Useful Commands to manage everyday tasks on Asterisk/Vicidial Servers

I wanted to put together a list of commands that I use often or daily that may help other people manage their days easier. If you have anything you use or think others would find useful, please comment below and I will add them with credit to you and your website or blog if you’d like. Ok so these commands will go over things for services such as Apache, MySQL, Vicidial, Asterisk, and more.

MySQL Commands and examples:

### repair a broken Database Table
repair table vicidial_live_agents use_frm;


### get level 9 users in vicidial
mysql asterisk -u cron -p1234 -e "select user,pass,active from vicidial_users where user_level='9'"

### check and repair mysql
mysqlcheck -p --auto-repair --all-databases

### show what IP's are in the Dynamic Portal IP set
use asterisk;
select computer_ip from vicidial_user_log where event = 'VICIBOX' group by computer_ip;


### reset a user whos locked out due to too many login attempts through mysql instead of GUI (Thanks Venkat from vicidial.sh)
mysql -e "use asterisk; update vicidial_users set failed_login_count='0' where user='6666'";


### How to create a user in mysql - change user(cron) and pass(1234)
CREATE USER 'cron'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '1234';
GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,LOCK TABLES on asterisk.* TO cron@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '1234';
GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,LOCK TABLES on asterisk.* TO cron@localhost IDENTIFIED BY '1234';
GRANT RELOAD ON *.* TO cron@'%';
GRANT RELOAD ON *.* TO cron@localhost;

### change root password(to delete it leave it BY '')
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

### check a user groups permissions(replace 'ADMIN' accordingly)
mysql -u cron -p1234 asterisk -e "select * from vicidial_user_groups where user_group='ADMIN'\G"

####### if leads wont load or you get "no one in your session"
nano /etc/my.cnf
Look for sql_mode and change it to sqlmode=""

Other useful commands

### watch asterisk messages thru linux cli ######
tail -f /var/log/asterisk/messages


####### apache tools ############
check web connections: netstat -tuna | grep ":80" | wc -l


##### Useful Vicidial Commands for Linux ##########
/usr/share/astguiclient/ADMIN_keepalive_ALL.pl --cu3way
/usr/share/astguiclient/AST_manager_listen.pl --debugX
/usr/share/AST_DB_action.pl --debugX

#### Check if Dahdi(Meetme/Vicidial Conferences) is running ####
dahdi_cfg -vv
If its not run this command: 
modprobe dahdi


### check keepalives
cat /etc/astguiclient.conf | grep VARactive_keepalives



##### viciphone time for autologin 
$webphone_call_seconds = '5 ; in options.php in agc dir



### upgrade vici ####
cd /usr/src/astguiclient
svn checkout svn://svn.eflo.net:3690/agc_2-X/trunk
cd trunk
perl install.pl

mysql -p -f --database=asterisk < /usr/src/astguiclient/trunk/extras/upgrade_2.14.sql


### certbot renewal command #####
certbot certonly --cert-name cyburityllc.com -d sunfun.cyburityllc.com -d mail.cyburityllc.com -d sunfunnow.cyburityllc.com -d cyburity.ml -d cyburity.ga -d cyburity.gq -d cyburity.cf -d informationtechnology.gq -d cyburityllc.com -d www.cyburityllc.com -d cyburhack.com -d cyburhacker.com -d cyburshield.com -d cyberdialer.net -d www.cyburdial.com -d www.cyberdialer.net -d cyburphone.com -d dialer.one -cyburdialer.com -d contactcentersrus.com -d fldream.cyburityllc.com -d www.contactcentersrus.com -d portal.contactcentersrus.com -d cyburdialer.com-d cyburdial.com



### to check whats eating all the ram
ps aux | awk '{print $2, $4, $11}' | sort -k2rn | head -n 20

#### cpu usage
ps -eo pcpu,pid,user,args | sort -k 1 -r | head -11

## check HDD space
df -h

### find the largest files and folders on your linux server(good to see whats taking up space) - This will find the top 20 files and folders, try it from /
du -ah | sort -hr | head -n 20

### check processors
grep processor /proc/cpuinfo | wc -l

### tcp dump for ports(change accordingly) #####
tcpdump -nttv -s 0 -i eth0 port 80

#### check connections to a port ##########
netstat -tuna | grep ":5038" | wc -l


###clear dns cache
/etc/init.d/nscd restart

###For a "live" view showing the logic involved in dialing:
screen -r ASTVDauto

ctrl-a - ctrl-d to get out of it.

