Channels allows you to manage incoming calls from your leads and customers. Even when you're offline, you can still take care of them!
They have the option to leave a message on your voicemail, use interactive IVR, listen to your offline message or the call can be forwarded to a number of your choosing so no contact opportunity is missed!
To start setting up how your helpline should behave, head to the ‘Settings’ tab and select a number you want to make adjustments on. Please remember that the settings you'll set will apply only to the number you've chosen! You can use different options and customize each of the numbers.
On this screen you’ll see options like:
receive incoming call,
forward incoming call to number,
don't accept incoming call,
messages
Record phone calls
With this option active all calls made or received on the number will be recorded. The recordings will be stored for you to listen to or download according to the chosen plan.
Receive incoming call
By selecting this option, you allow all incoming calls to come through. Once enabled, you should define what happens in the following cases:
When agents are online there are three call distribution methods to choose from:
Random - the call gets to a randomly picked available agent. If a call is not answered, it goes to the next agent.
Longest Idle - call goes to the agent who wasn’t talking for the longest time. If a call is not answered, it goes to the next available agent.
Simultaneous calls - all available agents will get the incoming call notification. First one to pick up gets to talk with a customer.
When agents are offline meaning when no agents associated with the number are active. There are 6 options to choose from:
Play free line signal: the caller will hear a free line signal until the call gets disconnected (the call will be terminated after 30 seconds).
Play busy signal: caller will hear the busy message (‘The number you are trying to dial is currently busy. Please try again later’).
Disconnect the call: caller will get disconnected and hear a message about the number being out of reach.
Play offline message: as soon as the call gets connected the caller will hear your uploaded audio file message, i.e., Business hours message. Shortly afterward the call is going to disconnect.
Allow customers to record a voicemail: when the call gets connected the caller is going to hear your uploaded audio voicemail prompt and can record the message after the tone. You can access and play voicemail messages in the Contacts tab as well as by clicking the notification message related to the received voicemail.
Forward the call: when no agents available the call will be forwarded accordingly to the setting described below.
Forward incoming call
With this option, all calls to your Channels number are forwarded to the desired number. Once enabled, you’ll need to enter the number you want to get the calls transferred to. You can change it anytime. Your calls are still going to get recorded, and you’ll be able to listen to them later on.
Don’t accept the incoming call
This setting excludes the option of taking the calls within the app entirely. Once selected you have 5 options to choose from which work the same way as When agents are offline features mentioned above. These options are:
Play free line signal
Play busy signal
Disconnect the call
Play offline message
Allow customers to record a voicemail
Always remember to save changes associated with the inbound calls!
Messages
Do not lose any opportunity to get in touch with your customers!
In Messages option, you will be able to set up and upload pre-recorded messages which could help you keep the communication between you and the customer more clear and efficient! Welcome them with a warm greeting, optimize your time when you reach a voicemail or answering machine and let customers know when they are on hold.
These features allow you to customize three different types of messages according to your needs. To use this function, you need to upload or drop your .mp3 or .wav file; on the side note, the file shouldn’t be bigger than 50 MB.
Welcome Message - Every time your callers try to reach you or your agents, they will hear your greetings message beforehand. The message plays once and then the call proceeds with a dial tone. The welcome message option only works for calls within the application, when you set the call forwarding to an external number the welcome message will not be played.
If you want the welcome message to be played before forwarding the call to another phone number, you need to set up an IVR and configure call forwarding on it by allowing the caller to select a specific option or option 0 – if the caller does not choose any option.
You can find more about IVR settings here.
Voicemail Drop - Avoid being caught off-guard when reaching a voicemail or answering machine, and save time with a pre-recorded message that you can leave every time your call makes it to the tone. In the Channels Call Widget click on the Voice Drop icon right after the “beep”. Channels will leave your message for you.
Assigned users
In this section you can choose which users can use particular number and receive incoming calls coming to it. By default any newly invited user will be assigned to all of your numbers and newly added numbers will be assigned to all of the users.
IVR
Interactive voice response (IVR) allows you to set up an automated response system based on voice messages and number input. You can attach previously configured IVR to your number, but please note that this option will override the Welcome Message settings! To see our IVR setup tutorial please click here.