VARs

The VARs page lists the companies that market and sell your telephony with virtual assistant services using your brand or theirs. It is also where you create and manage value-added resellers (VARs) accounts. Revenue sharing is usually the business model adopted with VARs.

If you are an organization using the telephony and virtual assistant services as an internal solution, the VARs page is where you configure and manage your business branches, your phone numbers, etc. See User Types and Permissions and Directly access other types of accounts for details.

From the main menu, click VARs to access the VARs page where you can:

1. Create or delete VAR accounts.
2. Configure the features of specific VAR accounts: settings, call restrictions and packages.
3. Send an email to the VAR administrator containing credentials or a message.
4. Directly access a VAR account without having to login.
5. Export the list of VARs to a PDF or CSV file.
6. Sort, search and filter the list of VAR accounts.

Interface Overview

This page displays the list of VARs with the following information:

COLUMN HEADING	DESCRIPTION
Checkbox	Check the box next to one or several VARs to apply certain actions (ex: export list).
VID	VAR identification code (system value).
VAR Name	VAR name. Click the VAR name to access the VAR account as its administrator.
Companies	Number of Company accounts in the VAR. Click the number to view the list of Companies.
SPID	This Service Provider ID is the VAR Account ID on the third-party service provider that uses your virtual assistant services remotely using provisioning.
Contact	Name of the contact person for the VAR account.
Phone Number	Phone number of the contact person for the VAR account. Click it to dial the number directly using your WebPhone .
Options	Click the  Options icon to open the VAR account options where you can specify the signup and logout URLs, the default company administrator package, and other VAR account options. See Manage VAR Settings for details.
Rest	Click the  Restrictions icon to open the VAR-level call restrictions settings. This is where you set VAR-specific exceptions to call restrictions. See Manage VAR Call Restrictions for details.
Packages	Click the  Packages icon to open the VAR-level packages. This is where you select the packages, options, devices and service fees available to the VAR. See Manage VAR Packages for details.
Delete	Click the  Delete icon to delete the VAR account. See Delete VAR for details.

Create a VAR Account

You need to create a VAR account for each reseller of your services. For information on how to create a company or professional customer account, go to VAR Help sections.

Make sure to have the following information before proceeding:

• VAR Company name 
• Name, email address and phone number of the person  responsible for the VAR account
• VAR contact communication language (French or English)
• Telephony provider to use (must already exist in the PBX & Trunks list)
• Subscription packages that can be offered by the VAR to its customers (must already exist in the system Packages list)

To create a new VAR account:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Click the New button.
• Fill in the sections as required:
  • VAR Account Setup: VAR name, PBX used, store account and page after disconnect fields.
  • VAR Administrator's Account: VAR Administrator contact information.
  • VAR Billing Options: VAR billing method.
  • VAR Packages: List of packages, options, devices and service fees available to the VAR.
  • VAR Administrator User Package: Default package assigned to the administrator of each new company.
• Click Save to create the new VAR.

VAR Account Setup

• VAR Name: Enter a name for the VAR account. This is the name that customers will see on their Web portal, email messages and invoices.
• PBX Used: Select the PBX to be used by the VAR from the dropdown list of PBXs & Trunks. If the PBX to use is not in the list, you will need to create it before proceeding. See Add a Telephony Provider for details.
• Professional Subscribers: Check this box to automatically create a Store for the VAR to manage its single-user accounts (professional customers). See Key Notions - Store for details.
• Post-Disconnect Page: Enter the URL where users will be redirected after disconnecting from their Web portal session. If this field is left blank, users will be redirected to the default login page.

VAR Administrator's Account

• Full Name: Enter the full name of the primary contact person who will be managing the VAR account.
• Language: Select the VAR administrator's language. This sets the language of the Web portal interface.
• Email: Enter the VAR administrator's email address. This is where the system sends information about the VAR account and its administrator (username, password, access number, and other notifications).
• Phone Number: Enter the VAR administrator's phone number. Click the  

• Click the Edit button.
• icon to use the phone number wizard. To empty the field, click the  Clear icon.

VAR Billing Options

As the System Administrator, you can select one of 3 billing options for each VAR:

1. You bill the VAR and the VAR bills its customers using its own billing system.
2. You bill the customers directly on the VAR's behalf then pay the VAR for its revenue share.
3. You bill the service marketplace used by the VAR and the marketplace bills the customers and pays the VAR.

VAR Packages

This page lists the packages, options, devices and service fees that will be made available to the VAR. If different packages are required, you must create them first, then assign them to the VAR. See Create a Subscription Package for details.

1. Check all Packages and Options that will be available to the VAR.
2. Click Continue to select all Devices that can be offered by the VAR.
3. Click Continue to select all Service Fees that can be charged by the VAR.

Default User Package for New Company Administrators

Use the dropdown list to select the default user package to be assigned to new Company Administrators. The list shows existing Packages for Employees.

Once the new VAR account is created, an email is sent to its administrator confirming the subscription as well as the credentials to access the account.

