Outbound Hubs
uContact has different types of Outbound Hubs that you can use in certain channels. An Outbound Hub is a really powerful tool that allows you to upload a list of contacts, and uContact takes care of making the calls or sending text messages or emails, depending on the channel you are using.
Telephony, SMS, WhatsApp and Email
Important Concepts
Before starting to create the Outbound Hub, it is important to consider some fundamental concepts about the Hubs.
Time Zone
Lists do not have a time zone; each record in the list can have its own time zone. This is important when creating a list, especially if we have clients in different countries or states within the same country that have different time zones.
How to assign a time zone to a client?
If you want to assign a time zone to a client, it must be specified in the list using the Continent/City format, for example: America/Montevideo.
Schedules
One of the most important aspects of an Outbound Hub is having a correct schedule configuration in order to connect with as many list contacts as possible in the shortest amount of time. There are two types of schedules.
Dialing Schedule
The dialing schedule is the schedule configured in the campaign associated with the Hub. This is the time frame during which the Hub will be active, creating interactions. This schedule has a time zone and can be composed of multiple time ranges, for example: from 09:00 to 15:00 and from 16:30 to 21:15. This can be set through custom schedules, adjusting the dialing times according to the Contact Center’s needs.
Contacting Schedule
The contacting schedule does not have a time zone. It refers to the time frame when contacts must be available in their own time zone in order to be reached. For example, if the Hub has a schedule configured from 09:00 to 18:00, clients will only be contacted if their local time is between 09:00 and 18:00 while the Hub is running.
A time conversion is done based on time zones. For example, if the Hub has a time zone of America/Montevideo (GMT-3) and a schedule from 09:00 to 15:00, and one of the contacts in the list has a time zone of Europe/Madrid (GMT+2), the Hub will be able to contact this client from 14:00 to 15:00 (Hub time).
This should only be taken into account if the Hub will have lists with contacts in time zones different from that of the Hub. If the list contains only local contacts, this does not need to be considered.
In Summary!
If the Hub will have lists with contacts in different time zones from the Hub, both the dialing and contacting schedules must be correctly configured to maximize efficiency and reach all clients in the shortest amount of time.
Dispositions
All interactions created by the Hubs must be dispositioned by agents. They can use the default system dispositions as well as those from the campaign. Additionally, there are different types of actions that are important to consider.
Respool
This action will add one more attempt to the record. If this was the last contact attempt for the client, it will move to the next number uploaded in the list for that client, if available.
Respool Alternative
This action will reset the attempts and move to the next number uploaded in the list for that client, if available.
Reschedule
This action allows the agent to select a date to call the client again, following the Hub’s dialing logic. The dates will be filtered based on the client's and the agent's schedules.
Blacklist
This action adds the client to the campaign's Blacklist associated with the Hub, preventing the client from being called again in the future.