Working as an Operator

Operators assigned to a Department are able to interact with callers in real-time, answering questions and offering assistance efficiently.

Let's take a look at working as an Operator in Dialpad.

Answer a call

To answer a Department call, you'll need to set your status to Active. 

Answer calls from within the Dialpad app, or by using the floating notification — simply click Answer and you'll pick up on behalf of the Department.

Departments ring out to Operators based on the routing rules set by the Department's Admin(s). If no Operator answers, the call gets moved into the hold queue or a fallback option.

Keep in mind that you cannot block a number as an Operator; only an Admin may block a number for a Shared Line.

Call waiting

If enabled by your Department Administrator, Department lines can feature call waiting. All Operators must be busy in order for a call waiting to appear. You'll have the following options:

• Answer: Puts the first caller on hold while you interact with the second
• Merge: Joins both first and second caller on an active call
• Decline: Sends your second incoming call directly to your voicemail

Click the desired option and Dialpad will take care of the rest. 

Place a call

Operators can place calls using the Department's number instead of their own direct number.

To call from a department number:

1. Select Make A Call (that's the phone icon)
2. Click the drop-down menu beside your name
3. Select the desired Department's number
4. Both primary and secondary numbers belonging to this Shared Line can be used to place outbound calls

That's it, you're good to go! Enter the phone number and complete the call. 

Your caller ID will remain set as that department until you change it again.

Call recording

If enabled by the Admin, Operators in a Department can stop and restart a call recording.

If the call is automatically being recorded, you'll see a 'Stop admin rec' icon at the bottom of your call bar. 

• To stop the recording, select 'CLICK TO STOP' in the call recording banner
• To restart the recording, select 'CLICK TO RESTART'

Transfer call

Operators can transfer calls to another Shared Line or person.

1. Select Transfer
2. Enter a name or number to transfer the call to
3. Select Ask First or Transfer Now

Recipients of a transferred call will have the option to answer or decline.

Send a message

Operators can send and receive messages from the Department they're assigned to.

During an active call, type your message into the text box and press enter to send.

Search contact

Search for a known caller who's contacted your Department.

From the Dialpad app, select Search

Enter a name or number and you'll see a color tag and department name. 

Department inbox

Department inbox displays the hold queue, live calls, Operators, new notifications, missed calls, voicemails, all notifications, recordings, interactions flagged as spam, and faxes.

Hold queue

Operators can see a list of all calls awaiting an Operator to pick up and how long callers have been on hold for.

From the Dialpad app, select Hold Queue.

Select Refresh to update the view at any time. 

Ask your Department Admin to customize the hold queue.

Enable email notifications

To enable your Department email notifications, head to your Admin Settings from Dialpad.com 

1. Select Departments
2. Select the desired Department 
3. At the top of the page, choose how you'd like to receive notifications in addition to the types of notifications this Department shares with you.

Operators must enable or disable email notifications manually; the setting depends on each Operator, not what a Department Admin selects.

Active status 

Use your Active toggle to determine if you want to allow inbound calls on your Department's line. 

When you are set as Active, you can receive inbound Department calls. If your Active toggle is off, you'll only receive inbound calls on your personal line, not the Department. 

Personal working hours

Set your Personal Working Hours to ensure that you don’t accidentally receive a call on your Department’s line outside of your work day. When enabled, your status automatically updates and prohibits inbound calls to your individual line, your mainline, and any Departments that you are assigned.