###perl install based on asterisk version
perl install.pl --copy_sample_conf_files --asterisk_version=11.X

### start up asterisk
/usr/share/astguiclient/start_asterisk_boot.pl

/usr/share/astguiclient/ADMIN_keepalive_ALL.pl --cu3way



###VOLUME FOR AST13########
With Asterisk 13, the mechanism in Asterisk that allowed for volume changes and muting of meetme participants had been causing random crashes in Asterisk. We now disable this functionality by default, but if you want to enable it, all you have to do is use the agc/options.php setting of "$ast13_volume_override = '1';"

    

####USEFUL SVN TOOLS#######


Beware of the version in system settings. To be absolutely certain to version match:

SVN is used to manage the "install directory" (/usr/src/astguiclient/trunk)

The install directory has a group of sql files that are used to upgrade from the first version to NOW (based on the svn revision level presently in THAT directory).

When your last sql upgrade file has a last line indicating that the db schema value should be what is presently shown in your System Settings ... you have a match. All your code will match your entire DB if you run install.pl with that version loaded.

Anything else is more of a "sort of" match. That's the only truly reliable method. How you get there is a matter of experience and knowledge of svn. But upgrading/downgrading that svn repository until you get lucky and it matches is the easiest amateur way to get a lock-on match of your present db schema.

start here:

CODE: 
tail /usr/src/astguiclient/trunk/extras/upgrade_2.14.sql | grep db_schema_version
mysql -u cron -p1234 asterisk -e "select * from system_settings\G" | grep schema
cd /usr/src/astguiclient/trunk
svn info | grep Revision

Compare the db schema in system settings to the db schema in the upgrade.sql file.
Note the svn revision level.
Increase or decrease the svn revision level with "svn up -r ####" and ... try again until the db schema in the sql file and system settings match. Example:

svn up -r 2946

Then run perl install.pl. Example:
CODE: SELECT ALL
cd /usr/src/astguiclient/trunk
perl install.pl --copy_sample_conf_files


Note that --copy_sample_conf_files will overwrite the .conf files presently in the system. Any that you have edited will need to be re-edited. Such as externip=xxx.xx.xx.x in sip.conf. While updating these isn't always necessary, NOT updating them has been known to blow an entire workday for simple "missed" change that's very difficult to find otherwise. Skip copy_sample_conf_files at your own risk. 8-)

### for webrtc phone issue with chrome 87 update
zypper in ncurses-devel libxml2-devel sqlite-devel libsrtp-devel libuuid-devel openssl-devel
 

Cloud Based Predictive Dialer: What to Know Before You Buy

There are four words that every business owner loves to hear: Save time and money. It’s not only music to their ears, but money in their pockets. That’s why so many business leaders are adding a cloud based predictive dialer to their marketing, sales, and customer management suites.

Increased call agent efficiency, real-time interactions, better customer experience, and improved lead management are just a few of the ways businesses are enjoying the benefits of their outbound dialer.

Make an informed decision about predictive dialing and the future of your enterprise. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about these types of dialers.

What is a predictive dialer?

A predictive dialer is a software that dials a list of phone numbers quickly and accurately and can also return calls to your call center agents. It is a software designed to accurately predict agent availability, screen out busy signals, answering machines, and disconnected phones, and optimize the outbound call pace to connect sales representatives with leads fast. Think of it as IVR for outbound calling.

Image Source

Sometimes called an “outbound dialer” or a “hosted dialer,” these systems use machine-learning algorithms so you can spend less time between conversations for your agents, as well as wait times for your customers when no agent is available. In the background, the software analyses answered calls, dropped calls, the number of active agents, and more, filtering out unproductive calls so your agents get more talk time.

While you can purchase physical on-premise hardware to accomplish these tasks, most modern companies use cloud hosted dialers instead, often integrating their software with their overall contact center platforms.

This software is a workhorse for your call center and sales strategy alike.

