Topics

91

AGAW / AGAW not working - update

« on: July 09, 2009, 10:47:15 »

If you are running an AGAW system, you may have noticed it stopped working in the fist week of July.

In order to make it work again, please upgrade to the following version 1.5.4b3:

- http://yum.loway.ch/beta/QueueMetrics-1.5.4b3-trial.tar.gz
- http://yum.loway.ch/beta/queuemetrics-1.5.4b3-45.noarch.rpm

If your system was installed by yum, then you can simply issue the following commands (see http://astrecipes.net/index.php?n=279 )

Code: [Select]

wget http://yum.loway.ch/beta/queuemetrics-1.5.4b3-45.noarch.rpm
yum localupdate queuemetrics-1.4.0b1-20.noarch.rpm

Systems that are not running AGAW are unaffected and so should not be updated.

92

Outbound and QueueMetrics / Too few rings for outbound

« on: June 26, 2009, 17:28:41 »

A number of users complain that the dial-out macros do incorrect logging if the callee answers too late.

It would be better to make the dial time way longer in the default extensions_queuemetrics.conf file that ships with QM; so that where it currently says:
 

Code: [Select]

exten => s,n,Dial(${QDIALER_CHANNEL},30,....
you change that to
 

Code: [Select]

exten => s,n,Dial(${QDIALER_CHANNEL},300,....
This should solve the issue at hand.

93

QueueMetrics installation / Installing on Fedora

« on: June 03, 2009, 17:02:37 »

If you install QueueMetrics on a recent Fedora, the package "mysql-connector-java" has the same name but it's not the same thing as the package that comes from Loway repositories. This makes the installation seem to be OK but QM will complain that the MySQL connector keeps on being missing.


In order to solve the issue, you should issue the following commands:

Code: [Select]

yum remove mysql-connector-java.i386

if Qm was already installed (this will remove Qm as well).

If Qm was never installed or just removed, you can install the correct one by typing:

Code: [Select]

yum install mysql-connector-java.noarch

yum install queuemetrics
At this point you'll have the correct connector and QM will work.

 

94

QueueMetrics news / QueueMetrics 1.5.3 released today

« on: May 12, 2009, 16:56:26 »

QueueMetrics version 1.5.3 has been released today. This is basically a security update of version 1.5.2 because of bug #718, so you are advised to upgrade if you run an earlier version.

These are the major upgrades over the previous versions:
#718: Fixed an important security problem when streaming audio files
#708: New logging architecture
#703: An "audio only" version of the audio track is available when video recordings are found, so that it can be saved easily.
#709: Video size for Oreka playback can be now set by the user
#722: "Local/xxx@yyy" channels would not be loaded correctly whithout rewrite mode on older versions of Asterisk.
#724: Direct access to the call details without accessing the main reports cannow be set.
#723: The Agent popups are now wider
#725: Technical conversion issue in the new version of the Wizard
#726: Improved Wizard reliability on detecting DB versions
#727: Slight problem with the DBupdate scripts

95

QueueMetrics news / New features in QueueMetrics 1.5.2

« on: April 29, 2009, 18:23:13 »

New feature: At last – Pie charts!
We have added a new set of charts to the main QueueMetrics reports, thanks to Google Charts – these are not just pie charts, but also SLA graphs and change-over-time graphs. These charts are dynamic and make reports better looking and easier to look at. Try to click on pie charts and see what happens!

We do accept suggestions on how to improve them in order to maximize readability and usability.

 
New feature: The new Search Criteria
This feature is another all-time favorite: search criteria. By going to the Custom Reports page, you can now run a query to find a narrowly-defined set of calls – for example by caller-id, by duration, by termination status or by number of rings. The new criteria will make it possible to produce an endless set of graphs and statistics for specific situations, and to pinpoint problems very quickly.

We also added two new attributes to each call: the DNIS and the IVR choice. You need to do a small change to the Asterisk dial plan in order to log them, but the benefits are well-worth it if you have multiple incoming lines and multiple selection choices.

 
New feature: Improved Oreka integration
It is now possible to do listening of live calls using the Oreka plug-in, right from the real-time page.

QueueMetrics is also able to detect VNC session recordings that are linked to a given call, and is able to play them back, so that you can see what the agent was typing during the call.

These features will work with the commercial version of the Oreka recorder.

To know more about Oreka, visit http://www.orecx.com/web/


New configuration wizard and database tools
We completely rewrote the old configuration wizard. It is now possible to use nearly any data source as the configuration parameter – not just local Asterisk configuration files, but also the Asterisk Manager interface, the Asterisk-Realtime database, an existing queue_log file and even the Asterisk manager for a clustered instance! You can also run the wizard using a script, e.g. to keep a configuration in sync with some existing configurations.

