Troubleshooting Voice Related Concerns (Disturbance & Breakage)

Overview of Call Architecture
A standard call is a combination of two distinct connections, commonly referred to as legs:
- Agent's Leg: The connection between the agent's system and the call server.
- Customer's Leg: The connection between the SIP line and the call server.
Voice-related concerns typically arise due to environmental/system issues or network-related problems.
Network Prerequisites
For the agent's leg to successfully connect, specific ports must be open on the network. Ensure the following network configuration is applied:
Port | Protocol  |
|---|---|
5060 | TCP |
8089 | TCP |
10000-20000 | UDP |

Agent Connection Methods
Agents' legs can be maintained using one of the following four options. Each method has specific configuration and troubleshooting requirements:
1. Softphone
In a softphone setup, extensions are created on the platform (e.g., Ameyo) and registered on a third-party softphone application like X-Lite or Zoiper. Agents log in to the UI via a browser.
- Dependency: Network connectivity between the agent's system and the call server is required for the extension to register.
- Risk: If unregistered, calls will drop, and the agent will be placed in an erroneous state.
- Hardware: Requires an external headset for audio transmission.
2. Hardphone / IP Phone
Extensions are created on the platform and registered directly on the physical IP phone.
- Role: These agents operate under a "phone agent" role.
- UI Access: They typically do not use the browser UI and log directly into the hardphone/IP phone.
3. WebRTC
The agent's leg is maintained directly on the browser, and extensions are auto-created.
- Dependency: No reliance on third-party softphones or hardphone registries.
- Prerequisites: Specific network ports (see above) must be open. The microphone must be successfully detected by the agent's system and browser, otherwise, WebRTC will not work.
4. Mobile Phone (Dual Leg)
The agent selects the same SIP trunk used for inbound/outbound routing and provides their mobile number to route the call to it.
- Resource Usage: For every single call, two channels of the SIP trunk are consumed (one for the agent's leg, one for the customer's leg).
Initial Troubleshooting Steps for Voice Issues
If an agent experiences voice issues, follow these initial diagnostic steps:
- Review Reports: Download the call reports and verify if there is talk time for the reported call.
- Listen to Voice Logs: Review the recordings of the reported call to determine if the issue originates from the agent's side or the customer's side.
- Cross-Check Customer Issues: If the issue seems to be from the customer's side, listen to a few other voice logs from that customer/line to confirm.
- Verify Widespread Agent Issues: If the voice issue is consistently on the agent's side across all calls, proceed with specific hardware/network diagnostics.
- Ping Test: Ping the call server from the agent's system and check for any Request Time Out (RTO) or packet loss.
- TCP Dump: Capture a TCP dump on both the agent's system and the call server to rigorously verify network connectivity.
Specific Voice-Related Concerns and Resolutions
Headset Issues
Agents may report choppy/no voice from the customer, the customer being unable to hear the agent, or static disturbance whether on a call or not.
- Resolution: Replace the headset with a known working one from another agent to verify if the hardware is faulty. If the issue is resolved by replacing the headset, permanently issue a new one.
Agent IP Phone Issues
Issues include voice disturbance or the inability to hear audio on either end.
- Resolution Steps:
- Verify the IP phone's registration status.
- Verify the configuration settings done on the IP phone.
- Test by swapping the IP phone with a working unit.
- Reconfigure the IP phone if necessary.
Network-Related Concerns (WebRTC)
Voice issues in WebRTC setups are often caused by latency, jitter, or port blockages. A WebRTC Troubleshooter and Network Debugger are provided on the agent's screen (dial pad) to identify these issues.
WebRTC Signal Indicators: The signal color on the agent's screen changes based on latency thresholds (which are configurable in the database):
- Green: Latency is below the configured "low" value.
- Amber: Latency is between the "low" and "medium/high" values.
- Red: Latency is above the configured "medium" value.
Resolution Steps for WebRTC Network Issues:
- Red Signal / High Latency: Enable continuous ping from the agent system to the call server to monitor network stability.
- ICE Connection Failure: Ensure UDP ports 10000-20000 are open on the network.
- Erroneous State on Login (Red Signal): Check the network specifically for TCP port 8089 blockages.
- No Audio (Both Sides): Verify that UDP ports 10000-20000 are open bi-directionally.
- Immediate Call Disconnect: Check the admin screen to ensure the agent is mapped to the correct call server.
- Advanced Debugging: In all the above cases, enabling a TCP dump on both the call server and the agent's system is highly recommended to isolate the bottleneck.