabled. Chat is possible.
- If the target contact does not have a MS Teams license, the account is shown, but transfer to UPN and Chat buttons are disabled.
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MS Teams Licenses: Any of the following licenses apply:
- STANDARDPACK
- ENTERPRISEPACK
- ENTERPRISEPREMIUM
- ENTERPRISEPREMIUM_NOPSTNCONF
- TEAMS_EXPLORATORY
☝ On all Attendant transfer scenarios, please also consider the known limitations below on this page.
Overview
On first start, Attendant Console will not show a lot of content to you, so we'll demonstrate some features on this example screenshot. Refer to the chapters below for further information.
Call Queue & Service Selection
The queue lists incoming customer calls for all your services. You can directly impact your queue via the "On/Off" active toggle for the respective service.
- The service toggle functionality has the same effect as toggling the status in the "My Overview" or "Services Overview" Nimbus tabs respectively. Your team owners can also set this toggle for you, with immediate effect.
- Note that you can only take calls when your Attendant State (see below) widget is shown as "Active" (green).
- When being part of - and active (green) for - multiple services, the queue items are accumulated or removed in real-time, always sorted by longest waiting callers.
Caller Context
The queue has a call context feature that ties into the Microsoft Power Automate Connector of Nimbus to retrieve additional caller information. The amount and content of fields shown varies depending on which data (e.g. from a CRM System or Active Directory) is available to Nimbus.
Information Widgets
The top row of Attendant Console consists of a set of status widgets to help inform you about the most important metrics on your current call.
Widget Title |
Description / Purpose |
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In Queue |
Numerical representation of callers in the queue. 💡 Entries in the queue are directly impacted by your "enabled" toggle in the team selection. |
Longest Waiting | Shows the highest waiting time entry in the incoming call queue at a glance. |
Service Info |
Shows service line info depending on your call state:
🔍 Their use and status changes are explained in Call Handling. |
Conversation State |
Displays Info during an active call. Changes states to either:
When Idle - displays "No Conversation / No Data" 💡 As there can be two ongoing simultaneous calls (e.g. Call-park scenario), this widget will focus on the call with the external customer. |
Attendant State |
Shows if you are in a "selectable" User State for calls. Works like "green/red" signal. ✅ Preconditions for a green status are as follows:
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Services | Allows you to "enable" yourself for call selection in one or several teams. 💡 Disabling yourself in a team will remove you from the list of team members available for the call selection algorithm. The incoming call queue will be updated accordingly. This has the same effect as enabling yourself within other areas of Nimbus, e.g. My Overview or Services Overview, respectively. The state can also be toggled by your team owner. |
Contact Search |
🔍 Find more details on this UI element further below. |
Conversation Hub
The conversation hub is the central area to handle your calls. The hub is split into 3 sections to display your current incoming caller state:
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Incoming - signals any incoming tasks distributed to you (automatically) by Nimbus Workflows.
💡 Incoming calls will ring alongside in your MS Teams Client. - Active - your current task or conversation. You can use the call controls to handle your active callers.
- Park - an area to park calls. In most scenarios, it is used to park a calling customer while you consult someone from the contact search. You can use the call controls to handle your parked callers.
Task control elements
Each area in the hub has individual, context-sensitive controls which show depending on your currently handled task and relevant modality situation:
Control |
Applies to modality | Description |
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Swap | Audio / Video | Switches the caller's position between "Active" to the "On Hold" area. |
Merge | Audio / Video | Merges the call into a conference between all participants. |
Terminate |
Audio / Video Instant Messaging |
Ends an active task from other supported modalities:
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Park / Unpark |
Audio / Video | Puts the calling customer from the "Active" to the "Park" area and vice-versa. |
Accept/Decline
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Audio / Video External Task Instant Messaging |
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💡Notes and Tips
- A declined task will be redistributed to the queue. If no other service user (team member) is in an available User State, the task may be redistributed to you.
- Certain controls such as merge or switch may appear multiple areas of the conversation hub. They usually have the same function of merging or switching an active or parked entry respectively.
- Note that not all call controls are visible at all times. Some become enabled or visible in context, e.g. when you handle a parked caller, search for a contact, or only if the target supports the according modality.
- Some actions within the conversation hub can be controlled via drag & drop as an alternative method to clicking the controls.
Contact Search
The contact search lists and stores your call targets during ongoing conversations. By default, the contact search and list is empty and shows entries as you start typing.
PRECONDITIONS
- Search features heavily rely on your Required User Permission consent.
💡Attendant Console will automatically check and ask for these permissions if not granted already. - The Search also relies on your internal O365 directory fields and Nimbus-managed Address Books which are kept in the Administration backend. If you discover missing or false user details in the search, contact your service or tenant administrator.