Delete a VAR Account

As a System Administrator, you can remove VAR accounts from the list of  VARs. For billing and archiving purposes, the account will not be deleted immediately but rather marked as "unsubscribed" and kept on the system for a period of 90 days before being archived then removed permanently from the system.

Here is how to delete a VAR account:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Click the  delete icon corresponding to the VAR account that you want to delete.
• Click OK to confirm the deletion of the VAR and its customers from the system.

Deleting a VAR account has the following consequences on the system:

• The account is removed from your list of VARs (marked as unsubscribed in the database).
• All related company and store accounts are removed (marked unsubscribed in the database).
• All phone numbers used by the VAR's customers are returned to the pool of available phone numbers (DIDs).
• The VAR account administrator gets an email confirming that the account has been closed.

Deleting a VAR account also has consequences on the billing system as follows:

• The VAR account is removed from the billing system.
• The VAR account is also removed from the phone system if the PBX used supports provisioning.
• The VAR account phone numbers (DIDs) are released and returned to the telephony provider if the SIP Trunk used supports provisioning.

Once you remove a VAR, it is recommended to remove all its phone numbers from your DID pool (see Delete a Phone Number for details). This will save you the trouble of managing phone numbers that no longer come to your system in addition to paying for them. 

To confirm that the account has been marked as unsubscribed:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• From the Accounts dropdown list, select Unsubscribed.
• The system will display the list of all unsubscribed VAR accounts.
• The unsubscribed VAR account should be included in the list.

Manage VAR Account Settings

The VAR account settings include parameters such as the URLs to the Web Portal and Logoff pages, the signup keys for companies and professionals, the voice transcription engine used, the default user package for new Company administrators, and the promo or free trial period for new customers.

Here is how to access and manage VAR account settings:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Click the  options icon corresponding to the account for which you need to configure settings.
• Update the settings fields as required:
  • Advanced Options: URLs to the VAR Web Portal and Logoff pages, subscription keys for Company and Professional signup, voice transcription solution used, etc.
  • New Company Administrator Package & Free Trial Settings: Default default user package assigned to new Company administrators, and promo or free trial period offered by the VAR to its new customers.
• Click Save to apply the change.

Advanced Options

To access the Advanced Options, click VARs in the main menu then click the  options icon corresponding to the VAR account for which you need to configure settings:

• Disallow Company Account Changes: Check this box to prevent the VAR Administrator from making changes to its Company accounts. This is useful when the VAR Administrator is still not trained to manage the Company accounts.
• Default V2T App: Select the default voice transcription service that will be used for customers of this VAR. This list is populated from the Transcription section.

Administrator Package & Promotions Settings

From the VARs page, click the  Options icon corresponding to the VAR account for which you need to configure settings.

• Default company administrator package: Select the service package assigned by default to the Administrator of new company accounts. The list is populated with Packages you defined for company employees.
• Signup Promotions: Select promotion or free trial offered by the VAR to new customers at signup. Select the promo code or free trial period (15 to 90 days) from the appropriate dropdown list. The promo and free trial periods are offered to new customers (companies and professionals) to enable them to try the telephony and virtual assistant services for free or at a discounted rate. During free trial periods, customers cannot add services such as new phone numbers and service features. An upgrade to a commercial account is required.
• Canceled Packages Billing: Select when package cancelations become effective for this VAR: "End of Month" or "Immediately". Package cancelations occur when a customer unsubscribes from a service. The package cancelation date is the day when billing for the canceled package stops. "End of Month" is selected by default.

Manage VAR Call Restrictions

Call restrictions are the set of rules to allow or block outgoing calls to a specific country, regional code or destination. For example, you can allow users to make overseas calls, but exclude specific countries.

In general, all call restrictions apply to all VARs and their customers. For more information, see Call Restrictions. This section is where you set specific call restrictions that apply to a specific VAR. 

To customize call restrictions for a specific VAR:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Click the  Rest icon corresponding to the VAR requiring specific call restrictions.
• The VAR Call Restrictions page opens enabling you to:
  • Create call restrictions specific to this VAR.
  • Delete call restrictions of this VAR.
  • Create exceptions to call restrictions for this VAR.

Manage VAR Subscription Packages

As the System Administrator, you can select the subscription packages (including options, devices and service fees) that can be offered by each VAR. In general, all subscription packages are available to all VARs. This section is where you select the subscription packages available to a specific VAR. 

Before assigning a new subscription package to a VAR, make sure that it has already been created in the Packages section. See Create Subscription Packages for details.

To add or remove subscription packages for a VAR:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Click the  Packages icon corresponding to the VAR requiring adjustments to its subscription package offering.
• Click the Edit button.
• Click the tab corresponding to the type of package you want to add or remove: Packages, Options, Devices or Service Fees.
• Check the box next to a package name to make it available to the VAR or uncheck the box to make it unavailable.
• Click Save to apply the change.

