Auto-dialing program (SIP Asterisk) for clients and debtors
Autodial is an effective means of notifying customers about the arrival of goods, promotions and any other information. In addition, after listening to the speech, the client can, by pressing button 1, contact your operators or perform other actions that can be configured for other numbers.
Also, the autodialing program is useful for notifying debtors about the amount owed and fines. It is more convenient to assign this unpleasant and routine procedure to a robot that can call an unlimited number of times.
It is very easy to start auto-dialing - just copy a file with a voice recording (mp3) and a file with a list of phones (csv) to a specific folder. After that, the auto-call will start automatically, and at the end of it you will receive an e-mail notification with a report.
File format with phone numbers
To provide versatility in the choice of sources of telephone numbers - the csv format was chosen. It is a text format with semicolon delimited columns. This format is convenient in that it can be prepared both in Excel and in 1C, other databases, and even manually using a "notepad".
The simplest example of this file is simply listing numbers, one number per line. For example, the simplest and most common file with a list of numbers looks like this:
In this case, all numbers will be processed according to the same rules: the number from which the auto-call will take place, the list of operators and the auto-call time will be taken from the default settings. How to change them will be described below.
How to start auto-call
To start calling you need to do two simple steps:
- Open the computer named ASTERISK in Network Neighborhood.
- Copy the files required for auto-dialing to its new folder.
It is recommended to copy the csv file with the list of phones last. Otherwise, auto-dialing may start before all the files you need are copied.
Auto-dialing starts automatically 5 seconds after the conditions are met:
- in the new folder there is a voice file mp3 (whose name differs from one digit);
- in the new folder there is a csv file with a list of numbers;
- the process folder is empty (it contains temporary files while the call is in progress).
After starting the calls, all files from the new folder are moved to the process folder. It also creates logs and other temporary and intermediate files that are technically needed for auto-dialing. After the end of the auto-call, all files from the process folder are automatically transferred to the history folder (for the archive).
At the end of the auto-call, a letter with a brief report is sent to your e-mail.
Extended information about the work of auto-dialing
How to forcibly stop auto-dialing (before the end of calling all numbers)
To stop the auto-dialing emergency, the easiest way is to delete all files from the process folder.
But in fact, to stop, it is enough to delete only the csv file (with a list of numbers). The rest of the files can be deleted later (or moved to another folder) from the process folder so that you can start a new auto-call. As long as there is at least one file in the process folder, a new auto-call cannot be started (it is considered that the current auto-call is still going on once there are working files in the process folder).
Default settings
Autodial has a number of settings, which are most often the same for each autodial. And in order not to indicate them with each new auto-dialing, it is more convenient to set them once and always use them. Most often, the auto-dial function already comes with basic settings, which you can change at any time if you want.
The config.ini configuration file is located on the ASTERISK computer in the config folder. This is a regular ini file that you can change in any text editor, for example, Notepad.
Phone List File Format
1. The first column sets the number of the client to which we will call
The number format can be quite loose. For example:
+79230123456
79230123457
89230123458
9230123459
8 (923) 0123460
8-923-012-34-61
8 923 012 3462
83852503290
8 (3852) 50-32-90
and etc.
The preferred format is without extra characters that are not used when dialing a number (first 4 examples).
At the moment, dialing city numbers is possible only with the city code (the last 2 examples).
Incorrect numbers will not cause an error, but will be excluded from auto-dialing.
All of the following columns are optional and may be missed. The purpose of the additional columns is to change the default settings from the default (set in config.ini). If the current autodial is somehow different from typical autodials, then it is more convenient not to change the config.ini file, but simply to override some parameters directly in the file with the list of numbers. This is done through additional columns.
2. The second column sets the number (external line) through which the customer will be called
The external line should be specified exactly as expected and provided by the provider. For example: 73852987654, SIP555000RU, 654321, gsm, etc.
By specifying in the second column different external lines for different types of numbers, you can save on outgoing calls. So, for example, it is more profitable to use Rostelecom lines for calls to landline numbers, and for calls to mobile numbers - lines of mobile operators. In this case, the lines must be connected to the Asterisk.
This column is optional. If this column is not filled, then the default line will be used as a line.
3. The third column contains a list of operators (separated by commas)
For example: 101,200,600
If the client presses the number 1 during or after listening to the video, the call will be transferred to the specified operators. If all operators are busy, then auto-dialing is temporarily suspended until at least one free operator appears.
This column is optional. If not set, then there will be no connection with the operator and the client will simply listen to a message (for example, a reminder of a debt).
4. In the fourth column, you can forcefully specify a file name that will be played
An individual audio clip can be specified for each phone number or phone group.
This column is optional. If the file is not specified, the first available mp3 file from the new folder will be taken. The file name must differ from one digit, because files like 1.mp3, 2.mp3, etc. will be played to the client if he clicks the corresponding number.
5. The fifth column sets the time interval when you can call
The time interval is set, for example, like this:
8: 00: 00-17: 59: 59
But for simplicity, you can use the abbreviated form, for example: 8: 00-17: 59. In this case, seconds ": 00" will be added to the initial interval, and ": 59" to the final second.
Likewise, you can skip recording the minutes, leaving only the hours. Then the missed minutes at the beginning of the interval will also be replaced with ": 00", and at the end of the interval with ": 59".
Let's give examples that will be equivalent:
8-17 = 8: 00: 00-17: 59: 59
8: 30-17 = 8: 30: 00-17: 59: 59
8-8 = 8: 00: 00-8: 59: 59
This column is optional. If this column is not filled, then the default value (9: 00: 00-17: 59: 59) will be used as the allowed time interval.
6. The sixth column sets the list of days of the week when you can call
You can specify both a comma and a dash. For example, 1.3-5.7 means that the days of the week are suitable: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
This column is optional. If this column is left blank, the default value (from Monday to Friday) will be used as the list of days of the week.
Features of work
It is possible to set individual settings for each number or group of numbers. So, each parameter that is defined will apply to other numbers until it is overridden with a new value. See example below:
Technically, this is equivalent to these settings:
Thus, if you want to override the standard auto-dialing settings for all numbers in the list, you just need to set the settings for the first number only.
If the number in the first column is specified incorrectly, then the entire line is ignored. Such lines can be used as comments.
After your client chooses a menu item, a file will be played, the name of which coincides with the selected item (for example, 1.mp3, 2.mp3, 0.mp3, t, mp3). These files must be copied to the new folder before starting the autodial. If there is no file responsible for the menu item, it will not be played to your client.
How to prepare files in Excel
The easiest way to prepare a file with a list of numbers is Excel. The prepared file must be saved in csv format.
This is how the contents of the resulting csv file from the example above will look: