PBX services

How to record and add an welcome message to a queue

Erik Ligtvoet — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 10:28:10 +0000

You can record new messages for your PBX, which will be played to the people that call you. These messages include welcome messages or messages played to the caller every thirty seconds while they are queuing, for example.

Log in to the Admin portal and navigate to PBX Services > Manage sound to add a new recorded message. Once you have clicked Create a new audio in Manage sounds, you see the following:

Here you need to name your recording. You can also select if you want to add some description to it, e.g. a transcript. Then you have to choose how you want to add the recording:

Call me and record the audio on my fixed phone = This means that after clicking Create sound, the system will call your hallo, softphone. Answer the call and listen to the instructions on what to do. When you have finished the call, the recording will automatically be added to the PBX soundbank.
Call me and record the audio on my mobile phone (requires a validated number) = This means that after clicking Create sound, the system will call your mobile phone. Answer the call and listen to the instructions on what to do. When you have finished the call, the recording will automatically be added to the PBX soundbank.
Upload an audio file: You can upload it directly to the system if you already have a recording ready. Please note that at the moment, we support only the most common audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, WMA, RAW, and so on.

You can also select to skip adding the audio for now to have the recording as a placeholder.

When the recording has been added, it is shown on the list in PBX Services > Manage sound. There, you can also select it to be played in a particular phase of a call. Here is an example of a welcome message added to a queue:

If you have any questions regarding this, feel free to contact us!

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How to change PBX opening hours

Erik Ligtvoet — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 10:13:35 +0000

It is important to keep your PBX opening hours up to date so that your customers know when they can reach you. To remind you how to do it, we have created a small video with simple instructions on how to adjust ordinary opening hours, record a new greeting, and create a new PBX mode.

Please note, that if you have several PBX modes scheduled at the same time with the same priority, the system will activate the first one on the alphabet. E.g. Closed will be selected instead of Holiday.

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How to set up your PBX services

Erik Ligtvoet — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 10:08:34 +0000

As an administrator, you can create and modify your company’s PBX services in the hallo, admin portal, in the PBX services tab. On the left side of the page, you see all your PBX services, and you have the possibility to manage the related sounds.

Here’s how to create a new PBX service. First, click on the plus-sign in the bottom-right corner and select the type of PBX service you want to use. This helps you select the correct PBX service by showing a description for each of them. Click on the preferred service, name it, and select a number from the drop-down menu. If you do not have any numbers available, please check our article about purchasing new numbers.

In a nutshell, there are few things you need to remember when setting up a new PBX service:

1. Adding opening hours.
2. Activating correct settings to the queue.
3. Selecting what happens to the incoming calls.

Note: Always remember to save your changes!

Let’s look at the different PBX services, what kinds of settings they have, and how to set them up!

IVR

An IVR lets your customers select which queue to redirect calls to. When setting up this PBX service, you need to remember the following:

1. Add a recording where you notify the caller of the different redirect options.

2. Select the actual PBX services for each keypad options. To add the recording to the IVR, click the dial pad icon next to the Open-box. Then a small window opens where you select Add sound, select the sound from the drop-down list, and click Save changes.

Now the recording is added to the IVR.

Next, modify the IVR settings by clicking the same dial pad icon as before.

You select the preferred keypad options and the time-out for the caller (the amount of time the caller needs to make a choice). Once you have clicked save, selected touch-tone options will appear for the IVR. By selecting a touch-tone option, you can select what happens to the call when a caller selects that number. Remember to modify the time-out action the same way.

Queuing system

A queue is the most-used PBX service where users take the calls determined by the set call strategy. To edit the settings of the queue, click the tile below Open. Add new members by clicking Add members, and then select the members from the list and press Add.

In Treatment of calls to the queuing system, you can select the calling strategy (how calls are assigned to the queue members) and the call length (the length of the call attempts). Please see detailed information on call strategies here!

If needed, you can also set up a maximum wait time, after which the call will be redirected to a different number.

The For callers section contains settings related to messages played for callers. You can select if you want to play a welcome message, what kind of a waiting sound the queue has, and if you want to play extra queue sounds or messages in it. If you decide to use one of our ready-made recordings, remember to select the language for it.

