Voice-to-messaging quick start guide

Before you begin

IMPORTANT

The following steps must be performed before your administrator can enable VHT Messaging™ features within your enterprise VHT Callback^® system.

Contact VHT Support to enable the VHT Messaging application for your organization.
Set up an Organization Agent on the VHT Messaging platform, which will be used to create the API token for your organization.
Copy and save your Agent's API Token for use in enterprise Callback.

The Organization Agent must be created before any other users are invited. This Agent will be visible to the Admin and Super Admin roles, but not to Agents.

OPTIONAL

If your organization plans to use tags, you will also need to configure these settings in the VHT Messaging application.

Follow this workflow to enable the VHT Messaging application on your enterprise Callback system to start offering your customers the option to receive a message instead of a callback.

Link the Callback system to your VHT Messaging instance

After you have your API Token, add it into a new row in the System Variables table in the VHT_Config database. This provides Callback the permissions it needs to send requests for new messaging conversations via the messaging API.

Try it: System Variables

Obtain the messaging API Token from your VHT Messaging instance.
Create a new row in the System Variables table in the VHT_Configdatabase, with the following values:
1. SiteName: Your VHT Callback site name
2. VariableName: "MessagingToken"
3. Value: Your messaging API Token

image of the system variables table

With that in place, the next step is to configure the details used to create new messaging interactions for each Callback segment that will offer messaging to callers.

The remainder of the steps in this guide can be performed within the Configuration UI, which is accessible via Dashboards.

Configure messaging info for individual segments

For each segment that will offer messaging to callers, only two required parameters must be set: an initial Offer Message and a Handle. You can optionally set tags and an Override Country Code, as well.

Try it: Segments > VHT Messaging

Enter the information shown below to set up the parameters that will be used to create new messaging requests.

image of the VHT messaging section

Offer Message


Description	Values
The first message sent to customers to begin new messaging interactions. This value can contain up to 4,000 characters. NOTES If the value exceeds the 160-character limit for SMS, it will be split among several consecutive messages. This field is required. Changes cannot be saved if this field is blank.	Valid: String up to 4,000 characters Default: "This is the message you requested"

Handle


Description	Values
Handles must be defined and assigned to teams on the VHT Messaging platform.	Valid: Any handle configured on the messaging platform for your organization Default: N/A

Tags


Description	Values
Assigns tags to differentiate messaging conversations Tags must be defined on the VHT Messaging platform.	Valid: Any tags configured on the messaging platform for your organization Default: N/A

Override Country Code


Description	Values
Sets a country code to prepend before a customer's phone number for outbound messages. NOTE This value is not needed if the Callback segment already uses a valid country code for the customers' region.	Valid: Any country code Default: N/A

With your VHT Messaging organization configured and the variables above in place, all that remains is to turn on the messaging offer for each queue that you wish to use.

Enable the messaging offer

The messaging offer can be enabled/disabled for individual queues, and each queue can offer messaging in three operation modes: Normal, Virtual Queue, and Datebook. You can offer messaging on as many queues as you would like, in any combination of the three supported operation modes.

Try it: Voice Experience > Menu Options

example of enabling the further options menu

Offer Caller Choice to Receive Message in the Main Menu


Description	Values
Normal operation mode adds a messaging option to the main menu. When set to TRUE, the main menu will offer callers the choice to receive a message as Option 5.	Valid: TRUE / FALSE Default: FALSE

For more information on these settings, see the Voice-to-Messaging User Guide.

Offer Caller Choice to Receive Message in the Virtual Queue Menu


Description	Values
Virtual Queue operation mode adds a messaging option to its existing menu options. When set to TRUE, the Virtual Queue menu will offer callers the choice to receive a message as Option 4.	Valid: TRUE / FALSE Default: FALSE

Offer Caller Choice to Receive Message in the DateBook Menu


Description	Values
DateBook operation mode adds a messaging option to its existing menu options. When set to TRUE, the DateBook menu will offer callers the choice to receive a message as Option 4.	Valid: TRUE / FALSE Default: FALSE

Configure Apache Tomcat

The toolkit.properties file contains settings used by the VoiceXML Interaction Server (VIS) application to manage messaging API requests.

Messaging properties


Property	Description	Default value
com.virtualhold.toolkit.messaging.url	The URL of your organization's VHT Messaging platform. This should be configured during installation, and it can be changed later if needed.	N/A

The com.virtualhold.toolkit.messaging.url setting should be configured during the initial deployment of the VHT Messagingsolution. If you find that this value is null, contact your VHT Support or Sales representative.