Thanks to our seven-week development cycle, PortaSwitch is continuing to expand with new features and capabilities that can help you save time, work better, and earn more. Watch our latest New Features webinar to hear about all the advancements in MRs 107 to 110, and learn how you can use them to win new customers and make life easier for your staff, resellers, enterprise clients, and end users.
Webinar Summary
Read on for details about our top new PortaSwitch features, plus updates to PortaPhone, the PortaBilling API, and our Mobile Self-Care Portal.
1. Improved web interfaces
One click in itself may not seem like much, but all those tiny moments add up to a significant waste of resources for admin staff over the course of a busy day. That’s why we’ve revamped our main menu, simplifying its design into just two levels – meaning every menu item is just a single click away. Plus, our new side sheets feature is a game-changer for entity creation.
This move from a left panel to a right-sided sliding panel helps prevent users from mistakenly populating search fields instead of creation fields, while allowing for a far more informative creation process. Also soon admins will be able to create entities with all the necessary configuration (like new products) in a single step rather than through a two-stage process of creation and addition.
In addition to the new main menu design, we have also introduced a new web interface for our distributor portal, starting in MR107. Like with our previous portal revamps, this new design allows for faster data entry, a simplified user experience, and easier onboarding for new distributors.
In MR108, we also made a small but significant change to reseller administration. Previously, when an administrator was setting up roles with customized access to self-care for customers or accounts, resellers were able to see all roles, which created a risk of confusion. Now, you have the option to choose which roles are accessible to each reseller. This ensures that resellers will only see and select from a limited list of roles when creating new customers, providing better control over the access they grant to customers.
2. Customizable CLI acceptance policies for call routing
With CLI validation rules becoming ever more strict in the telecom world, starting in MR108, we have added new flexible controls to help you reduce revenue leakage and provide better call service. Now, you can categorize vendors based on their CLI acceptance policies: valid CLI only or any CLI. From there, you can set up validation rules that specify details like acceptable prefixes or number length. Calls with a valid CLI will proceed as usual, while those with invalid CLI will skip any vendors that require validity. As a last resort, the system uses Google’s libphonenumber for validation.
3. Enhanced SIM card inventory
You can now store far more information in the SIM card inventory, and you can update the information for multiple SIM and eSIM cards in one step. Dedicated fields are now available for PUK1, PUK2, and activation codes. You can also create your own (limitless!) custom fields for any additional information you want to track, such as where the SIM cards are being sold (e.g., via Amazon).
Additionally, SIM cards can now be assigned not only to accounts but also to customers, distributors, and representatives. This feature streamlines SIM card management, prevents errors in assignment, and allows for tracking across various sales channels.
4. Automated call wrap-up scheduling
Call center agents have to manage a lot of detail with minimal time: between each call, they have to take detailed customer notes and generate tickets in a CRM system – often, all while the next customer is waiting on the line. Now, we have added automated call wrap-up scheduling to allow call center managers to designate a customized “buffer time” between calls. These precious moments give agents the time they need to conduct the necessary administrative work while preventing unnecessary hold time for customers.
The call center manager sets a specific time frame for the end of each call – say, 3 minutes – during which the agent is unavailable and calls are routed to other agents in the ring group. Agents can indicate their availability to receive new calls or extend the timer if needed. While these actions are available in the default account self-care, the API also allows for integration with specialized portals or CRM systems for a more customized solution.
Automated call wrap-up scheduling complements the recently added call supervision feature, which allows call center managers to connect to ongoing calls, listen in, provide guidance, and even take over if necessary. Starting from MR107, call supervision has been integrated into the call control API, facilitating the creation of buttons in call center applications and giving managers seamless access to these call control features.
5. PortaBilling API 2.0 – Build external applications faster
With our brand-new version 2.0, the PortaBilling API is making the development process significantly easier, both for your in-house team and for the third-party developers you partner with. Among many improvements, the new version of the API adapts to the API principles already familiar to external developers, not specific to PortaBilling and aligns with the common naming conventions used in business. Another stand-out addition is the ability to specify which parameters you want in the response – developers can request to receive only the specific information they need, avoiding unnecessary data overload.
To avoid any issues with backward compatibility, we are transitioning to the new PortaBilling API gradually, beginning with a limited set of methods in MR109. This phased approach will allow plenty of time to address all functionality as developers explore the new API and adapt to the new conventions. If you have any questions about PortaBilling API 2.0, get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to help.
6. New version of PortaPhone
We are pleased to announce that PortaPhone is also getting a facelift, along with some exciting new features. The first improvement is designed to ensure a seamless connectivity experience: when a user switches from mobile data to WiFi (or vice versa), the call will not be interrupted. Additionally, we have added multi-line support for the efficient management of multiple incoming calls. This feature enables users to switch between calls, put callers on hold, minimize active calls, and perform other actions to provide a better customer experience. Another improvement to that customer experience is the ability to choose between attended and unattended call transfers, to make sure that no customer is ever sent to an unavailable line.
7. Branding customization for PortaPhone
Brand recognition is becoming more important than ever, meaning it is critical to provide users with a seamless brand experience. That’s why we are now providing multiple brand customization options for PortaPhone – including color schemes and logos – right out of the box. The PortaPhone Branding Editor is simple to use, allowing you to select from pre-made design schemes for PortaPhone or to create and upload your own (with no design training necessary). A real-time preview feature allows you to review your brand customization before applying it to the app and releasing it to Android and iOS.
To discover how simple it is to customize PortaPhone to your brand, check out our tutorial video, which walks you through the entire process in just 15 minutes. You can also try out PortaPhone for yourself by subscribing to a trial on the Add-on Mart. As always, contact us if you have any questions or need assistance with setting up or customizing the app.
8. Unified Teams app
The Add-on Mart is also making it easier and more cost-effective to integrate MS Teams. As a response to requests from our customers, we have merged “Teams Integration Channels” and “Teams Integration Users” into one model with two license options: PBX user and trunk user. The PBX user license enables Teams users to make and receive calls using their hosted PBX environment, accessing all PBX features. The trunk user license, meanwhile, allows Teams users to make and receive calls through SIP trunk integration, catering to enterprises primarily using Teams for PBX needs.
9. New Mobile Self-Care Portal
To answer a growing demand for smartphone access, we have released our new Mobile Self-Care Portal. This portal allows users to manage their accounts, check balances, monitor their data and minutes usage, add new services, and upgrade existing bundles – all from their mobile devices. MR110 comes with several helpful features:
- Balance top-ups: Users can top up their account balance using a range of payment methods, including credit and debit cards.
- Bundle top-ups: Customers can now top up their active bundles using new or saved payment methods, or even pay directly from their account balance.
- Money transfer: This simplifies the ability for users to transfer funds to friends or family members.
- Transaction history: Mobile customers can keep track of their expenses by viewing detailed transaction histories, including pay-as-you-go charges and subscription fees.
These updates will empower your customers to take full control of managing their finances and services with ease.
Have an idea for a future maintenance release or want to know more about any of the new features and enhancements in PortaSwitch MR107-110?
Get in touch with our support team anytime. You can reach us at contact@portaone.com.
