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Advanced Telephony Features

The Advanced Telephony system provides enterprise-grade phone capabilities including IVR menus, call routing, transfers, recording, and sophisticated call management features.

Overview​

Advanced Telephony features enable:

  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems
  • Intelligent call routing and distribution
  • Call transfers and conferencing
  • Call recording and monitoring
  • Direct dial and extension management
  • Advanced queue management

IVR Menu System​

Understanding IVR​

Interactive Voice Response allows callers to navigate through menu options using their phone keypad, directing them to the appropriate department or information.

Creating IVR Menus​

  1. Navigate to Phone > IVR Menus
  2. Click Create New Menu
  3. Design your call flow:
    • Welcome message
    • Menu options
    • Actions for each option
    • Error handling

Welcome Greeting:

  • Professional recording
  • Text-to-speech option
  • Multiple language support
  • Business hours check

Menu Options:

  • Press 1 for Sales
  • Press 2 for Support
  • Press 3 for Billing
  • Press 0 for Operator
  • Custom options (4-9)

Actions:

  • Route to queue/agent
  • Play message
  • Transfer to external number
  • Go to submenu
  • Voicemail

Multi-level IVR​

Creating Submenus​

  • Design hierarchical menu structure
  • Limit to 3 levels deep
  • Provide "back" options
  • Include "repeat menu" choice

Example Structure​

Main Menu
├── 1. Sales
│   ├── 1. New Customer
│   ├── 2. Existing Customer
│   └── 3. Partner Inquiry
├── 2. Support
│   ├── 1. Technical Issue
│   ├── 2. Billing Question
│   └── 3. General Inquiry
└── 3. Company Directory

IVR Best Practices​

  • Keep menus simple (3-5 options)
  • Most common options first
  • Clear, concise instructions
  • Offer operator option
  • Test with real users

Call Routing​

Routing Methods​

Skill-Based Routing​

  • Define agent skills
  • Match caller needs
  • Priority levels
  • Fallback options
  • Performance tracking

Geographic Routing​

  • Route by caller area code
  • Time zone considerations
  • Regional teams
  • Language preferences
  • Local presence

Time-Based Routing​

  • Business hours routing
  • Holiday schedules
  • After-hours handling
  • Weekend coverage
  • Emergency overrides

Advanced Routing Rules​

Priority Routing​

  • VIP customer lists
  • Account tier levels
  • Issue severity
  • SLA requirements
  • Executive escalation

Intelligent Routing​

  • Previous agent
  • Call history analysis
  • Customer preference
  • Best match algorithm
  • Load balancing

Queue Management​

Queue Configuration​

  • Maximum wait time
  • Queue capacity
  • Overflow handling
  • Priority levels
  • Music on hold

Callback Options​

  • Offer callback
  • Maintain position
  • Scheduled callbacks
  • SMS notifications
  • Callback confirmation

Direct Dial System​

Direct Dial Numbers​

Assign direct phone numbers to:

  • Individual agents
  • Departments
  • Campaigns
  • VIP support lines

DID Management​

  • Number inventory
  • Assignment rules
  • Porting requests
  • Number pooling
  • Cost optimization

Extension System​

  • 3-4 digit extensions
  • Direct dial mapping
  • Extension directory
  • Speed dial setup
  • Remote access

Call Transfer Features​

Transfer Types​

Blind Transfer​

  • Immediate transfer
  • No introduction
  • Quick handoff
  • Department transfers

Warm Transfer​

  • Speak with recipient first
  • Introduce caller
  • Context sharing
  • Smooth transition

Supervised Transfer​

  • Full conversation before transfer
  • Three-way introduction
  • Complete handoff
  • Follow-up option

Transfer Management​

  • Transfer history
  • Failed transfer handling
  • Callback on failed transfer
  • Transfer analytics
  • Quality monitoring

Call Recording​

Recording Options​

Automatic Recording​

  • All calls recorded
  • Selective recording rules
  • Compliance settings
  • Storage management

On-Demand Recording​

  • Agent-initiated
  • Supervisor start/stop
  • Important calls only
  • Training purposes

