Scheduled Callback

Manage your callback scheduling experience for voice or digital interactions.

The Scheduled Callback section allows you to control the callback scheduling experience for voice or digital interactions.

image of the scheduled callback section
Note: Scheduling must first be enabled in the Registration section using the following options:
  • Offer Scheduled Callback (Voice)
  • Offer Scheduled Callback (Widget/API)

Each section in this guide covers one of the settings in the Scheduled Callback section.

Scheduled Callback Caller Experience and Widget for Text Scheduled Callback

The Scheduled Callback Caller Experience radio buttons allow you to select the way in which customers schedule callbacks on the associated Call Target.

  • When set to "Voice", customers will interact with the Mindful Callback voice menu to select a date, time, and callback phone number for their scheduled callback.

  • When set to "Text", customers will receive an SMS message containing a secure link to a Scheduler widget. They can then interact with the widget on their mobile devices to schedule a callback.

Important: If you use text scheduling and the @CallMe Automation, several API Access Tokens must be applied. If one of these tokens is not in place, the @CallMe Automation will not function. Contact the Support team to ensure that all required tokens are applied if you use both of these features.
Tip:

  • Apply an API Access Token to the selected widget (through an Access Control Policy) to limit the sources of traffic allowed to interact directly with it.

  • Consider your customers' preferences when selecting between "Voice" and "Text" for the Scheduled Callback Caller Experience. Younger or more technologically experienced customers may prefer scheduling via SMS rather than voice.

The Widget for Text Scheduled Callback dropdown menu allows you to specify the Scheduler widget that will be used when Scheduled Callback Caller Experience is set to "Text". This widget will be accessible via a link in the message sent to customers when they choose to schedule a callback via messaging. The link will be automatically populated in the text message by the {{widget-url}} component in the Voice to Scheduled Callback Message Text field.

image of the scheduled callback experience setting

To learn more about scheduling callbacks via SMS, including configuration and best practices, see How to enable scheduled callbacks.

Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Voice or Widget/API)

The Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Voice) and Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Widget/API) settings define the number of days out from the current date that a customer can schedule a callback on the voice or digital channel. Customers will be able to schedule a callback for any allowable time intervals within business hours, up to the final day in the range.

Important:

The Voice and Widget/API settings calculate days differently:

  • Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Widget/API) — Excludes non-business days when determining the number of days out to allow scheduling.

  • Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Voice) — Includes all calendar days when determining the number of days out to allow scheduling.

Configuration guidelines

Use the following guidelines when configuring the Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling:

  • Enter a number from 1 to 365.

    Note: We recommend seven business days for either setting, keeping in mind that you may need to enter a higher value for the Voice setting, which counts calendar days regardless of business hours. We have found that many call centers look seven days ahead to manage agent scheduling, making this a good timeframe for managing scheduled callbacks as well.

  • The value will be set to 1 (next day only) if left blank.

  • This setting does not consider the current day as Day 1. Rather, the count begins on the next business day for the Widget/API setting and the next calendar day for the Voice setting.

  • The Maximum Callbacks Allowed per Schedule Interval and Hours of Operation determine the intervals available for scheduling.

Minimum Number of Widget Scheduling Options (Widget/API)

The Minimum Number of Scheduling Options (Widget/API) setting defines the minimum number of scheduling time slots to display, in 15-minute intervals, for scheduled callback requests in the digital channel.

The number of time slots presented to customers is limited by the Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Widget/API) settings and the Call Target's hours of operation. If the combination of these two settings provides a number of time slots that is less than the Minimum Number of Scheduling Options (Widget/API) configured, then a widget will extend the number of time slots that it offers until the specified minimum number of time slots has been reached.

