Unit – Logging – Conversations

This unit covers setting up the Conversations functionality of Fastcall.

The Conversations feature enhances communication capabilities by facilitating structured interactions between users and external participants. It streamlines the management of various communication channels, including private calls, messages, group IVR calls, and softphone transfers. Conversations provide a centralized platform for tracking and organizing interactions, improving efficiency and collaboration.

Conversations allow users to see Personal Conversations with a Lead/Contact and Group Conversations (where the Lead or Contact is calling or sending messages to a Group phone or IVR) on different threads.

Fastcall offers a powerful and detailed model for tracking modern conversations, designed to capture the full complexity of today’s communication flows.

Fastcall’s data model records every element of the interaction, including multiple participants, transfers, topics, and conversation threads.

This robust structure allows Fastcall to accurately represent the true nature of real-world conversations, where multiple users may participate or take ownership, and calls can evolve across several stages.

By modeling these relationships with precision, Fastcall gives teams greater visibility, reporting accuracy, and contextual understanding of how conversations actually happen — making it one of the platform’s key advantages.

Functionalities

• Creation of Conversations with specified participants based on interaction type and context.
• Association of each interaction (Call, Messages, IVR, and Transfer) with a corresponding Conversation Event.
• Handling missed calls and IVR transitions appropriately within Conversation contexts.
• Efficient management of softphone transfers, creating Conversations based on transfer types.

How it works

Conversations group related calls and messages into a single thread that reflects a coherent discussion or topic. This structure provides clarity by organizing interactions across time and participants, making it easier to understand the full context of communication.

For example, a single Contact may have multiple Conversations with different agents on different topics. Without this structure, users would see a messy list of unrelated calls and messages, making it difficult to follow who said what and when.

So:

• Call – Represents a single voice call. A call may include one or more internal users and external participants.
  
  • Connection – Represents one leg of the call. E.g. a call with two internal users as participants, will have two connections.
  • Connection Attempt – Logs the users that were dialed when routing an inbound call or a transfer. Tells you which users were attempted, and who answered.
  • Call Participant – Relates one call to one participant (internal user or external participant via record or phone number).
  • Call Interactions – Key events during the call, meant for logging and auditing – Through which IVR(s) was the call routed, who answered, which menu option was selected, etc etc.
  • Quality Events – For logging and auditing purposes – Logs moments during a call when the quality was affected by packet loss, long round trip times, etc.
• Phone Number Lookup – Maps a phone number to a Salesforce record to streamline inbound call handling. Speeds up the record search for inbound calls and helps resolve ambiguity when multiple records share the same number, or when no match exists and the user selects a record manually (e.g., by searching by name).
• Conversation – Higher level entity that groups together a series of calls and messages between a set of participants using a provisioned Fastcall number.
  
  Example: A user could have a private Conversation with a Contact using their personal Fastcall number, while also being part of a group Conversation using a shared number assigned to the group (then other users have visibility and can also participate). Participants can be added over time as needed.
  
  • Conversation Participant – Relates one conversation with one participant, used to log the set of participants in a conversation.
  • Conversation Event – Relates one conversation with one call or message (so we know what calls and messages were part of a specific conversation).

Setup Conversations

Setup conversations in Fastcall Settings > Admin Settings > Logging > Conversation Settings.

You will see all the Conversation Events in the Conversations tab.

In each Conversation you will see details like:

• External Participant ID
• Internal ID
• Owner
• Last Interaction Time

and in the Related tab:

• Participants
• Events
• Extracts (If enabled)

Enable Conversation Extracts

Enabling Conversation Extracts will maintain a custom object related to the Conversation with a text area field containing the conversation extract (Messages and call logs).
Only new messages and call logs will update the extract since the setting is turned on.

Create Historic Conversations

If you want to see Conversations from before Conversations were enabled, you have to Create Historic Conversations, choosing the “from date” and “to date”.

Record Conversations Component

In the Record Conversations Component , you can control which Conversations are displayed in the Record Interactions LWC. You can choose to show only Conversations where the user is a participant, or display all Conversations associated with a specific Fastcall role.

When the Show All Conversations option is not set to private, users can choose how they want to handle these visible conversations on the Record Interactions LWC to control user behavior for conversations they can view but are not directly participating in.

