After two massive releases like v7 and 7.1, we here at Bicom Systems have decided to dedicate this release cycle to enhancing what we have already introduced while still sneaking a few new toys to expand our products’ service offerings.
Thus, you are going to see a number of new features, some big, some small, but all aimed toward improving on the existing experience and building upon it to keep guiding you toward the future of telecommunications with simple, but sturdy steps.
Until then, we hope to have met your expectations and that both you and your clients remain satisfied.
Here’s what 7.2 has in store.
PBXware
Linking The World Together With SMS Connectors
One of the biggest changes coming in PBXware with 7.2 is the addition of the SMS Connector API, a stepping stone toward better communication interconnectivity.
It serves as a standardized interface that enables the development of custom SMS trunks that can enable compatibility between the PBXware instance and a currently unsupported SMS provider, opening up a whole new avenue of communication for the business.
And all of that is made available to you after performing a few simple setting adjustments.
Further Customizations Through ARI Applications
To make integration with existing systems even easier, 7.2 brings ARI application registration to PBXware, allowing you to create an even more intricate call network than vanilla PBXware currently allows.
The Addition Of An Event Manager
Another big addition to PBXware’s toolset is the Event Manager, allowing PBXware admins to further streamline workflows between PBXware and third party platforms/services through custom HTTP requests.
Contact Center
Expanding The ‘Omni’ Of Omnichannel
Another big change has occurred in Contact Center as the team keeps working on improving all omnichannel functionalities, the addition of Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp to the roster of covered communication channels, providing your customers with even more contact options for your business.
Further Expediting Customer Handling Times With Canned Responses
While not as major of a change as two new communication channels for Omnichannel, the addition of Canned Responses to the Contact Center’s tool arsenal allows agents to resolve some commonly asked customer queries faster by relying on these preset answers, enabling them to focus on more complicated tasks.
WhatsApp Templates
The introduction of WhatsApp into the Omnichannel circle has also led to the introduction of WhatsApp templates into the mix, allowing businesses to have access to preset responses with which to better communicate with its WhatsApp customer base, allowing for better information communication.
The Integration Of The Complete Customer Journey
Prior to 7.2, the customer journey was tracked per channel, but with this latest version, we have enhanced this functionality to now track every interaction the customer has with the business across all supported channels.
Improved Support With OpenStreetMap
During unplanned service outages or other unforeseen events, it can be difficult for the affected customer to communicate the problem, but with our OpenStreetMap integration into Contact Center, they don’t have to.
Easily locate the approximate area of the customer based on their IP address and offer them personalized assistance based on location.
Easier Contact Management With Contacts Directory
Managing every contact is made easy with the Contacts module, a way for businesses to get a handle on their contact list.
The module in question now possesses further functionalities that should make contact management even easier, namely allowing quick contact additions or edits either by users through forms or by agents or supervisors themselves.
Though, the biggest upgrade is the ability to add contacts in bulk through a simple .csv file upload, allowing you to quickly populate contact lists with ease.
gloCOM & gloCOM GO
Changing From A Standard To A Shared Group
gloCOM’s 7.2 journey comes with some interesting additions. Let’s start with the simplest, yet equally as relevant one where gloCOM members can transform their existing, standard groups into shared groups.
These shared groups help provide new group arrivals access to the group’s full chat history, making onboarding processes or other conversations easier to follow without the need to repeat information as more people join.
gloCOM Meeting
Schedule A Meeting Directly From The Chat
On the gloCOM Meeting side, we have a great quality of life update with the added option of being able to schedule meetings directly from the chat toolbar, allowing for quicker meeting organization without the need to add specific participants or having to switch between countless tabs.
Updates To Screen Sharing Alerts
Another QoL update comes in the form of added clarity in regards to screen sharing during meetings. A notification that informs the user when the presenter has started sharing their screen on the participant’s side and whether or not the presenter’s screen is being shared on the presenter’s end, as well as informing the presenter of the screen’s visibility on the receiver’s end.
Keyboard Shortcuts For Easier Meeting Navigation
In order to make navigation and use even faster on Meeting Web for all participants, we have mapped a few key tools to keyboard shortcuts.
Further Enabling The Use Of gloCOM Meeting Web For Organizer And Co-Organizers
This release also provides organizers and co-organizers to utilize their full capabilities through gloCOM Meeting Web as well by allowing them to end the meeting if joining from the web client rather than having to use the desktop or mobile version to do so.
And More…
These are only some of the more notable changes that have been introduced with the release of 7.2.
Plenty of other bug fixes, quality of life changes and feature updates have also been introduced, like:
• Adding OneDrive to the list of supported archiving storage providers
• Adding the ability to Pause/Resume call recording on Multi-tenant systems (Deskphones)
• Adding the ability to set up a custom group chat icon on gloCOM
• Introducing TLS/SSL cert validation for gloCOM GO when logging into PBX as an additional security measure against unsecured connections.
• Adding a call quality indicator to gloCOM GO to more easily spot potential issues during calls
• Allowing external participants joining the meeting from gloCOM Meeting Web or GO to upload a custom avatar on the web or mobile client
• Adding a reaction summary for presenters on the Meeting Web app
• Adding a full participant history on the Meeting Web app
We hope that these changes will lead to a more intuitive and less cumbersome experience with the Bicom Product Suite and we look forward to your impressions on v7.2.
Until the next major release, we hope that we can continue delivering on the features that help benefit you and your business as a whole.
For any additional questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.