Date: Friday June 25, 2010
Time: 10:00 – 17:00 GMT -5 (15:00 – 21:00 GMT 0)
IRC Channel: #elastix-dev
Network: irc.freenode.net

I’ve been talking with Rafael about publishing this method, and he suggested to share it in the Elastix Blog, so that’s why I’ve have published it, so we can polish it and see a way to implement it on a larger scale.

The objective of this implementation is to use Elastix’s dialer to call a list of customers to deliver a message and to be able to still use the Call Center with “real” agents. I have also added a little PHP script that logs the customer’s answer (number dialed) after the call is completed.

To get this to work, we need to create:

- Some “virtual agents” that are created in the same way as the “real” agents in the  Call Center’s GUI.

- A Custom Context to log them in with the command AgentCallbackLogin (sadly deprecated in Asterisk 1.6 , but able to be worked around).

- Another Custom Context to log them (for debugging purposes, but useful sometimes).

- A Custom Context to redirect the calls to a final custom context that will handle the calls.

It seems a little tricky, but with a few Custom Contexts you’ll be able to use a feature that is requested very often.

Now the question is, why “virtual” agents ? The answer is pretty simple, I needed to keep Call Center’s original functionality.

As you may noticed the way that Elastix’s dialer, before dialing, polls for the available agents, that’s why we are using AgentCallbackLogin, and to make it call.

So the overview of the process will be something like this:

1) We create the agent with the Call Center’s GUI.

2)  We delete the password of the agent at the file

In etc/asterisk/agents.conf , it will be something like this:
Agent prototype: agent => [Agent ID],[password],[Agent’s Name]

[agents]

Agent => 1001,,Virtual 1

Agent => 1002,,Virtual 2

Agent => 1003,,Virtual 3

Agent => 1004,,Virtual 4

3)  We create a Custom Context to login our virtual agent at extensions_custom.conf:

The prototype for AgentCallbackLogin is this:
AgentCallbackLogin([AgentNo][|Options[|exten[@context]]])

[login-agents]

exten => 1111,1,Answer

exten => 1111,n,NoOp(Logging Agents)

exten => 1111,n,AgentCallbackLogin(1001,s,501 at from-internal)

exten => 1111,n,AgentCallbackLogin(1002,s,502 at from-internal)

exten => 1111,n,AgentCallbackLogin(1003,s,503 at from-internal)

exten => 1111,n,AgentCallbackLogin(1004,s,504 at from-internal)

exten => 1111,n,NoOp(All Logged)

exten => 1111,n,Hangup()

4) We create a “Catch” extension to pick up all the calls directed to our virtual agents:

[catchcalls]

exten => 501,1, Goto(amessage,s,1)

exten => 502,1, Goto(amessage,s,1)

exten => 503,1, Goto(amessage,s,1)

exten => 504,1, Goto(amessage,s,1)

5) Finally we create the Custom Context to deliver the message:

[amessage]

exten => s,1,Answer

exten => s,2,Wait,2

exten => s,n,Read(tmp,custom/message1,1||1|5)

exten => s,n,Set(RESP=${tmp})

exten => s,n,Playback(thank-you-cooperation)

exten => s,n,Hangup()

exten => h,1,DeadAGI(llamadas.php,${RESP})

As you may notice if you want to store the answer in the case of a poll or similar, you can store the answer using the command read instead of playback, and once the call is finished call a script to handle the answer.

6)  Create a queue where you’ll put your virtual agents.

7) Create an outgoing campaign and start burning minutes!

For this implementation I used Elastix 1.5.2 and Call Center 1.5 with 50 virtual agents and it works like a charm.

I hope you weren’t bored if this mini guide is kind of basic or by my English.

Thanks for reading it and I hope It’ll be useful

It is also well known that Asterisk does not need huge CPU power to function properly, with minimal requirements for RAM, and the hard disk size (few gigabytes is enough).

I personally had the chance to get their hands on a superb offer from the incumbent. No less than 101 € for this little Netbook. With my current server running on the same basis, I told myself: “Why not put this on Elastix netbook?!”

As this marvelous Medion Netbook E1210 is capable of booting from a USB key, it was sufficient for me to take a key of 2GB, and to put Elastix on it.

First – Download the latest version of Elastix off the Elastix.org site.
Next – Burn Elastix onto a CD, then to put the content of the CD to a web site /var/www/html/install for example.
(Either a site intranet, or other. There are some small servers as Easyphp that functions very well on a PC under Windows).

Modify the ks.cfg file while commenting out the cdrom info like this:

#Use CDROM installation medium
#cdrom

Next, it will be necessary for you to format the USB Key using  FAT preferably using FAT32. Then to download the Windows program: unetbootin from the web.

This program prepares the USB key for booting, and then copy the file iso content to the USB Key, following the instructions which are very simplistic. After a few minutes, the USB key is ready.

Put the key on the right side of the Netbook (otherwise, the key will be recognized but the boot won’t make itself), then press the [F11] key repeatedly until a small menu with a choice comes up indicating the name of the USB key.

Select this, and another menu will appear. Press  [ENTER]. Linux is will continue loading as if it was being installed from CDROM.

But at some point, it will prompt saying that it cannot find the file: CDROM:/ks_advenced.cfg.

When this occurs then replace : CDROM:/ks_advenced.cfg with http://your_web_server/install/ks.cfg , and then press OK.

At this point the installation program will recognize that the installation is to be completed from a Web server.

Use this time to disable the WIFI with (Key [Fn] + [F11]) and disable the webcam with (Key [Fn] + [F6]).

It’s going to ask the url of the web site:  http://your_web_server/install/.  Press OK.

The installation will continue as normal.

Remove the key before the Elastix installation goes into the section of partitioning, otherwise, the GRUB will be installed badly on the disk.

Thats it, the installation is finished.

If you have a tip or an experience you want to share with the community about Elastix in this blog, please submit your article to rbonifaz[at]elastix.org. Palosanto Solutions will analyze the articles and define which ones will be published. All articles must be released with the GNU/FDL license.

To begin, we have the following two articles:

• The first article is about a cheap, fast and efficient way to implement QoS with Elastix. This article is written by Josiah Spackman (chilling_silence) from New Zeland.
• The second article is about interoffice trunking with IAX. Thanks to Bob Fryer, learn how to connect two offices together using Elastix.