The search feature has the following UI elements:
Element | Description | |
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Contacts (Live Search) |
Searching for usersBy default, you can search for users by Name and Job Title as displayed in the result columns below the search field. The list of entries narrows down as you type. |
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Applying fields to filter search resultsYou can also apply filters to narrow down huge lists by clicking "Select Fields" .
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Searching for PSTN NumbersYou can also use the search field to call unknown numbers by entering a valid SIP-address. However, in such cases the call actions may be limited. | ||
Searching for ServicesYou can search for Nimbus services and list up to 8 available team members of that service. Works for both MS Teams-based and skill-based services. ✅ Precondition: Services only show team members when the Team Visibility in Attendant Console in the Tenant Administration is set accordingly. Otherwise you may not see any team details or only those of your own services.
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Settings | Attendant can be customized according to your needs by accessing the settings next to the search field. 🔍 Visit Attendant Settings to learn more about each option. |
Search Result Columns
The contact search lists the following table columns:
Column |
Description |
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Source |
Displays the source directory/team/service behind the corresponding contact in form of an icon:
Depending on which sources are providing results for your search terms, duplicate entries of the same contact may appear. Your Tenant administrator can pre-filter available search results by following the steps in Use Case - Filtering Attendant contact search via MS Graph.
Address Books added via the Nimbus configuration are also managed by your service administrator. However, you can manage address books as Excel files in your team and sync them automatically. Refer to our Use Case - Adding external Address Books via Power Automate. ☝ Note that not all search fields are supported by each source. Show fields supported by Nimbus user searchINC Supported User Search FieldsRequired Permissions☝ User.Read.All permissions must be granted to use this feature. As a Tenant Admin, head to the Nimbus Portal > User Preferences > Permissions "Tab" > Advanced Search and manage consent for your entire tenant. Read Required User Permissions for more details. Legend ✅ Fields are supported by search. ☝ KNOWN LIMITATION: The search covers the predefined Nimbus Address Books fields, but no custom-fields can currently be searched. We are working to gradually alleviate this situation and make the search experience more consistent.
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Name (and Presence State Icon) |
💡 For single contacts: You can hover over a contact avatar to get more information. Clicking on the avatar shows the organizational structure with manager and peers.
💡 For Services: Hover over a service to get the information. Click on the service avatar to see service team members and their status.
🤔 No state / availability shown at all? When the presence state cannot be resolved - or does not apply for that type of source - no icon will be shown. For external contacts, this may be blocked by IT policies or firewalls. For internal contacts, this can be caused by users (or your Tenant Administrator) not having granted Required User Permissions to Nimbus. |
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Name | Resolved clear user or service name for the identified contact. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Context | Displays additional fields such as Email, IM, Department if provided via the user directory. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Job Title | Provides a job title field, if provided via your tenant user directory. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note | Allows you to take notes. See section Contact Notes below. |
Contact Actions
Actions relate in context of your currently active call in the conversation hub, e.g. an action transfers the current caller to the selected contact in your search or sends a message with call details.
💡 If an action cannot be used by the corresponding contact - or is not applicable for the current call situation - controls are disabled for that entry.
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Safe Transfer to this contact. Your current caller will remain in the call with you until connected. |
🤔 Why are certain Contact Actions disabled?
If no "Business phone" or "Mobile phone" numbers are registered for the contact in Azure AD, the transfer to phone actions are disabled. Nimbus can only detect numbers registered via Azure AD, not Teams-internally assigned Line URIs. ☝ This is the default state for Teams Auto Attendants and Call Queues. If you require these to be reachable via Blind Transfer, then you will need to add at least one number to their Azure AD account. Also refer to the known limitations below on this page. ☝ To avoid lost calls in any transfer scenario, please carefully consider known limitations as well.
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Blind Transfer to this contact. ☝ A blind transfer may be lost and not returned to you. This is also the case if the contact is not responding or taking the call to voicemail. |
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Consultation Call to this contact. You can swap between clients and merge the conference session. In the meantime, your original caller is put into Park position, listening to waiting music. |
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Call To this contact. Unlike a Consultation Call, this does not create a conference. You can only speak to either the caller (customer) or your contact from the search. |
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Send IM / Connect via MS Teams.
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💡 The template selection (during a call) determines what language will be used to prefill an Email or Instant Message for your contact. |
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Send Email to the contact.
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Calendar of the contact to inspect. | Only shown when an exchange calendar was found.
If the contact does not have an Exchange license, the calendar functionality is disabled. ✅ See -→ Exchange Requirements on top of this page. |
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Add to Favorite Contacts. Contact entries of your choice are pinned in the "Favorites" group for future calls. | 🔍 Good to Know: You can also use the Attendant Settings to define further contact groups to sort and display users in. |
Read the Attendant - Safe Transfer scenario to see an everyday`s example of these features.
Contact Notes
Within the Contact Search, you are able to add notes on individual contacts.
Functionality:
- You are able to pick between 3 different types of Notes: Standard, Info and Warning. 💡This icon choice is cosmetic and merely impacts the look and feel of the note when being clicked.
