Company Virtual Receptionist Service
Virtual Receptionist service is a speech application that answers calls and directs them to people, departments or services in a company. People who call the company phone number are greeted using a custom company message before being offered the option to say the name of the person or service they want to reach (or enter the appropriate extension). Using speech recognition or touchtone commands, the Virtual Receptionist forwards the calls to the appropriate user or service using their call forwarding preferences (Smart Number service). Company members are users who subscribed using keys from the same company account. All company members are automatically included in the speech-enabled company directory. Members can belong to one or many groups that form sub-directories available for speech name dialing. Groups can represent any group of people in a company (sales department, technical support team, etc.). A company DID is required for the service.
Note that the Virtual Receptionist option is offered only to organizations or groups that have a company account on the Evatel system, and that company users can also be reached directly using their personal DID numbers (Smart Number service).
Use the following links to get answers to some common questions about Company Account Setup:
- What is a Group?
- How Can I Use Groups?
- How Do I Assign a Phone Number to our Company's Virtual Receptionist?
- Can Users Access their Virtual Assistant Account from the Virtual Receptionist?
- How Do I Forward Calls to Services?
- How Do I Forward Calls to Specific PBX Extensions or Telephone Numbers?
Comment cela aide les appelants?
Comment les gens peuvent-ils utiliser les commandes vocales?
_EN_ Tous les membres de la compagnie sont automatiquement inclus dans le répertoire vocal de la compagnie pour être joignables par leurs noms. Les membres peuvent appartenir à un ou plusieurs groupes qui forment des sous-répertoires disponibles pour la composition de noms par voix. Les groupes peuvent représenter différentes équipes ou employés d'un département ou service dans la compagnie (département des ventes, équipe de support technique, etc.).
How The Virtual Receptionist Works
- Menus: The Virtual Receptionist is made of one or many menus. There is at least one menu (the root) for each service. Each menu has its own options and audio prompts.
- Options: Menu options are choices offered to the caller. An option is a speech or DTMF command entered by the user that triggers the execution of an action.
- Actions: Each user command results in the execution of an action to transfer the call to one of the following destinations:
- User: transfer the call to a User
- Phone: transfer the call to a Phone number
- Service: transfer the call to an application Service
- Menu: transfer the call to another Menu
- Directory of Users : Each menu can be configured to automatically load the list of users (company members or employees) and enable callers to dial them by name. For each menu, the directory can be made of the full list of users or only those who belong to a specific group.
- Audio Prompts: Custom audio prompts can be recorded and imported into the Evatel system for use in the Virtual Receptionist service. Each menu option can have its own prompts.
Service Customization
- Add options and audio prompts to existing menus
- Import custom audio prompts into the system for use by the Virtual Receptionist
- Define new speech keywords and DTMF keys as menu option commands.
- Customize the transfer actions for each menu option
- Create new menus and link them to the service call flow using incoming and outgoing menu options
- Link external speech applications to the service call flow menu options
- Define groups of users for specific departments in the organization
- Configure each menu to provide speech access to company directory or its sub-directories simply by checking a "Load Users" option.
Configuration Session
- The Greeting Messages associated with the Virtual Receptionist
- The telephone number (DID) assigned to the Virtual Receptionist service
- The option to have users calls forwarded directly to their account for an Evatel session
- The list of existing menus
- The Add Menu and Upload Prompts command buttons
Creating and Managing Groups
A group is a list of users in the same category (department or team). Groups can be the sales team, the technical support group, the administration department staff or the employees in a specific regional office. Groups are used to select the users that can be reached in a given menu either by name or extension number.
Creating New Groups
- Click on the Groups button. A Groups window appears.
- Click on the New Group button. A blank New Group window appears showing the list of company users.
- Enter the name of the new group in the group name field, then select the users assigned to the new group. To select all users, check the user selection title box. You can check and uncheck user to add them or remove from the group as needed. Click Submit when finished.
- Click Submit to confirm the new group creation, or Cancel to close the window without adding the new group.
Viewing the List of Groups
- Click on the Groups button. A Groups window appears showing the list of existing groups.
- To view the list of users in any group, select the group from the Subgroup in View list.
- The list of users in the selected group is displayed with a checkbox.
- Click Cancel to close the window without changes.
Modifying Existing Groups
You can modify the list of users in groups from the Virtual Receptionist page as follows:
- Click on the Groups button. A Groups window appears showing the list of existing groups.
