Response Groups Stop Responding

Our company (Event Zero - makers of the best Skype for Business analytics software out there BTW) relies on Skype for Business response groups for our sales and support queues.  Last week, I noticed that every single one of them on two separate pools were no longer accepting calls.  It wasn't a SIP trunk or mediation issue, because I couldn't get to them by directly entering in their SIP address in the Skype for Business client.  They appeared available (green presence) but would not accept calls. Snooper logs showed they were throwing 480 Temporarily Unavailable errors.

It was especially odd that it happened on two separate S4B pools at roughly the same time.  I tried numerous things, from restarting the RGS service on the affected servers to restarting the servers.  So, yeah, not a lot of tools in my RGS troubleshooting arsenal apparently.

What I found DID work, was to change the Tel URI of one of the workflows to a slightly different number, then changing it back.  Within a few minutes, that particular workflow started working again. 

Rather than doing the same thing to all 20-odd response groups (which would take a LOOONG time because the RGS Workflow web page is so slow), I created a Powershell script to do the same thing.

WARNING: Use script at your own risk. It worked fine for me, but hey I'm not a programmer. Also, this script will use the Description field of the workflow to store the original Tel URI of the response group.  Whatever is there now will get wiped out. You can do this script in other ways, but I was strapped for time and we weren't using the Description field for anything.

$Workflows = Get-CsRgsWorkflow 

Foreach ($WF in $Workflows)
{
 Write-Host "Adding dummy extension to " $WF.Name
 $WF.Description = $WF.LineURI
 $WF.LineURI = $WF.LineURI + ";ext=0"
 Set-CSRgsWorkflow -Instance $WF
}
Foreach ($WF in $Workflows)
{
 Write-Host "Reverting back to original number for " $WF.Name
 $WF.LineURI = $WF.Description
 Set-CSRgsWorkflow -Instance $WF
}

I don't know what caused the problem to start with, but at least this fixed it. Presumably, something happened to "break" the connection between RGS and the associated contact objects, and resetting the Tel URI re-linked them.

Hopefully, this might help others who come across the same thing. If anybody has any insight into why it broke, and why this fix worked, please enlighten me!

Configuring Ringback in Lync Response Groups

When setting up Response Groups in Lync, you might want your callers to hear ringing rather than some sort of hold music (either the default provided by MS or custom).  I've seen people looking for a solution in the forums without much success.

What I did in this situation was to download a .WAV file of a ringtone (known as "ringback" in telephony lingo) and set that as the hold music for the hunt group.  Lync will play back the file continuously, so an audio sample of a single ring will suffice.  The ringtone I downloaded had no pause in it, which meant the caller would hear a constant ring without a pause. That was fixed by inserting a silent stretch into the .WAV file.  Remember to save it as an 8 or 16 kHz, mono 16-bit WAV file.  Here's a sample for North America (right-click and Save-As for best results).

File this under "So-simple-and-why-didn't-I-think-of-that".

Lync Attendant Console and RGS Formal Participation Policy

It's been quite a while since I've blogged about Lync. I've been a very busy boy trying to finish renovating my basement before the weather turns too nice to be stuck indoors. Thankfully, the crappiest spring I can remember has allowed me to get a lot done. Between that and my day job, it hasn't left me with much free time or energy to blog.

Last night, I was helping a client complete their migration from a legacy PBX to Lync Enterprise Voice. Their receptionist was going to use the Lync Attendant Console to manage incoming calls via a simple Response Group.  Since there were a few people who rotated into the receptionist role throughout the day, we needed a simple way to ensure that calls would only go to the person currently on reception duties.

Response Group Changes in Lync

The Response Group Service (RGS) is a basic hunt group/interactive voice response system included with OCS/Lync.  While it doesn't have the features of a full-fledged call center application, it is still extremely handy for a lot of companies that don't require (or want to pay for) a separate solution. 

Response Groups in Lync haven't changed significantly since the OCS R2 days. You still have to create and manage the hunt group/IVR workflow via a web-based console that is separate from the main Lync Control Panel.  There is a Workflow tab within the Response Groups section of the Control Panel, but clicking on the Create or edit a workflow button will open up a separate IE window where you manage workflows. The interface is very similar to the OCS R2 version. Why they couldn't port the webpage into the Silverlight Control Panel is beyond me. It couldn't be that difficult to translate.