Release 3.17 features external directories with Microsoft Azure / Teams integration, an improved phonebook experience, Outbound Preview dialling and more.

This release comes with several important visual changes and as such, we recommend you understand and share these changes where necessary.

1.1 External Directories, Improved Phonebook and Dialpad

(Desktop) The new directory and dialpad experience (the animation may take a few seconds to load)

(Softphone) The new directory and dialpad experience (the animation may take a few seconds to load)

1.1.1 Improved Directory (phone book)

We’ve improved the directory in NEONNOW. Some of the key changes are:

(Desktop) directory is now a fixed drawer at the side of the screen and can no longer be moved. It’s now larger so you’ll be able to see more contacts at a time
Directory icon - it’s now a phonebook instead of two people
Contacts no longer have a Company field. We’ve added job title and more generic notes instead. Any contact that had a company will now have their notes set to the company specified
Agents have moved to their own tab within directory
We've renamed Company to Organisation. This is where you’ll find all admin-created and external directory contacts
A new popup menu for contacts, that allows you to view all their information from the list. This is opened by clicking on the coloured contact circle
Contacts are no longer called using the phone icon. Instead, you can simply click the phone number on the contact entry to call them
Contacts are no longer edited by clicking the pencil icon. Now, click the 3-dot action menu next to the contact and click Edit
An improved add/edit experience for personal and organisation contacts
Dialpad has been removedfrom directory. You’ll find it in its own section by:
- (Desktop) Clicking the new dialpad icon in the NEONNOW header
- (Softphone) Clicking the new dialpad icon in the NEONNOW sidebar
  
  See visual changes below and additional dialpad changes section

Visual Changes

A before and after of some of the changes.

(Desktop) NEONNOW header bar (Before, one directory icon)

(Desktop) NEONNOW header bar (After, separate dialpad and directory icons)

(Softphone) NEONNOW sidebar (Before, one directory icon)

(Softphone) NEONNOW sidebar (After, separate dialpad and directory icons)

Before

After

Create a Contact (Before)

Create a Contact (After)

Contact (before)

Contact (after)

1.1.2 Dialpad

The dialpad has been moved out of directory and in to its own drawer (desktop) and page (softphone). It’s got more space, so on smaller screens you won’t have to scroll to hit the dial button. You can no longer leave it open or move it around, similar to directory.

Use the new Dialpad icon in the header (desktop) or sidebar (softphone) to open it. On desktop you can also quickly switch between the dialpad and directory using the appropriate icon in the top right of the directory/dialpad drawers.

We’ve also added support for dialling emergency numbers in U.S Amazon Connect instances.

Before

After

1.1.3 External directory integration

Integrate with third-party directories using SCIM, such as Microsoft Azure or Okta.

Microsoft Teams presence can be enabled for Azure AD, giving agents the ability to see external contact presence.

Admin configuration of External Directories

Agent directory view of external contacts with Teams presence

1.2 Preferences

Preferences follow the same pattern as the directory and dialpad, and now open in a fixed drawer on the right side of the screen (desktop). Preferences have not changed on softphone.

1.3 Outbound Preview

Preview dialling has come to NEONNOW! After outbound previews have been configured, Agents will be able to receive specific preview tasks, before triggering a call to the destination phone number. We’ll automatically carry over information about your campaign to your outbound call.

Reach out to us on how we can help with your preview dialling solution, as well as integrating with our Insights reporting for campaigns.

An example outbound preview task an Agent may receive

1.4 Interaction History

We've made some visual changes and some small quality-of-life improvements which bring the desktop version of interaction history more in line with softphone:

(Desktop) Similar to most places in NEONNOW, calling a number in your history is now done by clicking the phone number and not a phone icon
(Desktop) We've replaced First Name/Last Name with Talked To. Talked To is based on a matching contact in your directory at the end of an interaction. If there is no contact match, we'll show the word Customer instead
(Desktop) We've reordered the columns and some columns have changed names:
- Timestamp -> When
- Source -> Phone Number & Type
- Type -> Direction
(Softphone) History without a matching contact will now display Customer rather than Unknown
Interaction History is now My Interaction History
Modifying or deleting a contact will no longer change the first/last name displayed in historical interactions. The Talked To column will now always remain the same

Before: Interaction History on desktop

After: Interaction History on desktop

1.5 Admin App Improvements

We’ve updated some text and added clearer help on the templated responses page.

We’ve changed the permission text for “Agent’s can’t skip” under interaction outcomes to “Interaction outcomes are required”
There’s a new permission for interaction outcomes, “Notes are required when there are no wrap codes” which allows you to further customize and decide what’s required from your agents in ACW
We’ve added additional help information and tweaked the list page for templated responses

1.6 General NEONNOW Changes

1.6.1 Interaction Outcomes

Based on the above Admin changes, we’ve slightly tweaked interaction outcomes for agents:

Agents will no longer see “Required” or “Optional” against wrap codes and notes during interactions (these remain on the ACW page)
Agents may receive different behaviour for required/optional fields
depending on how interaction outcomes have been configured in Admin

Wrap codes and interaction notes accordions in a connected call

1.6.2 Attached Data Badges

If attached data has been configured to display badges, Agents will now see new visualisations for attached data.

Attached data with a “Gold Customer” badge

1.7 Bug Fixes

The Admin app avatar now displays correctly
The loading icon in the templated responses window now displays correctly
Turning off agent task creation in Amazon Connect now correctly hides all add task buttons
(Desktop) Connected calls and conferences will now properly scroll in 2 column layouts