- Select the group to modify from the Subgroup in View list.
- The list of users in the selected group is displayed. Set a checkbox to add a user to the group. Unset a checkbox to remove a user from the group. Click Submit when finished.
- Click Submit to confirm the changes or Cancel to close the window without any change.
Removing Groups
You can remove existing groups from the Virtual Receptionist page as follows:
- Click on the Groups button. A Groups window appears showing the list of existing groups.
- Click the Remove link corresponding to the group you want to delete. A confirmation window will open asking you to confirm the removal of the group.
Click OK to remove the group, or Cancel to close the window without change.
Managing group status
Defining the Operator User
From the main Virtual Receptionist page, select the user who will be assigned the operator role. Operators get all calls of people who have not been able to reach the person or service they want, or who specifically wanted to speak to the operator for information or help. Any user can be the Company Operator. You may even create a virtual user with multiple phone numbers and a specific call forwarding schedule to transfer calls to different people at different dates and times. Click Apply when finished.
Assigning a DID Number to your Virtual Receptionist
From the main Virtual Receptionist page, select the telephone number of your Virtual Receptionist service (usually, this is the company's main phone number). If the number is not in the list of DIDs assigned to your Company, you can select New and enter manually. Click Apply when finished.
Auto-Forwarding Users to their Assistant
Check this option to automatically transfer users to their assistant when they call from their Auto-ID or Auto-PIN numbers. This will give them access to their mailbox and enable them to control their call forwarding, account profile, etc. Select this feature if you want to use the same Virtual Receptionist phone number for customer calls and user calls (virtual assistant service). Click Apply when finished.
Asking Unknown Callers to Select their Language
Sélectionner le mode de dialogue: vocal ou touches DTMF
_EN_Sélectionnez le mode de dialogue du service Réceptionniste virtuelle avec les appelants:
- Reconnaissance vocale et touches DTMF si vous voulez que votre service Réceptionniste virtuelle accepte aussi bien la parole pour demander la personne ou service par le nom que les touches DTMF pour composer le poste (extension) de la personne ou service demandé;
- Touches DTMF seulement si vous préférez désactiver la reconnaissance vocale pour n'offrir que les touches DTMF pour composer le poste (extension) de la personne ou service demandé. Les appelants auront tout de même la possibilité de demander l'accès au répertoire.
Cliquez Appliquer pour confirmer le changement.
Spécifier la prononciation phonétique des noms d'usagers
_EN_Vous pouvez manuellement entrer deux variations de prononciations phonétiques pour chaque usager dans chaque langue utilisée par votre compagnie. Le service Réceptionniste virtuelle utilisera les noms phonétiques que vous avez spécifiés au lieu de ceux . Vous n'avez pas besoin de spécifier la prononciation phonétique pour tous les usagers. Faîtes-le seulement pour les noms qui en ont besoin (noms ayant une prononciation difficile pour les gens). Le service Réceptionniste virtuelle utilisera toujours les prononciations phonétiques générées automatiquement pour les noms qui n'ont pas eu de prononciations phonétiques personnalisées.
Vous pouvez spécifier les prononciations phonétiques de tout usager comme suit:
- Cliquez sur Répertoire vocal pour voir la liste des groupes existants.
- Pour afficher la liste des usagers, ouvrez le groupe Tous en cliquant sur son signe +.
- La liste des usagers est affichée montrant les colonnes suivantes:
- Ext: le numéro de poste (extension) de l'usager. Cliquez pour changer le contenu.
- Usager: nom de l'usager tel qu'il a été inscrit.
- Phonetic-1 (Anglais): La première prononciation phonétique du nom dans la première langue (Anglais dans cet exemple). Par défaut, c'est le nom de l'usager qui est utilisé.
- Phonetic-2 (Anglais): La deuxième prononciation phonétique du nom dans la première langue (Anglais dans cet exemple). Par défaut, c'est le nom de l'usager qui est utilisé. .
- Phonetic-1 (Français): La première prononciation phonétique du nom dans la deuxième langue (Français dans cet exemple). Par défaut, c'est le nom de l'usager qui est utilisé.
- Phonetic-2 (Français): La deuxième prononciation phonétique du nom dans la deuxième langue (Français dans cet exemple). Par défaut, c'est le nom de l'usager qui est utilisé.
- Cliquez sur n'importe quel champ de prononciation phonétique pour le modifier ou pour ajouter une nouvelle prononciation du nom de l'usager.