Example

Consider the following example:

  • Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Widget/API) = 2
  • Minimum Number of Scheduling Options (Widget/API) = 30

Let us say that the Number of Days Out to Allow Scheduling (Widget/API) and the hours of operation in this example only made 20 time slots available. In this case, since the minimum is set to 30, the widget would extend into a third day and provide as many additional scheduling time slots as would be needed to reach the minimum of 30.

illustration of the concept of adding more days to the scheduling availability
Note:

  • The default value is 1 if left blank.

  • Only values from 1 to 100 are accepted for Minimum Number of Scheduling Options (Widget/API).

Offer Scheduled Callback Outside of Hours (Voice or Widget/API)

The Offer Scheduled Callback Outside of Hours (Voice or Widget/API) settings allow you to offer the scheduling feature to the voice or digital channels outside of your hours of operation. This means that if a customer calls your contact center after hours or views a scheduling widget on your website, they can still choose to schedule a callback for another time when the contact center is open.

If these options are not selected, customers who call after hours will hear the "Outside of Hours" audio prompt. Customers who view a widget will see a "closed" message. Using this setting can ensure that anyone who calls in at any time of day can eventually reach an agent without the need to call in again.

Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval

The Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval setting controls the maximum number of scheduled callbacks allowed to be registered for each 15-minute interval for both voice- and widget-scheduled callbacks combined. By default, a new Call Target will have one entry for each day of the week, with the Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval set to 5 each day.

Once the threshold is reached for a given interval, callbacks can no longer be scheduled for that interval unless an existing scheduled callback is canceled.

How does it work?

At the start of each interval, the system will attempt to launch all callbacks scheduled for that time. The pacing of the callbacks can be affected by the Max Active Calls and/or Max Queue Depth settings, which control how many simultaneous calls can be handled at a time.

If the number of callbacks scheduled to be launched in a given interval exceeds the Max Active Calls or Max Queue Depth settings, then the system will launch as many scheduled callbacks as it can, and it will launch the remaining scheduled callbacks as soon as the number of active calls falls below the configured value.

illustration representing the max scheduled callbacks per interval

Configure time slots

You can control the maximum scheduled callbacks per 15-minute interval for any span of time on any day of the week. Consider the following example:

example configuration for scheduling time slots

In this example, there is a different configuration for three days:

  • On Sunday, no scheduled callbacks are allowed.

  • On Monday, there is a single time range from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM that allows five scheduled callbacks per interval.

  • On Tuesday, there are two time ranges configured, and no scheduled callbacks will be allowed outside of those ranges (before 8:00 AM, between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, or after 5:00 PM).

No scheduled callbacks will be allowed for any days or time frames that are not configured.

To add a new time range:

  1. Select the Voice Scheduled Callbacks and/or Widget Scheduled Callbacks checkbox to reveal the Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval section.

  2. For each day that you wish to update, click Add Range in the corresponding row.

    A new time row will appear for that day, with default values.

  3. Update the start and end times.

  4. Update the value in the Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval field for the new time range.

    There is no maximum value for this setting.

  5. Save your changes when finished.

To edit an existing time range, update the start and end times for any existing row, then save your changes.

To delete a time range:

  1. Click the Remove button in the appropriate row.

  2. To disallow scheduling for an entire day, remove all of the configured time ranges for that day.

    After removing all time ranges for a specific day, you should only see the Add Range button in the corresponding row.

Note:

Use the following guidelines when configuring the Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval:

  • Voice and widget scheduled callbacks share the same Max Scheduled Callbacks Per Interval. Consider the combined volume of the voice and digital channels when setting your maximum values.

  • If a time range only covers part of a 15-minute interval, then no scheduled callbacks will be allowed during that interval. For example, if a time slot ends at 5:50 PM, which is in the middle of the 5:45 to 6:00 PM interval, then no scheduled callbacks will be allowed during that interval.

  • To meet the promise of a scheduled callback and avoid longer-than-expected wait times, scheduled callbacks should only be sent to high-priority queues. If you enable scheduled callbacks, configure a Call Center Phone Number in the Dial Settings section that leads to a high-priority queue.