Topic
This article provides an overview of the Cytracom Desktop App.
Environment
- Cytracom Desktop
Description
Cytracom's Desktop application includes a soft phone, so youo can make and receive calls from your computer without a physical desk phone to aid in supporting remote workers.
Overview
Cytracom Desktop lets you talk, text, fax, and see data from other tools—all from a single pane of glass. Start a dedicated conversation in a private room. Text a client or include them in a group chat. Best of all—customers can text you first, just as they would text anyone else. You can learn more about the Business Messaging terminology here.
Prerequisites/Requirements
- A new non-admin user must be set up as a user by their Cytracom admin. This person can easily invite users in one step from their Desktop or manually add them instead, as explained here: Adding a New User -- The admin must assign an extension to the user during this process.
- For Business Messaging specifically, a C2 Service Plan is required- all other features are available to all customers.
- A user's capability to include SMS messaging requires the user to have their own assigned phone number. A Cytracom admin can complete this process, as explained here: Assign a User to a Phone Number to Enable SMS
- The fax function requires a subscription before it becomes activated and available.
How to access Cytracom Desktop
Download the Desktop App here. By installing the standalone App, you can configure it as your dialing software for phone numbers found in other applications.
Or, Cytracom Desktop can be accessed via a Chrome browser at: https://desktop.cytracom.net/
Logging in
- Login to the app with your Cytracom credentials- email address or phone number/extension and password.
- If a phone is associated with your line, you'll be asked if you'd like to use the physical phone or the computer audio for calls.
- Once logged in, you will see interoffice contacts on your left.
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How to Enable Notifications
- Click on the lock icon next to the URL
- Choose which notifications to enable
Settings
Select the user's profile avatar in the top left to see the options
The icon at the top of the leftmost purple bar is the link to the settings page. From there, users can control several aspects of their Cytracom Desktop Application experience. There are six categories of settings. It is important to note that after making changes to any fields to click save at the very bottom of the page.
Profile
Your profile settings relate to basic information about your account, such as name, extension, phone number, and email address, with only two editable fields:
- Photo: Clicking on the icon or photograph above your name will allow you to delete the selected picture in favor of the icon, or upload a picture. When uploading a new file, the type has to be of type gif, png, jpeg, or jpg. A cropping window will appear to select a square section of the uploaded image.
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Time Zone: If you’re working remotely from a different time zone and want the subsequent time fields to use the local settings, change your time zone from the drop down menu here.
Call Strategy
The Call Strategy section of the settings allows you to define how calls are handled at your desk. The three available settings are:
- Call Strategy: Do you want calls to come to your desk before your mobile, your mobile before your desk, only your desk, only your mobile, or both simultaneously.
- Ring Duration: Define how long you want to ring one location before trying another or going to voicemail.
- Make and receive calls: When a call is routed to your desk, do you want to handle it through the Desktop App or the physical phone at your desk?
Business Hours
The Business Hours settings field defaults to a closed position until toggled on. When opened, you can define when to apply the call strategy from the previous section and define a second call strategy to define outside those times. There are three types of controls:
- Business hours: Define which days are business days (a moon indicates closed while a snowflake on blue indicates open) and the times the business is open (clicking on the times makes them editable.)
- Choose where to direct calls outside of business hours: Another Call Strategy choice that only applies when the business is closed.
- Ring Duration: Like in Call Strategy, how long to attempt one call destination before trying another.
Notifications
Notifications controls what sound, if any, to play when a call comes into the Desktop App. Available settings are:
- Mute all notifications: This toggle mutes notifications.
- Ringtone: Select a desired ringtone from the dropdown menu. A sample will play when selected.
- Ringtone volume: This slider sets the relative volume of the app. Note that muting your computer will override the volume setting here.
Mailbox
Mailbox offers you four controls regarding your voicemail:
- Delete Voicemail: Select how long to hold a message before automatically deleting it from the dropdown menu.
- Enable Email Notification: This toggle determines if you should be sent an email to inform you when you have a voicemail message.
- Voicemail Transcription: If your service plan allows for voicemail transcription, it can be turned on with the toggle switch.
- Add Voicemails as attachments: If sending a notification email, would you like the system to attach a copy of the voicemail to that email as an attachment?
Audio
The Audio settings define which hardware options on your computer should be used by the Desktop App.
- Microphone: If multiple microphones are configured on your computer, they will be displayed in the drop-down menu for selecting which should be used to record Voice for the Desktop App.
- Speaker: If multiple output modes are configured for a computer, they will be displayed in the drop-down menu for selecting which should be used to play sounds from the Desktop App.
The last Desktop menu items allow you to refresh the screen or log out of the application.
Desktop Icons
The illuminated icons on the left side will allow you to navigate between voice communication, messaging, call center queues, and faxing.
Status Icons:
- Avatar - One of three options:
- User's uploaded picture
- A stick figure indicating a person's account
- A phone for a phone line, perhaps shared or otherwise not connected to messaging
- Availability - The dot in the upper left corner of the icon is blue indicates user online in Cytracom app for messaging
- Phone status
- Green - Available
- Red - On the phone
Marketplace
Directly below your user icon on the left edge of the window is the Marketplace icon. Opening the marketplace allows you to view extensions available for the application that allow you to integrate directly with other database services you may already have access to. It is split into three areas:
- Upcoming Apps: Allows you to vote on apps you'd like to see integrated with the desktop in the future.