Recording Management​

Storage and Retention​

  • Cloud storage
  • Retention policies
  • Automatic deletion
  • Archive options
  • Compliance requirements

Access Controls​

  • Role-based access
  • Playback permissions
  • Download restrictions
  • Audit trails
  • Legal holds

Recording Features​

  • Pause/resume recording
  • Dual-channel recording
  • Screen recording sync
  • Transcription services
  • Search capabilities

Conference Calling​

Conference Bridge​

  • Dedicated conference numbers
  • PIN protection
  • Host controls
  • Participant management
  • Recording options

Conference Features​

  • Mute all participants
  • Roll call
  • Entry/exit tones
  • Participant count
  • Q&A mode

Web Integration​

  • Click-to-join links
  • Calendar integration
  • Screen sharing
  • Virtual backgrounds
  • Meeting recordings

Call Monitoring​

Monitoring Methods​

Silent Monitoring​

  • Listen without detection
  • Real-time coaching
  • Quality assurance
  • Training purposes

Whisper Coaching​

  • Coach agent privately
  • Caller cannot hear
  • Real-time guidance
  • Performance improvement

Barge-In​

  • Join active call
  • Three-way conversation
  • Emergency intervention
  • Escalation handling

Monitoring Controls​

  • Permission levels
  • Monitoring notifications
  • Compliance settings
  • Recording during monitoring
  • Activity logs

Advanced Queue Features​

Queue Strategies​

Ring Strategies​

  • Ring all agents
  • Round robin
  • Least recent
  • Fewest calls
  • Random

Overflow Handling​

  • Secondary queues
  • Voicemail options
  • External transfers
  • Callback offers
  • Custom messages

Queue Analytics​

  • Average wait time
  • Abandon rates
  • Service levels
  • Agent utilization
  • Peak hour analysis

Phone System Integration​

CRM Integration​

  • Screen pop
  • Click-to-dial
  • Call logging
  • Contact sync
  • Activity tracking

Helpdesk Integration​

  • Ticket creation
  • Call association
  • Screen recording
  • Follow-up automation
  • SLA tracking

Calendar Integration​

  • Availability sync
  • Meeting dial-in
  • Appointment reminders
  • Schedule-based routing
  • Out-of-office handling

Advanced Analytics​

Call Analytics​

  • Call volume trends
  • Duration analysis
  • Cost per call
  • ROI tracking
  • Quality scores

Agent Analytics​

  • Performance metrics
  • Talk time analysis
  • After-call work
  • Transfer rates
  • Customer satisfaction

System Analytics​

  • Trunk utilization
  • Concurrent call capacity
  • System availability
  • Error rates
  • Quality metrics

Disaster Recovery​

Failover Systems​

  • Automatic failover
  • Geographic redundancy
  • Cloud backup
  • Mobile app fallback
  • Emergency routing

Business Continuity​

  • Remote agent support
  • Call forwarding
  • Emergency messages
  • Status page
  • Communication plan

Advanced Features​

Voice Analytics​

  • Sentiment analysis
  • Keyword spotting
  • Compliance monitoring
  • Trend identification
  • Automated alerts

AI Integration​

  • Virtual assistants
  • Automated responses
  • Intent recognition
  • Predictive routing
  • Call summarization

Custom Development​

  • API access
  • Webhook integration
  • Custom applications
  • Third-party tools
  • Workflow automation

Best Practices​

System Design​

  • Scalability planning
  • Redundancy setup
  • Performance optimization
  • Security hardening
  • Regular updates

User Training​

  • Agent training programs
  • Feature documentation
  • Best practice guides
  • Refresher sessions
  • New feature rollouts

Quality Management​

  • Regular monitoring
  • Performance reviews
  • Customer feedback
  • System audits
  • Continuous improvement

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  • Poor call quality
  • Dropped calls
  • Routing failures
  • Recording issues
  • Integration problems

Diagnostic Tools​

  • Call quality reports
  • Network analysis
  • System logs
  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring