AppAssessor

Native Telephony App for Salesforce [In-Depth Review]

By Christine Marshall

Natterbox provides a complete, Salesforce native telephony platform, accelerating productivity and increasing customer satisfaction.

Launched in 2010, they believe that utilising telephony and voice technology should be as easy as buying a Salesforce license. They solve traditional business telephony issues by removing siloed systems and the need for lots of hardware or software.

Natterbox has complete ownership of its PBX (Private Branch Exchange) so it’s more than just a cloud software vendor; they are also a global telephony company with 8 data centres in America, EMEA, and APAC ensuring resiliency and reliability.

Natterbox supports over 600 customers worldwide to drive measurable success, increased sales, and seamless support processes.

They stand out from their competitors as the world’s 1st and only provider of an end to end telephony system fully inside Salesforce that supports both Salesforce and non-Salesforce users.

This in-depth review will dive into Natterbox’s features, ideal use cases, setup effort, and the potential impact that adding this app to your Salesforce stack could bring.

Let’s dive in!

Note: this review was written using Natterbox for Salesforce, Web and Mobile. You will also need a Salesforce Enterprise license or above.

Features

UI and Navigation

As usual, I started by looking at the Natterbox user interface and navigation.
Natterbox goes far beyond traditional Contact Center CTI functionality, giving users the choice to work in or outside of Salesforce, on a desktop or mobile phone, with no hardware or software required. This is ideal in the current climate, with more and more employees working remotely.
In addition, Natterbox supports non Salesforce users and can still route calls to them and log any data in Salesforce without the need for a CRM license!

Freedom in Salesforce

As a Natterbox user within Salesforce, I can easily access all the features I need from the Utility Bar (bottom, left).

From here I can set my availability, such as Available for All, away at Lunch or Hot Leads Only.

I can receive calls or search Salesforce for the contact I want to call. During the call I can take notes.

Inbound:

Outbound:

At the end of the call I can add a wrap up code to indicate if I need to call back or if the call was successful. I can leave wrap up notes and even schedule another call.

You create wrap up codes to suit your needs, and the codes can be different per group or per user so a Sales team and a Service team can have different codes.

What information is displayed on the agent’s screen is fully customizable and can be changed for different groups of users using the routing policies. Check my demo from Natterbox – when I call in, the Agent James, can see my name, my customer satisfaction score and even my location!

The same is true for what fields are displayed and available for data entry during or after a call. You determine what information you want your agents to collect and where that data is stored in Salesforce.

If a caller isn’t recognised, Natterbox can automatically create a Contact and a Case if required.

After my call has finished I can even direct the caller to a survey to gather feedback on customer satisfaction.

Web Browser (Salesforce and non-Salesforce users)

As we’ve seen, Natterbox can support both Salesforce and non-Salesforce users. Non-Salesforce users can use Natterbox via a web browser (Salesforce users can too if they want, but they would likely use Natterbox within the Salesforce platform). Users will have a Salesforce Chatter Free license and login via the website freedom.natterbox.com.

Natterbox Mobile App

You can access Natterbox via the Natterbox Mobile App available on the App store or Google Play store.

From the mobile app you have the same functionality as the web version including:

Salesforce Address Book – Access your Salesforce records

Calls – Make and receive calls

Transfer – Transfer a call either Attended (you speak to the new agent first while the customer is on hold) or Blind (the call is transferred to the new agent immediately)

Conference – Speak to multiple people for example, the customer and the agent you are transferring them to

Listen In – Managers can listen in to calls in progress

Whisper – Speak to the Agent only

Barge – Speak to the Agent and customer

Wrap Up – Add wrap up notes

Call Automation & IVR Routing Policies

Let’s start putting some of Natterboxs’ great features together and take a look at IVR Routing Policies. This is where Natterbox takes Contact Center CTI functionality to the next level, by adding automation.

IVR Routing is how you direct calls to an agent (a support agent, sales person and so on) and are based on certain factors such as availability, call volume, time of day or skill.

