4.1 - Adding audio files to your call flow

Let's delve into the use case we previously discussed.

Where do you need audio prompts? In the flowchart below, certain processes are highlighted in green. In our call flows, the color green always indicates audio elements. However, you will only see these green boxes if they are not connected to a decision process. Additionally, some audio prompts may be reused, so a simple count of the green boxes does not accurately reflect the total number of prompts. Moreover, certain prompts may be used multiple times.

Let's be more specific. The following list presents the most basic version of audio prompts required for the call flow:

1. 1. Holiday and after-hour message (green box)
   2. Welcome and IVR message (decision point - no green box)
   3. Waiting music (multiple green boxes, but all linked to the same audio file)
   4. Apology message (green box)

In this version, you can reuse the same prompt for both the After hours and Holidays message. The same goes for the the waiting music prompt which can be used in different queues.

However, you can enhance the complexity and incorporate additional prompts if desired:

1. Holiday message
2. After-hour message
3. Welcome and IVR message
4. Waiting music Support
5. Waiting music Sales
6. Waiting music Tech
7. Apology message Support
8. Apology message Sales
9. Apology message Tech

As you can see, already in this very small and easy call-flow, you could have either four or more than twice as many prompts. It all depends on what you want the customer experience to be.

We would always suggest not to overdo it. Often, keeping it simple might be a better solution than trying to foresee all possible outcomes. It will make it easier for you as well - keeping an overview is important. But of course, you can increase the complexity as much as you wish.

Speaking of it, the second list even could be much, much longer if you wanted to add messages to each wait queue that are caller-specific, as for instance "check out our latest products at mybrand.com" or "you can also find many answers to your questions in our help center if you go to help.mybrand.com".

As you can already see, knowing your prompts is central as they define your call flow and customer experience. And sometimes, if you really struggle with finding your own call flow, try to start with the prompts. What should the customer experience be, what should your customers know when they call your hotline? It might make things much easier for you.

The final section provides an overview of how babelforce recommends customers keep track of their audio files.