Integrating with Asterisk, Elastix, or Avaya Aura® AES PBX Systems

Integrating with Asterisk, Elastix, or Avaya Aura® AES PBX Systems

The Zoho PhoneBridge feature connects the PBX system and the Zoho Desk system that holds all the important details of your customers. With this feature, Zoho Desk offers you a platform to manage incoming and outgoing calls on your computer

You can view the following details about your customers when they call on your screen:
  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Overall Happiness Score

Note:
  • Only Zoho Desk administrators can configure the PBX and set up the integration.

Key Features
The key features of the Zoho PhoneBridge include:
  • Manage your incoming and outgoing calls
  • Search for contacts or view their details fetched automatically when you make or receive a call
  • Associate calls with tickets
  • Update your call duration automatically
  • Jot down the call description as a comment during or after the call
  • Click-to-dial in Contact and Ticket Details page
  • Keep track of all the customer calls under the Activities module
  • Automatically convert missed and abandoned calls into tickets
  • Generate reports to view the amount of time spent by agents on each call
  • Create multiple Zoho PhoneBridge groups to support more than one PBX systems

Prerequisites
Before you start using the Zoho PhoneBridge feature, you must make the following settings:
  • Create a PhoneBridge group: You are required to create a PhoneBridge group and assign a Group Identity Member (GIM). A GIM is a user who is linked to a Zoho PhoneBridge group. This user is responsible for generating the authorization key that is required to configure the PBX adapter. A Zoho Desk user can be a GIM only for a single PhoneBridge group. Each group must have a unique GIM.
  • Configure the extension numbers of agents who receive calls: You can configure these in the Zoho Desk portal.
  • Generate the authorization key: This authorization key should be generated by the GIM and provided to the system administrator who is configuring the PBX adapter.
  • Download the PB adapter: Download the PB adapter, provided by Zoho Desk. You are required to download this adapter and provide it to your system administrator. 
  • Configure the portal name, authorization key and manager's credentials: The system administrator is required to configure the portal name, authorization key and replace the existing credentials and IP address with the credentials and IP address of the manager of the PBX system while installing the PBX adapter.

Creating a Zoho PhoneBridge Group
To use the Zoho PhoneBridge feature, you are required to create a Zoho PhoneBridge group. A Zoho PhoneBridge group is a collection of users who use a specific PBX telephony system. You can map users, who are using Zoho Desk, and their extension numbers to a PBX system using this feature.
You can create any number of Zoho PhoneBridge groups with any number of users.

To create a Zoho PhoneBridge group:
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Phone under Channels.
  3. In the Telephony page, select a PBX system between Asterisk, Elastix, or Avaya Aura® AES.
  4. In the PBX System page, click Enable.
    Next, you will be taken to the Configuration tab of the PBX system.
  5. Click Create PhoneBridge Group and do the following:
    • Enter a name for the Zoho PhoneBridge Group
    • Choose a Group Identification Member from the list
    • Specify the PBX Dialcode for the PBX system
  6. In the Agents and Extensions section, do the following:
    • Select a User Name from the list of agents who have a Zoho PhoneBridge subscription
    • Specify the PBX extension number of the agent
    • Specify whether the extension number you have entered is the default extension number
    • Select the Default Dialcode, if required
      You can click the Add icon       (  ) to add additional users to the group.
  7. Click Save.
You will start receiving notifications on your Zoho Desk UI when you make or receive calls on your assigned extension number.

Note:
  • Dial Code: Provide a proprietary dial code to make local or international calls using the Zoho Phonebridge service. These dialcodes will be based on the configuration made on the PBX that you are using. Enter the dial code in this format, ISD:100 or LOCAL:2000. Multiple patterns should be separated using commas, e.g. ISD:100,LOCAL:0.
  • Default Extension: Enable this field if the agent's PBX extension number has to be considered as the default number while making outgoing calls. It is useful when an agent is part of more than one Zoho PhoneBridge Group. 
    For example, consider Agent 1 is part of two PhoneBridge Groups X and Y, and the Extension numbers specified in the PhoneBridge groups for the agent are '1234' and '5678', respectively. If all outgoing calls have to be made from the Extension Number '1234', then, the Is Default Extn? field has to be checked against the extension number of Agent 1 in the PhoneBridge Group 'X'.
  • Default Dialcode: Choose a default dialcode option for outgoing calls. This list will display the options specified in the PBX Dialcode field. The option chosen will be prefixed to the contact's telephone number before dialing from Zoho Desk.
    • If NOPREFIX is chosen, the telephone number will be dialed as specified in the contact's record.
    • If None is chosen, you can choose the PBX Dialcode before making the outgoing call. A screen pop-up with available options will be shown.

Generating an Authorization Key
The system administrator requires an authorization key to install the PBX adapter. The GIM must generate an authorization key and provide it to the system administrator.

Note:
  • You need a separate authorization key for every Zoho PhoneBridge Group.
  • Only the Group Identity Member (GIM) can generate an authorization key.
  • You can be the GIM for only one PhoneBridge Group.
  • The PhoneBridge API Key will be visible only to the GIM of a particular Zoho PhoneBridge Group. The GIM can be any user within your help desk account with Zoho PhoneBridge enabled.
  • Zoho Desk recognizes your Zoho Desk Account and the Zoho PhoneBridge Group with the Group Identity Member.

To generate an authorization key:
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Phone under Channels.
  3. In the Telephony page, select a PBX system between Asterisk, Elastix, or Avaya Aura® AES.
  4. In the PBX System page, click Generate Support Auth Key.
Copy the Support Auth key and provide it to the system administrator who is responsible for installing and starting the PhoneBridge adapter.

Working with Zoho PhoneBridge
Using the Zoho PhoneBridge feature, you can receive notifications about incoming and outgoing calls.

Making Calls
You can make calls to all the customers whose contact information is stored in the Zoho Desk. When you make a call, you will see the following fields in the Make the call dialog box:
  • Extn. code: This is the extension number from which you will make the call. In case, the user who is making the call is part of more than one Zoho PhoneBridge group, a default extension number should be set while creating the Zoho PhoneBridge group. If a default extension number is not set, all the extension numbers, belonging to the user, will be displayed as a drop-down list.
  • Dial code: This is the code that will be prefixed to the customer's phone number. If you have selected a default dial code, which will be used for all outgoing calls, while creating a Zoho PhoneBridge group, this will be displayed as the dial code. However, if a default dial code is not set, then all the available dial codes will be displayed as a drop-down list.
  • PBX type: This is the type of PBX from which you will make the call. For example, Avaya Aura® AES.
  • Phone: This is the phone number of the customer who you are making the call to.

To make a call using the Zoho PhoneBridge feature:
  1. In the Contacts Detail view, click  against the contact's phone number.
  2. Verify the details and click Make the call.



Note:
  • If an agent belongs only to one Zoho PhoneBridge group and no dial code is chosen, the Make the call dialog box will not be displayed.

Receiving Calls
When you receive a call, the details of the caller will be displayed on your screen. You can see these details only if you are logged on to Zoho Desk. The following details of the caller will be displayed:
  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Overall Happiness Score

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