This article provides an overview of the international phone number dialing support that is available on the SmartReach platform. The SmartReach platform supports international phone numbers for the following features:

• Platform Settings: Configurable time zone, date format, and number format applied across the platform, including the Service editor, campaigns, reports and exported items.
• Service Editor: Validates phone numbers using the E.164 format and treats numbers without a country code as non-international based on the Dialing Country of Origin. 

• Phone Numbers Editor: Supports international phone numbers in the E.164 format.
• Compliance: Supports storing phone numbers (voice or SMS-related) of up to 18 digits in the E.164 format for Do Not Contact (DNC) flags.
• Campaigns (Campaign Templates and Segmentation): Allows you to use international numbers in Caller ID, Call Back, and Operator Phone fields, with specific formatting based on the Dialing Country of Origin.
• Dialing Strategies: Supports international voice and SMS profiles with policies for different countries. Support is only at the country level for international voice and SMS with the exception of the US and Canada.
• Input Filters: Supports the upload of up to 30 phone numbers for each account in the E.164 format.
• Contact Manager: Stores and validates phone numbers in the E.164 format for non-home country numbers, displaying them accordingly.
• WFO: Supports international phone numbers in the E.164 format.
• Outbound Dialing Services: Supports the E.164 format for all international outbound dialing services (except Human Call Initiator (HCI), Human Text  Initiator (HTI), and 10-Digit Manual Telephone (10 DMT)), and any other automated dialing service. 
• Time Zone: For international dialing requirements, SmartReach supports your configured time zone.
  • Export Format: When reports are generated or exported, the data is displayed in the configured time zone and date format, or the mapped date format specified in the Export Format option. Specifying the time zone in the Export Format allows you run the report multiple times with different time zones, if required. Unless explicitly specified in the input filter format, any time and date included in the file are assumed to be in the configured time zone and date format.
• Reports: Displays phone numbers in the international format, including the + symbol and country code, in various standard reports. 
• Agent Audio Connectivity: Supports international phone numbers in the E.164 format for agent audio fields, including direct lines and real-time monitoring.
• Block Caller ID: Supports international numbers in the E.164 format for adding, deleting, importing, and exporting blocked numbers. 
• International Dialing Profile Support: Supports international voice and SMS profiles.
• Agent Phonebook: Stores and transfers calls to international numbers in the E.164 format.

Configuring the Platform Time Zone, Date Format, and Number Format for International Numbers

You can configure a preferred time zone, date format, and number format that are then applied across the platform. The features and products on the platform display the configured time zone, dates, and numbers including the exported items.

You can store phone numbers (voice or SMS-related) of up to 18 digits and upload international numbers in the E.164 format for non-home country numbers.

The Dialing Country Origin is a client-level setting that allows you to choose your home country. Phone numbers are formatted according to the selected home country.  Based on your client-level setting, phone numbers for the specified Dialing Country Origin are displayed as local numbers for both the voice portal and agent desktop user interface. Phone numbers not associated with your Dialing Country Origin are displayed in the E.164 format (+<Country-Code> followed by the remaining digits).

For example, a London UK number in E.164 format is stored as +44 20 3987 7617 if your Dialing Country Origin is the United States.

You can also set the Date and Number format according to your requirement.

The following screenshot provides an example of configuring the Dialing Country of Origin, Time Zone, Date Format, and Number Format at the Client level.

If you have configured the date, time, and number formats, those formats are used in the generated report. For example, when choosing the date and time for an Inbound Efficiency Report.

The following components display the configured time zone and date:

• Agent Desktop
• Designer / Scripter
• Work Force Optimization (WFO)
• Wallboards
• Tickets
• Accounts
• Email
• SMS
• Web Widget
• Knowledge Base
• Reporting
• Monitor Dashboard

Validating International Phone Numbers

All the phone fields available on the Phone Number tab in the Service editor (Caller ID, Phone Number to TTS, Operator Phone, and Agent Call In Number fields) must be stored in the E.164 format, because SmartReach validates the phone numbers using this format. Phone numbers without a country code are validated using the Dialing Country of Origin field in the Client editor and are treated as non-international numbers. You configure the phone numbers for a service under the Phone Numbers tab.

Based on your client-level setting, phone numbers for the specified Dialing Country of Origin are treated with "local" phone number formatting within the SmartReach user Interface for both the Voice portal and agent desktop.  For example, if you set USA as your Dialing Country of Origin, all numbers in the Voice portal and the agent desktop appear as local numbers (111)-222-3344. Phone numbers not associated with your Dialing Country of Origin use E.164 phone number formatting (+912345678901).