Why invest in a cloud based predictive dialer?

With so many business solutions being tossed at you daily, it can be hard to navigate and understand what will actually benefit your bottom line and provide a decent ROI. We think a dialer of this type can be a smart choice for any business currently using or considering adding a call center. 

1. You’re busy.

Managing your sales team, maximizing profits, delighting customers. Your plate is full. Unless you have a bunch of time to waste on hacking systems to maximize your call center agent’s task lists, you’re going to spend a lot of unnecessary energy training your staff to do mediocre rather than great work.

2. You want your sales team to be more efficient.

By automating the process of calling customers, your agents are no longer wasting their time dialing numbers. This increased efficiency means more output from your agents per hour, exponentially improving agents’ productivity by reducing their idle time and accelerating sales (your agents will spend more time connecting with potential customers than re-dialing dropped calls).

3. You want to manage your leads in a smart way.

You can integrate a cloud predictive dialer across different platforms such as phone, email, chat, mobile, social and more. This gives you better, smarter lead management. An outbound dialer can be core to unifying your messaging and communications across multiple channels.

4. You strive to provide exemplary customer service.

Cloud based dialers boast specific features that allow you to contact your leads at times that are convenient to them. Perhaps in the morning at home, over the weekend via an SMS / text message, or during the day at their office number. Or maybe, they just want to leave you a voicemail.

Stronger customer service = better brand affinity = more prospects for long term sales. You can turn your contact center into something powerful that delights your customers rather than annoys.

5. You want to reduce operational costs.

Who doesn’t? ?

With the help of a cloud based predictive dialer, you can reduce the number of agents on staff and call lines without sacrificing any results. 

One more time for the folks in the back: these types of dialers make it possible for your call center to make more live calls than ever with less staff to make it happen.

Progressive vs. Predictive vs. Auto dialer

Progressive, predictive, and auto dialers initiate outbound calls from a contact list automatically and sequentially while also transferring calls to live agents.

These types of dialers don’t wait for the agent to let the system know that they’re ready for the next call. Instead, they optimize their dialing modes to minimize the gap between your agent hanging up with one lead and connecting with the next.

Let’s say that the software has deduced that most phone calls last an average of 60 seconds. Moreover, it takes roughly 10 seconds for the system to dial a new telephone number and hear “Hello” from the person on the other end. In a predictive dialing system, the software will initiate the next call at the ~50-second mark. Once the agent hangs up with lead 1, they’ll be prepped and ready to great lead 2, sparing no idle second in between – which means you get real-time communication.

Progressive dialers, on the other hand, initiate outbound calls for each available agent. To meet the demand for increased outbound calls, they’ll need to deploy additional agents. Similarly, an auto dialer distributes connected calls among available reps, whereas a dialer that is predictive dials multiple contacts simultaneously to increase the odds of establishing a connection. For example, If the software has learned that an average of 1 out of every 4 calls picks up, it might dial four numbers at once.

Predictive Dialer Pricing

Through our rigorous research and testing, we have found that the typical dialer cost ranges from $100 per user per month and up. Most software systems will build custom quotes for you, your business, and your business goals, so don’t be surprised when the specifics around dialer pricing are hard to come by. 

A customized price is an industry norm, but you can find tiered pricing options available at hosted dialers like Genesys, ChaseData, CyburDial and dialerAI. A cheap dialer of this type can be uncovered with a little digging and comparing price plans.

CRM Integrations

You might think it is important to find a predictive dialer with a CRM, which can be a smart tactic to further arm your call agents with the right information they need to close a big sale. Luckily for you, most of these software systems can integrate seamlessly with popular CRMs like Salesforce.

The combination of a CRM + dialer means you’ll be able to quickly organize lead data, sales info, customer history, show the caller ID and create a superior customer engagement environment for them along the way.

Country-Specific regulations

Adhering to legal compliance can be a huge barrier to self-manage without the help of a cloud based predictive dialer. Just like call recording, there are specific legislations for automatic dialing as well.