Tous les changements sont en vigueur immédiatement.
Configuring the Greeting Messages and Menu Prompts
Default System Greeting Prompts
"Hello and welcome to <company name>".
"At anytime, say the name of the person or service you want to reach."
For bilingual services, the Virtual Receptionist plays an additional language selection prompt. The language(s) supported are specified in the company profile. Custom greeting messages may be used instead of the default ones. Go to the Uploading Custom Prompts paragraph for more details on how to import and use your own company greeting messages.
Record & Upload Your Prompts
- Make sure that your custom prompts have been recorded and saved in a standard .WAV format on your computer.
- From the Virtual Receptionist page, click the Upload Prompts button. An Upload Files window opens.
- Press Browse to select the audio prompts file to upload from your computer. Click Submit to start uploading the selected file to the Evatel Server. If your Virtual Receptionist service is bilingual, then you should select the audio prompt file for each language supported in your company profile.
Repeat the operations above until all your custom prompts have been uploaded. Note that you can always go back and upload other custom prompts at a later stage.
The following generic prompts are installed by default:
- CompanyGreet
Hello and welcome - Open
Please say the name of the person you would like to reach
Selecting Custom Greeting Messages
- From the Virtual Receptionist page, in the Greeting Messages section, click the pull-down button to list the available custom prompts.
- Select the audio file to be used as your company's greeting message in the selected language.
- Repeat the operation for the second language if your company's Virtual Receptionist service is bilingual.
Main Menu
"Please say the name of the person you would like to reach."
To view and configure this menu, click the Edit button on its header line. A Menu edit window opens showing the parameters of the "AutoAttendant" menu as follows:
- The Load Users option is set to Yes confirming that the users directory will be loaded and offered in this menu.
- The audio file "EAA-Instructions.wav" will be played as an instruction prompt for this menu. You may select a different prompt from the list of available audio files.
- Click Submit to confirm the changes, or Cancel to close the window without any change.
Adding a New Menu
- In the Name field, enter the name you want to give to the new menu.
- In the field Load Users, select Yes if you want to make the users directory available in this menu. Choose No if you don't want callers to be transferred to users (company employees).
Click Submit to confirm the changes, or Cancel to close the window without any change. You can now Add Options to your New Menu if needed.
Selecting the Telephone Directory to Load in a Menu: Group or All
- To modify an existing menu, click the Edit link corresponding to the menu. For new menus, click Add Menu.
A Menu properties window appears. - Select the Group of users reachable in this menu from the Load Users list.
To select all users, choose Yes- All.
If you don't want callers to dial users from the selected menu, choose No. - Click Submit to confirm the changes, or Cancel to close the window without any change.
Modifying Menus
You can access and modify any menu by clicking on the Edit Menu link for that menu. An Edit Menu window opens showing the parameters of the selected menu. The fields are the same as the ones filled during the creation of the menu. Make the desired changes then click Submit to confirm the changes or Cancel to close the window without any change.
Adding Menu Options
The window is divided in two sections:
- The left section is used to define the speech and DTMF commands for this option.
- The right section is used to define the action to be executed and the prompt(s) to play while performing the action.
Menu Speech Keywords and DTMF Keys
- Speech commands (keywords) are words expected from the caller as commands to get a specific action done. Make sure that the same keywords are not used twice in the same menu.
- Touchtone (DTMF) key can be any digit (0-9), star (*) or pound (#) entered from a telephone keypad. It is important that DTMF keys for menu options do not conflict with the first digit of user extensions if the users' directory is offered in the same menu.
Menu Actions
Transfer to: Select the type of call transfer action you want to assign to this menu option. There are four types of call transfer actions and for each transfer, you need to specify the destination as follows:
- User Select the name of the user to whom you want the call to be transferred.
- Phone Enter the telephone number where you want the call to be transferred. You can specify a regular telephone number, a PBX extension, or a SIP phone.
- Service Select the name of the service to which you want the caller to be transferred. For example, you may define a keyword to forward users to their virtual assistant account.
- Menu Select the menu where you want the caller to go to. Note that the selected menu has its own set of speech and DTMF options.
Menu Audio Prompts
Click Submit to confirm the changes, or Cancel to close the window without any change.
Modifying Menu Options
Click Submit to save the modifications, or Cancel to close the window without saving the changes.
Removing Menu Options
Click OK to remove the menu option, or Cancel to close the window without change.