Filtering Inbound Calls

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes | Target users: Supervisors, Administrators

In this tutorial, you will learn how to filter incoming phone calls by setting up a blacklist (what we call a Robinson list), so phone numbers on the list can be blocked and would not be able to call your agents.

In this tutorial you can learn how to:

1. Set up a filter for a small number of phone numbers
2. Set up a filter for a larger number of phone numbers: Create a list in advance & Import the list to your project
3. Add numbers to a Robinson list
4. Assign a Robinson list to a project

5. Remove numbers from a Robinson list: One by one & Bulk removal

1. Set up a filter for a small number of phone numbers

If there are only a handful of numbers you want to block, then the process of adding those numbers to a Robinson list is fairly straightforward.

To create and apply a Robinson list with only a few entries, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Project > Channels > Voice > Inbound
2. Choose the timesheet you want to have a Robinson list applied to.
3. Select Macro from the Actions dropdown list.
4. Select the newly-created Macro item that appears below your list of processes and enter a name for it, for example: ‘Inbound Blocking’. Press Save.
5. Add an If process to your Inbound Blocking macro from the Actions dropdown (while the macro is selected), set as follows:
   In the Parameters section, make sure to select On every condition met (AND)
   Type ‘$source’ in the field in the left-hand side, and the phone number you want to have blocked in the field on the right-hand side.

   

   If you want to add more numbers, use the “|” sign (Alt Gr + W on Windows) to separate them. Example: 3611111111|3622222222

6. Press Save
7. Open the If process with its arrow, so you can see the Then and Else branches
   By placing a process from the Actions dropdown list in the Then branch, you can define what happens if the preset criteria match those in your setup (in other words, the unsolicited number is calling). For example, insert a Hang up process to disconnect the call immediately when an incoming call is established with the given number.
8. Select your timesheet again and add the Run macro Action process from the dropdown list. Drag and drop it to the top of that timesheet’s actions.
9. Click on the added Run macro action and choose the added macro: Inbound Blocking
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for every timesheet you have in your project where you want specific callers to be blocked.
11. Press Apply inbound changes to save your settings.

Note: Phone numbers should be entered in the following format, without spaces: country code (without the initial ‘00’ or ‘+’) + area code + local number. For example, a phone number in Budapest, Hungary could be: 361123456

2. Set up a filter for a larger number of phone numbers

If you have encountered a large number of unwanted phone calls, you can create a Robinson list setup to effectively block those numbers. This is a 2-step process: first, you need to create the actual list, then you import it into VCC Live.

2.1 Create the list itself

1. Set up a table in the spreadsheet application of your choice. You need to have three mandatory columns: name, phone1 and blacklist. You can then fill in the table accordingly with the names and numbers of the callers you want to be blocked.

   

2. Here are some requirements you should pay attention to when preparing your table:
   Phone numbers should be entered in the above-mentioned format (for example: 361123456)
   The ‘blacklist’ column should have the ‘yes’ value in every cell.

3. Export the table as your database in TXT.

2.2 Set up a new project and import the database

1. Create a new project and enter a name for it, for example, Robinson list. The project does not need to be activated.

2. During the Project Setup Wizard process, you are asked to import a database for your project. At the Auto script generator step, enter a name for the Datasheet page name which describes the new column you want to implement. For example, name it data.

   

3. Make sure the Indexed checkbox for the blacklist field is marked in Project > Database > Field.

2.3 Apply the Robinson List project to one of your projects

1. Navigate to Project > Channels > Voice > Inbound
2. Choose Macro from the Actions dropdown menu, and rename it to something else, for example Blacklist check.
3. Add the Query data process from Actions to the Blacklist check macro.
4. Select Query data, enter a name for it and fill out its parameter section as below:

   Project: select the created Robinson list project
   Search field: phone1
   Variable: $source
   Result order: First matching record
   

5. In the table below, type $blacklist next to the blacklist line. Press Apply inbound changes.
6. Select the main macro process and nest the If process from Actions under it.
7. Enter $blacklist = yes in the If’s Parameter section. Press Save.
8. Open the If process with its arrow, so you then see the Then and Else branches.
   By placing a process from the Actions dropdown list in the Then branch, you can define what should happen if the preset criteria match those in your setup (in other words, the unsolicited number is calling). For example, insert a Hang up process to disconnect the call immediately when an incoming call is established with the given number.
9. Select a timesheet and add the Run macro process from Actions.
10. Drag and drop Run macro to the top of your processes in the list.
11. Select the Run macro process, and choose Blacklist check in its Run the given macro field. Press Apply inbound changes.
12. Repeat the last two steps for all Timesheets in which you want to block the specified numbers
13. Press Apply inbound changes.

