Recently released in Q2 '23

 Platform-wide feature

 Optional feature

General Availability Features

Service Cloud Voice

Download debug information 

Service Cloud Voice relies on Salesforce and Vonage communicating successfully. Occasionally there may be an issue with communication due to, for example, network issues. To help with such issues, Salesforce allows Vonage to log messages from our Service Cloud Voice connector. The agent can then download these logged messages as a text file and share as required. From Q2 '23 we are adding this capability to our Service Cloud Voice integration.

Voicemail drop 

Allowing an agent to leave voicemails for customers or prospects is a core part of the Vonage Contact Center platform. Agents can upload and manage voicemail messages they want to leave for customers and then drop the messages during a call. From Q2 '23 we are adding this capability to our Service Cloud Voice integration. The configuration for managing and dropping voicemails in SCV is similar to that in the core VCC platform.

Change status while on a call (intended states)  

Setting the intended state for an agent is a core part of the Vonage Contact Center platform. An agent can set the state they want to be in when their current interaction ends. From Q2 '23 we are adding this capability to our Service Cloud Voice integration.

Salesforce Open CTI

Custom object routing becomes generally available 

Currently, the ability to route Salesforce custom objects is available only through the pilot scheme. In Q2 '23 we are moving this feature to be generally available following a successful pilot.

Custom object routing enables a custom object in Salesforce to be routed just like a case. The object is also treated as a non-live interaction. This gives customers greater flexibility on what can be achieved with routing through VCC. In turn, this provides consistency and simplification as more processes can be routed by a single engine which is VCC.

Re-routing of cases in external routing 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Another enhancement to external routing in Q2 '23 is the ability for a Salesforce case to be routed more than once.

Currently, after a case has been routed to an agent, the agent must use ContactPad to transfer the case. They can transfer only to another agent or to an interaction plan in VCC. From Q2 '23, the agent will be able to transfer in a different way and reroute cases using external routing. The agent can select the new owner — an agent or a Salesforce queue — in the Case Owner field within the case record. Changing the case owner to a Salesforce queue that is configured to use external routing triggers Salesforce to reroute the case using external routing.

The Case Owner field can be used to reroute cases in other ways too. For example, if a case is in the wrong queue, an agent or supervisor can change the owner of the case. Changing the case owner to a Salesforce queue (that uses external routing) will trigger Salesforce to transfer and route the case using external routing.

Filter management in Connect dial lists 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Using Connect, a supervisor can create lists. A dial list is a list of pending, active, completed or skipped calls. Managing these existing lists can be cumbersome — for example, to update a filter, a supervisor must delete other filters. From Q2 '23 we are adding the ability to edit the dial lists filters inline.

VCC-VBC Integrated Experience

VBC transfer to VCC interaction plans 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Currently, if a VBC user wants to transfer a call to a VCC queue they will not see VCC queues in the directory. The user can’t, therefore, click to dial and they must instead dial a PSTN number. After the release, a VBC user will be able to see and search for VCC queue names in the VBC directory when selecting Blind Transfer. The user will be able to select a VCC queue name as a transfer destination.

Microsoft Teams

Call or Consult Non-user Microsoft Teams Entities From the VCC Address Book 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Organizations using Microsoft Teams can benefit from the application-level integration between VCC and Teams. Agents can see and consult with available Teams users — who have a Teams Phone Standard license and a phone number — from the VCC address book. Currently, contacting an entity other than a user (auto-attendants and groups) requires the agent to manually dial the phone number assigned to that entity. From Q2 '23, these entities — which must have a Teams Phone Resource Account license and a phone number — will be included in the VCC address book along with available Teams users. The agent will be able to consult with them without manually dialing.

ContactPad

Extended automatic wrap (remove manual wrap) 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

In Q4 '22, we changed how manual wrap is handled in single-interaction ContactPad and made it available in multi-interaction ContactPad. Instead of entering an unlimited manual wrap state, agents can manually extend their automatic wrap state an unlimited number of times. This extended wrap will expire like automatic wrap if the agent stops extending it.

Previously this feature was available to only early access customers. After the Q2 '23 release, administrators will be able to turn on this feature for their account within Configuration in Account Settings in the VCC Admin Portal.

Visual Engagement recordings 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

In Q2 '23 we are releasing a long-awaited and highly requested feature for Visual Engagement. This is the ability to record Visual Engagement interactions.

After the release, video interactions will be recorded and added to Interaction Content where they can be accessed and viewed for up to 30 days alongside other interaction media. The ability to record the video interaction will enable businesses to understand what is being said by both the agent and customer during the interaction.

Customized Branding for Visual Engagement 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Another highly anticipated feature for Visual Engagement is the ability to change the branding of the video interaction. After the Q2 '23 release, this will be possible.

Supervisors and administrators will be able to configure the branding of the video session. They will be able to change the colors and logos which are shown during the video session. Branding the sessions helps customers ensure their brand is consistently and correctly shown when someone interacts with their business.

