Freshchat’s Telephony Partner Extension with Exotel enables you to bring your Exotel account into Freshchat to meet all your customer support needs. With this integration, you can:

  • Extend phone as a channel and offer conversational experiences across traditional and modern channels

  • Improve agent productivity

  • Empower admins to improve processes


Note: This functionality is only available for accounts signed up after June 27, 2022 on the Pro and Enterprise plan.

Integrating Freshchat with Exotel

Check out this video for a quick guide on Exotel integration:



To integrate Exotel with Freshchat:

  1. Log in as an Admin and go to Admin Settings > Channels > Phone. 

  2. Choose Exotel from the list of Phone channel providers.
    You will be redirected to the Exotel page on the Freshchat Marketplace.
    Click on Install again. Please note that you can install only one phone app at a time. 

  3. Provide your Freshchat Domain and API Key.
    To find your API, go to Admin Settings > API > APIs for Chat. 

  4. Provide your CRM API Key and enter Install. To find your CRM details, go to Admin Settings > API Settings > Your API Key.


  5. Enter the Exotel SID, Region, API ID, and API Token for your Exotel account which will be available in your Exotel dashboard. Click here for reference.
  6. Once installed, click on the Exotel icon in the left navigation bar to load the widget. 
  7. Enter your username and password.
  8. The Exotel agent widget is now set and ready to use.


Notes:

  • Ensure to set your mobile number as a unique field for conversations to be created inside Freshchat instead of Email.

2. Configure the Call flow for agents to pick any incoming call. You can find more details here.



User Mapping

As an admin, you can map your agent's phone number on the phone widget and allow them to make outgoing calls. To do this, click on the user icon at the top-right corner within the phone widget and map the phone number.


Incoming Calls:

Admin can configure the Call flow for agents to pick any incoming call. You can find more details here.

Agent experience with the Exotel integration

Starting a new call

  • Agents can start a new call by using the keypad or by selecting a contact from the People tab. 

  • When the call is connected, a new conversation is created and the agent is redirected to the Inbox with that conversation open. 

  • Once the call ends, the chat bubble displays the details of the call with the call recording and an option to download the call recording. 



Using in-call actions

Since Exotel uses the PSTN model, there are no in-call options available on the phone widget except for adding notes during the call.

Receiving Calls

When an agent is on the inbox or any other page and answers an incoming call received on their mapped phone number, a new conversation is created, and the agent is redirected to the inbox with that conversation open.

  • Click on the View Contact button on the Exotel widget to open the Freshchat Contact page on a new tab.
  • Once the call ends, you can view the call details in the chat bubble, including the call recording along with the option to download
  • While on the call, you can add private notes on the Exotel widget and click “Done”. Once the call ends, notes and tags added during the call appear as Private Notes on the Freshchat Conversation Inbox.

Missed calls

  • All missed calls appear on the Conversation Inbox with the label “Missed Call”. 
  • Agents will also be provided with an option to call back the customer from the same window.

Voicemail

  • To listen to a voicemail, click on a conversation with the tag “Voicemail” from the list of conversations in the Inbox. 

  • You can view and listen to the voicemail messages from the Freshchat Conversation Inbox and can also return the call by clicking on the “Call Back” button.

  • Additionally, you can also view and hear call recordings from the Exotel dashboard.

Exotel Support Article for reference - Click here

Exotel follows PSTN Model of calling where calls happens via connected phone numbers and not via browsers. User Mapping needs to be done from the widget for agents to make & receive calls.

FAQs:

  1. I have successfully integrated Exotel in my Freshchat account, but conversations are not created inside Freshchat?

    The above steps work for standalone Freshchat accounts. If you want to use Freshchat-Exotel integration from other Freshworks products like Freshsales, Freshmarketer, Freshsales Suite, or Customer Service Suite, you must disable Email as Unique field for conversations in Freshchat.

    To do this, go to Admin Settings > Contacts > Email > Uncheck the "Make this a unique field".

    Once this is done, please uninstall & reintegrate the Exotel app to the account.