1.2 - Trigger: an Introduction

When utilizing babelforce, triggers are an essential component that cannot be left aside. These logical expressions serve as the foundation for every call flow, automation, and queue selection. They determine actions such as call routing, agent assignments, variable setting, CRM updates, and more, all based on specific conditions which can be defined in triggers.

In summary, triggers are conditions defined by you, and if those conditions are evaluated as true or false, corresponding actions are executed within the babelforce platform.

Locating triggers

Triggers hold significant importance and are easily accessible in our main menu, as they have their own dedicated top-level menu item.

Upon accessing the triggers section, you will find a comprehensive list of all available triggers. To add a new trigger, simply click the "Add" button located in the upper right corner of your screen (see screenshot below, right-hand upper corner).

Within the list of triggers, you will find the following details:

• Trigger name: You can freely choose and edit the name of each trigger at any time.
• Match: This determines whether all or any conditions, which the user defined within a trigger, must be met for the trigger to evaluate as true.
• Creation date: The date when the trigger was initially created.
• Number of conditions: The count of conditions associated with each trigger.
• Tags: If applicable, any tags linked to the trigger.
• Manage: Additional options for managing triggers - these options are reocuring and you will find them throughout the manager:
  • The chain icon displays where the trigger is currently used.
  • The pen icon allows you to edit the trigger.
  • The two paper sheets icon enables you to copy the trigger.
  • The small bin icon allows you to delete the trigger.

Creating a trigger

To get started, we want to create a very basic trigger. Let's call it "Always." This trigger, if used, returns always "true." This means that any operation connected with this trigger will be executed. Let's look at the details how to create this trigger:

• Click on Add
• Give it a name
• Select Match all conditions
• In Expressions search for Basics > Always or type and select
• As Operator select "is given"
• Click on Save

You can also watch the video on the topic

⇒ Capabilities of triggers

 Now, let's explore the structure of individual triggers by looking at the trigger that was just created.

The drop-down field Expression opens a long list of possible keys that can be selected. In our case, we selected an Expression that belongs to the category Basics.

Those Expressions can for instance be related to a call context, for instance, you will find a category called Call data. On expanding the section, you could for instance select Call from-number which would evaluate to the number calling your service.

Another example is the category Date and Time. When operating with an empty account, this section only contains Expressions for the current time. However, once you add Opening Hours or Calendars to your account, they can be selected and used. By the end of chapter 2, you will feel confident setting up such a trigger.

Feel free to click on the "Expression list" to discover a vast array of options that enable you to perform complex operations. However, please exercise patience as we will delve into the detailed explanation of triggers, including expressions, operators, and expectations, in our upcoming articles.

The second field we filled in was the operator is given. This means that we check whether the Expression "Always" is given. If this is true, the trigger is true. According to the nature of "Always" this means that the trigger always evaluates to true. As with expressions, we will explore the different options operators offer in a later article.

Using triggers

While going through this tutorial, you will learn how to create different types of triggers. All configured triggers can then be utilized throughout the babelforce account for different purposes.

In practice this means, if you create Trigger A, you can  reuse it within the babelforce manager in many different places. For instance, while editing or creating other modules, you can conveniently select triggers from a drop-down list, allowing for their reuse across multiple modules. You can even edit triggers directly from from within a call module.

The image on the right illustrates a Switch Node and how triggers are employed to define the call's route.

To provide you with a glimpse of the extensive capabilities of triggers, here are a few examples:

• Checking applicability of opening times
• Retrieving the queue load
• Evaluating agent availability as true or false
• Utilizing triggers for IVR selection
• Creating and updating tickets and logs based on trigger conditions
• Verifying if a call is eligible to enter the queue
• Defining agent routing
• And so on...

For now, this little overview shall be enough and we can continue to the next article.