Hacker Chronicles 2 (Alt)

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A New Operator Service ---------------------- Feature For The 5SS Switch : ---------------------------- OPERATOR SERVICES POSITION SYSTEM --------------------------------- Phile #8 of P/HUN Magazine Issue #5 By Bandito A new operator services system for the 5ESS switch gives phone companies and worldwide phone service administrators unparalleled flexibility in deploying operators. The system is called the Operator Services Position System (OSPS), and it's operation is based on the Intergrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) capabilities of the 5ESS switch. These capabilities permit simultaneous data and voice communications between the switch and the operator's terminal equipment. OSPS allows the phone service providers to provide full-featured North American and international operator service with operators located a distance from the switching system. AT&T has added a new feature--the Operator Services Position System--to its 5ESS switch. A major difference between OSPS and the previous operator system--the Traffic Service Position System (TSPS)--is OSPS's ability to provide several applications simultaneously on one switching system. One Switch with OSPS can serve up to 128 teams of operators handling different applications, such as directory, toll, and operator assistance. The OSPS can be deployed as a stand-alone system or integrated with a local, toll or gateway 5ESS switch. For directory assistance, a basic services terminal and a Directory Assistance System/Computer provide the directory listing. A video display terminal helps with charging and completing toll and assistance calls. In some applications, the OSPS supplies data from external computer systems at the operator terminal. The OSPS can also offer fully automated services such as Automated Calling Card or Automated Coin Services. It does this by linking to network data bases to validate credit or calling card numbers, and to determine the charging rates. For international applications, OSPS provides the international features used in local, transit, and gateway applications, For these applications, the system makes available services such as call booking(thats when you say that you want to make a call to Russia and the operator say "I'll call you in 5 hours so you can place the call, ok?"), and it can handle various types of international trunking and signaling. DESIGN OBJECTIVES Besides providing state-of-the-art operator services, OSPS also improves a phone company's financial results by reducing operator, administrative, and maintenance costs, improving network design efficiency, and creating new revenue opportunities. Operator Expense Reducing the average amount of time operators take to handle a call can cut expenses by millions of dollars. A major effort, therefore, was devoted to achieving this. Attention to human-machine interfaces led to operator positions that reduce the motions and concentration needed for each function. For toll and assistance, for example, the video display terminal improves the position of information on the monitor screen and the grouping of action keys. The display terminal also has single keys that are set up to perform complete functions. This results in faster action and reduces operator stress.(I hope this will help them get a better atitude) To speed things up, the OSPS automates operator tasks associated with call handling. Paper records and information bulletins are eliminate by computerized ticketing and an automated multileaf bulletin. Since a significant portion of operator work time is normally spent in determining if a line is busy and waiting for answer, this portion of the call can be automated. Future releases of the system will allow operators to handle other calls during these periods. Administrative and Maintenance Expense Since OSPS is a feature of the 5ESS switch, administrative and maintenance expense is reduced by making common use of the base 5ESS switch capabilities and by using a common maintenance force. The operator service center, where the operators are, may be located away from the host 5ESS switch. Additional equipment, therefore, is provided to support administrative printers and terminals, and the management of the operators. Such support comes from the OSPS administrative processor (OAP), an AT&T 3B2 computer. Expense is minimized by allowing one administrative processor to support as many operator services centers as the phone company desires; not too many of these are need. Only one OAP is needed for every switch. Most commercial automatic call distributor applications use some type of manegement information system (MIS) to provide similar administrative control and reporting as does the OAP ofr OSPS. Overall, administrative expense is reduced by allowing several teams of operators and several types of calls to be administered together. Network Design Efficiency The 5ESS switch with remote integrated services line units allow operator service centers to be hundreds of miles from the host switch. OSPS can be added to a 5ESS switch dedicated to operator services with any combinationn of different applications, or integrated into a network switch serving other gateway, toll, tandem, or local traffic. If initial