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Version: 10

Set up Voice Telephony (Twilio)

Level: beginner

Sales reps spend much of their day on the phone. With the Voice Telephony app, reps call customers and answer their calls right in Creatio, without a separate phone system or an on-site telephony server. The app is powered by Twilio. It adds a browser softphone to the communication panel and a "Telephony" workplace where administrators manage phone numbers, call routing, recordings, and voicemail.

Voice Telephony is a Creatio Marketplace app. It is available for Creatio 8.3.4 and later.

note

Voice Telephony connects reps and customers. To enable an AI agent to hold voice conversations with customers, use telephony in Creatio AI Studio instead. Learn more: Set up telephony.

To set up Voice Telephony:

  1. Prepare the Twilio account. Read more >>>
  2. Install the app and connect it to Twilio. Read more >>>
  3. Give users access to telephony. Read more >>>
  4. Add phone numbers. Read more >>>
  5. Set up pre-call disclaimers (optional). Read more >>>

After that, set up call routing and recordings. Learn more: Configure call routing, Set up call recordings and voicemail.

Before you start​

Make sure that your Creatio and your users' computers meet the following requirements:

  • Your Creatio website is reachable from the internet over HTTPS (TCP port 443). Twilio sends a request to Creatio on every call.

  • Users work in a modern browser and allow it to use the microphone.

  • Users' networks allow the following connections:

    • WSS on port 443 to *.twilio.com.
    • UDP on ports 10000–60000 to 168.86.128.0/18. Without this, calls connect but users hear no audio.

1. Prepare the Twilio account​

Make sure that you have the following in the Twilio Console:

  • A Twilio account with voice calls enabled.
  • A standard API key. Restricted API keys do not work with the Voice Telephony app.
  • A TwiML app.
  • At least one phone number that supports voice calls, to receive inbound calls.

Buy phone numbers in the Twilio Console. Creatio does not sell numbers.

Trial Twilio accounts can call only verified numbers.

2. Install the app and connect it to Twilio​

  1. Install the Voice Telephony app from Creatio Marketplace. Learn more: Manage apps.

  2. Enable the PhoneLinkEntityContext additional feature. Without it, routing rules that depend on the record from which a user calls do not work. Learn more: Manage an existing additional feature.

  3. Click btn_system_designer-8.png to open the System Designer.

  4. Go to the System setup block → System settings section.

  5. Fill out the system settings in the "Twilio integration setting" folder using the values from the Twilio Console.

    System setting

    Value

    "Twilio account SID" (TwilioAccountSid code)

    The Account SID. Copy it from the account dashboard in the Twilio Console.

    "Twilio API key secret" (TwilioApiKeySecret code)

    The secret of the standard API key.

    "Twilio API key SID" (TwilioApiKeySid code)

    The SID of the standard API key.

    "Twilio auth token" (TwilioAuthToken code)

    The auth token of the account. Creatio uses it to check that requests come from Twilio. If this setting is empty, calls do not connect.

    "Twilio edge" (TwilioEdge code)

    The Twilio edge location to use for calls. Optional.

    "Twilio identity prefix" (TwilioIdentityPrefix code)

    A short prefix that Twilio uses to identify Creatio users. For example, crm.

    "Twilio TwiML app SID" (TwilioTwiMLAppSid code)

    The SID of the TwiML app.

    "Twilio webhook base URL" (TwilioWebhookBaseUrl code)

    The public HTTPS address of your Creatio website. For example, https://mycompany.creatio.com.

  6. Select the "Twilio integration enabled" (TwilioEnabled code) system setting last, after you fill out the other settings.

  7. Set the "Default messages exchange library" (SysMsgLib code) system setting to "Twilio integration library."

  8. Open the TwiML app in the Twilio Console and set the request URL for voice calls to the following address, using the POST method:

    [Twilio webhook base URL]/ServiceModel/TwilioVoiceWebhookService.svc/OutboundTwiML

  9. Set the webhooks for each phone number that receives inbound calls in the Twilio Console, using the POST method:

    • A call comes in: [Twilio webhook base URL]/ServiceModel/TwilioVoiceWebhookService.svc/InboundTwiML
    • Call status changes: [Twilio webhook base URL]/ServiceModel/TwilioVoiceWebhookService.svc/InboundStatusCallback

    For Creatio on .NET Framework, add /0 after the base URL. For example, https://mycompany.creatio.com/0/ServiceModel/....

  10. Enable calls to be forwarded to external numbers (optional). To do this, allow the needed countries in the geographic permissions for voice calls in the Twilio Console.

As a result, Creatio will be connected to your Twilio account. Users will be able to see the "Telephony" workplace with the Phone numbers, Telephony routing rules, Call recordings, and Voicemail sections.

