Overview: Tags (Console)

This article explains the concept of tags and the basics of configuring tags in Console.

In this article

Overview

This section first explains what a tag is and then explains how to configure tags in Console.

What is a tag?

There are two types of tags:

• Tags

• Required tags 

At times, an interaction is best managed by someone with the same tag, but it’s not a requirement to have that skill. 

Other times, an interaction can only be managed successfully with specific skills. In these cases, these are interactions with a required tag. This then means that the system can deliver this required tag interaction only to queue users with that matching required tag.

Example of a required tag: Imagine an interaction is assigned a tag of ‘French’. This tells the system that the customer needs a queue user that can communicate in French. So, when the interaction is created in the queue with this tag, the system immediately looks for a queue user that’s available to manage an interaction and is assigned the tag of ‘French’. 

If the system finds a match, the interaction is sent to that available user immediately. Otherwise, if the system can’t find an available queue user with a matching tag of ‘French’, the interaction continues waiting in the queue until someone else becomes available with this tag. 

In this scenario, the interaction waits in the queue because the tag is a required tag.

Alternatively, if the ‘French’ tag is not defined as a required tag, if there isn’t an available queue user who is skilled in speaking French, the system doesn’t force the interaction to wait until a matching user becomes available. Instead, the system finds the next best available user to manage the interaction. This method minimizes the potential wait time on interactions entering the queue. 

In short, tags, or what the industry calls ‘skills’, are the Avaya.cx system's way for attributing users when they have a specific skill for the system to be able to best match interactions and users together. This helps ensure the best person is helping the customer.

Configuring tags

In Console, the Tags workspace under the CX menu is where you create and modify tags. We use tags to group and prioritize interactions, users, content, and more. 

More specifically, you can tell the system which tags are more important compared to other tags. You can do this by adding a numerical weight to each tag.

Here’s how weighted tags work. The higher the weight of the tag, the more the system weighs (or prioritizes) that tag compared to other tags. For example, let’s say you have two interactions entering the Billing queue. The first received interaction has the tags ‘account update’ (25) and ‘statements’ (10); whereas the second interaction received has the same two tags in addition to a ‘payment’ (50) tag. 

In the case described above, the system first prioritizes connecting the first received interaction while also prioritizing connecting the interaction to an agent skilled with updating customer account information as that is the highest priority tag assigned. Then, Edify routes the second interaction to the next agent who is not only available but is also skilled in payment processing as the ‘payment’ tag is the highest weighted priority for that interaction. 

However, if the tag doesn’t need a ranking against other tags, then don’t add a weight to it. Weighting a tag gives the system even more information around how best to deliver interactions in the queue.

Summary

Tags are used as a way to instruct the system on how to handle certain objects in a queue, like how to prioritize interactions compared to other interactions or to connect a skilled user to a specific interaction. 

However, before you have access to assigning a tag to a user, interaction, or content article, you must first create it. You can create and modify tags within the Tags workspace under the CX menu of Console. After a tag is created, assign that tag to one or several different types of objects, like one or more users, knowledge base articles, and more. 

Popular uses of tags

Here are some popular use cases for using tags in the system.

Assigning skills to queue users

It is common for a contact center to support businesses all across the world. This means that your users may encounter customers speaking a variety of languages. Tags provide a way to help manage this process. 

When your Support team manages customer tickets from several countries, it’s important to ensure that a Spanish speaking customer is connected with a Spanish speaking queue user. To do this, assign your Spanish speaking users with a tag of “Spanish”. Now, when an interaction is sent to the Support queue with a tag of “Spanish”, the system knows to deliver that interaction to an available user with the matching skill (tag).

Note: In this scenario, the Support queue needs Tag Routing enabled in the Queue container, too.

No match branch in workflows

When your workflow collects the customer’s needs before proceeding to the next step, there can be a customer that has an issue falling outside of your IVR’s standard options. Those interactions proceed down the No Match branch of the workflow. In these cases, use tags to better understand your customers. 

Do this by adding a “no-match” tag to the interaction. This tag notifies your users that the customer’s need is currently unclear. Also, you can sort reports based on this tag to compile and review these interactions and subsequently uncover commonalities to continue enhancing your workflow experience.

White-glove service

Many businesses have customer loyalty programs. These programs divide a business’ customer base into groups, or tiers, of loyalty. A tier is then assigned to the customer’s account number. Use tags to mark an interaction with the tier level of the customer prior to reaching a queue. 

When a long-standing, gold-level customer contacts you for support, their interaction is tagged with a “Gold Customer” tag weighted at 100. This is the highest weighted tag on your account, so the system knows to route this interaction first and to prioritize connecting this interaction with a user skilled in managing “Gold Customer” interactions, meaning these users are trained in providing premier, gold-level service.

Visual breakdown

• Name (A): The Name field is where you title the tag to clearly define the purpose of the tag. Since you can assign tags to content articles, users, and workflows, name the tag in a way that makes it easy for you to identify how this tag is being used.

• Weight (B): The Weight field is where you can define the weight of the tag, though it is not required. When defining the tag’s weight, use a positive or negative whole number. A higher, positive number indicates a high-priority tag. Interactions with higher priority are assigned to queue users first compared to interactions without a weight.

• Color (C): The Color field is where you define the color of the icon. Once you click into this field, you can either enter a hex code to define the specific color or click an area on the color chart to select a color. Before configuring the color of the icon, select an icon for the tag by clicking the Find Icon button. 

• Background Color (D): The Background Color field is where you define the icon’s background color. Once you click into this field you can either enter a hex code to define the specific color or select a color from the provided color chart. Before configuring the tag’s background color, select an icon for the tag by clicking the Find Icon button.

• Find Icon Button (E): The Find Icon button is where you browse for and select the icon that you want to visually represent the tag. The tags here are displayed in alphabetical order, so you can either search for a specific image or scroll through the image list.

• Icon Code (F): The Icon Code field is where the selected icon is displayed after it’s selected by clicking the Find Icon button. Once the icon, icon color, and icon background color have been selected, the finished icon appears here, giving you an opportunity to view the changes before saving it.