Distribution Service Settings

Contains settings related to call distribution.

Note that - once applied - these settings affect all current or future users in this service.

Users

Allows to configure settings that affect Nimbus user status handling and call distribution.

User Assignment Type

Shows how (new) users are assigned to this service. → See User assignment types.

The default for Nimbus is "Microsoft Teams Based". Users are directly synched to the Teams channel related to the current service.

Why is this setting locked? The assignment type is determined during Service Provisioning.

Distribution Policy

Contact Center Service Type feature.

Why is this setting locked? Distribution Policies are managed and changed via the Service Administration, depending on your service type and licsense.

New users immediately active

The " Active" setting determines if Microsoft Team "Members" are considered as users for Nimbus call distribution. Enabling this feature will automatically add new team members to your Nimbus service team.

An "Active" state has the following effects:

Only "Active" users may receive Nimbus distributed calls. Users may still be part of a team but remain inactive for the team's designated Nimbus Service.
Team Members that are set "Active" at least once in a month will count into statistics of the Nimbus Administration
Active Members are immediately part of the Nimbus task queue distribution according to the set Workflowsand may handle calls for the service team.
They also appear as "Active" in the Dashboard for all other team members.

Good to know

Both Team Owners and Team Members themselves can toggle their "Active" state at any time within either the My Services tab of the personal Nimbus app or the Team Dashboard >"My State" widget.
Toggling this state acts as a quick "gate" to opt-in and -out of multiple Nimbus Services in case you want to balance your personal customer interaction as user and Nimbus capacity per service team.
In addition to the "Active" state the "User Presence" (within Teams) also needs to be in a state that allows for call distribution → see below.

Don't see this setting? Active state toggles do not apply for skill-based services.

Conversations Distribution

Determines call distribution based on user presence state as set in their MS Teams client.

Precondition: Regardless of Microsoft Teams IM presence, a user always needs to be "Active" in the service to receive Nimbus distributed calls → See above.

Setting Effects

On the My Services dashboard a user will be shown in state: "(Not) Available" according to the configuration above:

Notes:

When a user is part of multiple teams and already taking a call for one service line, the user is also marked as " Not Available " in all other Nimbus teams.

IM presence states considered by Nimbus are:

Available
Busy
Do Not Disturb
Away
Offline

Related settings to check

Whenever you make adjustments to your Distribution we also recommend to check the following:

Workflows - as activities inside - such as "Availability-based Routing" or "Queue" will affect call distribution, reaching more or fewer (active) users respectively. MS Teams presence is also re-evaluated depending on the "Distribution Type" setting in the "Queue" workflow activity:

Distribution Type setting	Availability Scenario	Effective Task distribution
Broadcast	When a user turns back to "Available" and a broadcast task is in the queue.	During the next distribution iteration (timeout criteria or decline by other users) the user is included for distribution.
Direct	When a user turns back to "Available " and a direct distribution task is in the queue.	During the next distribution iteration (e.g. RONA criteria or decline by previously selected) this user included for distribution.
Pickup	When user is "Not Available" Pickup controls are disabled (e.g. in Dashboard)	During the next distribution iteration (e.g. RONA timeout) this user included for distribution. A message will be shown on mouse-over that the IM presence is preventing task handling.
None, see node exit ►	No One Available	Currently all users are inactive (or active but set "offline" in MS Teams)
None, see node exit ►	In Time Available	Currently active users are not immediately available e.g. "DND/Away/Busy" or when occupied by another call.
None, see node exit ►	Direct Available	Currently at least 1 user is available = MS Teams presence set "available" and also set to "active" in Nimbus).

Reporting Settings (Settings > General > Reporting ) - as user related distribution and availability changes can directly affect your reporting SLA.

Task Priority

Contact Center Service Type feature. The Task Priority determines how incoming calls from this service are handled in sequential order.