3. List the numbers your system blocks in a log

Once you have completed the steps described in 2.3, you can create an additional variable that can record the incoming blocked call attempts and show them in your CDR log. Here’s how you set this up:

1. Add Set variable process above a Hang up process, and add a new line to its Parameters section:
   Name of the variable: $vcc_score_a
   Value of the variable: blacklistdetected
2. If the above-mentioned process is added, you see the blacklistdetected text in the Score column of your project’s CDR log.

4. Extend your blacklist by adding more phone numbers

There are two ways to manually extend the list of blocked numbers in your Robinson list project:

• You can upload another database with new, blocked numbers as described in 2.1 and 2.2.
• You can manually add records via the Records menu. To do so:

1. Navigate to Database > Records > Actions > Add

2. Type any name in the ‘name’ field, then type a phone number you want to block from calling you in the ‘phone1’ field and type ‘yes’ in the ‘blacklist’ field

   

5. Add numbers automatically (by agents)

You can let your agents add numbers to your Robinson list by performing the steps below:

1. Navigate to Project > Dispositions
2. Create a new disposition in the project where you want to enable this option by clicking on New disposition, and enter a name for it, for example ‘Inbound blacklist additions’.
3. Press Add disposition
4. Navigate to Project > Script editor
5. Mark the VCC API usage from script checkbox.
6. Press the Edit code button.
7. Select your preferred code editing tool (for example, Notepad) by clicking on Browse and determining its position on your computer. Once you have selected it, press Apply inbound changes, close the window, and then Press Edit code one more time.
8. In the code editor window, paste the following code:

$().beforeSetDisposition = function(disposition) {
if (disposition.id == yourcreateddispositionID) {
	var projectid = yourblacklistprojectID;
	var record = {
		"form":{
			"blacklist": 'yes',
			"phone1": vcc.getFieldValue('phone1'),
		},
		"disposition":{
			"disposition.id": "14",
			}
	};
	vcc.callCustomerApi('POST', '/v2/projects/'+projectid+'/records', record, function(success, response) {});
}};

1. Replace the elements in bold with the relevant disposition ID and project ID values.
2. Save and close the text file, and on the Script editor page choose Upload script.

Note: The setting in step 7 can be changed later at any time at VCC Live menu > Tools > Local Settings > Code editor tab

6. Remove numbers from your Robinson list.

If you want to unblock phone numbers in your project to receive calls from them, you can remove these numbers from your Robinson list. To remove phone numbers from your Robinson list, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Robinson list’s Project > Database > Records list.
2. Look up the specific phone number you want to remove (with the help of the search fields and filtering parameters).
3. Press Actions, and then Mass value update.
4. In the popup window choose the ‘blacklist’ Field from the drop-down list on the left-hand side and leave the Value part empty.

5. Press Apply inbound changes. The progress bar will show whether the update is completed. Once it’s finished, please close the window.

   

7. Bulk removal of numbers

You can remove multiple phone numbers from your Robinson list in one go. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Robinson list’s Project > Database > Records list.
2. Search all records without filters ⁠–⁠ this lists all the records you have in your database. Copy or Export your results by pressing Copy to clipboard or Export.
3. Paste and Edit your database in the spreadsheet application of your choice.
4. Delete the records you want to be removed from your Robinson list.
5. Rename these two columns:
   The Record ID column with “numberid” (NB: There are two underscore characters on each side of “numberid”),
   The blacklist column with “field.blacklist”
6. Save your database in TXT
7. Navigate to Project > Database > Import
8. Select Add and then Update database from the drop-down list.
9. Browse for the updated TXT file you created and click Open. Press Ctrl+A to choose all dispositions which appear on the screen. Press Next.
10. The system displays the update progress status. Once completed, press Finish.