Administration

Tracking license assignment 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Today account admins do not have an easy way to track VCC license usage and monitor overages.

Within the Q2 '23 release, we are introducing a new Licenses tab into User Admin. Within this read-only tab, account admins will be able to view current license usage against their contracted allowance. Together with filtering capabilities, admins will be able to quickly and easily get a list of all users assigned with a specific license. By default, all accounts will see two products — VCC and Analytics. We are changing the License status section to a License section, and are splitting it into two subsections — VCC and Products.

User password management 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Today only supervisor and administrator users can manage their password in User Access. Agents are not able to change their passwords and they have to follow the Forgotten your password steps.

After this release, all users, including agents, will be able to manage their passwords. This functionality will be added to the Account menu for all users in the VCC Admin Portal.

Custom states as initial login state 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

From Q2 '23, VCC administrators will be able to select a custom state as the initial login state for agents. This feature will enable agents to enter custom states such as Initial Login before manually entering a Ready state and gives them time to prepare before any interactions are delivered.

In addition, manual wrap has been removed as an option within the initial login state.

Time zone support within IVR Data Collector 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

By default, VCC has always displayed the data and time information for data collected in the IVR using the user’s local server time zone. However, this isn’t always the same time zone as the user looking at the data. In Q2 '23, we are updating this page so that the local user can select the time zone they wish to view and download the data in.

Time zone support within audit logs 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

By default, VCC has always displayed the data and time information with the audit logs using the user’s local server time zone. However, this isn’t always the same time zone as the user looking at this data. In Q2 '23, we are updating this page so that the local user can select the time zone they wish to view and download the data in.

Hide button for downloading interaction content 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Within the VCC call recording player, a user can click a button to download a copy of the call recording. From Q2 '23, we are hiding this button for all non-admin users. We are adding this capability to help improve call recording security. (If necessary, administrators can make the download button visible to all users.)

Auto-answer management for WebRTC users 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

From Q2 '23, administrators will be able to manage auto-answer settings for WebRTC for all agents in their account.

Configure IT contact for account 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

VCC has many technical prerequisites. When these change, a customer’s local IT infrastructure may need to be updated, but for many customers the VCC administrators are not in the IT department. This disconnect has led to some customers experiencing problems when the prerequisites change because we have been unable to contact the right people to update local infrastructure.

The Q2 '23 release adds a new mandatory setting within account administration where VCC administrators must provide a list of IT contacts for the account. Vonage can use this list to ensure they notify the correct people and teams when they may need to update local infrastructure. If this setting is not correctly configured, administrators will be reminded each time they log in. When the setting is configured, administrators will be periodically reminded to confirm or update the setting.

Reporting

Table view support (Analytics) 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

In Q2 '23, we are introducing a table view, alongside tiles, to display available Analytics dashboards. This aims to improve user experience particularly where there are many default or custom dashboards. After the release, users will be able to select the display mode they want to use when viewing dashboards, with an option to have different modes for default and custom dashboards. The selection is stored in the browser's local storage so, when the user reopens Analytics in the same browser, Analytics respects the previous display view selection.

Groups and skills support in default dashboards (Analytics) 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

With this release, we are extending the Analytics product with the groups and skills datasets. After Q2 '23, users will be able to report on agents’ group configuration and skills assignment. If skill levels are enabled for your account, users will be able to report on them as well. On top of adding new datasets, we are extending the majority of default dashboards with the Group filter. From Q2 '23, selecting specific agents to report on will be easier and quicker. Using a Group filter, users won’t have to manually manage a list of agents in their reports. Once an agent is added to or removed from the group, Analytics dashboards will automatically update the list of included agents whenever the Group filter is applied.

Telecommunications

Access custom SIP headers within interaction plans 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

Some integrations with external platforms require information to be passed into VCC. This feature makes the contents of prespecified custom SIP headers in the initial SIP INVITE request for an inbound call available for use within interaction plans. SIP messages received over a carrier connection are sanitized to reduce message size and for security, and do not contain custom SIP headers.

To use this feature, the inbound call must be received over a direct SIP connection from the call origination point through our partner, GTT.

Some integrations with external platforms require information to be passed into VCC. This feature makes the contents of prespecified custom SIP headers in the initial SIP INVITE request for an inbound call available for use within interaction plans. SIP messages received over a carrier connection are sanitized to reduce message size and for security, and do not contain custom SIP headers.

To use this feature the inbound call must be received over a direct SIP connection from the call origination point through our partner, GTT.

Beta/Early Access Program

Our Beta/Early Access Program gives some customers access to VCC enhancements that are still under development. Incorporating feedback from customers during the program allows us to continue improving these features, which ensures that every feature fulfills its purpose in a range of different environments. All customers using features in the Beta/Early Access Program must agree to participate in the feedback process.

If you are interested in gaining access to a feature in the Beta/Early Access Program, please contact your Customer Success Manager or Account Manager. Participation in this pilot program is at the discretion of Product Management and not guaranteed.

