Scenario Builder Overview
For every customer interaction that enters your contact center, Bright Pattern Contact Center software has to process that specific interaction to determine what to do with it (e.g., what prompts or announcements to apply, what resources to queue for, what music to play, or when to over-flow to alternate resources). The logic of such automated interaction processing is defined in a scenario. Execution of a scenario with respect to a specific interaction is triggered by a particular event, such as the arrival of a call at a specific access number, or the initiation of a chat session from a specific web page.
Scenarios are designed and edited in the Scenario Builder application. This application is launched from the Contact Center Administrator application when you add a new scenario or select an existing one for editing. For more information, see section Scenarios Overview of the Bright Pattern Contact Center Administrator Guide.
Scenario Engine
The Scenario Engine is the component of Bright Pattern Contact Center software that executes your scenarios. Starting from version 5.0, should scenario failover occur (i.e., the Scenario Engine fails while processing a Voice scenario), the scenario will be transferred to a backup Scenario Engine; this will restart the scenario from the last executed block and prevent active, connected calls from being disconnected.
The following are some examples of what can occur at various stages of scenario failover:
- If scenario was on Interactive Voice Response (IVR) stage, the current IVR block will run again. For example, if a scenario is on the Collect Digits block, all entered digits will be lost and the greeting prompt will be played again. If the same scenario has a second call leg (is on the Connect Call block), the second leg is immediately disconnected and the Connect Call block again starts to dial to the destination.
- If a scenario failover occurs, calls waiting in the queue (i.e., the Find Agent block) will be immediately queued again by new Scenario Engine using the skill requirements collected by original scenario.
- Pending scenario blocks (i.e., ringing, dialing, transfers in progress) may be lost.
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Real-time statistics are incrementally affected by scenario failovers in some instances. For example, for queued calls, one inbound call will increase statistic value by two (e.g., the first time when it was queued by original Scenario Engine, the second time when it was switched over to new Scenario Engine). | |
Graphical User Interface
Scenario Builder incorporates a graphical user interface (GUI) with which you can visually connect a sequence of functional blocks, thus building your scenario. These blocks are known as scenario blocks. Scenarios are created using a flowchart format that represents the sequence of interaction processing steps in the scenario. Different scenario blocks perform different functions, such as playing prompts, collecting digits, or looking for available agents.
During an active session, the system supports unlimited undo and redo actions for basic tasks (such as adding/removing a scenario block, and moving a block from one location to another).
To add a block to the scenario, select it from the list on the left and drag it to the desired location within the scenario. To remove a block from a scenario, select the block within the scenario and drag it back to the list of blocks on the left.
To rename a scenario, click on the title within the Scenario Builder and enter a new name.
Scenarios can also be exported from this view by selecting Export.
Scenario Blocks
Each block has its own configuration attributes, which appear in the edit pane on the right when the block is added to the flowchart or selected within the flowchart. The attributes specify the function represented by the block. For example, the Play Prompt block has an attribute that specifies which prompt shall be played when this block is executed in a specific processing step of a specific scenario. The scenario blocks described in this guide may have configuration attributes related to conditional exits, prompts, and/or settings.
Conditional Exits
The scenario typically processes blocks sequentially; however, some blocks have multiple paths that the scenario can take after processing the block. These paths are called conditional exits. Conditional exits enable you to determine how the voice scenario responds to certain conditions that may occur during the processing of an interaction, such as an agent not responding to a call. Each conditional exit appears in the flowchart as green text beneath the block to which it applies. A conditional exit may contain a flow of blocks to handle specific situations.
Prompts
Many blocks use voice prompts to request input from callers, inform callers about events, or play music while callers are waiting for an agent. These prompts can be either prerecorded audio files or static prompts that the system generates using Text-to-Speech (TTS) functionality from textual prompt descriptions. The Prompt Manager dialog box in Scenario Builder lists all prompts the open voice scenario uses, and it lets you set the languages in which the voice scenario can play prompts.
Settings
Settings, also known as configuration attributes, for this block appear in the edit pane on the right when the block is added to the flowchart or selected within the flowchart. These settings specify the function represented by the block.
The subsequent sections of this guide describe specific scenario blocks, their attributes, and usage. The blocks are listed in alphabetical order.
Scenario Version Control
The Scenario Builder allows users to view and revert to previous versions of a scenario. Scenario versions are generated when the user closes the tab with the editor, or when the Version History button is selected.
To see all previous versions of a scenario, select Version History.
See a List of all Past Versions
Version History displays all past scenario versions in the rightmost panel.
The list of versions is grouped by creation time into the following categories:
- Today
- This week
- Last week
- This month
- Month with no year (e.g., April--applies to months in current year)
- Month and year (e.g., September 2021--applies to times in previous years)
The system provides the creation timestamp, along with the creator, for all past versions.
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If the current version isn't saved by the end of the session, the system identifies this version as "Unsaved". | |
Users can assign a version name through the Actions menu (described below) or by double-clicking on its title at the top of the screen.
If at least one named version is present, a checkbox labeled "Only show named versions" will appear at the top of the Version History panel. Select this box to only see versions with names.
The Actions Menu (three vertical dots) appears when the user hovers over a version in the Version History list. By clicking on this menu, users can choose to open, name, restore, or save past scenario versions as a copy.
Comparing Versions
Click on a version's title at the top of the screen to select it. Selecting a version allows users to view changes made to that version's blocks and prompts. The selected version is compared with the previous version, and differences between the two versions are displayed.
Changes to blocks and prompts can be visually identified in the left panel, based on whether the block/prompt was added, edited, or deleted. An edit is denoted by a pencil icon, addition by a plus icon, and deletion by an x icon.
The numbers within the yellow circles in the "Blocks" and "Prompts" tabs at the top of the left panel indicate the number of changed blocks and prompts. These same numbers are also found in the yellow squares in the right panel.
In the "Prompts" tab, the Only show changes box at the top of the left panel is selected by default. When unselected, all prompts (not only those with changes) are visible.
If there are any changes in the languages used in a version, an extra element, "Languages in use" will appear and be marked as edited.
Restoring a Past Version
To revert to a previous version, select the desired version from the right panel and then either click the Restore this version button at the top of the screen or select "Restore this version" from the Actions menu.
When a past version is restored, this version immediately becomes active. If the user is uncertain whether the version they are restoring is fully functional, it is recommended to save it as a copy, link it to a test entry, and verify its functionality. If the version functions correctly, the user can proceed with restoring that version and deleting the copy.
Version Retention
Scenario versions have a minimum retention period (default is 90 days) during which they can not be deleted. There is a maximum limit on the total number of stored scenario and workflow versions combined (default is 20,000).
If the version retention limit is exceeded, the system will still permit users to save new versions and will automatically delete the oldest versions once a day. Audio files are stored for a hardcoded duration of 30 days.