For members of the queuing system has settings related to the queue members, such as number presentation. You can choose to have the callers’ numbers presented when they call to the queue, and if you wish, add a suffix to it. This way, the caller’s number will be preceded by the number combination you have set. You can also select so that the queue members see the queue’s number when a customer calls the queue. In this section, you can also add a wrap-up time for the queue members to have a short break in between calls.

The caller’s wait time can also be selected to be shown to the queue members.

In Advanced settings, you can change the queue’s name and allow the users to show the queue number when calling. You can also configure new call routings for specific numbers and add simple IVRs to the queue.

Shared voicemail

Shared voicemail is a voicemail box that can be added to your PBX services. By doing so, your customers can leave you a message directly in the PBX service. By clicking the recording tile, you can choose, for example, if you want a recording to be played for the caller when they leave a message or if you want to receive SMS notifications or emails from new messages.

Fax-to-PDF

Fax-to-PDF is a service where you can receive your faxes as PDFs. Simply click the fax tile and add the recipients.

Shared Extension

Shared extension is a service to connect your analogue phones and faxes to hallo, through an ATA box. Select the phone assigned to your company from the drop-down list, and you are good to go!

If you have any questions regarding the set-up of your PBX service, do not hesitate to contact us!

The post How to set up your PBX services appeared first on hallo, .

On-hook waiting

Erik Ligtvoet — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 09:42:08 +0000

On-hook waiting is an additional service you can add to your hunt groups. On-hook waiting means that the person calling can leave their phone number and choose to get a callback instead of waiting in the queue.

To activate on-hook waiting on a queue, all members of the queue need to have the CC Pro‍ add-on.

When you click on the menu and decide to activate on-hook waiting, you will be presented with the feature settings.

How often should the sound be played back?

This decides how often the caller will hear the message that they can get a call back instead of waiting in the queue.

Position in hunt group

How many callers there should be in the queue before you get offered a callback instead.

Offer on-hook waiting to other callers

Here you can choose between three alternatives. If you pick option two or three, you will set how many seconds it will take before the caller is offered a callback.

Caller ID for redial

If you want to show a different number than your queue number when you make the callback, you can change it here.

When it comes to the actual callback, you can administrate the settings in a couple of different ways, depending on how you want it to work.

The agent’s time is precious

This setting decides when the caller will get the callback. As in the picture, the caller will get a callback when placed third or lower. This number is changeable.

The customer’s time is precious

The caller will reserve its place in the queue and will get their callback when the call has traveled to the front of the queue.

Sound for the caller

When it’s time for the caller to get their callback, the agent in the queue will get a call, and the chosen sound will be played. Then the callback will begin.

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Call strategy for queue

Erik Ligtvoet — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 09:31:46 +0000

When you create a queue, you can select how you want the call to be distributed to the members in the queue. You have a couple of different strategies that you can choose from to fit the queue members. The members in the queue will be listed in what we call a Hunt group.

Treatment of calls to the queue

Call all: This one speaks for itself. All the members of the hunt group are called at the same time.
Prioritized: The prioritized strategy will always ring to the first member in the hunt group. If the first person in the group isn’t free, the call will automatically go to the group’s next person. Next time there is a call, it will start from the top again.
Cyclic: The first call of the day will always start at the person who is on top of the group. If the person answers the call, the next one will go to the person next in line. Then it will work like this through all the members in the queue and start from the top again.
Fewest calls: When you use the fewest calls function, it will always ring to the person who has answered the fewest calls that day and is free. The call won’t be passed on to the next member but keep on ringing to the member till the call is answered, instead.
Least recent: The person who has gone the longest without a call will get this call. If the call doesn’t isn’t answered, it will go to the person in line who has been on the phone for the second-longest time.
Randomized: If you pick the randomized call strategy, you never know who will get the next call. That way, every member should be ready to take calls.

When you have selected which strategy you want to use for your hunt group, you can also manage the Call length. The call length determines how long every call attempt will be for each member. The recommended length should be at least 20 seconds to give the member some time to answer the call before it goes to the next member.

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PBX services

How to record and add an welcome message to a queue

How to change PBX opening hours

How to set up your PBX services

IVR

Queuing system

Shared voicemail

Fax-to-PDF

Shared Extension

On-hook waiting

How often should the sound be played back?

Position in hunt group

Offer on-hook waiting to other callers

Caller ID for redial

The agent’s time is precious

The customer’s time is precious

Sound for the caller

Call strategy for queue

Treatment of calls to the queue