The Database version checker and updater has also been rewritten as a wizard, and is now easier to use and can perform database optimizations on the user's behalf. It also makes it easier to understand which configuration files are being used.

In order to access the new features on an existing installation, do not forget to add the CONFIG key to your admin users.

 
A safer Qloaderd
A new version of Qloaderd is available; it will improve loading under extremely heavy conditions, if Asterisk is not able to output complete log records at once. The update should be completely automatic using yum.

Though this will not be needed by the majority of our users, we suggest upgrading anyway – there are no downsides and you get the extra safety at no additional cost.

Are you installing QueueMetrics? Get certified!
We are seeing definite interest in getting a certification program for QueueMetrics installers. We plan to do a certification class in September/October this year, to be held in Italy, near Milan.

If interested, please contact us for details.

96

QueueMetrics news / New QueueMetrics release: 1.5.2

« on: April 28, 2009, 15:17:10 »

We are pleased to announce that QueueMetrics 1.5.2 will be available today.
There are quite a lot of interesting things in it, see for yourselves.... 


Major changes:
- #630: You can now search for call with a rich set of searching criteria on
  the Custom Reports page.
- #647: New pie and time distribution graphs added to the main reports.
- #676: It is now possible to track IVR choices and DIDs / DNISs in QueueMetrics
- #276: Completely rewritten configuration wizard. Supports loading data from
  Asterisk configuration files, from the queue_log, from users.conf and from
  Asterisk Realtime. Also supports dynamic updating (reloading the configuration
  by calling a URL).
- #654 / #642: It is now possible to watch live videos recorded using Oreka
- #673: It is now possible to listen to live calls using Oreka
- #670: A safer version of Qloaderd will not lose partial records even under
  extreme load
- #667 / #375: Cleaner and easier-to-use DBtest wizard.


Minor updates:
- #641: Total times can now be seen in HH:MM:SS and not just in decimal hours
- #656 / #689: URLs can be opened automatically on the Agent's page
- #671: Improved security of configuration pages
- #643 / #677: It is now possible to have agents always log on unpaused, as some
  recent versions of Asterisk do.
- #682: It is possible to filter agents in the drop-down box on the Custom
  Reports page using a given string (useful for large CCs).
- #216: Average durations are shown on the Calls OK page
- #321: Import of agent data from users.conf
- #564: It is now possible to listen to audio files that include spaces
- #657: The [a] token is expanded on the agent's page even within buttons
- #683: A button on the top of each report lets you jump back to Custom Reports
- #696: The call detail popup is now larger
- #12:  Loading data from Asterisk Realtime on MySQL

Bugs fixed:
- #686: Disabling buttons on the realtime page would not work properly
- #655: The Live page would sometimes break if Asterisk disconnected improperly
- #638: Some string functions would not work on classlib older than 1.5
- #685: The parameter 'default.useEndingChannelName' was present twice in the
  default configuration file.
- #694: The configuration wizard wound not to run if no valid agents/users were
  defined
- #669: The Yes/No combo on the Edit QA page was sometimes broken
- #687: The xmlrpc_finaudio file that was referenced in the manuals was missing
- #223: The old config wizard would sometimes generate invalid SQL code
- #646: Minus signs in field names would break QA reporting.
- #652: ClassCastException error when loading the realtime page
- #668: Autoconfig wizards suppots penalty groups
- #679: The Queue Field on the queue_log table was too small.
- #681: Incorrect outbound chanspy configured in the dialplan files for 1.5.1
- #699: Over 250 jUnit tests run when buiding QueueMetrics

New FAQ entries:
- #649: New user manuals for Trixbox, supporting the latest Queuemetrics,
  dynamic agents, inbound and outbound calls with recordings and live listening
- #395: Better description of how alarm sounds work and how to disable them in
  the User Manual
- #637: New FAQ on securing intranet/internet access.

97

QueueMetrics installation / Installing QueueMetrics on AsteriskNOW 1.5

« on: April 09, 2009, 10:41:05 »

Since Digium uses CentOS 5.3 as the basis for their AsteriskNOW distribution, it is now trivial to install QueueMetrics on it.

Just type:

Code: [Select]

wget -P /etc/yum.repos.d http://yum.loway.ch/loway.repo

yum install queuemetrics

Then follow on-screen instructions.

The only difference from a TrixBox installation is that the default MySQL password is blank, and not "passw0rd" as it is on TB systems.

