Introduction

VICIdial is the most popular open-source call center in the world. It is suitable for small to large call centers and various industries.

VICIdial enables you to handle inbound and outbound phone calls, incoming emails, customer websites, and chats in the same web-based agent interface. 

It allows you to send campaigns, generate leads, preview details of leads before dialling, listen to call recordings, and more. You can also easily create a deal while interacting with the leads.

Benefits

• Tracks all customer calls within the CRM and aids your sales and support representatives in day-to-day work.
• Increases agent productivity with integrated one-click dialing out of Vtiger CRM.
• Keeps a log of all calls, so you never miss out on information.
• It helps you to quickly generate leads from inquiry calls.
• Enables you to create deals while interacting with customers.
• Records inbound and outbound calls and hence helps you to fine-tune your sales strategies.

To know more about VICIdial + Vtiger CRM, click here.

Installing Phone Calls

To use the Phone Calls module, you must first install it from the Extension Store. You can access the Extension Store if you are an Admin user. 

Follow these steps to install Phone Calls:

1. Log in to CRM.
2. Click the User Menu on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click Settings. 

4. Look for the Extensions section.
5. Select Extension Store.

6. Search for Phone Calls using the search bar.
7. Click Install.

After you install the module, you can see it under Main Menu > Essentials > Conversations.

Setting up an account in VICIdial

To use the VICIdial integration, you must first create an admin user account in VICIdial and set up VICIdial in your local servers. Click here to create an account.

Configuring VICIdial in the CRM

After creating an admin user account dedicated only to APIs in VICIdial, you can configure the details in the CRM phone configuration.

Follow these steps to configure VICIdial in Vtiger CRM:

1. Log in to CRM.
2. Click the User Menu on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click Settings.

4. Look for the Extensions section.
5. Select Phone Configuration.

6. Click +Add Gateway.

7. In the Gateway dropdown, select VICIdial.
8. Fill in all the mandatory fields (marked by an asterisk):

1. Gateway Status - Mentions whether the gateway is active or inactive.
2. Default Gateway - Mentions whether the current gateway is the default gateway.
3. Start Call URL - Auto-generated with VICIdial call fields that are sent to Vtiger when Agent answers an incoming call.
4. Dispo Call URL - Auto-generated with VICIdial call fields that are sent to Vtiger when Agent dispositions an incoming call.
5. VICIdial Server Time Zone - Configure the server timezone in which VICIdial is hosted.
6. VICIdial Server IP - Public IP address where the VICIdial is installed.
7. VICIdial Recording Path - Default VICIdial recording folder name is populated. Alter this config only if the default config of VICIdial is overwritten in /etc/astguiclient.conf file. (Contact your System Admin before modifying).
8. API Admin User ID - Create a new user in VICIdial with Admin and API privileges, which will be used for all API requests that are initiated from Vtiger. (Make sure this user is not assigned to any agents)
9. API Admin User Password - Password related to the User ID added earlier.
10. Ticket/Case Title - Create merge tags or add custom strings that will be used when a case is created from the Incoming Call Popup.
11. Opportunity Name - Create merge tags or add custom strings that will be used when a deal is created from the Incoming Call Popup.
12. Vtiger Secret Key - Unique key auto-generated for authenticating all the requests that are received from VICIdial. This is a part of the Start Call and Dispo Call URLs that are auto-generated in the previous steps.

9. Click Save.

The VICIdial integration is now set up in Vtiger CRM. 

Adding User ID

 Once you configure all VICIdial details in Vtiger, you must add the User ID for all your agents from VICIdial to Vtiger.

Follow these steps to do the same:

1. Log in to CRM.
2. Click the User Menu in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Click the My Preferences button.
4. Enter the unique ID (Copy from VICIdial Admin Panel > Users) in the VICIdial extension field.

Modifications in VICIdial

Once the configuration in Vtiger is complete, modify a few configurations in VICIdial to start the integration.

Inbound Groups

To enable incoming call logs and incoming pop-ups in Vtiger, Vtiger URLs need to be configured in Inbound groups. 

Follow these steps below to enable incoming call logs and pop-ups:

1. Log in to the VICIdial Admin panel.
2. Go to Inbound Groups.
3. Click Modify under any one active group.
4. Modify the following fields:
   • Start Call URL - Copy Start Call URL generated in Vtiger from -> CRM Settings -> Phone Configuration.
   • Dispo Call URL - Copy Dispo Call URL generated in Vtiger from -> CRM Settings -> Phone Configuration.

5. Click the Submit button to save the changes.

Recording Filename

Vtiger CRM generates recording URLs for completed calls from Recording Filenames.

Therefore, all Recording Filenames should be in the format required by Vtiger CRM.

Follow the below steps:

1. Log in to the VICIdial Admin panel.
2. Go to Inbound Groups.
3. Click Modify under any one active group.
4. Modify the following fields:
   • In-Group Recording Filename - Set the value as CALLID.

5. Click the Submit button to save the changes.
6. Repeat the above steps for all the active groups.

Related Articles

• Phone Calls Module Overview 
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• Twilio Integration
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