Automations

Welcome to the Automations screen. Here you'll find all the necessary tools to automate processes in your contact center, optimizing response times and improving customer service experience. Ready?

What can you do from here?

This screen allows you to manage four main types of automations:

• Outbound Hubs: to process massive contact lists for voice and text channels.
• IVRs: to create interactive voice menus.
• Bots: to automate conversations on text channels.
• Functions: to execute custom logic through events, webhooks, and tasks.

Outbound Hubs

Outbound Hubs are tools designed for massive processing of contact lists on voice (telephony) and text (SMS, WhatsApp, Email) channels. They allow you to manage contact lists, configure dialing and distribution strategies, and optimize agent productivity in sales, collections, surveys, or mass communication campaigns.

What will you find on this screen?

A list with all created Outbound Hubs, where you can search by channel name, Hub name, Hub type, and associated campaign name.

Information for each Outbound Hub

• Channel: channel associated with the Outbound Hub.
• Name: unique name that identifies the Outbound Hub.
• Type: type of Outbound Hub configured (Preview, Predictive, or Broadcast).
• Campaign: campaign to which the Outbound Hub is associated.
• Status: indicates if the Outbound Hub is active (green circle) or disabled (red circle).

Available actions

From this screen you can perform the following actions:

• Search Hubs: use filters to search by channel, name, type, or campaign.
• Create new Hub: create a new Outbound Hub by configuring all its parameters.
• Edit Hub: modify the configuration of an existing Hub (except parameters in the "Basic" tab).
• Delete Hub: delete a Hub that is no longer used.

How to create an Outbound Hub?

Check the Outbound Hubs creation guide to learn the complete step-by-step process.

IVRs

IVRs are automated systems that allow you to create interactive phone menus. Customers can navigate options through their phone keypad or voice commands, enabling you to provide self-service, direct calls to the correct department, or collect information before connecting with an agent.

What will you find on this screen?

A list with all IVRs, IVR Functions, and Simple IVRs created in uContact, where you can search by name, type, and the user who last deployed it.

Information for each IVR

• Name: unique name that identifies the IVR.

• Type: type of IVR (IVR, IVR Function, or Simple IVR).

• Description: description of the IVR's purpose. Appears empty if no description was added when creating it.

• Last deploy: IVR activation status.

  There are two possibilities:

  Never: the IVR was never deployed.
  Indicates the date of the last deployment of the IVR and the user who performed it.

Available actions

From this screen you can perform the following actions:

• Search IVRs: use the search bar to search by name, type, or the user who last deployed it.
• Create new IVR: create a new IVR from scratch with the visual flow editor.
• Global variables: button next to the search bar to manage the global variables available to IVRs.
• Edit: modify the description of the selected IVR (the name and type cannot be changed).
• Edit workflow: open the visual flow editor. Clicking the row does the same.
• Historic: open the flow's version history, with date and user, and recover a previous version.
• Copy: create a copy of the selected IVR to use as a template. It is named name_copy (editable) and is created without being deployed. An IVR can only be copied as IVR or IVR Function, and a Simple IVR only as Simple IVR.
• Delete: lets you delete the IVR.

How to create an IVR?

Check the IVR creation guide to learn the complete step-by-step process.

Bots

Bots are automated assistants that allow you to manage conversations on text channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, WebChat, and Email. They can answer frequently asked questions, guide customers through processes, collect information, and perform automatic actions, freeing your agents from repetitive tasks.

What will you find on this screen?

A list with all Bots and Bot Functions created in uContact, where you can search by name, type, and the user who last deployed it.

Information for each Bot

• Name: unique name that identifies the Bot.

• Type: type of automation (Bot or Bot Function).

• Description: description of the Bot's purpose. Appears empty if no description was added when creating it.

• Last deploy: Bot activation status.

  There are two possibilities:

  Never: the Bot was never deployed.
  Indicates the date of the last deployment of the Bot and the user who performed it.

Disabled Bots are grouped at the end of the list under the Disabled group, which you can collapse or expand.

Available actions

From this screen you can perform the following actions:

• Search Bots: use the search bar to search by name, type, or the user who last deployed it.
• Create new Bot: create a new Bot from scratch with the visual flow editor.
• Import: button next to the search bar that opens a flow file (.json or .txt) in the designer. It is only shown to users who sign in through the license manager.
• Edit: modify the description of the selected Bot (the name and type cannot be changed).
• Enable/Disable: turn the Bot on or off as needed. When created, Bots are disabled by default and must be enabled manually. This is independent of deploying to production: a Bot can be enabled but never deployed to production, or temporarily disabled without losing its deployment. Only enabled Bots can be selected in a campaign.
• Edit workflow: open the visual flow editor. Clicking the row does the same.
• Historic: open the flow's version history, with date and user, and recover a previous version.
• Copy: create a copy of the selected Bot to use as a template. It is named name_copy (editable) and is created disabled and without being deployed.
• Delete: delete a Bot that is no longer used.