3. Give users access to telephony​

Out of the box, the "Supervisor" user has all telephony permissions. To give other users access to telephony:

  1. Grant access to the "Use telephony" (UseTwilioTelephony code) system operation to every user who makes or receives calls. Learn more: System operation permissions.

    Grant other telephony system operations as needed:

    • "Use Twilio outbound anchors" (TwilioUseOutboundAnchors code). Enables a user to call a customer from the same number every time. Learn more: Configure call routing.
    • "Telephony: manage recordings" (ManageTwilioRecordings code). Enables a user to download and delete call recordings.
    • "Telephony: manage voicemails" (ManageTwilioVoicemails code). Enables a user to download and delete voicemail.

  2. Ask each user to turn on telephony in their profile:

    1. Open the user profile.
    2. Click Additional settings → Call Center parameters setup.
    3. Make sure that the Disable Call Center integration checkbox is cleared.
    4. Save the changes and refresh the page.

As a result, the Calls tab of the communication panel will work as a softphone. Users will be able to make calls, and inbound routing will be able to ring them. Learn more: Manage calls.

4. Add phone numbers​

Creatio uses phone numbers to place and receive calls. Creatio supports the following kinds of numbers:

  • Shared numbers. Company numbers that you buy in Twilio. Multiple users can call from them, and they can receive inbound calls.
  • Personal numbers. A user's own phone number, verified in Twilio as a caller ID. Only that user can call from it. A personal number cannot receive inbound calls.

Add a shared number​

  1. Open the "Telephony" workplace → Phone numbers section.

  2. Click New.

  3. Fill out the fields:

    Field

    Description

    Title

    The name of the number. For example, "Sales line US."

    Phone number

    The number in the E.164 format. For example, +12025550100.

    Outbound enabled

    Select to enable users to call from this number. Selected out of the box.

    Inbound enabled

    Select to receive calls on this number. Cleared out of the box.

  4. Save the record.

To route calls from this number through a SIP trunk of your existing phone provider, fill out the Session initiation protocol group:

  • SIP trunk host
  • SIP edge
  • SIP username
  • SIP password.

A SIP trunk applies to outbound calls only. Calls through a SIP trunk are not recorded, and pre-call disclaimers do not play.

Users can use the numbers they have read access to. By default, only the user who added the number can see it. To let other users call from a shared number, set up access rights to the record. Learn more: Record permissions.

Verify a personal number​

Each user can verify their own phone number to use it as the caller ID.

  1. Open the "Telephony" workplace → Phone numbers section.

  2. Click btn_menu.png in the top right → Verified own number. This opens a window.

  3. Enter the number in the international format in the Personal phone number field.

  4. Click Verify.

    Twilio calls the number. The window shows a 6-digit code.

  5. Answer the call and enter the code on the phone keypad.

    The call is in English and takes under a minute.

As a result, Creatio will save the number as your caller ID. Only you will be able to see and use it. If no outbound anchor or routing rule applies to a call, Creatio uses your personal number instead of a shared number. Learn more: Configure call routing. You cannot change a verified number. If you delete it, Creatio also removes it from the verified caller IDs in Twilio.

5. Set up pre-call disclaimers​

A pre-call disclaimer is a voice message that plays before a call connects. For example, use it to warn that the call is recorded. Set up disclaimers on the page of each phone number, separately for each direction:

  • Outbound pre-call disclaimer. The user who places the call hears it after they dial, before the customer answers.
  • Inbound pre-call disclaimer. The customer hears it when they call, before anyone answers.

To set up a disclaimer:

  1. Open the phone number page.

  2. Go to the Outbound pre-call disclaimer or Inbound pre-call disclaimer group.

  3. Open the General information tab → select the voice in the Outbound disclosure voice or Inbound disclosure voice field.

    The voice also sets the language of the message. For example, "Spanish (Spain) - Conchita" or "German (Germany) - Marlene."

  4. Enter the text of the message in the Outbound disclosure text or Inbound disclosure text field.

  5. Save the record.

As a result, the disclaimer will play on every call of the selected direction, whether or not the call is recorded. If the text is empty, Creatio uses the text from the "Twilio recording disclosure text" (TwilioRecordingDisclosureText code) system setting. Disclaimers do not play on calls through a SIP trunk, on transferred calls, or on inbound calls whose first routing step is "Voicemail."

Voice Telephony app limitations​

  • It is possible to transfer calls only to a phone number, without consulting first (blind transfer). Hold and consultative transfer are not supported.
  • The softphone does not reconnect automatically. If the connection drops, refresh the page.
  • Calls through a SIP trunk are not recorded.

See also​

Configure call routing

Set up call recordings and voicemail

Manage calls

Feature comparison for supported phone systems

Set up telephony (AI Studio)