In 1991, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act was passed, which prohibits the use of an automatic telephone dialing system to contact a telephone number without express prior consent, to hinder practices like telemarketing. This has continued to evolve into the National Do Not Call registry, also known as the DNC registry. You don’t want to dial numbers on this list—or those of parties who haven’t given you permission (dialing “accidents” aren’t an effective legal defense). With the right tool, you can easily adhere to these regulations without fear of penalties.

Here are few country-specific call center dialer regulations to be aware of:

• In the UK, Ofcom requires that predictive dialers abandon fewer than 3% of answered calls on a daily basis. 
• In the USA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that these dialers abandon less than 3% of answered calls.
• In Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission determined that the maximum abandon rate is 5%. 

The Best Predictive Dialers

When we set out to test the best predictive dialer software, we had three main criteria: 

• Robust feature sets
• Network reliability
• Great customer support and service

After taking multiple dialer options for a spin, we’ve determined the following as the three best options on the market.

1. Five9

Five9 differentiates itself with its extensive cloud expertise and comprehensive set of integrated capabilities. They claim they can “make geniuses of your agents” and we fully agree. Not only will their solutions serve your customers well, but they’ll also serve you, as their customer, well—between instant chat, in-person training, and telephone support available 24/7/365, they’ll never leave your question unanswered.

• Cost: Starts at $150 per month, per user. Get quote
• Solutions: Inbound, Outbound, Blended
• Learn more about Five9
• Learn more about Five9 pricing.

2. Genesys 

Sales dialer reviews agree: Genesys is the Swiss army knife of omnichannel engagement, delivering a better customer experience while improving operations and reducing capital costs. Note that a power dialer is not included in this software.

• Cost: 3 tiers, ranging from $69.99 – $129.99. Get quote
• Solutions: Inbound, Outbound, Blended
• Learn more about Genesys

3. NICE inContact

NICE inContact’s hosted call center software helps you excel at responding faster to consumer expectations. Customers typically love the various reporting functionalities (very customizable) and the overall useability of the software’s dashboard. Pro tip: With this platform, you can control which hold music the customer on the phone will get, which is a nice touch.

• Cost: Starts at $100.00/month/user. 
• Solutions: Inbound, Outbound, Blended
• Learn more about NICE inContact

4. CyburDial

CyburDial’s cloud based contact center software is an all-in-one solution that gives you capabilities such as outbound/inbound/blended/press one/survey over VoIP, Chat or Email all integrated directly into the dialer. Along with built in softphone that requires no additional downloads such as Eyebeam or X-Lite. CyburDial also supports custom API integrations such as live leads directly to your agents.

• Cost: Starts at $15.00/month/user. Get quote
• Solutions: Inbound, Outbound, Blended
• Learn more about CyburDial

Who else gets top marks?

While Five9, Genesys, CyburDial and NICE inContact rank as the best predictive dialers, we also thought Aspect, ChaseData, Convoso, Cyberdialer and dialerAI were up to snuff. 

Benefits of a cloud dialer can’t be understated

A cloud based dialer can improve productivity and increase your contact rate while respecting compliance regulation. It takes the heavy-handedness out of routing calls according to agent availability, maximizing efficiency, and giving you the time, space, and energy to focus on bigger goals. The right software will give you a single number to take calls on, keep data and communications in sync across devices, and unify your phone, text, and social content seamlessly, while offering some key features your team needs, such as caller ID, callback and many others.

How to – Set proper Answering Machine Detection settings for Vicibox v9/10/11

Working settings for AMD on Vicibox v9, 10 or 11 or any scratch install

Everyone seems to not like the AMD settings for Vicibox9, but the problem is, they are used to a simpler format from earlier versions that don’t have the functionality of the newer SVN versions. Below are the settings that I use that seem to work.

Campaign Detail Settings

Change the WaitForSilence to 2000,2,30 and AMD Agent Route to enabled and AMD Type to AMD

Containing Settings

Go to Admin > Settings Container >

Click on the AMD_AGENT_OPT_Campaign you want to change

Hopefully this helps a lot of you that have been experiencing this problem.

A call center dialer is an application that’s designed to aid in the making of outbound calls. Call center dialers are usage-agnostic; they can be utilized for marketing, sales, customer support, or for notifying customers. Dialers have been used for decades to streamline agent outreach. It began with manual dialers, which provided agents with keypads to dial up each number in a dialing list. Today, manual dialing is still used to make outbound calls, especially when the contact center has low call volumes or when maintaining compliance.

