Configuring an SMS Channel (Twilio)

The integration of an SMS channel for Twilio in Issabel Contact Center is done through the Chat Broker section, which acts as an intermediary. The configuration follows a series of steps that allow establishing the digital channel, customizing it, and linking it to the website where the live chat will be deployed.

Prerequisites

Before performing the integration, you need:

• 1. Administrative access to the Issabel PBX panel.
• 2. Access to the Contact Center configuration within Issabel PBX, Panel Manager, and Chat Broker.

Steps to configure the SMS channel

To configure this type of digital channel, it is necessary to access the administration interface of the PBX with an account that has administrative permissions and navigate to Contact Center → Panel Manager. It is also possible to access it via the URL: https://domain_pbx/fop2/admin. Once there, you need to access the Chat Broker section. In the start tab, click on add to create a channel.

1. Creating a new channel

• Assign a name in the Description field, for example: "SMS Twilio".
• Select the channel type twilio in the Provider field.

2. Configuring the SMS channel for Twilio

You need to configure the JSON object that defines the parameters of the template chat.

• TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID and TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN are the API credentials for Twilio. These can be found in the dashboard of the Twilio account to be linked.
• PUBLIC_URL: Refers to the URL of the Issabel PBX.
• DID: This field must contain the full phone number of Twilio to be linked, including the country code and the + sign.
• Capabilities: Defines the capability of the digital channel to be created. sms for text messages only, and mms for text messages and some simple media.

3. Additional Configuration

CRM
An external CRM can be associated to manage customer interactions.
Welcome Message
Customize it in the AutoReply field, for example:
"Hello! How can we help you today?"
Business Hours

• Activate the Enable business hours field.
• Configure the days and hours in the Manage option.
• Allows sending automatic replies when the chat is outside business hours.

CSAT Survey

• Activate Enable CSAT to ON.
• Customize the evaluation questions such as:
  • CSAT Survey Message: Agent evaluation.
  • CSAT Feedback Message: Feedback request.
  • CSAT Bye Message: Goodbye message.
  • CSAT Inactive Close Message: Inactivity close message.

Rating Tags

• Tags can be added such as: Support, Consulting, Sales, SPAM, Unwanted, etc.
• If a tag contains spaces, use an underscore: Unwanted.

Agent Assignment

• Configure the extension groups in Service Group.
• Attention can be assigned to:
  • All extensions.
  • A specific group of agents.

Bot Configuration

• Issabel Contact Center has an interactive Bot for conversational flows.
• An external bot can be configured with the URL in the Bot URL field.
• If no bot is used, leave the default value None.

Configuring the Webhook in Twilio

Once the SMS channel for Twilio has been created in Chat Broker, it is necessary to copy the associated webhook to place it in the corresponding section of the linked Twilio account. To do this, click on the "share" button located to the right of the list of available channels in Chat Broker.

Then, go to the dashboard of the linked Twilio account and navigate to: Phone Numbers → Manage → Active Numbers. A list of active phone numbers available in the account will be displayed. Select the one corresponding to the previously created digital channel. Within the configuration of the selected phone number, at the bottom, there is a section where the webhook copied from Chat Broker must be pasted and saved. This allows the Twilio system to receive messages and route them to the PBX. For sending messages, numbers in the United States require completing an A2P registration and verification process. Learn more.

Testing the SMS Channel with Twilio

• Send an SMS message to the configured channel number.
• Respond from the agent console.
• Send media depending on the configured channel capabilities to verify proper functionality (Optional).

This process allows the successful integration of the SMS channel for Twilio in Issabel Contact Center, facilitating real-time communication with customers. With the proper configuration, responses, business hours, satisfaction surveys, CRM integration, and agent assignment can be customized to improve attention and operational efficiency.

If there is any incorrect or incomplete information, or additional information needs to be generated, please write to isscc@issabel.com