- The note's title field will be shown in the Note column first. When title is not defined, the contents are shown instead.
- Clicking on any existing note allows you inspect detail contents and edit/delete the note.
💡Tip: You can also search for note contents by selecting the “Note” field / filter in the Contact Search:
☝Be advised while taking notes:
- Notes are publicly shared with other Attendant Console users on your tenant. Keep in mind that potentially private information could be exposed in this way.
- Deleted notes cannot be restored. A confirmation dialog is shown prior to note deletion. Removing a note will remove that information immediately for all other Attendant Console users as well.
- Every Attendant Console user has the same rights to read and edit notes. → We therefore strongly recommend to store confidential, legally- or time-sensitive information outside of Notes, e.g. in a separate system that requires authentication.
Known Limitations
INC Attendant Console Limitations
KNOWN ATTENDANT CONSOLE LIMITATIONS
Audio/Video calls from Interact taken via Attendant Console will not support blind transfer, pickup, and transfer to voicemail.
INC Transfer to PSTN Limitation
TRANSFER TO PSTN LIMITATION
Out of the box, Nimbus and related addons can only perform PSTN transfers according to Microsoft's licensing and constraints.
Which PSTN license do I need to acquire?
As of 2023, "Microsoft Teams Phone Standard" licenses are no longer supported by Microsoft. Previously, those licenses were viable for Nimbus. Regardless if you are using Direct Routing, Calling Plans, Operator Connect, the "Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account" license is now always required.
Your Setup | Required License |
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Direct Routing |
"Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account" |
Calling Plan |
"Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account" + "Microsoft Teams Domestic Calling Plan" or "Microsoft Teams Domestic and International Calling Plan" or "Microsoft Teams Calling Plan pay-as-you-go" + "Communication Credits" (if these aren't already included as part of your plan) |
Operator Connect |
"Microsoft Teams Phone Resource Account" |
☝Please note that Luware staff cannot give recommendations on which license plan is best suited for your needs. Depending on your scenario, additional Teams App licenses may be required. Exact details are to be discussed with your Microsoft contacts.
Also see: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-add-on-licensing/virtual-user
How does PSTN licensing affect service and call transfers?
Assuming that Service A has a PSTN license assigned - but further Services don't - the following scenario may unfold:
Scenario A - Service A workflow is configured to transfer the caller to Service B. The license of Service A is used, the PSTN transfer occurs. The PSTN license is re-used throughout further transfers to Services C...D…x…and so on.
Scenario B - Service B is called directly instead. Now the workflow of Service B attempts a redirect to either service A or transfer to C. The PSTN transfer fails due to a missing license on Service B.
🌟Learnings:
- For one first-level-response service: If you handle first-response calls always via the same service, you need a PSTN license for that particular first-level service.
- For multiple first-level-response services: If you handle first-response calls always via multiple services, you need a PSTN license for all those first-level services .
- Nimbus will attempt to use the PSTN license of the first service that responded to a call, regardless of how many further internal service transfers are performed thereafter.
- If no PSTN license is found on a service that requires it for a transfer, the transfer task will be considered as failed and treated accordingly by the system (e.g. workflow exit announcement, reporting "transfer failed" outcome).
☝Note that handling and tracking of running cost for PSTN licenses is outside of the Luware support scope. If you require assistance in extending and/or configuring your Nimbus services for PSTN, our support will gladly assist you:
Luware Support Address
Luware Website | https://luware.com/support/ |
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Luware Helpdesk | https://helpdesk.luware.cloud |
Cloud Service Status | https://status.luware.cloud/ |
INC Transfer to Teams Auto Attendant and Call Queues Limitation
TRANSFER TO TEAMS-NATIVE AUTO ATTENDANTS AND CALL QUEUES
Transfers to Teams-native Auto Attendants or Call Queues are currently only possible when the Blind Transfer option is chosen and targets their assigned phone number.
Blind Transfers towards their UPNs will fail, as will any Safe Transfer or Consultation Call initiated via the Nimbus Attendant Console.
Causes and Workarounds
This is caused by Microsoft Teams limitations with regards to what voice applications (such as Call Queues, Auto Attendants, and Nimbus) are allowed to do, and cannot be circumvented by Nimbus.
💡 A possible workaround would be to force the call over your Direct Routing SBC by using an internal dummy number that isn't otherwise associated with any other Teams user or service already. This call would then be routed to your SBC, which can then re-direct it towards the actual number of the Call Queue / Auto Attendant on the Teams side again. As this workaround is dependent on voice infrastructure components outside of Luware's control and support scope, please reach out to your SBC provider or skilled personnel for its implementation.
💡The above-mentioned workaround is not technically feasible if you are using Microsoft Calling Plans or Operator Connect to provision numbers directly through Teams. Forcing an external reroute as a workaround is not possible with these numbers.