You can find the latest AsteriskNOW here: http://www.asterisknow.org/node/48579

98

QueueMetrics news / Oreka integration in QM

« on: March 20, 2009, 10:50:49 »

We now natively support Oreka solutions in QueueMetrics 1.5.1; see the full press release here: http://www.orecx.com/web/press/press-2009-03-Loway.pdf

99

QueueMetrics news / New TrixBox integration giude

« on: March 12, 2009, 19:05:56 »

If you use TrixBox, we are pleased to announce that we have written a new TrixBox integration guide for QueueMetrics 1.5.1 that covers:

- Dynamic agents (no more Agent/XXX channels) with managed login to their correct queues
- Using the new agent's page
- Inbound queues with audio recordings
- Live listening of inbound calls
- Outbound queues with presence and audio recordings
- Live listening of outbound calls

...all this in about 30 pages

Even if you do not use TrixBox, it is well worth a look because we give a concrete example of using fully dynamic agents, thus avoiding the deprecated AgentCallBackLogin problems (but QM will continue to support it if you use it, so don't worry  - no need to change existing configs).

The tutorial can be downloaded from: http://queuemetrics.com/download/QM_Trixbox_300.pdf

Or it can be read online at: http://queuemetrics.com/manuals/QM_Trixbox-chunked

As always, we value your comments, corrections and ideas.

100

QueueMetrics news / Release 1.5.1

« on: February 23, 2009, 12:13:38 »

QueueMetrics version 1.5.1 has been released today.

This version comes with a revised Agent's page that will empower your agents and give them better insight into the overall call processing that is happening system-wide. We also added improved tracking of outbound calls made by agents, and a set of features that are meant to smooth the transition to the Asterisk 1.6 platform. As a last important change, we now support the Oreka recording solution as an audio storage medium. This will be loved by those of you running the largest Asterisk deployments, who will be able to factor out call recordings from the main Asterisk server.

There is also a long list of new features and bugs fixed that should make this release interesting for most of you.

These are the major upgrades over the previous versions:
* Bug #498: QueueMetrics is now able to track lost outbound calls and will show outbound calls correctly as they are being placed in the Realtime page.
* Bug #586: Qloaderd tool lets you do partial upload of older queue_log data
* Bug #632: It is now possible to use Oreka for audio recordings.
* Bug #605: Now officially using the PolyVox translator's portal
* Bug #612: QM supports AMI version 1.1 for Asterisk 1.6
* Bug #633: New XML-RPC call to export audio files for a given call.
* Bug #575: Broadcast messages are now shown on the Agent's page.
* Bug #576: AGAW information (if present) will now be displayed on the Agent's page
* Bug #577: URLs can be launched automatically from the Agent's page
* Bug #582: Agents can have a visibility key - useful to fully partition QM for multi-tenant systems
* Bug #619: On the Agent's page it is now possible to do logins to all queues at once using ADDMEMBER. Useful for Asterisk 1.6.
* Bug #620: Assisted outbound dialing on the Agent's page
* Bug #621: Custom buttons that can lanch extenal URLs or trigger dialplan functions added to the Agent's page.
*Bug #600: All dialplan hooks of QM now receive the login of the user performing the call - useful for auditing

A number of bugs have been fixed also:
* Bug #608: Attempts would be counted incorrectly on calls with a wait time of less than 2 seconds.
* Bug #584: Error "StatementGeneratedKeyNotRequested" - this was caused by recent versions of the MySQL connector. Fixed.
* Bug #593: Asterisk call-id tracking: a config switch lets you see the Asterisk ID of the call on the details page.
* Bug #552: We now include a copy of Apache Xerces with QM.
* Bug #615: We use two-digit hours in all languages to make it easier sorting by date
* Bug #616: The MySQL storage monitor was broken in 1.5.0
* Bug #622: It was possible to create multiple users with the same login.
* Bug #84: QM now lists all days, even ones without activity, in the Daily Activity reports
* Bug #563/#569: the AGAW loader broke if there were no queues to process.
* Bug #583: The number of licenced agents will be hidden in the Licence page if tech info is turned off
* Bug #585: Config pages would sometimes see outdated information
* Bug #602: The "Attempts" -> "Lost calls" value was wrong in 1.5.0
* Bug #618: Queue names including wildcards would not work correctly in the Live page

In total, this release produces well over 150 different results and is available in 12 different languages.

You can download the latest version immediately from the downloads page.
http://queuemetrics.com/download.jsp

As an alternative, if you run RHEL/CentOS/TrixBox/AAH, you can install it automatically using yum - see the installation page.

The updated User Manual has been released jointly - you can download it or browse it online here: http://queuemetrics.com/manual_list.jsp

If you would like to write a language pack for your native language, it's very easy and it only takes a couple of hours' work. See the Translating QueueMetrics document from the Downloads page.

As always, we value your feedback on how to improve QueueMetrics to make it a better fit to your needs.