IVR Routing Policies are designed to be easy to create, using a drag and drop interface, reminiscent of Process Builder or Flow.

In Routing Policies I can use the Speak action to set up a welcome message.

Text to speech means a written line of text can be read aloud in one of many different audio personas. It can even pull though a value on the record related to the caller such as their name, account or even a product.

In the example below I’ve configured my Speak element to locate the caller’s name and read out a message using the persona of Amy:

I could also send the caller to a Switchboard:

I can create a Rules based on various criteria to determine where to route my calls. For example, Time of day or Skills:

I can then Connect A Call or use Call Queue to direct the call to the relevant number, group or user (for example you could connect a Contact to their Salesforce record owner):

Call Queues will also allow me to include features such as Callback which will automatically generate an outbound call to a customer once an agent is free, removing the need for a customer to wait on hold or call in repeatedly.

Call Queues will also allow me to include features such as Callback which will automatically generate an outbound call to a customer once an agent is free, removing the need for a customer to wait on hold or call in repeatedly.

Outbound Call Triggers

Ok, so we all understand the concept of inbound calls and agents making outbound calls to follow up on these. But what about proactively creating call queues based on customer activity?

Natterbox can use outbound call triggers to line up calls for your agents. For example, when a Lead submits a form on your website, an outbound call can be automatically routed and triggered. Seriously powerful stuff.

Team Management & Coaching

Call coaching is an important part of managing and improving your sales and service teams. Managers and Team Leaders can use Natterboxs’ Listen Live feature to check in on calls in progress or listen to call recordings.

If listening live, they can also choose to:

Listen In – Managers can listen in to calls in progress

Whisper – Speak to the Agent only

Barge – Speak to the Agent and customer

Reports & Dashboards

Natterbox includes over 80 telephony report templates plus several dashboards out of the box. These pre-built reports and dashboards are useful to understand the analytical options right from the get go, but also provides templates for users to replicate. You can also create as many custom reports and dashboards as you like using Salesforce’s native reporting functionality!

Dashboards can be sliced and diced as you wish, for example, split between outbound and inbound calls or calls to service vs sales teams.

Highlights include:

  • Total inbound or outbound calls per user – see who is making or taking the most calls
  • Total inbound or outbound call time per user – see who’s calls have the longest or shortest duration
  • Total calls by time – analyse your peak times
  • Top 20 Contacts by call time (also available for Accounts and Leads) – see which customers require the longest calls!
  • Top Cases by calls – see which issues require the longest call durations and consider if you could improve your self-service support options

Microsoft Teams Connector

If your team loves to use Microsoft Teams then fear not; avoid the need to manage multiple voice solutions by seamlessly integrating Microsoft Teams, capturing your call data directly in Salesforce.

Make and receive calls inside Microsoft Teams, on the web, desktop and mobile and the data is saved against the relevant Salesforce records, removing any need for manual data entry.

Use Cases

With a tool this robust, Natterbox is sure to bring multiple benefits to your business. We’ve picked a few example use cases but there are many more…

Sales Teams

Accelerate sales efficiency using outbound call triggers. When a Lead completes a form on your website, clicks a link, or downloads a whitepaper, Natterbox can automatically route and schedule calls so you never miss an opportunity again.

Service Teams

With everything in Salesforce, your agents get a complete view of the customer and are able to provide personalised support without the customer having to repeatedly explain who they are or what the issue is.
You can take advantage of availability and skills to route your service calls to the right agent every time. Or add a “Call Back” option on your website that automatically triggers an outbound call from a service agent to the customer – you’ll start exceeding customer expectations.

Field Agents

If you have a team of field agents, they can benefit from using Natterbox on the go via the mobile app. No more waiting to get back to the office or home to follow up and finish admin tasks!

Impact

Transform Customer Experience

The sad truth is that by the time a customer calls you, they often have a big issue combined with the frustration that they haven’t been able to solve the problem via self-service routes.

You can diffuse the frustration by transforming your telephony experience, removing the typical barriers to customer satisfaction.

Get calls routed to the right teams or agents based on availability and skills – no more waiting on hold or being put through to multiple different departments.

