Alerts

The Alerts function enables you to set up notifications via email for specific trigger events, ensuring timely information about system activity. There is also the option of adding API triggers via webhooks to allow for more advanced functions to take place, such as adding numbers to callback lists, or notes in a CRM.

Email Alerts are sent from the no-reply@callation.com email address, and detection occurs every five minutes. 

Since call data is only received once a call concludes, alerts are triggered post-event. For example, when a trunk utilization alert is received, call volumes may no longer be at peak thresholds, as this will depend on events since completion times of call records received.

The Alerts interface features a familiar table layout where you can add, edit, or delete alerts. The table provides a summary, including the alert description, alert type, and the last triggered time.

Key Table Elements:

• Description: A user-defined label for easy identification
• Alert Type: Specifies the notification type
• Parameters: Details like extension or group parameters
• Last Detected: Timestamp of the latest trigger
• Actions: Options to Edit, Copy, Delete, or manually run alerts

To configure an alert, click “Add” or use “Edit” under the Actions menu. This opens a setup window with three tabs: Alerts, Parameters, and Distribution.

1. Alerts Tab

This tab is where you define alert specifications, including the alert type and description.

2. Parameters Tab

This tab allows you to set subjects and filters based on the chosen alert type, such as extensions or groups.

3. Distribution Tab

Here, you configure recipients for the alerts.

Distribution Options:

• Email to Me: Sends the alert to your login email.
• Distribute to: Add additional email recipients.
• Include Description in Email Subject: Add the alert description to the email subject.

Note: To disable any options, simply untick the associated box.

4. API Trigger Tab

API Triggers will generally require some integrations works with third party services for integration into customer applications. Services such as Zapier can be used to accept webhooks from our API Triggers and connect to other APIs to manage data formatting and connectivity options. We can also provide custom integration services on a price on application basis.

Webhooks are sent as a POST containing a JSON body in the same format as the API response from reports providing the same associated information. (See section on APIs for more details about extracting API data)

API Trigger Options:

• Enabled: Checkbox to enable or disable sending of the API Trigger.
• API URL: This is the URL of the receiving endpoint for the webhook.
• Basic Authentication: Checkbox to enable or disable basic authentication against the receiving endpoint.
• API User: Username for receiving endpoint (required Basic Authentication to be enabled)
• API Password: Password for receiving endpoint (required Basic Authentication to be enabled)

Configurable Alerts

1. Extension Missed Call

• Alert Type Options: Alert Type, Description
• Parameters: 
  • Ring Time(Seconds, default 0)
  • Extensions Selection (Extension or Extension Range)
  • Selection Menu for Extension or Extension Filter, depending on above.
  • Include Internal (Checkbox)
  • Include Voicemail (Checkbox)
• Extension Missed Call alerts can be triggered against a specific Extension or Extension Range (extension filter).
• There is an option to configure the minimum ring time to trigger an alert

  Eg. Only notify if ring time is over 30 seconds)

• Options are available to include (or exclude) internal calls and calls that went to voicemail. For voicemail calls the ring time check is ignored.

  
  

2. Group Missed Call

• Alert Type Options: Alert Type, Description
• Parameters: 
  • Ring Time(Seconds, default 0)
  • Group Selection (Group or Group Range)
  • Selection Menu for Group or Group Filter, depending on above.
  • Include Internal (Checkbox)
  • Include Voicemail (Checkbox)
• Group Missed Call alerts can be triggered against a specific group or Group Range (group filter).
• There is an option to configure the minimum ring time to trigger an alert

  Eg. Only notify if ring time is over 30 seconds)

• Options are available to include (or exclude) internal calls and calls that went to voicemail. For voicemail calls the ring time check is ignored.

  
  

3. Long Call

• Alert Type Options: Alert Type, Description
• Parameters: 
  • Extension Filter Selection
  • Number Dialed (Text Input Field)

• Long call alerts are triggered against an extension filter (group of extensions).

• If a call is detected to have been made or received over the configured length option, an alert notification will be generated.

  
  

4. Trunk Utilization

• Alert Type Options: Alert Type, Description
• Parameters: 
  • Trunk Filter (Trunks to monitor)
  • Trigger Threshold (Trigger an alert when concurrent calls reach this target)
  • Clear Threshold (Do not trigger an alert again until concurrent calls drop below this target)

• Trunk Utilisation alerts can be configured to trigger when the concurrent usage of a trunk or set of trunks reaches a configured threshold.

• The Clear Threshold acts as a mechanism to prevent notification flooding by not re-triggering until the concurrent total drops below this number.

  Eg. Trigger is set to 20 trunks and Clear is set to 16 which means once the 20 concurrent calls total is breached a notification will be triggered, however, a new notification won't triggered until the concurrent total drops to or below 16 and then climbs back up to 20.

• Particularly with Trunk Utilization Alerts, it is important to note that as we only receive call data after a call, all alerts are triggered post-event. This means there could be a considerable delay in the trunk threshold being breached in real-time and us receiving the call data to determine and send the alert notification.

  
  

5. Number Dialed

• Alert Type Options: Alert Type, Description
• Parameters: 
  • Extension Filter Selection
  • Number Dialed (Text Input Field)
• Number Dialed alerts are triggered against an extension filter (group of extensions).
• If a call is detected to have been made to an exact match for the number in the "Number Dialed" field, an alert notification will be generated. An example of this could be a call to an emergency number, or a non-productive destination such as a radio contest line.
• It is very important to note that detection of these events is only possible after the call is completed and the call record has been uploaded to our platform, so under no circumstances should these alerts be considered real-time notifications of an event, particularly in the case of an emergency call.