ChannelHelpCallcentric

[TOC]

Callcentric

Callcentric is a VoIP phone service.

In order to configure a Callcentric channel in Verboice you first need to create an account in Callcentric: http://www.callcentric.com/.

Callcentric channel configuration

1. Go to ‘Channels’ tab

2. Create a new Callcentric channel and enter:

   • Name: A name for the channel, so you can identify it.
   • Call Flow: Select which call flow you want to connect this channel to. A Call Flow defines what will happen when a new call starts. You can create a new Call flow in the Projects tab.
   • Username: Your callcentric account number.
   • Password: Your callcentric account password.
   • Number: Your callcentric account number.
   • Limit: (optional) Maximum number of simultaneous calls supported by the channel. By default, Verboice will set this limit to 1. You can read more about Callcentric channels capacity and how to increment it here.

3. Wait for your channel icon to become green. This means the channel is registered and ready to be used.

Callcentric Number

Your callcentric phone number can be found here:

After creating an account, Callcentric provides you with a phone number that can be used for free for calls between Callcentric numbers.

Configuring your number in Callcentric

In order to make and receive calls to non-Callcentric numbers you need to configure your account. Callcentric lets you choose the features that better fits your needs.

In order to choose the plan that best fits your requirements, you need to take into account:

• who is going to initiate the call (are you calling your users or are they calling you?)
• the geographic area in which your users are located
• the load you expect your system to have

Choosing your plan

In http://www.callcentric.com/products/ you can read and choose a Callcentric plan.

The rate plans are organized in 2 main sections

Make Calls:

If you want Verboice to call your users (you have your users’ phone numbers and you are going to be making outgoing calls) you only need to buy Callcentric credit, there's no need to get a phone number.

Choose the plan more convenient to you, press “Order now” and continue with the checkout process. The number that you need to use in verboice is the default one that came with your callcentric acount. See Callcentric Number. section for details on where to find it and section Callcentric channel configuration for help on how to configure your Verboice channel.

Once you order the plan and configure the Channel, you can start making calls from Verboice, and Verboice will call your users.

Receive Calls:

If you are designing a hotline (you are going to publish your number and you want your Call Flow in Verboice to be executed every time a person calls) you will need to buy a Callcentric number.

Choose the number that better fits your needs taking into account coverage, minutes and fees and then click “Get Number”.

You will be redirected to a screen that allows you to lookup the local area of the number you are about to buy. Choose the area where most of your users will be. This is important for your users to pay less for the calls they perform.

You can lookup a region by its name" or by using a sample phone number (ex: one of your users’ phone number).

After pressing Lookup you will see a summary of the number you are about to buy and see availability information above the lookup boxes.

After you have bought the number, it will appear in your dashboard. See Callcentric Number section for details on where to find it and section Callcentric channel configuration for help on how to configure your Verboice channel.

After your number is available and configured in Verboice your users can start calling your number and the Call Flow you defined will be executed.

Making and Receiving Calls

Take into account that if you want to support both incoming and outgoing calls from users or you want Verboice to call back every user that calls your number you will need to choose both a Rate Plan and a Phone number. See section Make Calls and Receive Calls for help.