operator needs are small, a single switch could serve just a few operator positions. (Because of the modular design of the switch, the number of operator on one switch could grow one by one until they got over 100. There could be as many as 128 teams of operators handling a total of nearly 100,000 calls an hour. One OSPS can handle call processing and a second OSPS can handle operator assistance. This can be a permanent arrangement to minimize new operator trunks and/or the number of sites staffed with operators. It is also possible to reconfigure operator teams. Entire OSPS systems or selected teams can be closed down during periods of low traffic. Calls are then directed to other teams or another OSPS in the network. Because of these capabilities, the network can be redesigned continuously to meet changing needs. More Service Opportunities The OSPS is based on ISDN capabilities and open interfaces that support customization, customer independence, and flexiblilty. ISDN supplies packet-switched access to data bases, as well as interfaces to operator terminals and support systems. The open interfaces make it easy to add new services and to support multiple interchange and local exchange carriers. Data can be sent to the operator terminal from computer systems external to the switch, allowing an operator to talk with a caller while receiving data from a remote data base. Both the data base information and the telephone information can be displayed using the windowing capabilities of OSPS video display terminals. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE The OSPS was designed and built on the existing ISDN architecture of the 5ESS switch. The switch consists of three major hardware modules, handling administration, communications, and switching. There are two types of switching modules, one for normal voice calls, and another, an ISDN module, for voice and data. The ISDN switching module is the interface between operators and the switch. The administrative module provides system administration functions,and supports automatic calll distribution to operators for each OSPS application. Hardware and software are added to the basic switch to perform automated and manual operator functions. Different types of operator terminals are furnished for different OSPS applications. An OSPS administrative processor is available to support each particular application. The terminals allow operator to receive and control calls, and to send and receive data through the switch. Functionally, these are ISDN terminals with simultaneous voice and data communications capability. The terminals are connected by digital subscriber lines to the switch's integrated services line unit (ISLU) or to a remote ISLU (RISLU) when the operator services center is a distance from the host switch. The ISLU or RISLU acts as an operator position controller. Operator terminals may be located several miles from the position controller, with the exact distance dependent on the application and type of interface. Where the RISLU and multiplexed onto digital facilities that connect to the host 5ESS switch. Systems Interfaces and External Data Bases For directory assistance, the 5ESS switch communicates with a vendorsupplied Directory Assistance System Computer (DAS/C). In response to customer requests, the operator consults the system for directory listings. Like the basic services terminal with which it works, the DAS/C can be connected to a RISLU and share the remoting capabilities with the basic services terminal or it can be connected directly to the ISLU. The OSPS administrative proccessor is used for directory assistance as well as toll and assistance operation. This processor is located in the operator services center and/or force management center. It is used with administrative terminals and printers to support administration and managemnet personnel by providing traffic, performance, and operator team data when requested. The OSPS connects to other vendor or phone company data bases as well as to other 5ESS switches. The connections to other switches make available remote capability for complete call handling. The phone company may choose to use these connections as paths between switches to provide call processing at the originating switch and operator services at another switch. The switch's common channel signalinng interface accesses a number of external data bases. Network signaling interfaces unique to the international application are available to provide new features. These interfaces vary from country to country. SYSTEM OPERATION The heart of the OSPS is a full-featured, flexibly administered automatic call distributor (ACD). A call coming into an OSPS is selected for a particular operator team based on its incoming trunk and the dialed digits. The originating switching module determines the call type and gives the ACD the information needed to select the proper operator team. If operators are available, the call is routed to one on the team who has been sitting one her ass the longest. If an operator isn't available in that serving team, the ACD holds that call and the customer is sent a response (a ring, announcement, silence, music, etc.). When an operator becomes available, the customer that has been on hold the longest is routed to the operator who hasnt had