Auto dialers and click-to-call dialers are two of the most popular technologies used in modern call centers. These dialing systems virtually automate the dialing process and increase the number of calls made during a shift. Click-to-call dialers work directly from your CRM and allow you to reach out to leads in a very intuitive manner. Larger companies with specialized needs implement open-source call center software to ensure they have all the features they need and none of the excess they don’t.

How Call Center Dialers Impact Profits

Sales is a numbers game. In most situations, you’re going to cast your net wide and hopefully bring in the leads you need. While a lot of businesses would prefer to automate their call center, anyone who uses a fully automated dialer knows that customers prefer speaking to an agent in real-time.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Dialing agents are needed in order to build rapport during customer interactions.
• A system that can automate the dialing process can greatly broaden the reach of a business.
• Computer-based IVR systems can be used to filter out voicemails, busy signals, fax machines, and disconnected numbers.

So, which do you need? Looking at the pros and cons of each of these systems will require an understanding of your reach, the types of customers you encounter, and the size of your contact center, enterprise, or small business. A power dialer is going to shine in situations where you need a more personal touch, and the other dialers are great for pushing volume. Follow our guide to learn which works best for your contact center.

What is a Power Dialer?

A power dialer is a straightforward automatic dialing technology that automatically connects prospects with agents only when there’s a live connection. These auto-dialers keep agents from having to manually dial each number by automatically dialing sequentially.

Once a call has ended, a new lead is dialed so that a call is initiated only when an agent is ready to speak to a prospective or existing customer.

Power dialers can come up with phone numbers from a variety of sources. For example, if a business posts their number on Google or through local directory-based services like Yelp or Foursquare, then this info can be used in your center. Certain power dialer software solutions can sweep the web and add this information to the caller ID contacts to the software so that agents can reach out.

Dialers offer CRM integration like Salesforce or ZOHO to store lead information for future agents to leverage to drive sales. This allows you to see inside sales information and implement lead management seamlessly while making sales calls.

One of the chief advantages of this system is the human factor. Power dialers require agents to update and compile information so that results are garnered. This is a trade-off due to the fact that calls are made on a case-by-case basis. Agents will have to work through various call outcomes other than direct contacts.

These systems work in tandem with the dialer to move to the next call when the agent is ready. Power dialers act like a more like a tool than a “big brother” style of contact center solution for dialing.

Pros of Power Dialers

• With a power dialer, all the numbers are generated by the dialer, but this also allows an agent to leave voicemail messages and set callbacks with relative ease.
• With one of these, the data is pulled from a variety of sources. In fact, some contact center software solutions will even pull business numbers from Google searches.
• These are great for sales teams where an agent may need to gather notes or come up with strategies prior to each call because the call center dialer doesn’t control the dial rate.
• There’s little or no chance of voicemail problems cropping up because the agent understands the difference between a recording and a live respondent, which is a weakness in progressive systems.
• These are sometimes called “rapid dialers” for a reason; despite the human component, dialing is still automated, so your team can still make hundreds of dial-outs a day.
• With the more deliberate style of a power dialer, your agents can compile better information after the call so that future agents can have more context for each lead.

Cons of Power Dialers

• These are agent-controlled, and sometimes, this can negatively impact sheer call volume.
• For results, some call centers may have to implement regulations to minimize downtime between calls since a power dialer doesn’t route calls to agents.
• To be able to effectively wade through the various adverse call outcomes, you may need a more extensive contact center staff.

Power Dialers are Perfect For:

If you have a large team, then this is a great option because your agents can easily have personalized customer engagements. With a system like this, there will be minimal pause between a pick-up and the start of the conversation with an agent.

What is a Predictive Dialer?

A predictive dialer is a dialing tool for making outbound calls from a list of telephone numbers while screening. With a predictive dialer, the system makes simultaneous calls based on the availability of agents, screening out busy signals, disconnected numbers, and voicemail. If contact is made, the predictive dialer sends the call to an available agent.