Take advantage of automation and call routing policies that identify the customer and use features such as text to speech to greet them using their name.

Using Natterbox and Salesforce you can ensure your teams have a complete understanding of the customer, including any open or closed cases, recently purchased products etc, so they are fully prepared for the call.

Boost Productivity

Whether it’s your service agents or sales team, Natterbox can boost employee productivity.

Instant access to Salesforce records, click to dial, outbound call triggers, and automatic activity capture within Salesforce are just a few of the benefits that will increase user adoption and employee engagement.

Enhance Visibility

Natterbox is 100% Salesforce native and data is stored within your CRM giving you instant, enhanced visibility. In addition, Natterbox comes with 80+ out of the box reports, plus dashboards, to help you analyse your data and make informed decisions.

Cloud Based = No Hardware Drama

It’s “cloud based”. I know, that’s a bit obvious, but what does this actually mean in practice and why is it a benefit?

Historically there has been some resistance to moving to cloud based telephony systems. Why is this, why do companies still have wired telephony systems that are 5-10+ years old? Well, traditionally the cost of moving to a new version or different telephony platform was huge. Not just the vendor costs; there were the additional costs of putting a new phone on every desk, installing new software on every computer and the time and effort of ripping up and moving the cabling.

With a cloud based solution like Natterbox, you remove all of these complications and costs. No more hardware, no more software downloaded onto computers, and everything accessible virtually using a web browser or mobile phone.

Setup

My favourite words to describe Natterbox would have to be “robust” and “powerful”. However, as we administrators know, the more impressive the features, the more setup required. Never fear, whilst it may take a little setting up, it’s intuitive to do so and the results are worth it. You’ll also get support from the Natterbox deployment team.

First you’ll provide Natterbox with the following details:

  • Salesforce Org ID
  • Salesforce Instance
  • Salesforce My Domain

Next, you’ll install two packages as part of the setup. First, the Freedom for Salesforce which is the Call Centre / CTI package (from the AppExchange), followed by the Natterbox Admin and Reporting package (Natterbox will provide a link). The Natterbox deployment team can also install the packages for you.

Once your account details are validated and your accounts are setup by Natterbox, you will receive 2 emails:

  1. Welcome to Natterbox with activation key
  2. Salesforce Authorisation request

You’ll then be able to activate Natterbox and complete the rest of the setup steps including scheduling jobs and setting up user licenses.

The initial setup time to install the packages and get users setup is typically a few hours. The Natterbox deployment team can assist you with this and reduce the setup time required. In addition to the initial setup, you will create your inbound logic and routing policies; how long this takes will vary on the complexity of your setup!

Natterbox provide documentation on their success portal to help you with setup:

Pricing

Natterbox uses a modular approach with flexible pricing, meaning customers only pay for what they need and not for every Salesforce licence. The tool is also cheaper for non-for-profit companies, so reach out to the team for more information.

More information about the product range and pricing can be found here.

Summary

Natterbox’s unique offering allows you to focus on the features you need today and add on as your business grows, boosting efficiency and improving the customer experience. All that, as well as being native to Salesforce.

We are incredibly impressed with Natterbox and so are their customers including GROUPON, Delphi Technologies and Legal & General. Check out the reviews on Salesforce AppExchange!

The Author

Christine Marshall

Christine is the Courses Director at Salesforce Ben. She is an 11x certified Salesforce MVP and leads the Bristol Admin User Group.

Comments:

    lILY
    May 06, 2021 2:20 pm
    Why is there a note that an android app is expected in January 2021, when this article has been posted 5 months after that?
    Christine Marshall
    May 06, 2021 3:37 pm
    Thanks for letting us know! This has now been updated. At the time of writing, it wasn't yet available on Android.
    Jack Michel
    May 10, 2021 4:53 pm
    Loved this review. Would love to see more like this of other available CTI / telephony vendors that work with Salesforce. I.e. GoToConnect, Aircall, etc.
    Christine Marshall
    May 12, 2021 10:23 am
    Thanks for reading!

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