Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center Solutions - Messages with tag "Cisco"

Aurus Blog

This blog is to share our expertise in Cisco UCM, UCCX/UCCE and Cisco Meeting Server

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Caller’s Alerting Name in Cisco UCCX

UCCX is possibly the only commercial call center platform that never makes you say “sorry, this is technically not feasible”. But it also has its disadvantages.

One of them is the caller’s number. Instead of the caller’s phone number, a call center phone gets the number of the CTI port that accepted the call. Actually, this behavior is correct: a call in a queue is placed on hold. As soon as an operator connects, the call is forwarded from the CTI port to the operator’s phone. When the operator picks it up, the caller’s phone number is already displayed. It often confuses contact center employees.

Since the version 10, UCCX has a function that helps to pass the caller’s number to a phone in a pop-up window. To do this, connect to UCCX via ssh (or connect to a terminal session directly) and enter the following command:

  • utils uccx icd clid enable

You can change the pop-up window title:

  • utils uccx icd clid header HEADER_LINE

And the prefix text to be displayed in front of the caller’s number:

  • utils uccx icd clid prefix PREFIX_LINE

After these changes you should restart Cisco Unified CCX Engine. It is located in Cisco Unified CCX Serviceability\Tools\Control Center - Network Services.

If you are using an HA environment, these actions should be repeated for each node in a cluster.

Actually, this function meets the requirements of a call center working with external clients. However, what shall we do if a contact center works with the company’s internal users and the operators want to see the names the numbers are resolved into?

There is a certain number of requests for this function on supportforums.cisco.com, but at the time of version 10.6 it wasn’t even declared as planned, so we’ll create workarounds.

There are two options: one is easier, the other is more difficult.

We can either use a CUCM function: Corporate Directory (this is the easy option), or create a phone directory of our own based on CUCM DB (this is more difficult).

Create the following variables in the UCCX script:

Add “Call Contact\Get Call Contact Info” action to the script:

Set the CUCMDirURL variable to the following value:

  • http://CUCM_address:8080/ccmcip/xmldirectorylist.jsp – if you are using Corporate Directory;
  • http://web-server/output_phone_directory_list.xml – if you are using your own directory.

Create a URL document: Document\Create URL Document.

For Corporate Directory (pass a parameter named “n” with a value of “CallingNumber”):

You don’t have to pass any parameters for your own directory:

Create an XML document: Document\Create XML Document.

Assign a name that corresponds to the phone to the AlertingName variable (Document\Get XML Document Data). The XML request for Corporate Directory: ″//DirectoryEntry/Name″

For your own directory: ″/return/row[dn='″+CallingNumber+″‘]/alertingname″

All output information will be displayed in CAD. First, create a variable for the name of the agent’s template: Settings\Expanded Call Variables…

Create a Scalar variable named user.layout.

Then, after our XML manipulations, you should add a Call Contact\Set Enterprise Call Info action. On the General tab, add two variables named Call.PeripherialVariable (with numbers that have never been used in the script before). Assign the following values: CallingNumber and AlertingName. On the Expanded Call Variables tab, add a variable named “user.layout”. Set Array Indexes to Scalar, set the value to the name of the displaying template for CAD.

We’re done with the script now.

Now proceed to Cisco Desktop Administrator\Services Configuration\Enterprise Data\Fields. Find the Call Variables with the numbers you have set in Set Enterprise Call Info. Change the Display Names to something meaningful (for example, Calling Number for 1, Name for 10).

Proceed to Cisco Desktop Administrator\Services Configuration\Enterprise Data\Layout List and create a new Layout with the name specified in Set Enterprise Call Info. Add Call Variable 1 and Call Variable 10 to the Selected field.

If you are using Corporate Directory, then everything is ready for use. However, you should keep in mind that CUCM gets the data from your directory server. If it doesn’t contain all the data on the company’s phones or the data is cluttered for some reason, then your only option is to create an XML phone directory using the data downloaded from the CUCM database. You may also want to use a “directory or your own” if you have a database with your external clients’ numbers and other data that can be used to display specific information about the calling party in CAD.

The required data will be obtained through a SOAP request. Create an XML file with the following contents:

<?xml version=″1.0″ encoding=″UTF-8″?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv=″http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/″ xmlns:ns=″http://www.cisco.com/AXL/API/10.5″>
<soapenv:Header/>
<soapenv:Body>
<ns:executeSQLQuery>
<sql>
select distinct n.alertingname, n.dnorpattern as DN
from device as d, numplan as n, devicenumplanmap as dnpm
where dnpm.fkdevice = d.pkid and dnpm.fknumplan = n.pkid and d.tkmodel != 72 and ( d.tkclass = 1 or d.tkclass = 20 or d.tkclass = 254);
</sql>
</ns:executeSQLQuery>
</soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

The SQL request is marked in yellow. Basically, we pick alertingname and number fields. We only use the active phone numbers with associated IP phones, device profiles or remote destination profiles (d.tkclass = 1 or d.tkclass = 20 or d.tkclass = 254) and make sure that the device model is not a CTI Port (d.tkmodel != 72).

