Response Group Components

The following Microsoft Communications Server 2010 components support the Response Group application:

• Application service: Application service provides a platform for deploying, hosting, and managing unified communications applications, such as Response Group. Application service is automatically installed on every Front End Server in an Enterprise pool and on every Standard Edition server.
  
  
• Response Group application: Response Group is one of the unified communications applications that are hosted by Application service. It is included automatically when you deploy Enterprise Voice. The Response Group application routes and queues incoming calls to groups of agents.
  
  
• Language pack: A language pack is required to support text-to-speech and speech recognition. These speech technologies are used when you configure messages, such as the welcome message and other prompts, and interactive voice response (IVR) questions and answers. For Beta, only the en-US language pack is installed by default.
  
  
• Audio files: Audio files are used for messages and on-hold music.
  
  
• File Store: Response Group uses File Store to store audio files. Multiple Response Group pools can use the same instance of File Store.
  
  
• Response Group Configuration Tool : The Response Group Configuration Tool is a Web-based tool that is used to create and configure response groups. The Response Group Configuration Tool is included when you install Web Services.
  
  
• Communications Server Control Panel : You can use Communications Server Control Panel to setup and configure agent groups and queues for response groups.
  
  
• Communications Server Management Shell : All Response Group settings can be configured by using Communications Server Management Shell cmdlets.
  
  
• Microsoft Communicator "14" : Formal agents (agents who are required to sign in to the group before they can accept calls for the group) use Communicator "14" to sign in to and sign out from the group. If an agent group is configured for formal agents, the agents click a menu item in Communicator "14" to open Internet Explorer and display a Web page console for signing in and out of the group.
  
  
• Web Services: Web Services is required for Response Group Configuration Tool, the agents’ sign-in and sign-out console, Communications Server Control Panel, and Response Group Client Web Service.
  
  
• Response Group Client Web Service: Response Group provides a Client Web Service, which can be used by third-party applications to retrieve information about agents, agent group membership, agent sign-in status, call status for groups, and the groups that support anonymous calls. Communicator "14" and Communications Server 2010 Attendant use Response Group Client Web Service to retrieve the list of response groups that agents can use to make anonymous calls. The Client Web Service is included when you install Web Services.