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Virtual Assistant

Job Description

The Virtual Assistant uses speech technology combined with modern IP telephony and messaging to give you safe mobility and enhanced productivity on the road. It turns your phone into a portable office with a personal assistant.

The Virtual Assistant won't bring you coffee but will help you manage your business communications 24/7 and never require a vacation or a sick day. The role of the Virtual Assistant is twofold:

  • It routes calls to you based on your instructions and takes messages when needed.
  • It executes your commands when you call to check your calendar, read your messages, schedule meetings, call or send messages to your contacts, etc. It also tells you who called you and gives you the option to call people back or dial telephone numbers.

To accomplish these tasks:

  • The Virtual Assistant must know how to handle your incoming calls: where to reach you (phone numbers) and when (at work, after hours, on weekends or on vacation).
  • You must authorize the Virtual Assistant to access your emails, calendar and contacts.

Before you start using the Virtual Assistant, you will need to login to the Web Portal and configure your account (email connection, phone numbers, contacts, etc.). See Login to Web Portal and Initial Setup for details.

Do's and Don'ts

To take full advantage of all features of your VIRTUAL ASSISTANT service, all incoming and outgoing calls must be handled by THE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT.

  • Incoming calls: All callers must dial your Smart Number - or virtual receptionist if you have a corporate account- which is directly linked to the Virtual Assistant.
  • Outgoing calls: To call someone, use your office extensions, the WebPhone on your Mobile App or Web Portal, or by dialing the Virtual Assistant and using speech or touchtone commands. See Call the Virtual Assistant for details.

Two examples why incoming and outgoing calls should go through your Virtual Assistant:

 

WRONG USE

RIGHT USE

INCOMING CALLS

A caller dials your mobile phone directly.

  • Your don't pick up and the caller leaves a message.
  • The voice message resides in your mobile phone voicemail.
  • You will not be able to use the Virtual Assistant to access the voice message on your Web portal, Mobile app, email or by phone using speech commands.

A caller dials your Smart Number.

  • You are in a meeting but the call gets transferred to you on your mobile phone if the caller said that it's important.
  • If the caller prefers to leave you a voice message, you can later access it in your emails, on the Web portal, Mobile app and using speech commands on any telephone (by calling the Virtual Assistant).

OUTGOING CALLS

You are a lawyer and decide to call a customer directly from your mobile phone.

  • You dial the customer from your mobile phone.
  • The call is logged on your mobile phone, not on your Web portal or Mobile app.
  • When it is time to prepare your customer billing, you must check the call history on your mobile phone in addition to other phone services you use to call customers.

You are a lawyer and decide to call a customer using the Virtual Assistant.

  • You use WebPhone on the Web portal or Mobile app to call the customer, or you call the Virtual Assistant and use speech commands to dial the contact by name. 
  • The call is logged with your other incoming and outgoing calls on your Web portal and Mobile app.
  • When it is time to prepare your customer billing, you go to your Web portal and download the call history details of all your incoming and outgoing calls.
  •  

Find the Virtual Assistant and Virtual Receptionist Phone Numbers

Virtual Assistant's number (and Virtual Receptionist if you have a corporate account) are shown in the Web Portal header section, but you can also access and view all your service phone numbers in the Settings section of your account as follows.

  • From the main menu, click Settings > Phone Numbers.
  • The Service Access Numbers section is where you find the Virtual Assistant and Virtual Receptionist phone numbers.
  • Your User ID and your virtual extension and phonetic name on the Virtual Receptionist service if you have a corporate account are also displayed under this section.

Call the Virtual Assistant and Login by Phone

From your regular time zone

You can reach the Virtual Assistant using one of three methods:

  • Dial your Virtual Assistant's direct number.
  • Dial your Smart Number if you have one:
    • ​from one of the phone numbers that you defined as uniquely identifying you (Auto-PIN). This tells your Virtual Assistant that any call received from this number is a call from you.
    • from any phone number, then press STAR (*)  as soon as you hear the Smart Number service play a beep sound.
  • Dial your company's Virtual Receptionist number if you have a corporate account:
    • from a phone number that you registered with the Virtual Assistant under Settings > Phone Numbers.
    • from any phone number, then press STAR (*) or say the name of your assistant (ex: Excendia)  as soon as the Virtual Receptionist service answers.
  • Tap the Virtual Assistant icon on your mobile phone or tablet. See Mobile App for details.

User Authentication by Phone

You can use any phone number to access your Virtual Assistant and login for a phone session. The login process can be simplified and accelerated if you call from one of the private phone numbers defined as uniquely identifying you  (Settings > Phone Numbers). 

You can decide how you want the Virtual Assistant to authenticate you and handle the calls you make from each of your private phone numbers.

  • From the main menu of your Web Portal, click Settings then click Phone Numbers.
  • Click theEdit icon of the private number for which you want to set specific login authentication. The phone number properties page opens.
  • Go the Login authentication settings and select one of the following login options:
    • Auto-PIN: The Virtual Assistant will recognize you when you call from this number and log you in automatically (you will not need to enter your User ID or PIN).
    • Auto-ID: The Virtual Assistant will recognize you when you call from this number but ask for your PIN. To login, use your telephone keypad to enter your PIN followed by POUND(#). You don't need to enter your User ID.
    • Unknown: The Virtual Assistant will not recognize you when you call from this number and therefore will ask for your User ID and PIN. To login, use your telephone keypad to enter your User ID, then your PIN followed by POUND(#).
    • Call Back: The Virtual Assistant will recognize you when you call from this number but will not answer but call you back instead (useful when you want to call while traveling abroad). Any long distance costs will be charged to your Virtual Assistant account.

When calling from an unregistered phone, you will be required to enter your User ID and PIN followed by POUND(#) to access your account.

See Login Authentication under Phone Settings for details.

When Traveling Abroad

When traveling outside your regular time zone, use the call back feature to access your Virtual Assistant service and keep telephone charges under control.

  • Add a local number in the region where you are traveling to receive calls at lower costs (calls are made using your Virtual Assistant rates with no roaming charges).  It can be a fixed line or a mobile number with free or low fees for incoming calls.
    • To add a local number to your private numbers, see Add a Private Phone Number and make sure you check the option Don’t answer. Call me back. under the Login Authentication section.
  • Dial your Virtual Assistant's direct number. Even if the call is long distance, there should be no charges because technically the call will not be completed in Call Back mode. 
    • Hangup when you hear a fast busy tone.
    • Your assistant will immediately call you back and give you access to your account. You can then issue commands as if you were calling from your home city.

How People Reach You Via the Virtual Assistant

People can reach you:

  • by dialing your Smart Number.
  • by dialing your Virtual Receptionist and entering your extension or saying your name (if you have a corporate account).

Both numbers are directly linked to the Virtual Assistant which uses your status, call forwarding schedules, call filtering preferences and phone numbers to answer and route your incoming calls efficiently.