Send an Email to a VAR

From the VARs page, you can send emails to one or multiple VAR administrators at once. The email message will be sent on your behalf as the System Administrator and will include the VAR administrator credentials (username and password/PIN) and/or a personalized message.

Email VAR Account Credentials 

A System administrator cannot access or see account passwords, but can email account credentials to a VAR administrator. The system automatically inserts the account credentials (username and password/PIN) in the email.

To email the account credentials to a VAR:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Check the box next to the name of the VAR requesting the credentials.
• Click the Send Msg button.
• In the popup window, fill out the appropriate fields:
  • From: Select the administrator sending the message.
  • To: The email address of the main VAR Administrator (not the delegates) is automatically populated in the recipient field and cannot be modified.
  • CC: Enter the email addresses where a copy of the email will be sent. This field is optional.
  • BCC: Enter the email addresses where a blind copy of the email will be sent. This field is optional.
  • Select the option Send account credentials.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Subject: The subject field of the email will be automatically populated, but you can modify it as required.
  • Message: This field allows you to add a custom message in the email if required. You do not need to enter the actual credentials in this field as they will be automatically included in the email.
  • Click the Send button.
• The system will automatically generate and send the email to the VAR.

Send an Email Message to a VAR

From the VARs page, you can email messages to your VAR administrators as needed.

To send an email to a VAR:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Check the box next to the name of the VAR that will receive the message.
• Click the Send Msg button.
• In the popup window, fill out the appropriate fields:
  • From: Select the administrator sending the message.
  • To: The email address of the main VAR Administrator (not the delegates) is automatically populated in the recipient field and cannot be modified.
  • CC: Enter the email addresses where a copy of the email will be sent. This field is optional.
  • BCC: Enter the email addresses where a blind copy of the email will be sent. This field is optional.
  • Select the option Send a new message.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Subject: The subject field of the mail will be automatically populated, but you can modify it as required.
  • Message: Enter your message in this field.
  • Click the Send button.
• The system will automatically generate and send the email to the VAR.

Directly Access a VAR, Company or User Account

As a System Administrator, you can access any account without its credentials. This feature is useful for customer support.

To access an account from your System Administrator session:

• Log into the Web portal using your credentials (username and password).
• To access a VAR account
  • From the main menu, click VARs.
  • In the column VAR Name, click the VAR name to access its account and manage it, but you will remain logged in as the System Administrator.
• To access a Company or Professional account
  • From the main menu, click VARs.
  • In the column VAR Name, click the name of the VAR that manages the Company or Professional account to access.
  • From the VAR main menu, click Customers.
  • In the column Company or Professional Name, click the name of the Company or Professional to access its account and manage it, but you will remainlogged in as the System Administrator..
• To access a company employee account
  • From the main menu, click VARs.
  • In the column VAR Name, click the name of the VAR that manages the Company account to access.
  • From the VAR main menu, click Customers.
  • In the column Company Name, click the name of the Company account to access.
  • From the Company main menu, click Users.
  • In the column User, click the name of the employee/user name to access its account and manage it, but you will remainlogged in as the System Administrator.

To return to your System Administrator level, use the breadcrumbs at the top of the screen to backtrack.

Export a List of Accounts

From the VARs page, you can export the list of VAR accounts to a CSV file or PDF document.

Export VARs to a CSV file

To export a list of VARs to a CSV file:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Select the list of VARs to export:
  • One or several VARs: Check the box next to the name of the VAR to export.
  • All items: Check the box at the top of the list next to the VID header. All boxes will automatically be checked.
• Click the  CSV button to open the export window.
• By default the file is named VarsView.csv and ready to be saved to a directory on your computer.
  • Change the file name if needed but keep the CSV extension. Example: rename VarsView.csv to MyVars.csv.
  • Make sure that you are saving the file to the desired directory.
• Click Save.

Export VARs to a PDF Document

To export a list of VARs to a PDF file:

• From the main menu, click VARs.
• Select the list of VARs to export:
  • One or several VARs: Check the box next to the name of the VAR to export.
  • All items: Check the box at the top of the list next to the VID header. All boxes will automatically be checked.
• Click the  PDF button to open the export window.
• The PDF document will automatically open in a new window and be saved to a default directory defined in your computer.

Import VARs accounts

Search Accounts

You can quickly find VARs either by searching for a keyword or by filtering the list based on the account status (active or unsubscribed).

Keyword Search

From the VARs list, type a keyword in a blank field on the first row to search for a specific VAR. For example, type "ACME" in the VAR Name column and press enter to view all VARs containing the word "ACME" in their name.

To remove the search filter, delete the keywords typed in the first row and press enter.

Filter by Account Status

You can view the lists of active and pending VARs using the account status filter (active or pending).

1. Using the dropdown filter at the top of the list, select Active to view only active accounts.
2. Select Pending to view only pending accounts.

Sort VAR Accounts

You can sort the list of VAR accounts alphabetically or numerically (based on the data type in the columns) by clicking on any of the column headings.