The software of the predictive dialer also thoroughly screens out voicemails or fax machines by actively listening to the line. If the dialer detects a pause, then it may automatically deem the call to be a voicemail, and when it does, it may then leave an automated message for the customer.

If you’ve ever received a call and noticed a delay before being connected to an agent, then you’ve most likely have been connected via a predictive dialer. Unfortunately, the delay can be extended if there’s no available agent, which can result in customer hang-ups.

A predictive dialer can work through a number of calls that would have been unprecedented before the advent of the technology.

Pros of Predictive Dialers

• Multiple numbers are called simultaneously using machine learning.
• There’s less attrition when it comes to no answer results versus connecting with a potential lead.
• With a wide variety of calls being made simultaneously based on learned availability, agents spend far less time idle.
• A call center manager may need far fewer agents than would be required with a progressive- or power-based dialing system since the computer is doing all of the screening simultaneously.

Cons of Predictive Dialers

• With a predictive dialer, an agent won’t always be available due to the nature of the dialer’s predictive call assignment.
• Customers can quickly become frustrated and hang up before being connected to a representative.
• When a customer is presented with a recording that’s designed to segue to a rep, the whole process feels more automated and less personal.
• Due to call answering patterns being predicted via machine learning, the law of averages can result in some glitches, and agents can still be improperly assigned.
• These don’t have the capability of leaving voicemail or answering machine messages, so the system will most likely make several passes at the same number.

Predictive Dialers are Perfect For:

Call center dialers push volume and get agents on the line with actual customers. There’s very little downtime for agents, which can be great for earning leads. Cold calling businesses that want to reach out to a larger population may find this to be the best way to go about generating leads.

What is a Progressive Dialer?

A progressive dialer is a tool for call centers using a subscription dialer to connect only when calls are answered by a live person. The dialer runs relative to the number of agents you have connected. It paces its calling based on abandonment rates and rate of connection.

Like a predictive dialer, progressive dialers are used in several verticals. Research, telemarketing, and collections are more efficient with this computerized system. A progressive dialer doesn’t dial out to multiple numbers at a time like predictive systems, so there’s no potential pause or drawn-out wait time for customers that are contacted via such a system.

Like predictive dialers, progressive dialers only send inbound calls through when there is a contact, but unlike predictive dialers, there will always be an agent on the other end to speak with the lead. Effectively, call routing makes the experience feel more personal and natural than would be possible with a predictive style of dialing. Faster routing helps callers to breeze through an interactive voice response system in a cloud call center.

Pros of Progressive Dialers

• These are a good in-between for those that don’t want the potential hang-up rates of predictive dialers and want the more personal touch of power dialers.
• Effectively, the abandonment rate is mitigated by there always being an agent available when contact is made.
• Similarly to a power dialer, with a progressive dialer, an agent may be able to have time to gather relevant information about respondents before making an outbound call.
• This is a great system to use for a business-to-business outbound call center due to the fact that these types of calls have a higher success ratio since there are fewer hang-ups.
• While outbound calling, a progressive dialer will display past information about the previous calls with the respondent.

Cons of Predictive Dialers

• The Higher dialing rates of predictive systems may yield more results, especially when continually dialing across larger pools of potential respondents.
• An agent may have to work through up to four phone calls in a call distribution system in order to get to a single live respondent.
• When is the agent officially considered available? While there’s definitely time for an agent to gather information, the process can definitely lose efficiency due to call center distractions.
• As a result of things like pauses in a respondent’s answer, a progressive dialer may cause an agent to leave a pre-recorded voicemail when a live person has answered the line.

Predictive Dialers are Perfect For:

Progressive systems provide calls to agents after the “wrap up” phase of the call is completed and the agent has time to compile notes. This is perfect for those businesses where calls have a reasonably standard structure as it helps streamline the process significantly. Some systems even include call recording features to add to the effectiveness of these call center solutions.

Call Center Dialers Make Businesses More Efficient

Every system has advantages for different organizations, helping to maximize outreach. Combined with other technology that reduces hold times or helps agents provide valuable customer experiences, any of these dialers can provide value. Whether you’re an inbound center, outbound sales center, or an omnichannel cloud contact center, these dialing modes add to your marketing automation suite. Give ours a try at CyburDial with the user name of 0000 and the password of demo.