asterisk users - May 2006 - Running applications when a queued call isanswered

>From the queues.com file.
; An announcement may be specified which is played for the member as
; soon as they answer a call, typically to indicate to them which queue
; this call should be answered as, so that agents or members who are
; listening to more than one queue can differentiated how they should
; engage the customer
;
;announce = queue-markq


This allows you to have one announcement per queue, You could use a
script to change the file, but it does not lock the file so if you
change it while it is being read the other person (agent) hears the
change

Do you want a dynamic message played to each agent before he picks up??

That can also be done, but it is not as simple.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-
> bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Scott Gifford
> Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 7:45 PM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Running applications when a queued call
> isanswered
> 
> "Alexander Lopez" <Alex.Lopez@OpSys.com> writes:
> 
> > Use the Local channel and add the agents using that IE:
> >
> > Member Local/3772@extensions-context
> 
> Thanks Alexander,
> 
> That works, but it's backwards.  That is, when I give a command like:
> 
>     SayDigits(${EXTEN})
> 
> it says it to the caller, not the agent.  Is there a way to make this
> work the other way around, so I can ring the agent's phone, send
> things to the agent's phone (like announcements or URLs), then when
> I'm done connect the agent to the caller?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> ----Scott.
> 
> > Snip
> >
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I'm experimenting with Asterisk for possible use in a call
center.
> >> I'm trying to figure out how to run applications when an agent
answers
> >> a call in the queue.
> 
> 
> [...]
> 
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"Alexander Lopez" <Alex.Lopez@OpSys.com> writes:
>>From the queues.com file.
[...]
> ;announce = queue-markq
>
>
> This allows you to have one announcement per queue, You could use a
> script to change the file, but it does not lock the file so if you
> change it while it is being read the other person (agent) hears the
> change
Yup, I saw this.
> Do you want a dynamic message played to each agent before he picks up??
Yes.  I'd like to do something like:

    Ringing()
    SendURL(http://example.com/${EXTEN}.html)
    SayDigits(${EXTEN})
    Wait(5)

That's close to what you suggest, but Asterisk on its own announces
first then sends the URL with no wait, so the agent is left scrambling
to see who the call is for as the Web page and the call come at the
same time.  Also SayDigits() sounds much nicer than what I can get
with Festival creating a WAV file.
> That can also be done, but it is not as simple.
If you could point me in the right direction, that would be very
helpful; I don't expect any handholding, but I'm not seeing how to get
ahold of the channel to the agent after they've answered but before
the caller is transferred there.

Thanks!  By the way, your first message did answer my original
question, but I've learned more about Asterisk in the meantime and my
expectations have gone up.  :-)

----Scott.