ConnectPath Queue Based Voice Mail for Amazon Connect

ConnectPath can now take voice messages

In our normal deployments, we usually create a “customer hold queue flow” that dictates the experience a caller will have while waiting on hold for the “next available agent”.   Typically, while on hold listening to customer care and other informational messages we will periodically invite the caller to take advantage of options that include “continue to hold”,  “arrange a call back when an agent becomes available”, “transfer to another queue” or team member or “leave a voice message”.    Historically, if the caller wants to leave a message, we would transfer the caller to your favorite voice mail system solution.  This usually involves and outbound call.

New Voice Mail Option

The new voice mail option makes use of a number of other AWS technology solutions but enables us to offer a much richer voice mail feature set.  For example, voice messages can be sent via email or SMS.   Messages can also be transcribed so that a text version of the message is also available.   Optionally,  we can take voice messages for both an individual agent and also for a customer service queue.

ConnectPath delivers Voice Messages for each Queue via email or SMS.

ConnectPath has been a very successful omni-channel “wrapper” for Amazon Connect Call Centers.  ConnectPath has been offering email, sms, chat and social media inbound routing in addition to the usual inbound voice routing.  ConnectPath uses the email or SMS facilities to route a voice message to a target Agent or Customer Service Queue.   These have long been features of the Dextr dashboard for Amazon Connect, but the ability to take voice messages within the Amazon Connect contact flows is a new feature.

A note on Cost

Though Email and SMS are normal ConnectPath functions, taking voice mail in Amazon Connect is now without additional costs. We need to reconfigure your contact flows to support this new functionality.  The functionality draws on a number of AWS technologies including Lambda, DynamoDB, Cognito, Storage, Encryption and CloudFormation templates.   It takes us several hours to configure and test, but at the end you no longer have to send callers to another number for voice message services.  We estimate that this will cost about .035 cents per 60 second voice mail, charged to your AWS account by Amazon.   The rest of the functionality is already included in your ConnectPath subscription.