Licenses required!

Remember that to enable a Bot, you need to have a Bot license available. Each enabled Bot consumes a Bot license (deploying it does not); Bot functions do not consume licenses. If all licenses are in use, enabling fails with the error Maximum enabled bots reached. You can check more details with the Sales team.

How to create a Bot?

Check the Bot creation guide to learn the complete step-by-step process.

Functions

Functions are blocks of custom logic that execute in response to specific system events, calls from external webhooks, or scheduled through a scheduler. Unlike Bots and IVRs that interact directly with customers, Functions execute background processes such as integrations with external systems, database updates, or automated tasks.

What will you find on this screen?

A list with all Functions created in uContact, where you can search by name, type, description, the user who last deployed it, the event, or the webhook URL.

Information for each Function

• Name: unique name that identifies the Function.
• Description: description of the Function's purpose. Appears empty if no description was added when creating it.
• Type: type of Function (Event, Webhook, or Scheduler).
  • Event: executes automatically when a specific event occurs in the system.
  • Webhook: executes when it receives an HTTP call from an external system.
  • Scheduler: executes on a schedule at specific dates and times.
• Status: for Events and Webhooks, shows the date of the last deployment and the user who performed it (or Never if it was never deployed); for Schedulers, shows Enabled. Disabled Functions show Disabled and are grouped at the end of the list.

Available actions

From this screen you can perform the following actions:

• Search Functions: use the search bar to search by name, type, description, deployer, event, or URL.
• Create new Function: create a new Function by selecting the type (Event, Webhook, or Scheduler).
• Edit: modify the Enabled switch and the description and, for Events, the event and the URL. In a Webhook the URL is shown read-only so you can copy it. For Schedulers it opens the full task form. The name cannot be changed.
• Edit workflow: access the visual flow editor to modify the Function's logic. Applies only to Events and Webhooks.
• Historic: access the version history of the flow (not an execution log). Applies only to Events and Webhooks.
• Duplicate: create a copy of the selected Function to use as a template. It is named name_copy (editable) and is created disabled.
• Delete: delete a Function that is no longer used.

Important considerations

Key points to keep in mind

• Bot licenses: Each enabled Bot consumes a license, whether or not it has been deployed. Bot Functions, IVRs, and Functions do not consume Bot licenses.
• Deployment and enabling: Bots and IVRs must be deployed (put into production) before they can be used in campaigns or channels, and a Bot must also be enabled to be selected in a campaign. Deploying and "Enable/Disable" are different concepts: enabling turns a Bot on or off (and is what consumes the license), it does not deploy it or remove it from production.
• Version history: All changes to Bots, IVRs, and Functions are recorded. You can restore previous versions at any time.
• Specific Outbound Hubs: Outbound Hubs are associated with a specific campaign and cannot be shared between multiple campaigns.
• Bot Functions vs Functions: Bot Functions are reusable blocks within other Bots, while Functions (Events, Webhooks, Schedulers) are independent processes.
• Testing before production: Always test your automations before activating them in production to avoid negative impacts on customer service.
• Clear naming: Use descriptive names for your automations that clearly indicate their purpose (e.g., "Bot_Welcome_WhatsApp", "IVR_Main_Menu").
• Documentation: Use the description field to document the purpose and operation of each automation, making future maintenance easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a Bot and an IVR?

IVRs are used exclusively on the Telephony channel to create interactive voice menus, while Bots are used on text channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS, WebChat, and Email.

Can I temporarily disable a Bot without deleting it?

Yes, you can use the "Enable/Disable" option to temporarily deactivate a Bot. This keeps it in the system but prevents it from executing until you activate it again.

Can I use the same Bot in multiple campaigns?

Yes, Bots are global and can be configured in multiple campaigns and channels simultaneously. You just need to select them in the configuration of each channel where you want to use them.

How do I recover a previous version of a Bot or IVR?

Use the Historic action of the Bot or IVR, select the version you want from the list (each one shows its date and user), and click Recover. The version is loaded into the editor: save or deploy the flow for it to take effect.

Do Functions consume licenses?

No, Functions (Events, Webhooks, and Schedulers) do not consume licenses. Only enabled Bots consume Bot licenses.

What type of Outbound Hub should I use?

It depends on your business, the channel, and your objectives. There are 3 types:

• Preview: the agent sees the contact information before it is processed. Available only for the Telephony channel.
• Predictive: the system predicts agent availability and processes multiple contacts simultaneously to optimize productivity. Available only for the Telephony channel.
• Broadcast: allows massive processing of contacts without agent intervention. Available for Telephony (automatic calls) and text channels. SMS, WhatsApp, and Email Hubs are always Broadcast.