Contacts and channels
Having the system phone people
For people who read no email and answer no messages, but do pick up the phone.
Some of the people you work with read no email, answer no texts, and still pick up the phone every time. For them there is another channel: the system calls, asks the question, listens to the answer and stores it.
What exactly happens on a call
- 1
It dials the contact
On the number in their record. Without one, this channel cannot be used.
- 2
It plays what you are asking
The text you wrote, not a generic recording.
- 3
It transcribes the answer
What the person says is turned into text.
- 4
It stores it as evidence
Recording and text stay in the case, with their date.
Important
This channel is for requesting DATA, not documents. Someone can tell you a policy number or confirm a date by phone; they cannot hand you a PDF by speaking. For documents, use another channel.
When it pays off
| Situation | Call? |
|---|---|
| A specific value is missing and they do not answer in writing | Yes, this is its case |
| Something needs confirming urgently | Yes |
| A document is missing | No, a call cannot collect it |
| The contact has no phone number on record | Not possible |
| It is your first contact with them | Better not: an automated call from a stranger breeds distrust |
Watch out
A call consumes considerably more than an email or a message: dialling, transcribing and storing each count separately. It is the heaviest-consuming channel of all, which is why it is best kept for when the others have already failed.
Worth knowing
There is an hourly call limit. It is not arbitrary: repeatedly calling the same number in a short window is harassment, however it looks from this side.
Before using it
›Can I listen to the recording?
Yes, it stays in the case with the transcription.
›What if they do not answer?
The attempt is logged with its time.
›Can it be used for many contacts at once?
It is an expensive channel with hourly limits; it is meant for specific cases, not campaigns.
A real case
The situation
A self-employed haulier has ignored email for three weeks and their policy number is missing.
What you do
- The voice channel calls asking for that value
- The answer is transcribed into the case
What you get
The case closes that day, with the answer recorded and dated.
The situation
A supplier reads neither emails nor messages.
What you do
- Uses the automated call as a last resort
What you get
The notice arrives where they do respond.
The situation
Thirty suppliers are phoned by hand.
What you do
- Lets the call go out on its own
What you get
The team does not spend the morning dialling.
The situation
The call happens at an inconvenient hour.
What you do
- Schedules the call within reasonable hours
What you get
The notice does not intrude.
The situation
There is no record that a call was made.
What you do
- Records the call and its outcome
What you get
The attempt is documented.
The situation
A call is made without trying in writing first.
What you do
- Reserves the call for when the rest failed
What you get
The channel is used where it adds.
This article answers
- automatically call a supplier
- voice channel to request data
- the supplier reads no email or sms
- automated call with transcription