We have also prepared a couple of introductory articles to the new feature;
one about the new Agent's page:  http://forum.queuemetrics.com/index.php?topic=460.0 and the other explaining how to use the new Outbound calls mode at: http://forum.queuemetrics.com/index.php?topic=459.0

101

Running QueueMetrics / Changes to the Agent's page in QM 1.5.1

« on: February 21, 2009, 10:06:26 »

A lot of changes have been made to the Agent's page in QueueMetrics 1.5.1.



We try to summarize them here; of course you should see section 7 of the updated QM user manual for a complete reference. In order to make them work it is necessary that you update the extensions_queuemetrics.conf with the one that comes with 1.5.1.

Automatic URL opening

It is now possible to set a configuration option to have new URLs automatically open when the agent reloads the page. This saves one click for inbound call centers that use an external CRM app.

New login using ADDMEMBER

As well as automating the AgentCallBackLogin()-style logon and logoff procedures, it is now possible for agents to logon and logoff to all of their queues using ADDMEMBER statements - even for all queues at once. As QM knows on which queues an agent is supposed to work, they can get the benefits of avoiding Agent channels altogether and yet avoiding the hassle of logging on manually to each queue.
Note: you should disable from the configuration file the login style that your agents are not supposed to use.

Assisted dial

Agents can now use an assisted interface to place outbound calls. By clicking on the Dial button, they can select on which outbound queue the call is supposed to be placed and enter the number they need to call. This should make it easier to use this feature than to dial campaign code and  outbound number.
Note: you will have to customize the extensions_queuemetrics.conf to match your outgoing trunk.

User-definable function buttons

It is now possible to have up to four user-definable function buttons; they can either launch external URLs (e.g. your intranet) or trigger dialplan events in Asterisk. They can be fully defined or turned off from the configuration file.

Broadcast messages

AGAW Broadcast messages now appear on the Agent's page, thus making them useful even for non-AGAW users.
More information on the AGAW (Agent Awareness) subsystem can be found in section 8 of the QM user Manual.

AGAW information

AGAW information - the same that would be diplayed in the Firefox client  - can now be seen in the Agent's page.
More information on the AGAW (Agent Awareness) subsystem can be found in section 8 of the QM user Manual.


Auditing tools

All calls made to the Asterisk dialplan by QM now include a variable QM_LOGIN that has the login name ofd the user on which behalf the action is being performed. This makes it easy to create an audit trail of who performed critical/sensitive operations, e.g. live audio monitoring of agents.


We look forward to your comments and feedback on these new features.

102

Outbound and QueueMetrics / Outbound calls in QM 1.5.1

« on: February 21, 2009, 09:32:15 »

QueueMetrics version 1.5.1 has a facility to keep track of outbound calls that are placed using a separate verb to distinguish them from inbound ones.

This makes it possible to implement a few new functionalities:

1. we keep track of the agent who placed the call even for lost calls; this means that when you filter by agent, you are going to find the outbound calls he tried to place but did not go through as well. This was a major feature a lot of users requested.

2. in the realtime page, you see agents busy as soon as they start placing a call, not just when the call is connected

3. outbound calls do not auto-instantiate an implicit agent logon.

In order to make this work, you simply have to use the extensions_queuemetrics.conf file that comes with 1.5.1. You can of course keep using the old version or the AGI script, and QM will behave as it did in previous versions.

103

Translations / Upcoming version 1.5.1

« on: February 19, 2009, 15:28:14 »

We are going to release Queuemetrics 1.5.1 on Monday, Feb 23rd.

If you have contributed to a translation and want to make it up to date, please help us.

We have added a few strings to be localized, so please review them - it will just take a few seconds. Just log on and click on the "Complete" label.

Thanks!

104

Running QueueMetrics / MOVED: outboun calls

« on: February 19, 2009, 09:43:42 »

This topic has been moved to Outbound and QueueMetrics.

http://forum.queuemetrics.com/index.php?topic=455.0

105

Outbound and QueueMetrics / New for 1.5.1: tracking agent in outgoing lost calls

« on: February 08, 2009, 18:28:09 »

We are pleased to confirm that in the upcoming version 1.5.1 of QM there will be the opportunity to:
- track lost outbound calls by calling agent
- see outgoing calls with the correct agent status as they are being placed in the RT screen

This was tracked as issue #498 in the QM bug tracker.

In order to make this work, you should simply change the outgoing logging script so that instead of logging, e.g.

Code: [Select]

1092001100|1092.C|sk-1NONE|ENTERQUEUE|http://url|895
it will log

Code: [Select]

1092001000|1092.B|sk-1|Agent/102|CALLOUTBOUND|http://url|895
See how we just changed the verb and we pass along the agent code.


We are about to release a beta of this functionality. If you are interested in helping us try out this new feature, please post a message here.