Dataset (Various) Updates (Analytics) 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

In Q2 '23, we are releasing a few enhancements in the Interaction summary, Interaction events, and Agent events datasets:

• We have added the ability to quickly navigate from the Interaction ID dimension in the Interaction summary dataset to the Interaction details dashboard or to the call recording page.
• We have joined the Interaction summary dataset with the Interaction events dataset. As a result, all dimensions from the Interaction summary are available to select and report on from the Interaction events dataset. This functionality significantly extends reporting capabilities based on this dataset.
• Within the Agent details dataset, we have exposed the Interaction ID dimension. We have also made it possible for users to get from the Interaction ID dimension to the Interaction details dashboard or to the call recording page.

These changes are available to our early access customers only.

Team Dashboards (Beta Access) 

VCC Priority	VCC Express	VCC bundled w/VBC Express	VCC Essentials	VCC bundled w/VBC Elevate	VCC Select	VCC Premium	Service Cloud Voice

We are excited to introduce a new feature called Team Dashboards. Team Dashboards allow administrators and supervisors to view an agent's current presence, change their presence, see all their active interactions, and monitor their calls. This feature will go live for beta access in the Q2 '23 release.

One of the key highlights of this feature is an overhaul of the call monitoring functionality. Admins and supervisors will be able to use their configured phone number or WebRTC softphone to monitor calls through ContactPad. New call monitoring functionality includes more detailed monitoring reporting within Dashboards, Analytics, and Agent ContactPad.

In addition, we would like to highlight that Team Dashboards is part of a long-term plan to replace the Real Time capability. Team Dashboards will provide a more comprehensive and modern solution for the real-time monitoring and management of teams.

Access to the beta version will be limited. Please contact your account manager or customer success manager to be considered for admission. Regular feedback sessions will be conducted throughout the beta testing period to ensure that the final version of the feature is of the highest quality.

The Team Dashboards feature will be a valuable tool for administrators and supervisors to manage their teams more effectively. We look forward to your feedback on this exciting new addition to our platform.

Important Announcements

Conferencing enabled for all accounts

Conferencing allows an agent to add a consulted party (agent or external party) into a call with a customer. The three parties can continue the conversation as a group. The original agent can decide to either transfer or disconnect the consulted party.

In the Q2 23' release, this capability will be enabled for all accounts and is available on inbound and outbound calls.

Multiple voicemail drop to be enabled for all existing single voicemail drop customers

As of this release, all voicemail files have migrated over to the multiple voicemail drop feature, which is now generally available after being in Early Access in previous releases. All single voicemail drop customers will now automatically have multiple voicemail drop enabled.

An agent will be able to upload or record up to 50 voice messages in ContactPad. They can optionally set one of the messages as the default. When on an outbound call, if the agent is connected to a voicemail, answering machine, or a customer, the agent can choose which message to drop. The agent can then hang up their phone. The outbound call continues until the message has finished playing and then disconnects.

Async announcements

As part of the Q2 '23 release, we rolled out an enhancement to the playing of announcements during interaction plans for all customers. Previously, most of a plan must have been loaded (including complex applets such as Data Connectors) before announcements would play. This could result in periods of silence while the applets were processed. This particularly affected complex interaction plans with large numbers of Data Connectors or customers using GVA. With the Q2 '23 release, we now play announcements immediately and subsequent applets can be processed in the background while they play, filling any silence.

Feature Retirement

Along with the exciting new functionality added to the product with every release, we are also working to retire older parts of the product. The removal of functionality within our product is completed in up to these stages:

Intent to deprecate

This is an optional stage that gives users early warning of our intent to deprecate functionality. It is most commonly used when an alternative is announced, and gives users the ability to migrate ahead of the functionality becoming deprecated. At this stage we encourage customers to stop using the mentioned product functionality, and migrate to an alternative.

Deprecated

This indicates that a piece of functionality is no longer supported. The functionality will continue to work, but no new enhancements or bug fixes will be made (with the exception of security vulnerabilities) and new functionality may not be compatible. We commonly announce the target Retirement date when deprecating. At this stage customers must stop using the mentioned product functionality, and migrate to an alternative.

Retired

After the retirement date the functionality will either cease working entirely, or become completely unsupported.

For a full list of deprecated features, see Vonage Contact Center feature retirement.

Stats and Reports - Intent to deprecate

During 2022 we released and continued to enhance the VCC Analytics product. All administrators now have access to Analytics. In 2023, the Analytics product will become the primary historical reporting tool and replace the current Stats and Reports product. Throughout the year, we will continue to add functionality to Analytics, ensuring it has parity and surpasses all Stats and Reports capabilities. 

Admins and supervisors using the Stats and Reports component should begin migrating to Analytics for scheduled and ad hoc reporting. Note that we continue to support and improve the Advanced Reporting and Statistics package in Salesforce.

Projected deprecation date: Q2, 2023.
Projected retirement date: Q3, 2023.

Salesforce managed packages

The following packages and earlier versions are deprecated.

Salesforce package deprecation and retirement

* These packages will be retired after the Q3 2024 release