Good day, DialSource clan. It's that time again ... Release Time! This release is packed primarily with product enhancements added for stability and laying the foundation for great new features in future releases. Don't worry, it's not all boring stuff ... we’ve also added a few key features, such as support for Console mode in Salesforce Classic. Take a look!
- Agent State Summary Bar
- Native Support for "Do Not Call"
- Support for Console Mode (Salesforce Classic)
Product Enhancements and General Updates
- Inbound: Updated Find Idle Agent Method
- Inbound: Check for Open CTI Before Inbound Offer
- Inbound: Enhanced Call Logging
- Inbound: Record Button on Stand Alone Inbound Calls
- Upgraded Background Retry Worker
- Dynamics: Display Campaigns with Zero Records
- Dynamics: Refresh All with API User (Integration Account)
- Dynamics: Backend Support for Reports in Campaigns
- Enhancements to DS Management Page for Lightning
New Features - Bright and Shiny Back to Top
Of course, everyone is excited about improvements and bug fixes, but they're just not as sexy as new features ... so let's start with those.
Agent State Summary Bar Back to Top
Have you ever wondered what your distribution of agents is by status? For instance, "Are most of my agents Idle right now?". Well, now you don't have to wonder! Just navigate to the Agent Status page and view the bar at the top of the page. Hovering over each segment of the bar will tell you what agent state that segment of the bar represents (in the next few days, we'll be adding the count of agents in that state).
Native Support for "Do Not Call" Back to Top
For those of you who use the Salesforce standard "Do Not Call" checkbox 
on your records, this feature might be useful. With a package update to 1.94, you have the ability to prevent your agents from making calls to records marked as Do Not Call, both through Click to Dial, as well as Campaigns. For more information on how this feature works, be sure to reference our Denali Admin Guide.
Support for Console Mode (Salesforce Classic) Back to Top
We know that a few of you are already using Console mode in Salesforce Classic. If you're one of those organizations, you've heard us tell you that technically, we have not supported the use of Denali in combination with Console mode. As of today, that all changes: we are happy to announce that Denali is fully supported in Console mode!
Product Enhancements Back to Top
While these may not be a flashy as new features, these product enhancements pack a real punch! For example, Inbound got a shiny new coat of... code? Well, lets just say you're not going to want to miss these updates.
Inbound: Updated Find Idle Agent Method Back to Top
As some of you are aware, the previous version of the Inbound delivery system worked in small batches. It basically took a group of inbound callers and attempted to match them with idle agents. In this way, it ensured that each caller did not lose their place in the inbound queue, and that idle agents didn't lose their place in line waiting for calls. However, the drawback was that it was not as efficient as it could be, particularly if a batch of calls took a while to match up with agents. But enough about the previous method - on to the the updates!
The new method takes each inbound call as it arrives in queue and attempts to match it separately with the most available agent. It continues to do that until either the queue of inbound calls is depleted, or the number of calls exceeds the number of available agents. In other words:
- If # of Inbound Calls ≤ # of Idle Agents = Denali will attempt to to match all calls simultaneously
- If # of Inbound Calls > # of Idle Agents = Denali will attempt to to match all calls simultaneously up to # of Idle Agents, then future calls will be queued.
If a call is not able to be matched, it will be returned to the top of the queue.
Inbound: Check for Open CTI Before Inbound Offer Back to Top
Some of you may have experienced calls being served to Agents who were marked as Inbound Ready, but were not logged into Salesforce. Others have seen calls waiting in queue because they were being offered to agents who were marked as Inbound Ready, but had signed out of Salesforce. Well, no more! Each time we look for idle agents (which includes Inbound Ready agents), we now perform a check to verify that they have an open Salesforce tab with a the CTI panel populated. This is a huge improvement, thanks to the inbound redesign.
Inbound: Enhanced Call Logging Back to Top
We've added a whole mess of logging on the backend, which lays the groundwork for enhanced inbound reporting (coming soon). This includes things like a full record of every agent we presented the call to, who was the last agent the call was presented to, full detailed lists of all calls sent to each inbound number, etc. Stay tuned for more information on this in the next few releases ...
