Contact Center
What it is
Contact Center brings full voice calling capabilities into BotBat, allowing your team to handle inbound and outbound calls alongside chat conversations in a unified workspace. Instead of managing voice and messaging through separate platforms, agents see all customer interactions in one interface, with shared context and history across channels.
The module includes five core capabilities: call routing rules that direct incoming calls to the right agent or department; an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) builder for creating self-service menus; automatic call recording for quality assurance and compliance; agent call queues with real-time monitoring; and detailed call analytics covering duration, wait times, abandonment rates, and resolution outcomes. Together, these capabilities provide a complete voice operations platform embedded directly within BotBat.
Contact Center integrates with the broader BotBat ecosystem. Business hours configured in Settings control when calls are routed to live agents versus voicemail. Agent availability from the Users & Roles module determines queue membership. Conversation history from voice calls appears in the unified Inbox alongside chat messages, giving agents full context regardless of the channel a customer used previously.
When to use
| Scenario | What to do |
|---|---|
| Handling inbound customer calls | Configure routing rules to direct incoming calls to available agents based on skills, department, or round-robin distribution. |
| Building self-service IVR menus | Let callers navigate options ("Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Support") before reaching a live agent, reducing wait times and misrouted calls. |
| Recording calls for compliance or training | Enable automatic call recording to review conversations for quality assurance, dispute resolution, or agent coaching. |
| Managing high call volumes | Use call queues to hold callers with estimated wait time announcements, and monitor queue depth in real time. |
| Transferring calls between agents | When a caller needs a specialist, warm-transfer or cold-transfer them to another agent or department without dropping the call. |
| Reviewing call performance | Use call analytics to track average call duration, wait times, abandonment rates, and first-call resolution across your team. |
Steps
Configuring call routing rules
Navigate to Account > Contact Center from the sidebar and open the "Routing" section. Call routing rules determine how incoming calls are matched to agent groups or departments. Each rule consists of conditions and a destination.
Create a new rule by clicking "Add Rule." Define conditions based on any combination of the following:
| Condition type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number | Match calls arriving on a specific inbound number | Route calls to +1-555-0100 to the Sales team |
| Time of day | Match calls during specific hours | Route after-hours calls to voicemail |
| Caller attribute | Match based on CRM data linked to the caller's number | Route VIP customers to the priority queue |
| IVR selection | Match based on what the caller selected in the IVR menu | Route callers who pressed "2" to Support |
Rules are evaluated in priority order. The first matching rule wins. If no rule matches, the system falls back to the default routing destination, which you configure at the bottom of the routing page. Always set a sensible default (such as a general queue) to ensure no call goes unanswered.
Building an IVR menu
In the "IVR" section, use the visual builder to create a menu tree. Each node in the tree represents a menu level. For each node, record or upload a voice prompt (e.g., "Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Support, 3 for Billing"), define the key-press actions that branch to sub-menus or route to queues, and set a fallback path for unrecognized input or silence.
Keep your IVR menu shallow. Research consistently shows that callers abandon calls when forced through more than two levels of menus. If your analytics show that most callers press "0" to skip to a live agent, your IVR options may be too complex or misaligned with actual caller needs. Review and simplify the menu monthly based on usage data.
Always configure a fallback action for every menu node. If a caller presses an unmapped key or remains silent, they should be routed to a live agent rather than hearing the menu repeated indefinitely. A good fallback pattern is: repeat the prompt once, then transfer to the default queue.
Enabling call recording
Under "Recording Settings," toggle recording on for all calls or configure it on a per-queue basis. You can choose between two recording modes:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Full recording | Records the entire call from answer to hang-up, including hold music and transfer transitions. |
| Agent-only recording | Records only the portions where an agent is actively speaking with the caller. Hold time is excluded. |
Many jurisdictions require caller consent before recording. Configure a pre-call announcement (e.g., "This call may be recorded for quality and training purposes") in the "Recording Announcement" field. Consult your legal team to ensure compliance with local and international recording consent laws. Recordings are retained for the period defined in your workspace retention policy and can be accessed from the call detail view or the analytics dashboard.
