Search and filter contacts

With a few clicks, a receptionist can search for contacts, filter contacts, and create custom filters for easy access to the desired information.

Search for contacts

To search contacts in your contact directory, type a name, department, or other identifying information available in 8x8 Frontdesk into the search bar. The search results filter as you type.

To filter contacts based on site, click Filter , click > next to Current Site, and select a site from the list.

Filter contacts

Create custom filters and access contacts in your directory quickly and easily. Whether you are filtering ring groups, call queues, individual contacts, or accessing contacts by department, create a custom filter with a few clicks. You can filter by department, site, job title, and contact type such as call queues and ring groups. Once you create a filter, pin to access these filtered contacts for quick access.

Features

  • 8x8 Frontdesk users can create up to six advanced custom directory filters.
  • Directory is always the first (left-to-right) tab and can’t be deleted.
  • An advanced custom filter can combine multiple filter chips for: Site, Department, Job title, entry Type & Favorites fields.
  • Entry Type filter supports: Contact, Personal Contact, Imported Contact, Ring Group, Call Queues, Auto Attendant, Park.
  • Once created each pinned filter can be navigated with one click.

To create a custom filter:

  1. Click to add a new filter.
  2. Enter a suitable name for the filter. For example, Sales Department
  3. Add the search criteria to filter. Add single or multiple criteria to filter. For example, select contacts in the Sales department in the New York office. <Department is Sales> <Site is New York>
  4. Click Save to save the search filter. The contacts matching the search filter get pinned under the new tab.

To remove a custom filter tab:

  1. Select the filter tab to remove.
  2. Click to edit the tab filter.
  3. Click delete filter to remove the tab.
  4. At the prompt, confirm to delete.

Note: To edit the custom filter, simply click and edit the search criteria as desired.

Exclude contact types via custom directory filters

With 8x8 Frontdesk, you can now create custom directory filters that exclude entries of a selected type. Let’s say you want to create a custom filter that doesn’t include personal contacts. Instead of including every type filter except Personal Contact, simply exclude it from the filter by selecting the Type > isn’t option from the list.

Entry Type filter supports:

  • Contact
  • Personal Contact
  • Imported Contact
  • Ring Group
  • Call Queues
  • Auto Attendant
  • Contact Center Channel
  • Park

Attach notes to contacts

Receptionists can attach notes to contacts indicating their preferences in regards to taking calls. If a contact is busy and wishes to forward all their calls to voicemail temporarily, the receptionist can enter a note for the contact and access it until removed.

The contact alert provides receptionists with useful information before answering a corporate forwarded call. To ensure there is a clear distinction between contact alerts and contact notes, the app now clearly indicates that the Alert field contains the alert message from the internal forwarded call, and the Notes field displays the notes attached to the contact in general.

To add a note and/or an alert to a contact:

  1. Hover over the desired contact in the contact directory list.
  2. Click button, next to the contact’s profile, to add a note and/or an alert.
  3. Add notes and click Save. A notification banner will appear.

  1. The highlighted note icon indicates an existing note.
  2. To read a note, simply click next to the user status.

Display custom status in notes

When contacts set their custom status, it is not obvious to the receptionist that the contact is busy in a meeting, at lunch, on a break, etc. They would have to click the contact and check if a custom status is set. We have introduced a mechanism that detects the custom status set by a contact, and updates or adds a note to the contact, alerting the receptionist. Click to check the custom status message.