Inbound: Record Button on Stand Alone Inbound Calls Back to Top
Depending on the order of operations when answering an Inbound call presented through Stand Alone, occasionally the Record button would not behave as intended. Today, this can be avoided by making sure to link the call to a record before clicking Record. However, in package 1.94, you no longer have to worry about that step. Clicking Record should work just fine before, as well as after, linking the call to the desired record.
Upgraded Background Retry Worker Back to Top
While we hope this doesn't happen often, occasionally, DialSource is not able to log a call or a Disposition. This happens in the normal course of the day and can be attributed to Salesforce locking the record because of a process running in your org, an agent updating the record, the agent's SFDC session timing out, just to name a few. When that happens, we queue up those tasks to be logged and/or updated later (e.g., once the record is available for updates or the agent has logged back in).
That's all well and good. However, because all of those updates happen at once, organizations who perform a high volume of calls can run into a Salesforce limitation regarding the number of API calls each user is permitted to make within a period of time. To help alleviate that issue, we now batch all of the updates by user and perform them together with one API call.
Dynamics: Display Campaigns with Zero Records Back to Top
Don't worry - we didn't forget about our Denali for Dynamics users! Previously, Dynamics had a limitation regarding the ability to display Campaigns when the associated Marketing List returned zero results, causing an error in DfD (Denali for Dynamics). This Dynamics issue has been resolved and Campaigns will now update the associated call lists to show zero available records.
Dynamics: Refresh All with API User (Integration Account) Back to Top
A few accounts ran into an issue where the "Refresh All" function on the Campaigns caused an issue with the API User (a.k.a., Integration Account). This has been identified and taken care of. Feel free to refresh to your heart's content!
Backend Support for Reports in Campaigns Back to Top
As all DfD users know, Campaigns have to be built off of Marketing Lists. This places some limitations on what data you can include in a Campaign. Well, not for long! With this release, we've added the backend support to use Reports as the source content for Campaigns - just like Denali in Salesforce. The last remaining step is to build the UI to support it. But don't worry - this is coming soon!
Lightning Enhancements for DS Management Page Back to Top
The inclusion of multiple Call Centers created the need for an update to the DS management page so that all agents, calls, etc., could be displayed in one list, regardless of the Call Center they were associated with.
Coming Soon! Back to Top
We know there are a lot of things you'd all like to see happen tomorrow. And honestly, we'd love nothing more than to be able to provide them all immediately. But as I am sure you can understand, there are numerous projects constantly competing for time, effort and attention. The good news is, you can help! All you have to do is visit the Feature Request section and add a post! If there's already one there for your suggestion, feel free to add a comment, but most importantly, don't forget to vote (even on your own posts)!!
That being said, we do have one update for you which we know is going to be good news for most of you.
Support for Salesforce Lightning Back to Top
We know Salesforce is engaging in a full court press regarding migrating to Lightning. While we're not quite ready to pull back the curtain on a full Lightning version, we have made some significant progress towards a full Lightning app, including adding a new Call Center, as well as the ability to add records to your InstaQueues. We know these features will be appreciated by our Lightning Beta clients, and we will be ready to offer full Lightning support for those of you who wish to move forward with your migration plans after Dreamforce!
Ok, ok ... here's a sneak-peek:
Summary Back to Top
For current Salesforce Denali users, the updated package (1.94) is available. However, most of these features are already in place as they are back-end updates and no package is needed. We do still recommend updating your package whenever you have the chance as there are a few updates included. To do so, just Submit a Request and let us know you'd like to update your Denali package.
Dynamics users who would like to take advantage of some of the new features are welcome to a demo of Denali for Dynamics. We recommend a discussion with our Customer Success team regarding the upgrade, as there are a few things to be aware of.
If you’re currently on Classic (V2) and are ready to upgrade to Denali, please Submit a Request and we'll get you in touch with a member of our Customer Success team to discuss the transition.