Setting up agent call queues
Go to "Queues" and click "Create Queue." Name the queue, assign agents, set the maximum queue depth (the number of callers who can wait simultaneously), and configure hold music and periodic wait-time announcements. The real-time queue monitor shows how many agents are online, how many callers are waiting, and the current longest wait time.
If the queue reaches maximum depth, additional callers hear a configurable overflow message. You can route overflow callers to voicemail, to a different queue, or play a callback-request prompt. Monitor queue depth metrics regularly and adjust the maximum depth or add agents during peak periods to prevent callers from receiving busy signals.
Handling live calls and transfers
When a call comes in, the agent interface displays caller information, contact history, and any CRM data linked to the caller's number. Accept the call using the green answer button. During the call, the toolbar provides hold, mute, transfer, and end call controls.
To transfer a call, click "Transfer" and choose between two modes:
| Transfer type | How it works |
|---|---|
| Warm transfer | You are connected to the receiving agent first. Brief them on the caller's issue using the transfer notes field, then complete the handoff. The caller hears hold music during the briefing. |
| Cold transfer | The call is immediately redirected to the target agent or queue. The caller is not placed on hold, but the receiving agent has no advance context beyond what is in the CRM. |
Warm transfers are strongly recommended for complex issues. They prevent the caller from having to repeat their situation and result in higher customer satisfaction scores. Use the transfer notes field to pass context even on cold transfers when possible.
Reviewing call analytics
Open the "Analytics" tab to view dashboards covering call volume, average duration, average wait time, abandonment rate, and first-call resolution rate. Filter data by date range, queue, or individual agent to identify trends and performance issues.
Key metrics to monitor regularly:
| Metric | What it tells you | Target benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Average wait time | How long callers wait before reaching an agent | Under 60 seconds |
| Abandonment rate | Percentage of callers who hang up before being answered | Under 5% |
| Average call duration | Mean length of agent-caller conversations | Varies by use case |
| First-call resolution | Percentage of issues resolved without a callback | Above 70% |
A rising abandonment rate signals that wait times are too long. Use this metric to justify adding agents, optimizing IVR paths, or adjusting queue configurations.
Managing voicemail
In the "Voicemail" section, review voicemails left by callers who could not reach a live agent. Each entry shows the caller's number, call timestamp, voicemail duration, and an AI-generated transcription. Listen to the recording or read the transcription, then assign the voicemail to a specific agent for follow-up.
Voicemails that are not assigned or actioned within a configurable time period (default: 24 hours) are flagged as overdue and trigger an alert to the queue supervisor. This ensures no caller inquiry falls through the cracks.
Common pitfalls
| Pitfall | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Not setting a fallback in the IVR | Callers who press an unmapped key or stay silent get stuck. Always configure a fallback that routes to a live agent. |
| Enabling recording without legal compliance | Many jurisdictions require caller consent before recording. Configure a pre-call announcement or consult your legal team. |
| Undersized queues during peak hours | A maximum queue depth that is too low causes callers to get a busy signal instead of waiting. Monitor metrics and adjust limits proactively. |
| Ignoring abandoned call data | A high abandonment rate signals that wait times are too long. Use this metric to justify adding agents or optimizing IVR paths. |
| Cold-transferring without context | Transferring a call without briefing the receiving agent forces callers to repeat themselves. Use warm transfers or transfer notes whenever possible. |
Review your IVR menu monthly. If analytics show that most callers press "0" to skip to a live agent, your IVR options may be too complex or misaligned with actual caller needs. Simplify the menu and measure the impact.
- Contact Center Overview
- Call Routing Rules
- IVR Menu Builder
- Call Recording
- Agent Call Queues
- Live Call Handling
- Call Transfer
- Call Analytics
- Voicemail Management