The Broadcast module allows you to broadcast a message to a predefined list of phone numbers. You can decide to use different messages or destinations based upon whether a person or answering machine/voicemail answers the call.
Terminology:
To navigate to the Broadcast module:
You will see a screen like this, landing on the Groups tab:
In this wiki, we’ll go over the tabs from left to right, starting with Status.
Click the Status tab. This page works like an on/off switch for the broadcast service as a whole, and shows whether the service is running. It also shows which campaigns are active, whether they have been started, how many calls have been placed, and how many calls still need to be placed. You can download a report for the campaign.
When the broadcast service is running, calls will be placed for any active campaigns. When the service is stopped, no calls will be placed.
The Start/Stop button starts or stops the broadcast. Click the button to toggle the status. Changes take effect immediately. The status will be updated above the button to say "Stopped" or "Running" depending on the current status.
This section shows campaigns that have not yet completed. The Active checkbox indicates whether a campaign is active. However, remember that the broadcast service also needs to be running (see service status, above) in order for calls to be placed.
You can check / un-check the box to activate/deactivate a campaign.
Click the Report button to download a CSV file containing a report for the campaign.
Example:
last_updated | campaign | callee_name | callee_number | initiated_dial | answer | delivered_to |
10/23/15 16:09 | 3 | Tango Frog | 5555551212 | yes | yes | person |
10/23/15 16:09 | 3 | Digit | 5555551234 | yes | no |
Click the Complete button if you would like to manually mark a campaign as complete.
This section shows campaigns that have been completed.
Click the Report button to download a CSV file containing a report for the campaign.
Click the Restart button to move a completed campaign back to the Current Campaigns section.
Click the Delete button to delete a completed campaign.
Click the Groups tab.
From here, you can add, edit, or delete lists of names and numbers. You can include one or more call group within a single broadcast campaign. Any existing groups will be shown.
You’ll be taken to the Group Options tab when you add or edit a group.
The Call Group Name field is mandatory. Others are optional, as you are not required to use a CSV file. You will have the option to enter names and numbers manually after submitting the data in this tab.
The name of this call group.
A URI to import the call group from. This currently supports FTP and HTTP in CSV format. FTP format would be "ftp://username:passsword@myserver.com/mylist.csv"
(FTP ONLY.) Yes/No: Whether to attempt to delete the file after downloading it from the URI provided above. If the system is unable to delete the file for whatever reason, then the import will not proceed.
The time, in seconds, between URI updates.
You can import a CSV file formatted as follows:
Names should be enclosed by ’"’ and fields separated by ’,’ Example:
"Name",Number,command
The command is either ’add’ or ’remove’, is optional, and defaults to ’add’. Examples:
"John Doe",12345678,add
"John Doe",12345687,remove
Click the Browse button to upload a CSV file. Choose the CSV file from your computer.
Click the Submit button when done.
Click the Numbers to Call tab. (Note: This tab is only visible after you have submitted information in the Group Options tab).
The name of the callee.
The phone number of the callee.
Click the Add/Edit Callee button to save changes.
Click the Campaigns tab. From here, you can add, edit, or delete broadcast campaigns. You can activate/deactivate a campaign when adding or editing it. Any existing campaigns will be shown in a list.
(Optional; Visible when you are creating a new campaign.) You can choose to duplicate an existing campaign. Select the campaign you wish to duplicate, then skip to clicking Submit. This allows you to run the same campaign after it is completed while keeping previous campaign reports intact.
A unique name for this campaign.
Maximum number of concurrent calls this campaign can make.
The caller ID that outbound calls will use for this campaign.
(Optional) A prefix to be appended to every number before it is dialled. This is useful, for example, to force calls to go out through a specific outbound route.
The email address you wish the report to be emailed to.
Never / Daily After End Time / After Campaign Completes: When to e-mail a report.
Yes/No: Whether the campaign will be active after submitting the data on this page. Select Yes to activate the campaign upon addition/modification.
The broadcast service must be running in order for the campaign to begin, even if you select Yes here. You will need to visit the Status tab if you haven’t yet started the broadcast service.
To specify which call group(s) will be included in this campaign, drag one or more call groups out of the Not Included bin and drop in the Included bin.
Date and time options for this campaign.
Where to send calls answered by a live person.
Where to send calls answered by an answering machine or voicemail. Please note, the system makes all attempts to detect a voicemail or answering machine, but this is not guaranteed to be reliable. Answering Machine Detection (AMD) is handled by Asterisk, and must be configured independently. The default settings for AMD may work, but may need to be adjusted for your specific system and trunks. You can manually review and edit Asterisk AMD settings in the file amd.conf using the Config Edit module.
Click the Submit button, then click the Apply Config button. (Remember, the broadcast service must be running in order for this campaign to begin. Please visit the Status tab to check status.)
Click on the General Settings tab.
The maximum number of calls ALL running campaigns (combined) can place at any given time. This should be less than the total number of channels available on the system, in order to still allow other calls to be made and received while a broadcast campaign is in progress.
The maximum number of times to try calling busy numbers back.
(Optional) If you would like to customize the "from" e-mail address that reports appear to come from, enter the e-mail address here.
If you point a destination of your PBX to a start and stop toggle for a campaign, you can activate/deactivate the campaign at any time simply by dialling the destination.
If the broadcast service is stopped, it will begin running automatically if you activate a campaign through dialling a toggle.
For example, if you have a campaign set up (but not active) to alert parents that school is closed for the day due to weather, you could create a hidden IVR with an option to press 134 to activate the "School Closed" campaign, and 234 to deactivate it. Dialling 134 from the IVR would be the same as checking the Active box in the Status tab of the Broadcast Campaigns GUI page. You could route an inbound DID to the IVR to allow someone to access it remotely.
Example IVR entries:
Article ID: 96
Created: Tue, Aug 1, 2017
Last Updated: Tue, Aug 1, 2017
Author: Mark Simcoe
Online URL: https://kb2.ic.uk/article.php?id=96