a call the longest. For directory assistance, the operator asks for number-identifying information and then taps into the database. The number is given to the customer by a recorded announcement or the operator. For toll and assistance requests, the operator asks for charging information and the system handles charge recording and the call completion. Alternate billing is verified and coins collected where appropriate. Domestic and international system function similarly, but with different country specific features. The OSPS automated features include Automated Calling Card and Automated Coin Toll Services. The automatic charge recording feature for certain calls includes automated announcements, coin-tone detection, and multifrequency tone (from touchtone sets,DTMF) detection. The system can tell if collect calls or third-party calls are being charged to a uncollectable number(like payphones, non-working numbers, phones with unpaid bills,etc) and informs the operator on this. OPERATOR TERMINALS There are three types of operator/agent terminals to match applications and customer needs. All are designed to increase operator comfort and performance, reduce training time, and improve flexibility and control. Video Display Terminal The video display terminal (VDT) is for toll and assistance applications. The VDT's digital voice capability achieves silence between calls and clear voice transmission. The voice features include automatic volume control, toll-quality voice path, multiple alerting tone capabilities, and voice-path fraud prevention. Operators and office administrators have the option of using mute and split capabilities, which isolate the parties' voice paths at appropriate times during a call to eliminate talk-over. (Talk-over is a brief message between the caller and the called person while they shouldnt be talking. For example, if collect charges will be accepted be the called party. No more of the "hey dude!! call me back I'm out of codes!!!) The VDT's keyboard looks pretty good. Has 117 keys, this includes a little dialing pad, to the left of the keyboard where the IBM function keys usually are, are keys like hold, 'MUTE', 'SPLIT ON', 'VOL UP', and 'VOL DOWN'. Also I can make out some keys like 'Cancel Call' and 'Make busy'. The keyboard is lightweight and detachable, this lets the operators position it easily to a comfortable position. The keyboard has tactile feedback, keys are logical grouped, and the most frequently used ones are larger than the rest. Customers can program macro-keys that will initiate a sequence of key strokes with only one key. These are located near the top of the keyboard and have no writing on them. The VDT conveys call-status information and enables operators to follow the progression of calls. The terminal has a large, high-resolution display to increase readability, a glare-free, positive video screen (dark characters on light background), and a type font that is easy to read. A screen refresh rate, well above current norms, prevents flicker. In addition, several controller capabilities further clarify call information (multiple character sets, reverse video, underlining), and are used in a consistent manner to draw the operator's attention to particular types fo call-handling information. To minimize movement of the operator's eyes and head, the most critical information about a call is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The display shown during a calll relays only the information needed to handle that call. To a avoid distraction, information may be held by the system and not displayed. Fields can be edited locally to reduce time required to correct operator keying errors. Now im going to make a pretty pitiful attempt at showing you the screen how it appears in a picture I have of it. _____ ____ ______ ____ _____ _______ ___|SCRN|____|I&C|_____|RATE|__________________|PG1|__|PG2|____|LOGIN| AT&T___ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |______________________________________________|______________________________| | |S T A T I O N C O L L E C T | | | | | | | | 3 ___~~ 2 ___:) 1 ___~` |Fwd # :614-555-6534 | | | | | | | | :)| | | | | | | | | | | | |___~` |___~` |___~` |Bk # :312-555-2679 | | 0 + NON - COIN | | | | | |______________________________________________|______________________________| | QUIT | | GET | | V 3 | |RATE| | | | | |AUTO | |HOTEL| | RATE | | RATE | | | |TIME| | | | | |COLLECT| |RM # 3 The ":)" are faces. Yes they see faces on the screen and ~~ is a picture of a phone. And ~` is a picture of a phone off the hook. Didn't I tell you the picture of the operators terminal was going to be pitiful? Intelligent Communication Workstation The intelligent communication workstation is for the international market. It has all the functions of the VDT but uses a personal computer with a color display. This adds flexibility to meet the requirements of different countries and includes software to assist operators in handling otherf languages. A chinese version of the system, for example, allows the operator to enter names using Chinese characters for entry into billing records. Future releases will make this a combined services terminal which can be used for both toll and assistance and directory assistance. Basic-Services Terminal The basic services terminal (BST) is