Configurable Property	Description	Behavior	What it looks like
Task Priority	Strict* Highest Very High High Normal (Default for Services) Low Very Low Lowest Nothing Else* * see	When a new task enters the to the queue, it gets a priority according to the service setting: Tasks are distributed according to your currently applied Distribution Policy (e.g. "Longest Idle" or "Most qualified" users first). The order of Tasks is handled by priority, meaning: A new task of higher priority over existing tasks will take precedence and be handled as soon as possible. A new task of equal priority will be sorted in below already existing tasks of the same priority, as it entered the queue at a later point of time. A new task of lower priority will be sorted "in-between" higher priority task rounds, using a weighted round robin method. → See chapter below. When should I select "Strict" or "Nothing Else" as my priority? "Strict Tasks" will always be put on top of your queue. Use this for Emergency services and important VIP hotlines that always should get precedence over anything else in your queue. "Nothing Else" Tasks will only get distributed when your service queue is empty. Note that selecting either "Strict" and "Nothing Else" will ignore round-robin distribution. Tasks get lost due to potentially long queue times.	In views with a task list (e.g. My Overview or Personal Dashboards with "Task" widgets) a "Priority" column indicates how high this task is ranked in the queue. With this setting, tasks may now "displace" existing tasks to a new rank.

Weighted Round Robin Task Distribution

Due to the rules above, task may "starve" for very long in a queue. An example would be a "Lowest" priority task getting outranked by higher priority tasks. To avoid this, a weighted round robin method is in place to mix in lower-priority tasks, equally distributed amonst available users:

Learn more...

_{Q: Calls in Queue | H: Handled | R: Remaining}

Priority	Q	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R	H	R
1 (high)	12	2	10			2	8					2	6			2	4					2	2			2	0
2 (med)	6			1	5			1	4					1	3			1	2					1	1			1	0
3 (low)	3									1	2									1	1									1	0
Round Counter		Round 1				Round 2						Round 3				Round 4						Round 5				Round 6
Time (t)		t₁																													t_n
Weighted Round Robin The Round Robin procedure distributes the calls in such a way that the ratio between the individual priority levels is always 2:1. Each time another "Round" is started, that round counter is applied to the "weight" of the remaining tasks. The example above assumes a configuration with 3 priority levels. There are 21 calls in the queue, with the following priority: 12 calls with priority 1 6 calls with priority 2 3 calls with priority 3 Following the 2:1 rule, the calls are queue over time t as follows: Round 1: High Med tasks added in 2:1 ratio. No "Low" priority tasks in Round 1 as "Medium" task count outweighs the low task count. Round 2: High Med Low tasks added in 2:1 ratio. The "Low" priority tasks get a round-multiplier added to their weight, now outweighing "Medium" tasks and thus are added in a 2:1 ratio. Round 3: Same as Round 1. Sources: Weighted Round Robin (Wikipedia Article). Please note that this example only works as long as no new calls are being processed. Calls with strict or no priority are not considered in this rule.

Task Priority in "Queue" workflow activites

In a multi-service environment, the "Priority" setting effects your "Distribution Type" setting within a Queue Workflow Activity:

Scenario	Setup	Outcome	Learnings
2 Services A&B using a "Broadcast" Queue Activity setting in their Workflows.	Service A : Broadcast, Calling Timeout - 30, priority "Low" Service B: Broadcast, Calling Timeout - 30, priority "High" Both services pool the same 10 users, Active and Available	A first (low) call to Service A will block all 10 users with the call invitation. A second (high) call to Service B enteres the queue. All users are still blocked for the 30s timeout. The first (low) call is declined by 1 user, which then immediately gets the second (high) call distributed. All 9 users are still blocked by the (low) call engagement until it is handled. Only the 1 user finishing the (high) engagement may take the next (high) priority call.	The "Broadcast" Queue setting is fixed to a 10-user batch. In a Priority scenario the first call entering – even if lower priority – may block higher priority tasks.

After Call Work (ACW)

Contact Center Service Type feature. ACW time (in seconds) is added to the end of a call session until the user is considered available again to take the next task.

Option

Description

ACW in Portal UI View

Enable ACW Time

When enabled, shows ACW in both My Sessions and Assistant in the Nimbus portal.

Once enabled the default ACW time (02:30 mm:ss) is granted. Can optionally be extended or stopped with the additional options below.

Allow Early End

Enables all Nimbus users of that service to stop the ACW counter at any time.

→ Stopping ACW will free up the user to become "Available" within Nimbus and receive the next task / call.

Allow Time Extension

Enables all Nimbus users of that service to extend ACW by the amount specified in the " Maximum ACW Extension Time ".

This time is granted as flat "new" value to the user, not added to any remaining ACW time.