Overview - What's in the release?
Here at DialSource, we work hard every day to bring you the very best product. At our core,
we’re an engineering firm, constantly pushing the boundaries of what sales acceleration
software can do for your business. Our developers have burned the midnight oil, completing a
truly exceptional release for you, jam-packed with awesome features and enhancements!
New Features - Bright and Shiny
Preview Auto Dialing Mode
For those of you who are familiar with Preview Auto from Classic (V2), you'll be excited to hear that it's now in Denali, with some improvements! We've included a customizable Countdown Timer, which will display a clock counting down towards dial. This allows for a configurable amount of time between calls.
Display and Disposition Undialable Numbers
Previously, if numbers came up in a Campaign that were undialable, they would be skipped over. Now, we've added the ability to display them so that your agents can see the record and determine why the number cannot be dialed. We've also added the ability to Disposition those records so that you track your bad leads.
Log Calls for Tasks on Parent Object
Now, when your users place calls using Click-to-Dial directly from a Task in Salesforce, the call will log on the parent record. So, let's say you call from a Task on an Opportunity, the call will log as a new Task on the Opportunity itself. This one is a major crowd-pleaser!
Stand Alone Inbound
For those of you using Inbound, this one is a feature that you've been waiting for! Previously, for your agents to receive inbound calls through Denali, they had to be connected to the dialer and in a Campaign. Today, when "Inbound Ready" is selected in the Settings (new option in the gear icon), an agent who is not on the dialer can receive an inbound call and click Answer. Simple as that. Once they click Answer, Denali will call the number they have stored as their connect number and then connect them to the incoming call. You're welcome!
Inbound Ringing in Agent's Ear
While we're on the subject of Inbound, we've added a feature so that agents can enable an audible ring in their headset when receiving a call through Denali.
Additional Inbound Metadata Fields
And last but not least for Inbound, we’ve added five additional fields for better metadata on Inbound calls: Inbound Agent Wait Time, Inbound Prospect Wait Time, Inbound DNIS, Inbound DNIS Name and Inbound Queue.
Out of Dialer Dispositioning
This is another huge crowd pleaser! Your agents can now apply a Disposition to a record without having made a call. Think “Sent Email” or “Scheduled Meeting.”
Disposition Required After Hang-up
I know this never happens to your agents, but occasionally, someone may forget to select a Disposition before proceeding to the next call. This can cause some confusion and loss of data for the previous call. To help with that, we’ve added a feature where the UI will prompt the agent to select a Disposition for the previous call if they proceed to another connection.
List Recycle Outside of Dialer
Another big win is the ability to have outside source modify the Recycle Time for records, or disqualify leads that are part of a Campaign, through the use of a REST API.*
* Note: This is available on an as-needed basis and will require professional services to work with our Implementation team.
Product Enhancements and General Updates - Bugs Squashed!
Inbound Call Revokes Breaking Session State
In addition to the database changes put in place recently, telephony adjustments have been made to help alleviate issues where call revokes from inbound calls alter the agent’s session state.
Music Updates
We’ve taken most of the music offline and are no longer streaming the majority of the stations.* Some stations (like NPR) will naturally still be streamed. This should vastly improve the reliability of the music.
* Note: Classic Rock and Trance are still being streamed for a short period of time, but will be migrated to our servers shortly.
Inbound Queues Moved to Inbound Tab (Phone Icon)
We’ve also made some adjustments to where the Inbound Queues are located. Inbound
Queues can now be found on the Inbound Queues tab of the Inbound (phone icon)
section under DS Management.
Coming Soon - Why is this here?
New DS Tab Layout
Admins who visit the Tabs area of Salesforce often may stumble across a new tab for DS User, as well as some items being shifted around. We’re in the process of redesigning the tab layout to provide easy access for Admins and Users to the key features they use on a regular basis. This will be a work in progress, but will yield a more intuitive UI in the coming weeks. In the mean-time, access to your most commonly used features should remain in the same location as well as the new location while we complete the transition.
