A call whisper, also called a call announcement, is an automated message the operator hears at the start or end of a call. It can tell the operator which channel the call came from, so they can direct the call and apply any offer linked to that channel. This guide shows you how to turn on a call whisper, choose what it announces and when, and use call confirmation to keep call durations accurate.
What is a call whisper?
A call whisper is played to the operator, not the caller. The most common use of a call whisper is announcing the channel name that the call came from at the start or end of the call. This helps agents direct the call appropriately and apply any discounts or offers that may be associated with that channel.
You can also configure a custom call whisper. See the Custom announcements section for details.
Enable a call whisper
For any custom announcement you want enabled, send the custom file to our Support Team and ask them to upload it. You can switch the call whisper on and off only after the file is uploaded.
To set up a call whisper, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Settings.
- Select Settings from the Setup menu.
- Select Telephony Settings.
- Select Tracking Pools Editor.
- Search or scroll for your relevant tracking pool if you have multiple.
- Select Edit Config on your chosen tracking pool.
- Scroll to the Call Audio Options section.
- Choose what you would like to be announced.
- Choose when you would like it to be announced.
- Select Save Changes.
Choose what the call whisper announces
Channel option
Under Call Announce What, if you choose to announce the channel at the start or end of the call, the following applies to each number type:
- Fixed numbers: the channel the call is attributed to is announced.
- Dynamic numbers: the word 'website' is announced to show that the call came from the website.
Auto option
Under Call Announce What, if you choose the 'Auto' option, the following applies to each number type:
- Fixed numbers: the description is announced. For example, if you have a special offer in the press for '20% off Offer', this is relayed to the operator. If there is no description, only the channel name is read.
- Dynamic numbers: the word 'website' is announced to show that the call came from the website.
Both option
Under Call Announce What, if you choose 'Both', the following applies to each number type:
- Fixed numbers: the channel name and the description assigned to the phone number (if applicable) are announced.
- Dynamic numbers: only the word 'website' is announced, as the call was generated from the website.
Choose when the call whisper plays
Once you have chosen what to announce, decide when it is announced. The following options are available:
- Start of the call: the announcement is made to the operator before the caller is connected.
- End of the call: the announcement is made to the operator once the caller has hung up.
- Both: the announcement is made to the operator at the start and at the end of the call.
Custom announcements
The final option is to configure a custom announcement. Enter the text you want announced to the operator in the text box. You can include Infinity data in the announcement by adding the field name inside curly braces { }. For example, to announce the channel the call came from, you could enter 'Call from {channelName}'. The placeholder is replaced by the actual field value when the announcement is made, so {srcPhoneNumber} announces the caller ID to the operator.
You can turn the custom text on or off at any time in the call announcement settings. Any text you have entered is kept when the custom announcement is turned off.
The full list of Infinity fields for a custom announcement is available when you select show help in the Call Announcement section, as shown below.
Custom greetings
A custom greeting is an automated message that plays to your callers at the start of a call. The custom greeting can be applied at installation level, tracking pool level or channel level. This gives you full control over your custom greetings. You do not need a dial plan to use this feature, but you will still need to set it up with our Support Team at support@infinity.co.
An example of a custom greeting you may want to use is: "Welcome to Infinity, calls are recorded for quality and training purposes."
If you need a custom greeting to play, send it to us in MP3 or WAV format. Once you have given the greeting to our Support Team and told them how you want it applied, it plays to your callers before the call connects to an operator.
To check whether a custom greeting is enabled, follow these steps:
- Log in to the Infinity Platform.
- Select Settings.
- Select Settings from the Setup menu.
- Select Telephony Settings.
- Select Tracking Pools Editor.
- Search or navigate to the tracking pool you would like to check.
- Select Edit Config on your desired tracking pool.
- View whether a custom greeting is enabled in the Call Audio Options section.
Note: If you have an Infinity dial plan, the message your customers hear may be set up differently. See the Welcome message section below.