Make sure that Cisco AXL Web Service is activated on your CUCM (Cisco Unified Serviceability\Tools\Service Activation\Database and Admin Services).

Create a user on CUCM (Cisco Unified CM Administration\User Management\End User) with the “Standard AXL API Access” role.

Now you can use cURL to send the following request to CUCM:

curl -k -u username:password -H ″Content-type: text/xml;″ -H
″SOAPAction:CUCM:DB ver=10.5″ -d @/path/to/xml/file/with/request.xml
https://cucm.local:8443/axl/ | awk ‘{print substr($0,202,length-264)}’

As a result, every phone number is going to look like:

<row>
<alertingname>Name</alertingname>
<dn>8800</dn>
</row>

CUCM forms the output enclosed in tags:

<?xml version=″1.0″ encoding=″UTF-8″?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv=″http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/″>
<soapenv:Body>
<ns:executeSQLQueryResponse xmlns:ns=″http://www.cisco.com/AXL/API/10.5″>
<return>
//output
</return>
</ns:executeSQLQueryResponse>
</soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

In fact, everything is correct, but UCCX’s built-in XML parser crashes while working with namespaces. These tags will be cut out by the awk script marked in yellow.

You can add this command to the scheduler, so it will be executed automatically, and redirect the output to an XML file available via http.

That’s it.

Cisco logo history and evolution

Why do companies change their logos?

Here are some reasons skipping obvious ones like M&A, change in the name etc:

There are a number of reasons, most often brought about by a combination of external cultural changes and shifts along with internal company shifts that now warrant ensuring that the company is NOT being pigeon-holed into "something from its past."

David Brier, Brand identity specialist, award-winning designer

Companies change their typefaces to keep them up to date, or because an old logo no longer fits with a new business strategy… this could range from a small refinement to a complete redesign.

David Airey, graphic designer, author of Logo Design Love

Sometimes companies change their logos for the wrong reasons…Sometimes they change it because there’s a new marketing person in charge…. Sometimes companies make very small changes – almost infinitesimal changes to their logos – which, quite rightly, are derided by the general public… But quite often those little refinements do a good job of making the company seems that little bit more up to date, that little bit more modern. And if you look back over the logo over time, you'll see that those little incremental changes were actually quite important.

Patrick Burgoyne, editor of Creative Review

Cisсo Systems

So, Cisco Systems… one of the largest manufacturers of networking equipment and software, headquartered in Silicon Valley with more than 70K employees all over the world and revenue of U.S. $48 billion in 2017.

Founded 33 years ago the company has grown from on-product vendor into a recognized worldwide leader in networking business.

Here's a rundown of the Cisco logo design evolution, along with some key highlights of the company history.

1984 – Golden Gate Bridge | San FranCISCO

Founded in December 1984, Cisco actually started operations in 1987 after the battle with Stanford over charges that the founders used technology that belonged to Stanford to start their business.

"Cisco" was actually derived from the city name San Francisco and initially the company's engineers insisted on using the lower case "cisco". The initial logo depicts the shape of the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous landmark from San Francisco.

1996 – Digital Signal

The growth of the Internet and wide adoption of the IP (Internet Protocol) changed the telecom landscape. Cisco acted promptly to use the new opportunity and quickly became the leading provider of routers and switches.

The evolved logo is appended with the company's name "Cisco Systems". It consists of the same bridge but with a different silhouette and enclosed in a box. It now gets a second meaning - a digital signal that reflects the company's business.

2006 – The Human Network

Cisco launched the "Human Network" campaign, which centered on the impact of Internet networks on people and businesses.

This campaign (actually Cisco's largest one) shifted the company's image from a tech vendor to the company that changes the world and the way people communicate. Cisco became the leader in communication and collaboration technologies – VoIP, video conferencing, online collaboration.

The logo also changed and became much more simple – the bridge consists of only 9 bold strokes, the 'systems' is removed and the remaining "cisco" gets updated to be in the same case and height.

The Cisco logo comes in red and blue. The red color symbolizes responsibility, passion, and readiness to work hard for further success; the blue color represents tranquility, optimism, fame, and prosperity.

2013 – Tomorrow Starts Here

Already the leader, with its CEO John Chambers on the Forbes magazine cover, Cisco started pushing the IoT concept and starts the new "Tomorrow start here" campaign: "Today, more than 99% of our world is still not connected to the Internet. But we're working on it."

Tolleson and Cisco changed the logo colors to blue.

Yes, this is the brand agency that defines Cisco's visual center – Tolleson. BTW guest where it is located?