Provision Emergency Calling in Webex Contact Center for Administrators

When contact center agents or supervisors are provisioned with a WebRTC enabled desktop, they do not have access to traditional telephony devices. Instead, they rely solely on their WebRTC enabled Agent Desktop for communication needs. Since WebRTC runs on a web browser, it is important that it is capable of connecting to emergency services (such as dialing 911 in the US or Canada) without any obstacles.

To ensure compliance with Kari's Law and Ray Baum's Act:

1. Direct Dialing: The WebRTC enabled desktop must allow the agent to dial 911 directly from their WebRTC Embedded Desktop, without needing to input any additional codes or numbers to reach an outside line.
2. Notification of Emergency Calls: When a 911 call is made, the system must be able to notify designated personnel within the organization (for example, security or front desk). This is to ensure that they are aware of the emergency and can assist or guide first responders when they arrive.
3. Location Information: The system must be able to convey accurate location information to emergency responders. This includes not just the street address of the facility but also specific details like floor, room number, or other relevant information that can help first responders quickly locate the caller.

For organizations deploying WxCC with a WebRTC enabled desktop, it is critical to work with their service providers to ensure that their implementation complies with these legal requirements, provides a safe work environment, and enables quick responses in emergency situations. To comply with the requirements of Kari's Law and Ray Baum's Act, WxCC makes use of certain features within the Webex Control Hub and third-party services.

• Webex Control Hub: This is a centralized platform where administrators can monitor and manage their organization's Webex accounts, services, and devices.

• RedSky National Emergency Provider: RedSky is a third-party service provider that specializes in emergency communications. It provides solutions for determining the location of a caller and routing emergency calls to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

• Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP): A PSAP is a call center in the United States where emergency calls initiated by any mobile or landline telephone are routed. The PSAP operators determine the nature of the emergency and dispatch appropriate emergency services or transfer the call to a specialized center.

WxCC uses the provisions within the Webex Calling Control Hub to configure and utilize the services of RedSky. When a WxCC agent initiates a 911 call from their WebRTC Embedded Desktop, the call is routed to RedSky. Using its technology, RedSky determines the location of the caller and then routes the call to the correct PSAP. This ensures that the emergency call is handled by the appropriate local emergency services and that the caller's location information is accurately conveyed.

This involves:

1. Provisioning No Cost Webex Calling PSTN Services Add-On: If your organization does not already have Cisco Webex Calling subscription, an additional no-cost Add-On for Webex Calling PSTN services must be obtained. This will allow you to enable the necessary features of emergency call routing.
2. Accessing the Emergency Services page in the Control Hub: As an administrator, navigate to the Emergency Services page within the Control Hub. This section will provide the settings needed to configure emergency call routing.
3. Configuring locations in the Control Hub: Specify the various physical locations in the Control Hub. These locations could represent different office sites, floors, or even specific rooms within a building.
4. Establishing a RedSky Account: Set up an account with RedSky, the third-party emergency call routing provider. You must provide information about your organization and sign a separate agreement with RedSky.
5. Setting up locations within the RedSky Account: In the RedSky system, set up and configure the same locations that you defined within the Control Hub. This is critical to ensure accurate location information is provided to emergency services.
6. Assigning locations to Agents: Assign defined locations to your WxCC Agents. This assignment is typically based on where everyone is physically located while working.
7. Installing myE911 app: The myE911 app allows emergency services to locate callers more accurately within a building or campus. The myE911 app might be used in conjunction with a softphone or mobile client as part of an organization's unified communications system.

The organization is expected to diligently maintain the accuracy and validity of their RedSky configuration to ensure proper emergency call routing. In instances where RedSky services are not employed, emergency calls will default to the routing mechanisms of the organization's selected Service Provider. Under such circumstances, it is the customer's obligation to verify that the Service Provider is equipped and prepared to process emergency calls in accordance with regulatory standards.

Conduct a System readiness check

To determine if your system is ready for Emergency Calling:

1. Access the Control Hub: Log in to the Control Hub to access your system settings.
2. Navigate to Management and Account Settings: In the Control Hub, navigate to Management > Account to view your current subscriptions.
3. Verify Subscriptions: Review your listed subscriptions. For Emergency Calling, your system must have both Calling (or PSTN Services Add-On) and Contact Center subscriptions.
4. Apply for a No-Cost Webex Calling Add-On: If you don't have a Webex Calling subscription, you must get one. Cisco offers a complimentary, or $0 add-on for this purpose.

Complimentary $0 Webex Calling Add-On

If your organization does not have a Webex Calling provision, contact your Cisco Partner to obtain a complimentary, or no-cost add-on. This is essential for accessing the Emergency Setup pages within the Control Hub.

To activate this add-on:

1. Contact your Cisco Partner: Request for a no-cost $0 Webex Calling add-on. This add-on is required to unlock the emergency call settings within the Control Hub.
2. Access the Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW): Manage your Cisco services and licenses and select Webex Calling PSTN Services.

Manage emergency services with Control Hub

After you log in to Control Hub, you see a notification banner. This banner contains:

1. FCC Regulations Link: Contains a hyperlink directing you to the Federal Communications Commission's regulations page. This page provides comprehensive details regarding legal requirements for emergency call handling, offering valuable context for configuring your system.
2. Emergency Call Settings page: Contains a link to the Emergency Call Settings page within the Control Hub.

The Emergency Call Settings page is the crucial starting point for selecting and configuring your system's Emergency Call capabilities.

For more information on creating a new E911 account, logging in to an existing account, or setting up alerts, see Enhanced emergency calling for Webex Calling article.

Set up a RedSky account

1. To set up a new Redsky Account, the system prompts you to enter the email address for your main administrative account and to create a password that is at least 16 characters long.
2. After successful account creation, Webex displays the relevant details under Calling > Service Settings. After completing each step, you must confirm the configuration to proceed.

Configure locations and alerts

1. The configuration process will next prompt you to identify each Building in your organization and then subdivide those buildings into specific areas known as Locations.
2. The subsequent configuration step requires you to establish alert subscriptions for RedSky. Configure these to direct alerts to the designated recipient for the corresponding building or location.
3. The final step involves configuring the network wiremap, which includes assigning IP addresses, BSSIDs, and, if necessary, MAC addresses, to delineate the different locations within your organization.

You can now test the system by placing 933 calls. After you verify that everything is set up correctly, activate Emergency Calling in the Control Hub.

Under Calling tab, in the Emergency calling section, select Enhanced emergency calling.

You have two options:

• RedSky access — Enable this option to test your location configuration for accuracy.
• Emergency call routing — Select this option to activate emergency calling from your location.

To add new users in RedSky

1. Navigate to https://wxc.e911cloud.com and login as administrator.
2. Select Configuration > Users and click Add User.
3. Select Enable MyE911 Functionality to enter details in the additional fields.
4. Enter your first name and last name.
5. Enter the email address of the agent.
6. Select the identification type.
   This must be Device User Id for a contact center agent.
7. Enter the callback number for emergency services to contact you.
8. Enter the device user id and click Add.
   This must be the same as the email address of the agent.
9. Click Save.