Setting Up Telephony Services
Telephony Setup Guide
This guide walks you through setting up and using key telephony modules in Nextere, including Call Forwarding, Custom Greetings, Department Setup, and IVR Menu creation for efficient call handling and business communication.
1. Call Forwarding
The Call Forwarding section helps you route incoming calls from assigned DIDs (Direct Inward Dial numbers) based on your workflow needs.
- Selecting DID: (mark by red arrow) Begin by picking the DID for which you want to set forwarding rules.
- Welcome Greeting: (toggle button) Choose whether to play a greeting message automatically when a call connects.
- AI Agent Response: Toggle to enable an AI agent for automated answering when desired.
- Call Recording: Decide if calls should be recorded automatically for compliance or quality assurance.
- Receive Call Scheduling: Set call acceptance time as 24 hours (default) or customize per operational needs
- Forwarding Destinations: You can direct calls during active periods to a Department, IVR, another Number, Voicemail, Department Voicemail, Hangup, Staff, or Call Queue for best reachability and service.
2. Custom Greetings
Nextere allows you to create, manage, and assign custom greetings and voicemail messages to enrich the caller experience.
Add Custom Greeting: (right) Click the "Add Custom Greeting" button to launch the modal dialog.
Upload or Record: Either upload a pre-recorded file or use the built-in recorder to capture greetings live.
Enter Details: Name your greeting and select its type (e.g., Greeting or Voicemail).
Manage Greetings: Review all greetings in the table; play them with the play button or delete those no longer needed.
A professional greeting helps establish brand voice and ensures callers feel welcomed and guided.
3. Department Setup Page
Departments allow you to organize call routing per team or function. Efficient department setup ensures calls are handled by the right team and minimizes missed opportunities.
Basic Info: Specify your department name, select members to include, pick a greeting, and set ring time duration.
Failover: (if not answered) Designate where calls should forward if not answered—other departments, IVR, voicemail or direct numbers.
Operational Hours: Set working hours (default) as 24/7 or customize as needed.
Voicemail Integration: Optionally send voicemails to configured email addresses and select which mailbox to use.
Auto SMS Reply: Configure automated SMS replies for missed calls or after-hours inquiries.
4. Call Queue
The Call Queue feature in Nextere helps manage high call volumes by distributing incoming calls among available agents using predefined strategies. Proper configuration ensures fair call handling, reduces wait times, and improves customer experience.
Basic Information
- Queue Name: Field to enter the name of the call queue.
- Extension: Displays the assigned extension number (e.g., 9272) with a refresh icon to regenerate if needed.
- Description: Optional field to describe the purpose of the queue.
- Wrap-up Time: Dropdown to set time for agents to complete post-call tasks before receiving another call.
- Max Waiting Callers: Numeric field to define the maximum number of callers allowed in the queue (0 = unlimited).
- Queue Timeout (Seconds): Time limit for how long a caller can stay in the queue before being redirected.
After Wait Time Actions
Buttons to define what happens when the queue timeout is reached:
- IVR: Redirect to an Interactive Voice Response menu.
- Number: Forward to a specific phone number.
- Voicemail: Send to voicemail.
- Department Voicemail: Send to a department-level voicemail.
- Hangup: End the call.
- Extension: Forward to another extension.
Settings & Permissions
- Timezone: Dropdown to select the applicable timezone for the queue.
- Business Hours:
- 24 Hours: Queue operates all day.
- Custom: Define specific operating hours.
Call Recording Options:
- Enable Automatic Call Recording: Toggle to record all calls automatically.
- On-demand Call Recording: Toggle to allow manual recording during calls.
Add Members
- Select Staff Members for Call Queue: Dropdown or multi-select field to add agents who will handle calls in this queue.
Ring Strategy
- Call Distribution Strategy: Dropdown to choose how calls are distributed among agents.
- Example shown: Ring All (all agents’ phones ring simultaneously).
- Example shown: Ring All (all agents’ phones ring simultaneously).
Media Settings
This section provides options to add audio messages and music for various scenarios:
Business Hour Message:
- Toggle switch to enable or disable.
- Dropdown to select a pre-recorded greeting for business hours.
On Hold Music Message:
- Toggle switch to enable or disable.
- Dropdown to select music played while callers are on hold.
Waiting Message:
- Toggle switch to enable or disable.
- Dropdown to select a message played while callers wait in the queue.
No Agent Available Message:
- Toggle switch to enable or disable.
- Dropdown to select a message when no agents are available.
All Agents Busy Message:
- Toggle switch to enable or disable.
- Dropdown to select a message when all agents are busy.
Add Ringtone Message:
- Dropdown to select a ringtone or tone message for incoming calls.
5. IVR Menu
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) directs callers through menu-based navigation.
IVR List: Review and edit existing IVR setups, including menus, timeout, and invalid action management.
Add IVR: Use the "Add IVR" button to create a new menu, set keys and routing rules, and define responses for valid and invalid inputs.
IVR Details
- Enter Name: Field to specify the IVR menu name.
- Menu Action Message: Dropdown to select the audio message that plays when the IVR menu starts.
- Add (+): Button to add additional menu actions.
Key Mapping
- Key: Dropdown to select a digit (e.g., 1, 2, 3) that the caller presses.
- Forward To: Dropdown to define where the call should be routed (e.g., extension, department, voicemail).
- + Add Key: Option to add more key mappings for additional menu options.
Invalid Input Handling
- Allow Retries: Numeric field to set how many times the caller can retry after entering an invalid option.
- Action: Dropdown to choose what happens after retries (e.g., Play Message).
- Else Forward To: Dropdown to define fallback routing if retries fail.
No Input Handling
- Allow Retries: Numeric field to set how many times the caller can retry if no input is detected.
- Action: Dropdown to choose what happens after retries (e.g., Play Message).
- Else Forward To: Dropdown to define fallback routing if no input persists.
IVRs streamline caller journeys and automate routine inquiries.
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