Welcome message
A welcome message is a customised message played to the caller before the call connects to an operator. For Infinity to host a welcome message, you must have an Infinity dial plan. If you do not have a dial plan, the custom greeting above lets you announce a message to the caller at the start of a call.
An example of a welcome message is: "Welcome to Infinity, calls are recorded for quality and training purposes."
A welcome message is applied to a dial plan, where your dynamic and fixed numbers can be routed through the destination configuration. Each dial plan can have its own welcome message.
To get a welcome message built, contact the Infinity Support Team at support@infinity.co. Tell them which tracking pools you want it applied to, and send a sound file in MP3 or WAV format. The build cannot start until we have the sound file.
A custom-built welcome message may carry a small charge, which depends on your package. There may also be a short development time, depending on other projects in the development queue. Contact the Support Team for pricing and turnaround time.
Further call options
There are a few other options to choose from:
- Tracking Pool Name Announce: the name of the tracking pool the phone number sits in is announced. This is useful if you have more than one tracking pool but all calls go to the same destination, such as an office or call centre. It helps operators see which set of numbers the call came from.
- Custom Announce: a custom file is announced to your operators.
- Custom Greeting: a custom file is announced to your callers.
- Call Reference Announce: the call reference is read back to your operators, so they can use this unique reference for CRM integration. This is a paid feature, so contact the Support Team for more information.
- Post Call Operator Reference: a tracking pool feature that lets operators enter a unique 4-digit code after a call. You can then see which operator answered a call without listening to the recordings.
- Enable Call Announce Confirmation: if you have a third-party welcome message or queue, the operator can press a button to show when the call officially starts. This stops call-based goal triggers, such as a qualifying call, being skewed.
Some scenarios and third-party software can conflict with the call whisper. Check these before you turn the feature on:
- Do not turn the announcement on at the start of the call if you have a third-party welcome message, queue system or IVR. These features answer the call first, so the Infinity announcement plays and your operators do not hear it.
- If you select an 'end of call' option and you have a third-party voicemail, the announcement may be recorded on the voicemail only, because the caller hangs up without leaving a message. Infinity Voicemail avoids this, because we can detect when a call has rolled to voicemail rather than being answered by an operator.
- If you select an 'end of call' option and you have a third-party welcome message or IVR, your operators may hear the announcement only because the caller hangs up before they are connected. A Custom Welcome Message or Infinity IVR avoids this, because we can detect when the feature has answered the call rather than an operator.
- If you select an 'end of call' option and you also have call rating enabled, you will hear the announcement first, followed by the Post Call Rating.
Call confirmation
Call confirmation gives you a more accurate report on the duration of your calls. It is useful if you use time-based goals in the Infinity Platform and you have an externally hosted IVR, queuing system or welcome message in place.
Call confirmation helps when a caller reaches a welcome message or queue that we do not host. The duration-based call goal would otherwise be triggered, which can make your figures show that callers were connected to an operator for longer than they were. With call confirmation, the call timer starts only once the caller has passed the external queue, IVR or welcome message and the operator presses 1 on their handset to accept the call. The call durations in the Infinity Platform then exclude the time spent in the IVR, queue or welcome message.
Our recommended way to improve the accuracy of call durations is for Infinity to host any IVR or welcome message you have in place. This improves the caller experience, because operators no longer need to press 1 to accept a call, and it lets you automate the process.
To enable call confirmation, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Settings.
- Select Settings from the Setup menu.
- Select Telephony Settings.
- Select Tracking Pools Editor.
- Search or scroll for your relevant tracking pool if you have multiple.
- Select Edit Config on your chosen tracking pool.
- Select Enable Call Announce Confirmation.
- Select Save Changes.
Note: Do not turn this feature on if you have a third-party IVR, voicemail or other feature where the caller has to press buttons. These features stop calls getting through to your operators.