Call quality

Do this

1. Use a wired headset with a microphone on a boom. Laptop speakers and microphones cause echo.
2. Plug your computer into the router with a network cable if you can. Wi-Fi is the first thing to drop.
3. Close video calls, streaming, large downloads and other tabs before you start your shift.
4. Check your microphone on Start your shift every time. Say a few words and watch the bar move.
5. Keep an eye on the badge under your numbers: Connection good.
6. If audio breaks, follow the steps at the end of this page.

What a good link needs

A call needs a steady connection more than a fast one. A call uses very little bandwidth, but it needs packets of audio to arrive evenly. Other people in your home using the internet at the same time cause most problems.

Use a quiet room. Noise suppression and echo cancellation are turned on in your browser for the microphone, but a headset still works best.

What the indicator shows

The badge appears on the ready screen while you are on shift. It judges the audio you receive, using only how evenly it arrives:

• Jitter. How much the spacing between audio pieces varies, in milliseconds. Above 30 ms the badge reads Connection uneven. Above 60 ms it reads Connection poor.
• Gaps and underruns. Moments in the last 30 seconds when audio stopped in the middle of speech or playback ran dry. Two or more make the badge uneven. Six or more make it poor.

Silence while the other person is not talking is not counted as a problem.

Badge	What it tells you
Connection good	Your internet is steady.
Connection uneven	Calls may sound slightly choppy.
Connection poor	Close other video or download tabs, or move closer to your router.
Reconnecting	The phone connection dropped. We reconnect it. Check your internet if it goes on.

Note

The badge does not measure packet loss or round-trip delay, and it is not a speed test. It only reflects what arrived while you were on a call. It stays at good when you are not on a call.

What the product reports about you

• Your own day so far: Calls, Talk time and Hand-overs.
• Behind the scenes, calls handled, talk time, wrap-up time, hand-overs accepted, and results by code. Your supervisor can see your state and break reason on the floor screen.

The link indicator is shown only to you. It is not sent to your supervisor and it is not stored per agent.

If audio breaks

1. Check the badge. If it says Reconnecting, wait a few seconds. A call in progress waits for you.
2. If Connection poor, close other tabs and downloads. Move closer to the router or plug in the cable.
3. If the person cannot hear you, check whether you are muted. A yellow notice You are muted shows, and the button reads Unmute. Click it.
4. If you see Microphone blocked. Allow it in the address bar, then try again., click the lock icon, allow the microphone, and try again.
5. If it keeps happening, take a break with Technical issue and tell your supervisor.

Not yet

Phone audio in this build runs on a phone simulator. A real browser softphone with real WebRTC calls has not been checked in a browser against a real carrier, so these tips come from how the desk is built, not from field results.