There are three available options:

• Always – (Default) Allows the user to participate in any visible conversation without restriction.
• Ask for Confirmation – Prompts the user to confirm before joining or participating in a conversation.
• Never – Restricts all interaction; the user can only view the conversation in read-only mode.

Visibility

A user will be able to see a Conversation if:

1. It’s a participant in the Conversation.
2. The Conversation has a primary group that the user belongs to, and it has at least one message.

Conversations Types

Private Communication

• Direct calls and messages between users and external participants. A Conversation will be created with two participants: the record ID or phone as the External Participant ID, and the Fastcall phone number as the Internal ID.
• Associates each interaction with a single Conversation Event.
• On missed calls, the Missed Call Owner is added as a participant in the Conversation, in addition to the originating external phone number/record.

Inbound Messages to Group Phone

• Creates Conversations with involved primary audience groups as Internal ID and external participants.
• Associates messages interactions with a single Conversation Events.

Group IVR Calls

• If a user picks up:
  
  A Conversation will be created with the involved group as Internal ID and the record/phone as the External Participant ID.
  The participants will be the record ID or phone and the phone number who picked up the call.
   
• External participant hangs up:
  
  A Conversation will be created with the involved group as Internal ID.
  The participants will be the record ID or phone and the phone number assigned to the missed call owner of the IVR.
  
• Goes to Next IVR
  
  A Conversation won’t be created at this point.
   

The Call will be associated with a single Conversation Event in all cases.

Softphone Transfers

Calls, where a softphone transfer takes place, will create one or more Conversations depending on whether the internal users overlap in time during the call.

For example: 

• When a user makes a cold transfer the internal users will not overlap, in this case, two Conversations will be created, one with the original user or group as the Internal ID, and a second one with the transfer target as the Internal ID.
• During a warm transfer, a single Conversation will be created with the phone number of the original user or group as the Internal ID.

Conversation Handling Based on Caller ID

When initiating a Conversation via an outbound call or message, the Internal ID is determined by the Caller ID’s phone number (either assigned to a user or a group). The External Participant ID is the recipient or related record.

• Private Conversations: If a user wishes to maintain a private Conversation, they should use a caller ID assigned solely to them.
• Group Conversations: If the caller ID is assigned to a group, all members will have access to the Conversation, whether it involves messages or calls.

For inbound calls, the Internal ID is determined by the dialed phone number.

Conversation Participants

The Conversation Participant list unifies the Conversation audience and active participants, giving you complete visibility into who’s involved. With this added transparency, managing discussions and collaborations becomes easier, leading to more productive meetings and interactions. 

Add or Remove Participants in Conversations

You now have the flexibility to manage participants within a Conversation by adding or removing individuals as needed. This new capability lets you tailor the Conversation to include/exclude people at any time, ensuring focused discussions and improving collaboration.

Search or Create Records from the Participants List

Manage records directly from the participants list by clicking on the search icon.

• Search for an existing record.

• Create a new record if no match is found.

Edit Participant

Edit Participants details and select the specific phone number you want to associate with the conversation.

Close Conversation

You have the option to close Conversations. However, you can still view closed Conversations and reopen them if needed, ensuring that all information remains accessible and allowing you to easily pick up past threads when necessary.

Lookup fields & page layouts

The main Fastcall custom objects include:

• Call
• Connection
• Connection Attempt
• Call Participant
• SMS Message
• Conversation
• Conversation Participant
• Conversation Event

While there are additional custom objects available, these are the primary ones most commonly used.

Lookup fields to all managed objects are added dynamically on Call, SMS Message, Conversation Participant and Call Participant.

However, these lookup fields are not automatically added to the page layouts, they must be added manually by the Salesforce admin.

Conversations Overview

Outbound

One FC User → Calls → One Contact

The user calls from the Salesforce Contact or dials a list

• Caller ID Assigned to the User: When the contact returns the call, it’s routed directly to that user.
• Caller ID Assigned to a Group: When the contact returns the call, the call is routed to the IVR set on the phone. The reply call can be routed to the record owner or the Group. 
• The Fastcall User owns the Call record.
• Conversations
  • Starts a new conversation with 2 participants: the FC User and the Contact
  • If a previous conversation exists between the same FC user and contact (on the same phone number), the new call is added to that conversation.