Notes on After Call Work (ACW)

When a user goes offline in Microsoft Teams it will terminate the remaining ACW time for that user.
Changing the ACW Toggle / Time in settings during productive hours will have an impact on new (incoming) Tasks only.
Users are blocked from all other Nimbus service calls during ACW.
ACW is also tracked in Power BI for reporting purposes. Reports ACW time in seconds or "Null" if disabled. Total ACW time in a single service session is summed up from all involved user sessions.

RONA

Contact Center Service Type feature. RONA (Redirect On No Answer) is a "not selectable / available" User State for all type of services. A Nimbus user in MS Teams is given RONA status if they ignore a service call or do not answer it within a set period of time seconds.

The RONA status ensures that the call doesn't get lost and is instead redirected back to the queue (or handled otherwise via the Workflow). RONA is also tracked in the Nimbus Reporting Model, and can be evaluated via Power BI OData interface.

This status does not apply when the Distribution Type in your Queue Workflow Activity is set to "Broadcast", as it would otherwise flag entire batches of users with RONA status when a call doesn't reach them.

You can configure RONA as follows:

Element

Description

Persistent RONA
(toggle, default: disabled)

Adds a persistent RONA state to any Contact Center licensed users of that service when they fullfill either of the following criteria:

Decline a call from that service
Ignore a call invitation from that service

While in RONA status the user is considered as "Not selectable / Available" by Nimbus and will not receive further call invitations. → See note below.

RONA Reset Time

RONA Reset Time (must to be specified)

- hh:mm:ss format
- Default 10min
- Min 10 sec to Max 320 min (8h)

RONA Reset Conditions

An already active RONA state can be reset as follows:

Automatically, after the specified "RONA Reset Time"
Manually by the user via Assistant (both portal and standalone). An count-up timer shown next to a manual reset button.
When the user goes Offline in MS Teams.
When the user switches to an "Off Duty" Profile.

Changing the persistent RONA flag to false or changing the reset time will not have an impact on already set RONA states.

Outbound Service Call

Enterprise Routing Contact Center Service Type feature. Allows all users of that service to impersonate as the service during an outbound call. Also known as "Call As" or "Call On Behalf".

Preconditions

Users of this feature must be part of a Enterprise Routing or Contact Center Service.
The service must be enabled for "Outbound Service Call" via the "Distribution" Tab Service Settings.
The service needs to have a PSTN number assigned in order to dial out to an external number. → Also see "Known limitations" chapter below.

Note that Basic IVR Services (User assignment type = None) are excluded from this feature.

To initiate Outbound Service Calls:

Navigate to the My Overview or My Services view and click on the telephone icon next to the service you want to call as.
→ A teams dial out popup opens. You can now dial a number.
Before calling you can still choose between all services which are available to you (and enabled for "Outbound Service").
To start the outbound conversation, click on the "Call" icon .

Call button states and interaction

Nimbus interactions will disable the call button, e.g. when the user has an incoming / connected call or ACW task.
Offline and DND will not disable the button. User related "Busy Available/ Away Available" settings - made via Distribution Service Settings > Conversations Distribution – such as "available when busy" – are also ignored.

Known Limitations

Currently Known Limitations

PSTN Licensing: When the selected Service doesn't have an applied phone number, the dial pad is disabled. Dial out to a UPN is allowed. → Also refer to the "Transfer to PSTN Limitation" below.
UI visibility : "Outbound Service" calls are currently not shown in any UI like My Sessions or Attendant Console - as a result user won't be able to park/transfer/consult/etc.
Reporting visibility: Terminated outbound calls are not reflected on any reporting view (Reporting, Dashboard or Power BI)
O365 Search: In order to retrieve and call to O365 contacts, a tenant admin need to grant "User.Read.All" consent for all Nimbus users, as described on the required user permissions page. We are investigating if these permissions can be reduced.

Transfer to PSTN limitation

Out-of-the-box, Nimbus and affiliated addons can only perform PSTN transfers according to Microsoft's licensing and constraints.

Which PSTN license do I need to acquire?

As a tenant administrator you need to acquire the following licenses and assign them to the application instance of the respective Nimbus SOURCE service (team) that will act as PSTN transferor:

Your Setup	Required License
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"
*As of 2023 "Microsoft Teams Phone Standard"* licences 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. Please note that Luware staff cannot make 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.
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 be treated as such 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 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

Website	https://luware.com/support/
Helpdesk	https://helpdesk.luware.cloud
Service Status	https://status.luware.cloud/

Refer to the external reference: Microsoft Teams PSTN connectivity options and Microsoft Teams add-on licenses.