How to identify and finalize stuck calls
What is a Stuck Call?
When a call appears to be stuck in the Connecting or Talking phase on the Call Detail page without processing any new call events, it is referred to as a "stuck call". This does not mean that the call itself is actually stuck in a particular status, but rather that Mindful Callback lost track of the call's progress somewhere along the way and was unable to update its own Call Detail records.
How Can Stuck Calls Impact the Callback System?
The Callback system relies on accurate call status information for reporting and real-time monitoring, including such items as:
- The Estimated Callback Time (ECBT)
- Info on the Callback Status page
- Call Detail timelines
- Totals on the Call Detail Summary Bar
With a stuck call in the system, each of these items can be impacted. Therefore, it is important to identify and clear stuck calls as quickly as possible to avoid impacting the customer experience.
How Do I Identify Stuck Calls?
There are several factors that can indicate a call has become stuck in the system. The more of these factors that apply to a particular call, the more likely it is that the call has become stuck and needs to be cleared. Take a look at the following examples to see if any of these factors apply.
Unreasonable Timelines
If a call remains in the Connecting or Talking state for much longer than could reasonably be expected, it is possible that the call is stuck. There is a 24-hour maximum duration imposed on all inbound and outbound calls, so you should never see an active call stuck for longer than one day before being automatically finalized.
Examples
- A call remains in the Talking phase for more than a few hours, or overnight into the next day. It is not likely that an agent and customer would speak for so long.
- A call remains in the Connecting phase for more than a few hours. If a callback fails to connect, it should progress through several retries before being canceled.
- A call shows an unreasonably long amount of time in its Call Detail record, as in the following image.
Events Do Not Match the Current Call State
If you see events in a call's timeline that should have moved it to another state, but the state remains the same, the call could be stuck.
Examples
- You see events for an AgentHangup and CustomerHangup, but the call is still in the Talking state. If the parties have disconnected, then they are no longer talking.
- You see events indicating the agent and customer are speaking, but the call is still in the Connecting state. If the parties are speaking, then the call has connected successfully.
Events are Clustered Together on the Timeline
If it appears that all of a call's events are clustered together on the left side of the timeline, it can indicate that a long period of time has elapsed since the last event was processed. If the call is still showing as active without receiving an event for an extended period of time, it could be stuck.
The Callback Status Page Shows Active Calls When Your Queue is Empty
If the Callback Status page shows active calls in the system, but you know that there is no traffic from Callback in your agent queues, then a call may be stuck on the Callback side.
Example
It is the end of the day and your agents have cleared all of the traffic from their queues. However, you see one call showing in the Active Calls/Max column on the Callback Status page. This is likely not a real call.
How to Clear Stuck Calls
As noted, these calls are not actually "stuck", but rather the Call Target has simply lost track of them. That being the case, the system must be instructed to forcefully clear out the call's status and tracking information to remove the unfinished record and finalize the call.
Mindful representatives can assist you with clearing these calls out of the system to mitigate any impacts on reporting, ECBT, and other factors. Contact the Mindful Support team for assistance with any stuck calls that you have identified, or for assistance in determining whether a call truly needs to be finalized.