for directory assistance. It has a 20-character display rather than a cathode-ray tube display. Dedicated function keys allow easy access to conference, transfer, and emergency functions. The BST has the same voice features as the VDT. The display, keyvoard arrangement, and call-handling keying sequences minimize operator call-handling. APPLICATIONS The OSPS offers services and features for North American and international directory assistance, and toll and assistance. Capacity depends on the application and the features required. System capacities for North American applications are shown in the panel below: Service Current Next System Release Directory Assistance Calls/hour 90,000 160,000 Operator positions 512 1000 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Toll and Assistance Calls/hour 68,000 100,000 Operator positions 512 700 ---------------------------------------------------------------- For these applications, call handling capacity is now 68,000 calls an hour for toll and assistance and 90,000 calls an hour for difectory assistance. While these high capacities stem from the distributed architecture fo the 5ESS switch, its modular design allow the OSPS to grow incrementally depending on customer needs. Continuing architectural and design and hardware improvements will lead to even higher capacities. The next system relase, for example, will increase toll and assistance to 100,000 calls an hour and directory assistance to 160,000 calls an hour. Directory Assistance With directory assistance a caller gives a name and address and an operator or the system responds with a phone number. With vendor computer systems, OSPS uses an internal audio response unit to "speak" the number to the caller. Future releases will permit adding or changing announcements by interfacing with external audio response units. Future releases also will enable the operator to connect the person requesting the number and apply billing in response to the caller's requests. This provides a telephone company with signigicant new revenue opportunities. OSPS directory assistance allows conferences between operators and hand=off of the call to another operator. Incoming directory assistance calls can be rerouted to operators on a second OSPS. Toll and Assistance These operator services help callers complete toll calls, bill the call to calling cards or to a third party, bill the call person-to-person, and give general help. OSPS uses ISDN to furnish some of these services. For example, the system gives operators access to customer-supplied database computers. These computers may contain frequently referenced data such as emergency numbers or rate and route information. Operators are looged onto the database automatically and single key actions transfer data from the data base screen to the call handling screen. International Applications Features start with a subset of the ACD, derectory assistance and basic toll and assistance operator call handling features as in the North American version. Specific international needs are addes such as real-time billing information, completed call retrieval, call booking, and a visible instruction table. Real-time billing information for international calls includes validation of credit-card numbers or billing number, computing charges in real time and storing them in completed call records. The billing information can be supplied to the customer by a synthesized announcement of time and charges or direct operator quotation. Completed call retrieval aallows the operator to retrieve the record of a completed call, including call charges in response to customer inquiry. It also allows the operator to give correct billing in the case of a call being cut off and reconnected. Call booking is for customers wanting calls placed at a particular time and to allow operators to store calls for later completion during less congested periods. Data for these calls is stored in the OSPS and may be distributed to operators for setup as soon as possible or at a designated time. Operators also may request retrieval of previously booked calls. The operator uses a visible instruction table to obtain special dialing instructions or otherf call-handling material. The text is stored in the 5ESS switch as a series of pages, and is displayed in a window area on the VDT screen. Additional features include customer and operator fraud protection, enhanced charge and duration advice and language assistance, depending on the needs of the particular country. OSPS also supports the major international signaling systems. NEXT GENERATION The OSPS represents a new generation in operator services based on ISDN. The system can be configured to serve any operator application requiring access to data bases and automated call distribution to operators. Since it is a application on the 5ESS switch, it allows operator services to be provided at local, tandem, or toll switching centers. The design enables operators to be hundreds of miles from the switch. Features reduce a phone company's costs in the areas of operator expense, administration and maaintenance, and network design. The OSPS includes many operator services not previously available and permits a wide mix of applications on a single switch. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253 12yrs+