In a prior post, it was shown that preparing a simple inbound ACD scenario can be fairly straightforward. This post will illustrate a few of the more complex components that can be leveraged in Q-Suite’s dialplan builder.
- Caller data such as phone number, first name, and last name can be stored in the local database and may be pre-populated prior to any calling being done. Using the Lookup component in the IVR, we can query that database to see if the caller in the dialplan already exists. If the caller record does exist, we can display any information already associated to that caller to the agent, such as call history. This will allow the agent to properly address the caller and the agent may also be able to gather information about previous calls.
- Storing information as a caller traverses through an IVR can be critical in assessing the cradle-to-grave progression of inbound calls. With the ability to set a variable, using a dialplan component, to contain the results of these types of interactions, the full scope of the call can be tracked and reported upon if desired. This data will also be captured and linked to the caller’s record.
- External web applications may be used in order to maintain customer data and interactions, along side the Asterisk based contact center ACD software. In some particular cases, we will need to access this external application while the caller is in the IVR. Using the web service component, we can send a specific query to the application to request the caller’s account information, and we can store the results in defined variables. Combined with the Lookup that was already mentioned, the IVR can have a significant amount of data available to pass along to the agent.
With the magnitude of available components, the dialplan builder can achieve almost anything the inbound contact center needs. It is up to the administrators to decide how elementary or how sophisticated the IVR interaction needs to be in order to satisfy their goals.