asterisk users - Jun 2004 - Answering Service Agent Auto Login

Hello all,
 
I am building a software based on asterisk to handle incoming answering
service calls.
I have one problem that I have not been able to figure out a reasonably
priced solution to:
The goal of this software is to allow the agent to be able to do their
entire job from the desktop.
 
The only thing that seems to be a problem is getting the operator
(agents) headset logged on to the asterisk system using a computer
command.
(Meaning we don't want them to have to touch the phone or a headset).
We have done most everything else we need through the Manager API but
this one has us stumped. 
We need to use IP Phones or some sort of IP based extensions for
flexibility.
 
Here are a few things that we have conceptually tried.
 
Auto Answer:  We set up an IP Phone with Auto Answer turned on.  Then
when the operator says that they will accept a call we route the call
through to their phone and Auto Answer picks it up.
Sounds like a great fix but the only phones we can find with Auto Answer
are more expensive with lots of other features that will never be
touched.  (Cisco 7940 ...) 
In fact we would not even want the actual phone to be visible or usable
to the operator.  It would be hidden or locked in a desk drawer with the
head set cord coming out of it.
So...  a phone with auto answer COULD work if we could find an
inexpensive enough one (less than $150 would be okay)  any suggestions
would be great.
 
Agent Queue:  We setup an Agent Queue that the agent has to dial into at
the beginning of their shift.  
The problem here again is that we do not want the agent to have to touch
the phone itself.
The agent Queue COULD work if we found a phone that we can program to
automatically dial in to the queue each time that the line was picked
up.  
Then we could put some sort of headset on the phone which has an on off
switch that allows the agent to connect or disconnect the phone from the
server.
I just don't like the fact that the operator would have to do both of
those things.  
I suppose the computer could prompt them to make sure they turn on their
headset and that would work if there was no other solution.
 
Does anyone know of a solution where I would be able to setup some sort
of permanent connection to the asterisk server via IP?
I can't have a dial tone in their ears constantly and I need to find a
phone or solution which is $150 or less (preferably under $100) per
workstation.
 
How are existing answering services dealing with this problem? (Maybe
they don't use IP?)
 
Thanks for any help or direction you can give me.
 
Michael Blood
 
PS. I have found that the Grandstream Budgetone has auto answer on it
but that it wont support a headset for another 2 - 3 months (more likely
6-9) and I am looking for a solution which will be ready in about 1
month.
 
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MessageLook at the 7905G phone from Cisco.

TL
  -----Original Message-----
  From: asterisk-users-admin@lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-admin@lists.digium.com]On Behalf Of Michael Blood,
Matraex, Inc.
  Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 2:50 PM
  To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com
  Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Answering Service Agent Auto Login


  Hello all,

  I am building a software based on asterisk to handle incoming answering
service calls.
  I have one problem that I have not been able to figure out a reasonably
priced solution to:
  The goal of this software is to allow the agent to be able to do their
entire job from the desktop.

  The only thing that seems to be a problem is getting the operator (agents)
headset logged on to the asterisk system using a computer command.
  (Meaning we don't want them to have to touch the phone or a headset).
  We have done most everything else we need through the Manager API but this
one has us stumped.
  We need to use IP Phones or some sort of IP based extensions for
flexibility.

  Here are a few things that we have conceptually tried.

  Auto Answer:  We set up an IP Phone with Auto Answer turned on.  Then when
the operator says that they will accept a call we route the call through to
their phone and Auto Answer picks it up.
  Sounds like a great fix but the only phones we can find with Auto Answer
are more expensive with lots of other features that will never be touched.
(Cisco 7940 ...)
  In fact we would not even want the actual phone to be visible or usable to
the operator.  It would be hidden or locked in a desk drawer with the head
set cord coming out of it.
  So...  a phone with auto answer COULD work if we could find an inexpensive
enough one (less than $150 would be okay)  any suggestions would be great.

  Agent Queue:  We setup an Agent Queue that the agent has to dial into at
the beginning of their shift.
  The problem here again is that we do not want the agent to have to touch
the phone itself.
  The agent Queue COULD work if we found a phone that we can program to
automatically dial in to the queue each time that the line was picked up.
  Then we could put some sort of headset on the phone which has an on off
switch that allows the agent to connect or disconnect the phone from the
server.
  I just don't like the fact that the operator would have to do both of
those things.
  I suppose the computer could prompt them to make sure they turn on their
headset and that would work if there was no other solution.

  Does anyone know of a solution where I would be able to setup some sort of
permanent connection to the asterisk server via IP?
  I can't have a dial tone in their ears constantly and I need to find a
phone or solution which is $150 or less (preferably under $100) per
workstation.

  How are existing answering services dealing with this problem? (Maybe they
don't use IP?)

  Thanks for any help or direction you can give me.

  Michael Blood

  PS. I have found that the Grandstream Budgetone has auto answer on it but
that it wont support a headset for another 2 - 3 months (more likely 6-9)
and I am looking for a solution which will be ready in about 1 month.
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Does anyone know of a solution where I would be able to setup some sort of
permanent connection to the asterisk server via IP? 
 
 I can't have a dial tone in their ears constantly and I need to find a
phone or solution which is $150 or less (preferably under $100) per
workstation. 
 
Check out the XTen soft phone (http://www.xten.com/). This should have just
about everything you want except adding the agent to the Queue, which can be
handled by using an autodial sequence. If you REALLY don't want the agents
to have access to the phone, I think there are a few open-source softphones
that you could strip down to bare minimum.
 
--Ernest
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Michael Blood, Matraex, Inc. wrote:
> Hello all,
>  
> I am building a software based on asterisk to handle incoming 
> answering service calls.
> I have one problem that I have not been able to figure out a 
> reasonably priced solution to:
> The goal of this software is to allow the agent to be able to do their 
> entire job from the desktop.
>  
> The only thing that seems to be a problem is getting the operator 
> (agents) headset logged on to the asterisk system using a computer 
> command.
How about AgentCallbackLogin([AgentNo][|[options][exten]@context]) or 
AddQueueMember()?

Nick