How to automate call events and handle them in Softphone.Pro: triggers for any situation
Softphone.Pro can do much in terms of call automation and gets integrated with any CRM as well as any industry software via Event Handler. This article is to show how it runs in some common business situations.
Inbound call and opening a web page
Let’s fancy: a company’s website, a contact page with several phone numbers — say, different numbers for different clients (e.g. small business and enterprises at the Cisco website), countries (as it goes at the HP support webpage) and even regions (our case: we have different numbers for Europe, USA/Canada and Latin America markets). Likewise, there might be special numbers for specific departments and business units (sales, accounting, service), products (equipment, software, consulting) etc.
For the purposes of this article, we also have to clarify what SIP account term means: this is a set of credentials that enables you to make and receive calls over the internet using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. It is not the same as a phone number: we can bind one SIP account to several numbers and, vice versa, tie a set of accounts with one number. (We’d offer the following analogy: a number of people can own a house. With that, it happens that one person owns a number of houses. Though mostly in small business there is one number and one SIP account used. Now, let's go back to the topic :)
Suppose a client is calling the sales number (or, almost the same, a call is coming to the sales’ SIP account). In such a case Event Handler opens on call a webpage with a price list. Should this be a call for support, there will be a web page with FAQ etc.
Moreover, if all the calls first come to a secretary (an ironic twist of life and business: often they are the ones who receive all the calls) you can facilitate their work too: open a web page with leading questions which help to understand the situation and forward the call to the proper business unit. And once that happens and a right addressees answer, the event handler opens on their computer price web pages, FAQs, and other necessary information (if a call is forwarded, the trigger remains).
Records upload upon call end
Upon the call end you’ve got its record. Most likely it will be somewhere in the PBX bins but also we strongly recommend to keep automatic recording on in the Softphone.Pro settings: it can do this too. In such a case the records will be always at hand in the Call Log window:
But this is, shall we say, convenient for agents and line staff. What if supervisors, managers, or quality control depts need it too? The answer is to upload records to a cloud or a network folder.
Uploading call records to a web-server (HTTP) is very simple. Put a proper address like https://cloudstorage.com/UploadCallRecords/upload.php in the URL field, and it’s in the bag. To map a call and recording file, use %RECORDFILENAME% parameter (to know more, please click here).
Automatic uploading call records to a network folder is simple too: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c robocopy %LOCALAPPDATA%\SoftphonePro\records \\COMPANYSERVER\RECORDFOLDER (last two words stand for the server’s and the folder’s name; replace them to yours). And of course do not forget to save :)
Such upload can be performed both for all SIP accounts (should you have some) and for a single one:
Hence the records are easily accessible from anywhere. A recorded call is anyway better than a not recorded one: it is always useful in case of a dispute or when something isn’t clear; having a record you’ve got clear facts and information for management decisions. It’s good for business.
Status change: a food for thoughts and insights
Softphone.Pro offers some preset statuses: Online, Busy, Away, and Offline (you can set your own e.g. Training, Meeting and so on.) The first two are quite obvious: you are Online — the phone is ringing — you answer — you are Busy. The call is ended — you are Online and ready for a new one, again and again, and calls follow each other like day follows night.
Status Away implies that an agent is not at the computer physically and cannot answer so in this case a PBX should not allocate the calls on them. It’s wise and rational behavior if agents set this status by themself when they are really away (lunch, bathroom, other valid reason). Otherwise, a PBX thinks they are available but there is nobody to answer and you have a lost call. (This is why Softphone.Pro offers the following ticksespecially for agents with leaky memory:
However, it might be quite the opposite: Away when still here. If an agent sets this status you have a situation “I’m resting, everyone around is working”. Sure there are a lot of reasons: from fatigue and burnout to desire to hack the system and test the limits. Such people have always existed in any team and any society. But what if everyone is Away? Who answers, who takes an order, who makes a deal?
There is an elegant solution: upload a snapshot upon status change like it goes in case of records upload. And then you can pose specific questions and make fact-driven decisions. Online but not at the computer — why? Away but not away — why? It is appropriate to recall Toyota and the famous “5 Whys” method for searching for real causes. It leads us to believe that 1) our friend Frederick W. Taylor is right again; 2) Event Handler is a good tool if you’re looking for the roots and insights.
We believe keeping focus on automation and soft skills leads to great client experience, agent effectiveness, and desired bottom line. This is just a matter of time.
Everything comes to those who can wait. As for Softphone.Pro, you can get it right now without waiting :)
Download the softphone for call automation 📞
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