New Call Features and Improved User Interface

We have added some new features to press1 and improved the user interface.

New featured added are:
- Improved ‘call flow’ building: We have a new more flexible web interface for changing the call flow after a digit is pressed.
- Call hunting:  Let’s you perform ‘follow on’ calls (previously only group calling) .
- Call forward timer: setting allows you determine how long phone will ring before next action.
- Go back to greeting: You can now collect a digit, play a message and send the caller back to the switchboard menu.
- Separate busy handling: You can now have a different busy message or voicemail on each menu option (old system had common busy handling)

Read on for more details on configuring each feature

Improved ‘call flow’ building

Now call flow is much more flexible than before, it allows you to customise how the call will be handled after the caller selects a phone digit..

Here’s an example of how to build a basic call flow which forwards to number after the caller presses ’1′ , but if busy will play a message and collect a voicemail.

Step 1. Add a new digit to your switchboard

Step 2. Change the first action to Forward to Number.

Step 3.  Set the number (or numbers, you add up to 3 for group calling) and set ring time.

Step 4.  Add the next step by clicking [+] or add next action

Step 5.  Select the voicemail message you want to play if the ‘forward to’ number is busy

Step 6. Click add next action again and select Voicemail then email. (note that you can’t add any more actions because it will hang up after voicemail is left)

Call Hunting

In the past we only supported group calling (ringing a number of phones in parallel) when forwarding. We now also support call hunting, which means you can have follow on calls.

As an example we will show you how to setup hunting to call a landline phone for 30 seconds, then if there’s no answer follow with a call to mobile.

Step 1. Set the first menu action to Forward to Number.

Step 2. Enter the landline number you wish to forward to and set the ring time to 30.

Step 3. Click the [+] or add next action.

Step4. Set the action to Forward to Number and enter the mobile number with whatever ring time you require.
Note:  If you click Apply Changes without adding anything further the call will be hangup if the mobile is busy or unreachable.

Go Back to Greeting

Many users wanted an option to return to the main switchboard greeting after playing a recording, this menu adds that feature. Of course the call flow builder is flexible, so equally you could return to the main greeting if there’s nobody available to take a call.

Here’s a screen shot illustrating how you would play a message back to the caller after pressing ’1′ (for example to find out your mailing address) then send them back to the main menu.

Separate Busy Handling

We have changed busy/unavailable handling so it’s more intuitive and best of all, not common to all key press options.
This gives much more flexibility, for example you can have individual voicemail per digit chosen (you might want voicemail from sales to go to sales dept, and voicemail from support to go to support dept. ) . Equally you can have customised messages per department.

Here’s a screenshot illustrating the setup of a  separate busy meassage and voicemail email  for ’1′ and ’2′

Howto: Setting up a Virtual Switchboard

This is a quick howto to help first time users get started.

Here’s what we want to do.

During Opening Hours (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00)

- Answer the call and play a menu “welcome, press ’1′ for sales, press ’2′ for support, press ’3′ to get our postal address”
- Get an email alert to tell us a call arrived (we will keep this as a log of calls).
- If the customer presses ’1′ they are diverted to ‘sales’ on the landline 021-123456
- If the customer presses ’2′ they are diverted to a mobile number 077-123456
- If either of the numbers are busy/unavailable we will collect a voicemail
- If the customer presses ’3′ we play them a recording with our address.

During Closing Times
- Answer the call and play an announcement “sorry, we are closed, our opening hours are … please leave a message and we will return your call”.
- Collect a voicemail.

Step-by-step
(1) Define the opening hours
Select the tab ‘opening hours’, click the days you are open and enter the times.

Define business opening hours

(2) Upload the recordings

You will need to make some sound recordings for upload. This can be done on any PC with a microphone.  You can use the ‘sound recorder’ application which comes on windows (start>programs>accessories>entertainment>sound recorder). The preferred format is a .WAV file 8Khz MONO (this is the native format and will not be re-sampled).

Tip: If you do not have a microphone you can phone in to your switchboard and collect a voicemail, this will be emailed to you in the correct format.

Note: We can also provide professional recordings at very reasonable rates.

Upload the recordings you need

(3) Configure open menu

Let’s recap the requirements

- Answer the call and play a menu “welcome, press ’1′ for sales, press ’2′ for support, press ’3′ to get our postal address”
- Get an email alert to tell us a call arrived (we will keep this as a log of calls).
- If the customer presses ’1′ they are diverted to ‘sales’ on the landline 021-123456
- If the customer presses ’2′ they are diverted to a mobile number 077-123456
- If either of the numbers are busy/unavailable we will collect a voicemail
- If the customer presses ’3′ we play them a recording with our address.

Click on the ‘Open’ tab. The default setup will look something like this.

The default 'Open Menu'

Now add the digits which will be pressed ’1′, ’2′ and ’3′ by clicking on the ‘unused digits’ section.

The menu will now look something like this..

The 'open menu' with 3 options added.

We will now activate notifcations for every call.

Activate email alerts

Then choose the correct recording for the message to be played “welcome, press ’1′ for sales, press ’2′ for support, press ’3′ to get our postal address”. Make sure to select how many times the message will be played, when the message is played out (and no key has been pressed)  it jumps to section ‘no key press’.

Select the greeting you want to play while open

The configure the three options which will be selected by the caller. If you do not want to play a message to the caller after pressing the digit (like “we are forwarding you to the correct department”) then choose ‘silent pause’ (this is default microsecond of silence) before forwarding.

Options ’1′ and ’2′ will be sent to a phone number, option ’2′ will play a pre-recorded announcement (uploaded on the ‘recordings’ page). Don’t forget to set up an action for calls which make no choice after calling the menu, the section ‘no key press’ is reached if the caller presses nothing an listens the greeting the set number of times.

Configure options '1', '2' and '3' - don't forget the 'no key press'

Click ‘apply changes’ to commit the updates.

Apply changes to commit updates

Then set missed/busy/unavailable actions in case any of the forwardings fail. Typically you will play an unavailable message and collect a voicemail.

Note: this section will only appear if you have a forwarding active on your menu.

Set actions for missed/busy calls.

‘Apply Changes’ once again.

Apply changes to commit updates

We can now phone into our switchboard to test the change.  If it’s not during opening hours we can force this from ‘Opening Hours’ page by selecting ‘always open’.

Here’s how the final menu looks (that was easy wasn’t it?)

The is how the configured 'open menu' looks

(4) Configure the ‘Closed Menu’

To review, on the closed menu we want to

- Answer the call and play an announcement “sorry, we are closed, our opening hours are … please leave a message and we will return your call”.
- Collect a voicemail.

This should be straight forward once you’ve configured the ‘open menu’, take a look at the screenshot below.

Note: Don’t forget to click ‘apply changes’.

The configured the 'closed menu'

The switchboard is now fully configured !