Summary - What Now?
For current Denali users, if you’re as excited as we are about these features and would like to upgrade to the new package, shoot our knowledgeable Support team an email.
If you’re currently on Classic (V2) and have been anxiously awaiting Preview Auto to upgrade to Denali, email our Customer Success team to discuss the transition.
Finally, if you’re interested in the option of have an outside source update the recycle time on your leads, contact of Customer Success folks who can help scope out that project for you.
Hello, DialSource community. We’ve got some great new features and updates for you in this
edition of Denali Release Notes, from not just one, but two exciting releases! While the last
major release (3.4) was primarily focused on Inbound and Dispositioning, these next two
releases (3.5 and 3.6) were primarily focused on Campaigns. We’ve also added a few key
features for Recordings, Tasks and History, as well as a few housekeeping items and other
enhancements. Take a look!
- New Features
- Campaign Creation Facelift
- Add Agents on Campaign Creation
- Updated Campaign Management Interface
- Current Campaign on Agent Status Page
- Search Campaign Metadata
- Dynamic Campaign List View for Agents
- Task ID from Parent Task in Comments of New Task
- Recordings in Stereo
- Optional Recording Configuration by State
- Denali for Dynamics: Missed Calls in History
- Product Enhancements and General Updates
- Coming Soon
- Summary
New Features - Bright and Shiny
Campaign Creation Facelift
We’re hard at work redesigning a fair bit of the UI, but in the meantime, we wanted to get you a better version of some the most used components. One of those areas is the New Campaign dialogue. Simply click “Create New Campaign,” select your Source Report, click Continue, then bask in the glory which is a much more intuitive Campaign creation screen.
Add Agents on Campaign Creation
Although there are many fancy enhancements to this screen, one feature we wanted to be sure didn’t get buried in the pile is the ability to add Agents directly from the creation screen. Just start typing their name(s) in the Agents box and add as many as you’d like!
Updated Campaign Management Interface
Now that you’ve created a few new Campaigns, you might want to go back and adjust a few settings using the newly updated Edit Campaign screen. While this will be tweaked slightly in the next release, it gives a much more consistent look at feel to the Campaign Management area.
Current Campaign on Agent Status Page
How about some Campaign updates for all you managers out there? What about showing the Campaign Name on the Agent Status page. Would that be helpful? Just kidding – we know it will be!
Search Campaign Metadata
During our Campaign refresh, we thought it might be helpful to be able to search Campaigns by some of the common Metadata fields. So in addition to the Campaign Name, we’ve added Campaign Members (you can search by name), as well as whether the Campaign has RegionalID enabled or not. If you think of anything else you might like to search by, feel free to let us know – we’re adding to this list all the time.
Dynamic Campaign List View for Agents
And last, but not least for Campaigns, we’ve added an awesome new feature which gives Agents the ability to only see Campaigns they are members of. This feature will still allow Admins to see all Campaigns.*
* Note: For this feature to work properly, it is critical that you have specified an Agent
Group as an Admin group, so please contact our support team if you would like to take
advantage of this option.
Task ID from Parent Task in Comments of New Task
For those of you who have started calling on the Task object (a feature introduced in Release 3.4), you will be pleased to know that we have enhanced this feature with added functionality. Each time you call on a Task, we will capture the ID of the “Parent” Task (the task which was called on) and pull that into the Comments field of the new Task which is created by the call.
Recordings in Stereo
Disclaimer: bad tech joke to follow. If you’ve ever had mono, you know it’s no fun at all. That’s why we’ve decided to introduce Stereo (multi-channel) Recordings. *Insert groan here.* In all seriousness, while this feature might sound like a small thing on paper, it actually opens up the door for all kinds of exciting things moving forward (think things like key word recognition and integrations with coaching software). We’ve already started working on some great new applications for this technology, one of which is up next!