- Available Apps: Lists services we have available for integration with already that you are not using.
- My apps: Lists the services you have already integrated with.
Once an app is installed, it can be accessed from its icon on the right edge of the screen. Directions for installing and configuring each different integration are available in Cytracom's Help Center. When installed, the Cytracom Discover process makes it simple to call up everything your company knows about a contact as soon as you see the number or on a call, in the same application. No need to put them on hold as you look them up on other websites.
Voice
Display Bar
- Contacts - listing of interoffice contacts by extension
- My Calls - listing of entire call history displayed by default, but may be filtered by call type
- Voicemails - listing of voicemails with audio playback. Transcription will be displayed for users on the C2 plan when this option has been enabled in the system.
If using your computer as a softphone, use of a headset is always recommended for optimal audio quality.
Dial Pad
The dial pad at the bottom left will allow a number to be manually entered or pasted. The small window has several controls overall:
- The numbers themselves can be clicked to enter the digits of a phone number.
- The search bar can have names or numbers typed directly in.
- When the desired name or number is in the bottom field, the green button starts the call.
- The book icon at the top opens a condensed version of the contact list, where clicking a name initiates a call.
- The gear icon at the top brings up the same preference menu as the user icon.
Placing a Call to a Contact
- Select the phone icon to the right of the contact name, or at the top right of a contact's profile to initiate a call
- Mousing over a name will reveal buttons for a call (phone handset) or both a call and a text message (talk bubble) depending on the capabilities of the account.
Expand an Active Call
While on an active call, the dialpad indicator changes to give active call information. Each of the icons is clickable for a function:
- The microphone mutes or unmutes your line.
- The pause symbol puts the caller on hold.
- The red handset ends the call.
- Clicking on the user, opens a fullscreen call menu that offers advanced call functions like adding a 3rd party or transferring a call.
Fullscreen Mode
In the fullscreen call menu, callers are shown as icons or with their profile pictures (if available) in the middle of the screen. Additional functions are available from the controls at the bottom of the screen. Note that you can leave fullscreen mode from the back arrow on the bottom left side of the screen.
Merge Calls
When two calls are active or on hold, this button becomes active. If clicked, the two calls will be merged into a three-way call. While on a three-way call the button changes to a split call icon. If you hang up while the call is merged, the call ends for all parties. If you split the call, both will be put on hold until one call is clicked on in the middle of the screen.
Transfer a Call
- Click transfer
- Choose the contact or enter the number of the party you would like to transfer the current call to
- The call will immediately transfer to the chosen destination
Add a Call
Adding a second call puts the first caller on hold. Each line will be shown via an icon on the desktop and you can switch between them with those icons.
Hang Up
Pressing the large red button will end the current call.
Mute
Clicking the mute button will silence your microphone(s). This is a toggle and will be solid red (to alert you) while muted. Clicking again returns microphones to their previous level.
Hold
Placing a call on hold will also block sound from your application to the user, but will replace that sound with recorded hold music to indicate the connection is still up. This is a toggle and will be solid white while muted. Clicking again stops the music and returns you to the call.
Keypad
Pressing the Keypad icon will toggle the view from the active calls to the dialing pad. This will allow you to enter digits to respond to a prompt.
Messaging
The Messaging icon (a speech bubble) on the left border of the screen opens up your messaging history. From that list, you can review all the discussions stored there, continue those conversations, or start a new conversation. These conversations can be searched and filtered like the Call History earlier. Existing conversations will be with:
- One user: a messaging conversation. Mousing over the item in the history provides buttons to call the person or delete the history.
- multiple users: a conversation between multiple phone numbers or users that cannot be changed. You have the option of deleting a multiuser conversation but no call option exists.
- A room which persists at the creator's discretion but can have different members over time. The controls for a room vary depending on if you are the creator or member of the room.
- Edit Name: The pencil icon by the name of the room appears to the creator and can be used to change the name of the room.
- Options: The gear icon allows anyone to toggle notifications for messages in the room. It also allows the creator of the room to archive it and prevent future discussion.
- Member: The vertical dot icon allows changes to the room membership. Anyone can remove themselves from the room. The creator can also add or remove other members. (shown below)
To send a new message or create a room, click the Start a conversation button.
If it is a simple message for one or more users, add the names or numbers to the to field. If that user or group of users has a history, the new message will be appended to the existing conversation.
If you are creating a new room, check the Convert to room box. You are then prompted to name the room. People added to the To field are the initial members of the group, but as creator you can add more later.
In either case, type a message or add files via the text box at the bottom of the window and click the paper airplane to send the message.
Call Center
Click on the Call Center icon, below Messaging, to view the call center queues. Note that this only applies if you have added call center agents to your Cytracom service. The queues you have setup will be displayed as tiles.
Click on any tile to expand that queue and view more details. You can view the real time queue summary, agent status, and the queue history. The red bubble around a given caller's wait time indicates that the call has exceeded the average hold or average talk time for that queue.
Faxing
Click on the fax icon to initiate a fax or view fax history. You also have an option to include a cover page.
Note: Greyed out options throughout Desktop are features that will be available in upcoming releases.