Q4 '23 release

 Platform-wide feature

 Paid-for feature

 Enhancement to paid-for feature (Conversation Analyzer)

General Availability Features

Service Cloud Voice

Secondary ringing in Service Cloud Voice for WebRTC 

An agent can now, optionally, specify a secondary ringing device (speakers). When the agent receives an inbound call, they hear ringing in their primary audio device. If they do not answer the call within the configured time period and if they have selected a secondary ringing device, they will then hear ringing in their secondary ringing device.

Set and track after-conversation work time 

Admin users can enable agents to extend the time they need to finish any additional tasks after a customer call. The agents can completely wrap up their work before they start a new call. This is a feature of Service Cloud Voice that is now supported by Vonage.

Conversation intelligence rules  

Admin users will be able to create rules that trigger Salesforce actions, such as suggesting the next best action. These rules leverage AI-powered conversation intelligence signals, based on our real-time transcription. This is a feature of Service Cloud Voice that is now supported by Vonage.

Configuring one-sided call recording for Service Cloud Voice  

Administrators can control whether outbound calls are recorded for just an agent or for both the customer and the agent. Using Salesforce data, admin users can specify that only the agent or both parties are recorded. This is in addition to being able to configure whether a call is recorded based on dialed number and Salesforce field values.

Connect Dialer for Salesforce

Improved Connect performance 

The Q4 2023 release included improvements that reduce record locks within Salesforce. These improvements ensure that agents can get to the next record to dial quicker with a significant reduction in errors.

Support Salesforce public groups for Connect 

Administrators can now take advantage of the public group structure within Salesforce when assigning users to dial lists. Administrators no longer need to assign individual users to a dial list; instead, they can assign one or more public groups of users. If the membership of assigned public groups changes so does the membership of the dial list. In the following image, you can see a selection of available groups and which ones have been selected for the dial list.

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Assign groups to dial list

Dial list preview 

From the Q4 2023 release, users can see dial entry records in a dial list. This allows users to understand if the criteria and ordering of their filter lists are meeting their needs; if not, they can change the filter and ordering as required. The number of outstanding calls moved to this view. In the image, you can see the upcoming dial entries and which records will be popped.

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Preview dial list

ContactPad

Updated WebRTC Buttons in ContactPad 

Previously, agents could use two different sets of buttons to end or reject a call in ContactPad: the Reject and Hangup buttons in the WebRTC control panel and the End or Release interaction button. The different buttons ended or rejected calls in different ways; this caused inconsistencies in statistics and reports, and a confusing user experience.

The Reject and Hangup buttons have now been removed from the WebRTC control panel in ContactPad Refresh and replaced with an End button. The End button is active only during the call.

In the other versions of ContactPad, the Reject and Hangup buttons in the WebRTC control panel have been updated to terminate calls in the same way as clicking Release. In addition, the Hangup and mute buttons have been reversed to reduce accidental hangups.

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Agent warning when local issues may affect WebRTC 

Many WebRTC call quality issues relate to local configuration, equipment, and infrastructure. This is common for all IP telephony and conferencing solutions. Problems with these are difficult for Vonage to diagnose and correct as they relate to conditions that are outside of our control and that we do not provide support for or manage.

Vonage Contact Center now warns end users when they are experiencing call quality issues relating to local factors (such as internet connectivity issues). This helps agents to self-serve when call quality issues are caused by things that are under their control.

When Vonage Contact Center detects potential call quality problems caused by local issues for agents using WebRTC it displays a warning message within ContactPad. This warning message contains a link to a webpage containing more information and suggestions for the agent to follow to try and resolve the issues.

Reject calls automatically when WebRTC is temporarily unavailable 

Network connectivity issues can sometimes leave WebRTC temporarily unavailable and agents unable to answer calls. These temporary issues are often local to the agent and transient in nature. However, ContactPad can still inform the agent that a call has been assigned to them, present an Answer button, and allow the agent to attempt to answer the call.

Vonage Contact Center has been updated so that ContactPad will check if it is properly connected to WebRTC before giving the agent the opportunity to answer a call. If WebRTC is not connected, the call is automatically rejected and returned to the queue. This improves the user experience, by avoiding agents trying to answer calls that cannot be answered, and the customer experience, by reducing the time they spend listening to ringing when the call cannot be answered.

Administration

Announcer applet 

For the past 6 months, as part of the wider simplification and modernization of Interaction Plan Architect, we have been consolidating the functionality of the Announcement and Data Announcer applets into one applet. We have brought the ability to upload announcement wav files, use dynamic audio, or use text-to-speech together in one place. This functionality will be rolled out across other applets in the future, Data Announcer being the first. We enabled the new Data Announcer functionality, and at the same time renamed the applet to Announcer to reflect its new function.

VCC Marketplace added to VCC Admin Portal 

The VCC Marketplace is part of the Vonage Marketplace, a public website where customers can explore a variety of add-ons, integrations, and services offered by Vonage and trusted partners. VCC Marketplace is now integrated into the VCC Admin Portal. This integration enables administrators to view VCC-related add-ons and service providers directly within VCC. To request a specific add-on, administrators can fill out a form, and the Account Manager then reaches out to them. Currently, this is not a self-serve purchasing process.

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VCC Marketplace

Insights

Insights products renaming 

Vonage has streamlined the naming of several VCC Portal components for clarity:

• Dashboards is now Real-time Analytics

• Analytics is now Historical Analytics

The renamed components, along with the new Team Monitoring (beta) and the legacy Real Time components, are now contained within the Insights product area for enhanced navigation and user experience.

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Insights

Historical Analytics (general access) 

Historical Analytics is now globally available with viewer and creator access. Users can now start creating their custom Historical Analytics dashboards and tailor reporting exactly to their needs. With Creator access to Historical Analytics, users can leverage the entirety of business intelligence (BI) capabilities — hundreds of data characteristics and measures, and access to more complex historical, current, and predictive analysis. This data will enable users to make the right decisions that will support the unique needs of your customers.

Historical Analytics also offers a rich set of pre-built dashboards that answer most of the common questions that arise when running a contact center. Pre-built dashboards save time and effort and maximize the efficiency of providing valuable insights.

To know more about the default license model for Historical Analytics, see our documentation with Historical Analytics licenses and access. If you were part of the Analytics Beta/Early Access Program, see Analytics Beta/Early Access Program or contact your Account Manager.

Download raw interaction detail records (IDRs) in Real-time Analytics and Historical Analytics 

Included in the Q4 2023 release, are enhancements to the Real-time Analytics and Historical Analytics products that enable users to access raw interaction detail records. This functionality is the last parity feature with the Stats and Reports product. Users can access raw interaction data in real time using the Inspect interaction view in Real Time Analytics or access single or multiple interaction detail records for historical interactions in Historical Analytics.

Download table content from Real-time Analytics