Supporting International Phone Numbers in the Phone Numbers Editor

The Phone Numbers editor supports the E.164 format for internationally provisioned phone numbers to display, search, and associate a phone number with a service.

Supporting Compliance for International Numbers Compliance

SmartReach ensures that all international phone numbers are supported for the following compliance features. See the Compliance section in the Smart Reach Administrative Guide for more information. 

• Contact Manager supports the E.164 phone number format for Do Not Contact (DNC) flags. See Do Not Call Tools for more information.

• The DNC editor supports the E.164 international phone number format for Dial-Time Phone.

Using International Numbers in Campaigns

When creating or uploading a campaign file, you can use international numbers in the Caller ID, Call Back, and Operator Phone fields.

Depending on the configured country in the Dialing Country of Origin field, you must use the following format for phone numbers in your Campaign file upload:

• Outside the dialing country of origin (international number): Phone number must include +<Country-Code> followed by the remaining digits.
• Inside the dialing country of origin (local number): Phone number does not require the +<Country-Code>.

The Campaign Details view shows the supported international phone numbers in the E.164 format.

SmartReach supports international campaign-based dialing for services including Quick Connect, Unattended, RPC, Preview All, and SMS.

Campaign Templates and Segmentation

• Campaign templates support E.164 formatting in the Operator Phone, Callback Phone, and Caller ID fields. 
• Segmentation fields, such as Phone 1, Phone 2, (through Phone 10), SMS, and other custom fields support E.164 formats.

Dialing Strategies

SmartReach supports all 30 phone fields in the dialing strategies configuration for international next-number dialing. Dialing strategies allow you to define the order in which the SmartReach platform dials phone numbers within a campaign. 

Using Input Filters with International Numbers

Records in the Input Filter containing the country code are processed as valid numbers for dialing. Using the Input filter, you can upload up to 30 phone numbers for each account in the E.164 format. 

Storing International Numbers in Contact Manager

To dial international numbers, you must load the numbers onto the platform either by including them in an Input File or adding them to Contact Manager. Contact Manager stores phone numbers 1 to 10 in the E.164 format for non-home country numbers. 
In Contact Manager, the phone numbers are validated for E.164 format and are displayed as follows:

• Contacts are displayed in the E.164 format for non-home country phone numbers. Home Country phone numbers are displayed in the local format.
  
• The Contact Import file supports a maximum of 10 phone numbers.

Work Force Optimization (WFO) 

The SmartReach portal supports the E.164 format for internationally provisioned phone numbers to display, search, and associate a phone number with a service to seamlessly connect customers around the world.

Using International Numbers with Outbound Dialing Services

The SmartReach portal supports the E.164 format for all international outbound dialing services (except HCI, HTI and 10 DMT), and any other automated dialing service.

Using International Numbers in Your Configured Time Zone

For international dialing requirements, SmartReach supports your configured time zone. The configured time zone is reflected in the following sections of the portal:

• Campaign upload scheduling input
• Campaign details actual start/end time
• Campaign template/Segmentation editor scheduling input
• Job history
• Schedule campaign job
• Contact timing
• Scheduled callback
• Service inbound tab
• Audit log/change history

Phone Number filtering accepts International Numbers (E.164) for queries.

Supporting International Phone Numbers for Agent Audio Connectivity 

The system supports international phone numbers in the E.164 format for all related Agent audio fields.

• Audio Path (Out): The Audio Path (Out) field supports international phone numbers in the E.164 format to establish the audio path.
   
• Direct Line for Agent: You can configure an international phone number in the E.164 format as the Direct Line for Agent by searching and assigning the number to the agent.

Real-Time Monitoring Audio Connectivity Support

Audio monitoring of agents in real time supports international phone numbers in E.164 format.

International Block Caller ID Editor Support

The Block Caller ID editor supports international phone numbers in the E.164 format. You can add, delete, import, and export blocked phone numbers in the E.164 format.
 

Supporting International Dialing Profiles 

The system supports international voice and SMS profiles. You can also add policies for different countries and a Country column identifies the country field of the policy. 

• Voice Profile
  
• SMS Profile

Supporting International Phone Numbers in the Agent Phonebook Editor

The Agent Phonebook editor supports the E.164 phone number format to transfer calls to a list of external contacts (Phonebook). You can add Phone Number and Caller Id in E.164 phone number format.