Business Continuity Planning

Use this app to prevent any communication interruptions in the event of an unexpected issue or outage.

The Business Continuity Planning app can be used to monitor calls that are unable to reach your main number, notify a designated point of contact about the issue, attempt to transfer the failed call to two other backup numbers, and, if all phone lines fail, prompt the caller to leave a callback number or message.

For example, if your primary company phone line was down due to inclement weather at the Denver headquarters, your designated contact (e.g., Head of IT) would receive a message about the issue, and all calls to the primary line would be transfer to the secondary phone number (e.g., the main line at the San Mateo branch).

At a high level, to create a new Business Continuity Planning app you must complete the following steps:

Configure the primary phone number and notifications
Assign a failover number
Assign an additional failover number
Set up callback and leave a message options
Set up a goodbye message
Assign a phone number to your app

Note: The number you assign to the app in step 6 (after it's fully configured) can be the same as the primary phone number assigned in step 1.

Configurations

Primary Phone Number and Notifications: Identify your primary company phone line and point of contact for notifications.
- Primary Phone Number: This is the business line that will be monitored for any issue or outage.
- Notifications: Include the name and phone number for the point of contact who will receive an SMS in the event of an issue. The notifications might look like this:
Failover 1: This is the backup company phone line a customer would reach in the event of an issue.
- Transfer to: Choose a secondary phone number the caller will be transferred to.
- Audio Assigned: A default Text-to-Speech (TTS) message the caller will hear during the transfer to the secondary phone number is already included (“Please stay on the line while we connect your call. Your call is important to us.”). But you can customize the message or add a new one to fit your business needs.
  
  To create a new TTS message or select an audio file, click Audio Assigned.
  - On the Audio Settings pop-up, make sure Audio Text (TTS) is selected for TTS, or Audio Library for a recorded audio file, at the top of the page.
    - For Audio Text (TTS), select the vendor and voice you want to use from the drop-down lists.
      
      Note: By default, vendor IBM and voice Lisa American English are used for any TTS.
      - Then add the transfer message to the text box.
    - For the Audio Library, click on the audio file you want to use or click the upload icon to add a new audio file to your account.
Failover 2: This is an additional backup phone line, if neither the primary nor secondary phone lines are functioning.
- Transfer to: Choose a tertiary phone number the caller will be transferred to.
  
  Note: If you don’t have another company phone line, you can include your primary or secondary number here and attempt to reach that number again.
- Audio Assigned: A default Text-to-Speech (TTS) message the caller will hear during the transfer to tertiary phone number is already included (“Please continue to stay on the line while we connect your call. Your call is important to us.”). But you can customize the message or add a new one to fit your business needs.
  
  To create a new TTS message or select an audio file, click Audio Assigned.
  - On the Audio Settings pop-up, make sure Audio Text (TTS) is selected for TTS, or Audio Library for a recorded audio file, at the top of the page.
    - For Audio Text (TTS), select the vendor and voice you want to use from the drop-down lists.
      
      Note: By default, vendor IBM and voice Lisa American English are used for any TTS.
      - Then add the transfer message to the text box.
    - For the Audio Library, click on the audio file you want to use or click the upload icon to add a new audio file to your account.
Failover 3: If all three company phone lines are experiencing an issue, you can give the caller the option to request a call back or leave a voice message.

Note: All callback requests and voice messages are collected and logged within List Management. A new list will appear with the name "_Smart_Assistant_CallBack_Messages_List_".
- Audio Assigned: A default Text-to-Speech (TTS) message the caller will hear when their call cannot be connected is already included (“Sorry, we cannot connect your call at this time. Your call is important to us. Press 1 to ask for a callback. We will call the phone number you used to call us. Or press 2 to leave a message.”). But you can customize the message or add a new one to fit your business needs.
  
  To create a new TTS message or select an audio file, click Audio Assigned.
  - On the Audio Settings pop-up, make sure Audio Text (TTS) is selected for TTS, or Audio Library for a recorded audio file, at the top of the page.
    - For Audio Text (TTS), select the vendor and voice you want to use from the drop-down lists.
      
      Note: By default, vendor IBM and voice Lisa American English are used for any TTS.
      - Then add the message to the text box.
    - For the Audio Library, click on the audio file you want to use or click the upload icon to add a new audio file to your account.
- User Options: For both caller options, assign a message the caller will hear after they successfully make their selection.
  - Ask for a Callback: For example, the message a caller will hear if they press 1.
    - Assign Audio: A default Text-to-Speech (TTS) message the caller will hear is already included (“Thank you. We will call you back shortly.”). But you can customize the message or add a new one to fit your business needs.
      
      To create a new TTS message or select an audio file, click Audio Assigned.
      - On the Audio Settings pop-up, make sure Audio Text (TTS) is selected for TTS, or Audio Library for a recorded audio file, at the top of the page.
        
        For Audio Text (TTS), select the vendor and voice you want to use from the drop-down lists.
        
        Note: By default, vendor IBM and voice Lisa American English are used for any TTS.
        
        Then add the message to the text box.
        
        For the Audio Library, click on the audio file you want to use or click the upload icon to add a new audio file to your account.
  - Leave a Message: For example, the message a caller will hear after they press 2, prompting them to record their message.
    - Assign Audio: A default Text-to-Speech (TTS) message the caller will hear is already included (“Please leave a message after this tone. Do not leave any confidential details such as credit card numbers or Social Security numbers.”). But you can customize the message or add a new one to fit your business needs.
      
      To create a new TTS message or select an audio file, click Audio Assigned.
      - On the Audio Settings pop-up, make sure Audio Text (TTS) is selected for TTS, or Audio Library for a recorded audio file, at the top of the page.
        
        For Audio Text (TTS), select the vendor and voice you want to use from the drop-down lists.
        
        Note: By default, vendor IBM and voice Lisa American English are used for any TTS.
        
        Then add the message to the text box.
        
        For the Audio Library, click on the audio file you want to use or click the upload icon to add a new audio file to your account.
Goodbye Audio: Assign the message the caller will hear before hang-up, ending the interaction.
- Audio Assigned: A default Text-to-Speech (TTS) message the caller will hear is already included (“Thank you for your message. Your call is important to us. We will return your call shortly. Goodbye.”). But you can customize the message or add a new one to fit your business needs.
  
  To create a new TTS message or select an audio file, click Audio Assigned.
  - On the Audio Settings pop-up, make sure Audio Text (TTS) is selected for TTS, or Audio Library for a recorded audio file, at the top of the page.
    - For Audio Text (TTS), select the vendor and voice you want to use from the drop-down lists.
      
      Note: By default, vendor IBM and voice Lisa American English are used for any TTS.
      - Then add the goodbye message to the text box.
    - For the Audio Library, click on the audio file you want to use or click the upload icon to add a new audio file to your account.

Once your Business Continuity Planning app is configured and deployed, the final step is to assign a phone number to it.