Optional Recording Configuration by State
Because of the ability to split the call recording into two separate channels, this now allows for a customization that would give you the ability to select which channels should be recorded by state. For example, when making calls to Texas, perhaps the state laws allow you to record both the agent at the lead; however, when calling New York, you are only able to record the agent.*
* Note: This feature is available on an as-needed basis and will require the customization
to be purchased prior to installation and use.
Denali for Dynamics: Missed Calls in History
Adding to the growing list of features for Inbound, missed calls will now display in the History in Red, along with a notification showing the number of missed calls next to the History tab. Clicking on the History tab and viewing your missed calls will clear the notification, but the calls will still display red in History (think call log in iOS).*
* Note: This is a feature which needs to be enabled per Account. If you are interested in utilizing this feature, please contact our Customer Success team.
Product Enhancements and General Updates - Housekeeping and squashed bugs!
Added New Infrastructure
Recently, one of our vendors experienced a critical failure which took out a key piece of our infrastructure. In an effort to decrease the chances of a similar scenario in the future, we have cut ties with that vendor and brought that portion of our infrastructure in-house. We’ve also doubled the redundancy of that component, increasing from two servers to four servers in redundant pairs located in two geographically distinct data centers. Although a vendor failure is never a great situation, the silver lining is that in bringing this portion of our infrastructure in-house, we’ve seen a significant performance increase in that area over what the vendor provided.
Agent Idle Hang-up Process Improvements
In addition to the database changes put in place recently, telephony adjustments have been made to the method used to hang up Idle Agents. Previously, all idle agents were added to a queue and then were hung up one by one. Depending on the number of agents who were past their idle timeout period, this could result in agents being idle for additional time, essentially until their “turn” came up in the queue. Our telephony engineers have come up with a much more efficient, threaded process, which has tightened up the possible lag time between idle timeout being reached and the actual hang-up occurring.
Updates to Disposition Previous Call
In Release 3.4, we added the option for users to be prompted when they had forgotten to apply a Disposition on their previous call. This feature performs as intended, unless their previous call was during a previous session (typically from the day prior). In this case, there was no link to the previous call, so a new Task would log. Although everything was functioning as designed, this resulted in duplicate Tasks being logged. This feature has been adjusted to reference the existing Task created by that user, rather than creating a new Task.
Moved API for DS Management Pages to Standard Port
Finally, we have updated our API for the DS Management Pages (DS Management, DS Admin, etc.) to run on port 8001, a more standard port (as opposed to port 443). For most of your organizations, this change will not be significant. However, for a few of you with more stringent network security regulations, this will make Denali easier to install and maintain moving forward by eliminating the need to have your IT open port 443.
Coming Soon - What's up next?
We’re always building something, improving this or that, working to bring you new features as quickly as possible. Here are a couple that you might be interested in.
Denali for Salesforce: Missed Calls in History
I’m sure all of you Inbound users on Salesforce are incredibly jealous of the new Missed Call feature available in Denali for Dynamics. But don’t worry, we’re already hard at work getting this feature in place for you as well.
Softphone UI Redesign
In order to bring you a whole slew of updates and features related to the left-hand CTI panel in Salesforce, our engineering team is in the midst of an extensive redesign of the dialer. We just received an internal sneak-peek last week, and based on what we saw, it’s a safe bet to think about buying some balloons and dust off your favorite party hat!
Summary - What now?
For current Salesforce Denali users, the updated package (1.82) is available. However, most of these features are already in place as they are back-end updates and no package is needed. We do still recommend updating your package whenever you have the chance as there are a few updates included. To do so, just shoot our knowledgeable Support team an email.
Dynamics users who would like to take advantage of some of the new features are welcome to a demo of Denali for Dynamics. We recommend a discussion with our Customer Success team regarding the upgrade, as there are a few things to be aware of.
If you’re currently on Classic (V2) and are ready to upgrade to Denali, email our Customer Success team to discuss the transition.
Finally, if you’re interested in either the Account level options that need to be enabled, or the Recording Configuration by State, contact one of our Customer Success folks who can help get that going for you.
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