Configuring Language Overflow in a Scenario
This tutorial shows how to route calls to agents who speak a different language after a specified wait time. For example, Spanish-speaking callers can be routed to English-speaking agents if no Spanish-speaking agent is available after five minutes.
Open Scenario Builder
In Contact Center Administrator, go to Configuration → Scenarios → Voice. Create a new scenario, or click on one you want to edit. Double-click to open the scenario builder.
Determine the Caller’s Language
Language-based routing can be configured in two ways:
1. By prompting the caller to choose a language in the scenario
2. By assigning language skills in the scenario entry
Both methods ultimately control which agents the Find Agent block searches for first. The following example scenario demonstrates Method 1 (language selection using a Menu block). Method 2 is described as an alternative approach.
Method 1. Caller Selects a Language from a Menu
Add a Menu block to the scenario. Configure the prompt to instruct callers to select their preferred language (for example, press 1 for English or press 2 for Spanish). In the Valid Choices section, configure the corresponding inputs. Each Menu exit will be used to route the call based on the caller’s language selection.
Method 2. Language is Determined by the Scenario Entry
Instead of prompting the caller, you can also determine the caller’s language based on the scenario entry the call arrives through.
For example:
- Calls to Number A are routed through a scenario entry configured with a requested skill of English
- Calls to Number B are routed through a scenario entry configured with a requested skill of Spanish
In this case, the Find Agent block uses the requested skill already associated with the call, so no Menu block is required to determine the caller’s language. This method is often used when different phone numbers are advertised for different languages. For more information, see Requested skills. The following steps continue the example using Method 1 (language selection via Menu).
Route Spanish-Speaking Calls with Language Overflow
From the Spanish exit of the Menu block (Method 1), add a Find Agent block. Configure escalation intervals in the Find Agent block:
- Interval 1: Configure agent requirements to match Spanish-speaking agents. Set the wait time (for example, 5 minutes).
- Interval 2: Relax the language requirement so the call can also be routed to English-speaking agents. In the Overflow call handling starts at section, select the second interval so calls routed through this interval are marked as overflow for reporting purposes.
If you are using Method 2 (scenario entry skills): Configure the first escalation interval to match the requested language skill from the scenario entry, and the second interval to allow routing to agents with a different language skill.
Route English-Speaking Calls
From the English exit of the Menu block (Method 1), add a separate Find Agent block. Configure this block to route calls directly to English-speaking agents (with or without escalation, depending on your requirements).
If using Method 2, this step is not needed unless you want separate routing logic for different entry points.
Connect the Call
Add a single Connect Call block after the Find Agent blocks. The call will be connected to the agent identified by the Find Agent block, regardless of which Menu option was selected. This block executes only if an agent was successfully found.