One FC User → Messages → One Contact

The user messages from the Salesforce Contact or sends a single message to a list (bulk)
* A Salesforce Flow can also be used

• Caller ID Assigned to the User: When the Contact replies, the message is routed to the user.
• Caller ID Assigned to a Group: When the Contact replies, the message is routed to the user.
• The Fastcall User owns the Call record.
• Conversations
  • Starts a new conversation with 2 participants: the FC User and the Contact
  • If a previous conversation exists between the same FC user and contact (on the same phone number), the new message is added to that conversation.

One FC User → Calls → Multiple Contacts

The user dials first Contact; and adds more Contacts as Participants.

• Fastcall logs the call with multiple Connections and multiple Call Participants.
• The Fastcall User owns the Call record.
• Conversations
  • Starts a new conversation that includes all internal and external participants.

One User → Messages → Multiple Contacts

The user adds multiple Contacts as Participants and sends the message.

• Fastcall logs the message with multiple Participants.
• The Fastcall User owns the Message record.
• Conversations
  • Starts a new conversation that includes all internal and external participants.

Inbound

One Contact → Calls → One FC User

When a contact calls a Fastcall user directly.

• The inbound call is logged with one Connection and one Attempt.
• The Fastcall User owns the Call record.
• Missed calls may create a “reply” call.
• Conversations
  • Starts a new conversation with 2 participants: the FC User and the Contact
  • If a previous conversation exists between the same FC user and contact (on the same phone number), the new call is added to that conversation.

One Contact → Messages → One FC User

When a contact sends an message to a user.

• The inbound message is logged.
• The Fastcall User owns the Message record.
• Conversations
  • Starts a new conversation with 2 participants: the FC User and the Contact.
  • If a previous conversation exists between the same FC user and contact (on the same phone number), the new message is added to that conversation.

One Contact → Calls → Multiple Users

When inbound calls are routed to multiple users via Fastcall IVR or ACD (Simulring, Round Robin, etc.)

• The inbound call is logged with one Connection and one or more Attempts.
• A transferred call may include multiple Connections.
• The Fastcall User set as record owner in the IVR settings owns the Call record.
• Conversation
  • Starts a new conversation associated to the provisioned phone number.
  • If a previous conversation exists between the contact and the same provisioned phone number, the new call is added to that conversation.
  • The external Contact, the Group, and the User who answered are added as Conversation Participants.
  • Transfers or additional users added during the call are also added as participants.

One Contact → Messages → Multiple Users (Group Number)

When a message is sent to a shared group number.

• Fastcall presents the message to all users in the group.
• The responding user owns the Message record, and it’s marked as read for others.
• Conversation
  • Starts a new conversation with 2 participants: the Group phone number and the Contact.
  • If a previous conversation exists between the Group phone number and the Contact, the new message is added to that conversation.
  • The external Contact and internal Group are added as Conversation Participants.
  • The Contact sees a single phone number in their messaging app, regardless of who answers the message or if multiple users in the group send messages in the conversation.

One Contact → Messages → Multiple Users (each with a FC phone number)

• The contact sees multiple numbers in their messaging app.
• Conversation
  • Each inbound message creates a separate conversation per number.
  • The external Contact and each user are added as participants in separate Conversations.

Additional Notes

• Call Participants are also added as Conversation Participants.
• In the Conversation View, the system shows: “User A called Contact B” — where A is the latest Fastcall agent involved (or the one who initiated the call, if there is only one) and B is the first contact dialed (even if other Contacts were added later as call and conversation participants).
• Each phone number is locked to its conversation, so that external participants do not see messages coming from different Caller IDs.
• The same user may have multiple conversations with the same contact if interacting from different phone numbers (e.g., one for Sales and one for Support).

Benefits

• Centralized Communication:
  
  Offers a unified platform for managing diverse communication channels.
   
• Improved Collaboration:
  
  Facilitates structured interactions, enhancing collaboration among users and external participants.
   
  
• Efficient Tracking:
  
  Enables easy tracking and organization of interactions, enhancing efficiency and workflow management.
   
• Enhanced User Experience: 
  
  Streamlines communication processes, leading to a smoother and more intuitive user experience.
   

Overall, Conversations empower users with a comprehensive communication solution, facilitating seamless interactions and enhancing collaboration across various communication channels.

Last updated: Fastcall v8.9.7, 2025-06-03