Online Phone Bank

Jump to section:

• Introduction
• Phone Canvassing Overview
• PDI Calling Service Configuration
• Creating an Online Phone Bank
  • Creating a Simple Voter Phone Bank
  • Creating an Advanced Voter Phone Bank
  • Creating a People Phone Bank
• Managing your Phone Bank Links
  • Editing a Phone Bank Link
  • Sharing a Phone Bank Link
  • Creating a New Phone Bank Link
  • Managing your Phone Bank Links in the Main Page
• Managing your Online Phone Banks
• Monitor Caller Activity
• Phone Bank Statistics
• Cloning a Phone Bank

Introduction

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The Online Phone Bank feature helps organizations efficiently run and manage phone canvassing projects which can be accessed from anywhere, as long as the participants have the link to the phone bank. There are many advantages of using the Online Phone Bank.

• You do not need to print your list – The caller information and survey script are displayed on your computer screen.
• You can distribute your list to thousands of potential callers in minutes.
• No additional data entry – Callers can click call responses during the calls. You can even enter new phone number, email, address information plus comments.
• You can have logical branch surveys and even use multiple surveys.
• You can call both Voters and People.
• You can monitor caller activity and productivity.
• You can schedule work shifts and enter event RSVPs from the same interface.
• Voters who have returned their ballots are automatically removed from calling universes without any additional effort by the organizations.

The Online Phone Bank uses Electronic Surveys, and access to these phone banks can be limited to registered phone bankers, or open to the general public as long as they self-register as a phone banker. Once created, the list generated in the Online Phone Bank becomes static and will not update to reflect the changes in your universe. Once ballots have been returned during the election cycle, we will go through each phone bank remove the individuals who have already voted.

• To access the Online Phone Bank page, click on the Outreach section of the Navigation Menu, click Phone Canvassing, and click Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project in the sub-menu.

Phone Canvassing Overview

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There are three types of Online Phone Banks: Basic, Browser Calling, and Dial-In.

• Basic: Canvassers call individuals using their own phones. They use the Online Phone Bank to see caller information and a survey script, and they enter survey responses during their call. There is no additional charge.
• Browser Calling: Canvassers place phone calls through the Online Phone Bank using their computer. They can also see caller information and a survey script and enter survey responses during their call. There is an additional charge of 5 cents per minute to use Browser Calling.
• Dial-In: Canvassers use their own phones to call into a central hub and stay connected on that call the entire time that they are phone banking. They start and end individual calls using the Online Phone Bank. They can also see caller information and a survey script and enter survey responses during their call. There is an additional charge of 10 cents per minute to use Dial-In.

To create a Basic Online Phone Bank, follow the instructions for Creating an Online Phone Bank in this article.

To create a Browser Calling or Dial-In Online Phone Bank, first, you will need to follow the instructions in the PDI Calling Service Configuration section of this article. Once you have configured browser calling or activated dial-in, follow the instructions for Creating an Online Phone Bank in this article.

PDI Calling Service Configuration

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The Browser Calling Configuration page is where you will configure the calling feature in the Online Phone Bank. You must set this up before you will be able to run a Browser Calling or Dial-In Phone Bank. In order to use online calling features, you will need to purchase calling minutes by going to Admin > Billing Center > Purchase Phone and Texting Credits.

Once you have purchased calling minutes, you can configure online calling.

To access the Browser Calling Configuration page, go to Outreach > Phone Canvassing > Configure Browser Calling.

Activate the Activate Browser Calling switch in the box in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. This is required for both Browser Calling and Dial-In Phone Banks.

The Caller ID tab allows you to configure the caller ID that is displayed when using the click-to-dial function. This is required for both Browser Calling and Dial-In.

The Dial-In Phone Number tab allows you to set up the Call In number that will be used for the Dial-In feature.

Setting Up Caller ID

1. On the Caller ID tab, use the Enter New Caller ID textbox to enter in the phone number that will be used as the caller ID for the click to dial feature.
   1. Note: You will need to have access to this phone number.
2. Click the Verify Phone Number button. A six-digit code will appear in the Verification Code box.
3. Answer your phone.
4. On your phone, use the number keypad to enter in the six-digit code.
5. Click the Refresh button to refresh your Caller ID. The phone number will appear in the Current Caller ID Number box.
6. At this point, you are ready to set up a Browser Calling Phone Bank. If you would like to set up a Dial-In Phone Bank, follow the additional instructions below.

Setting Up Dial-In Calling

1. Go to the Dial-in Phone Number tab.
2. If it is not already enabled, activate the Activate Dial-in Calling switch.
3. A dial-in phone number will be provided to you in the Current Dial-In Phone Number box. If you would like to use a particular area code, click Advanced Options in the upper right-hand corner.
   
4. Use the Area Code textbox to enter in the area code that you would like to use for your Dial In.
5. Click the Get New Number button.

Note: Make sure you deactivate Dial-In Calling before conducting any phone banks that you want to use Browser Calling but not Dial-In. When Dial-In Calling is activated, your canvassers will see the option to use Dial-In on their screens; to be sure that they are only using Browser Calling, deactivate Dial-In before beginning the phone bank.

Creating an Online Phone Bank

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Jump to subsection:

• Creating a Simple Voter Phone Bank
• Creating an Advanced Voter Phone Bank
• Creating a People Phone Bank

Click the blue Create Phone Bank button on the Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page. A pop-up will appear.

Creating an Online Phone Bank requires a Phone Bank Name, Saved Universe, and an Electronic Survey. Only activate the Allow Browser Calling checkbox if you are creating a Browser Calling or Dial-In Phone Bank.

The Online Phone Bank also features additional features allowing you to add secondary and tertiary surveys, geographic filters, call filters, and other additional options.

Below are a list of fields in the Add New Phone Bank pop-up.

• Enter Name of the new Phone Bank Project - Allows you to set the name for your Online Phone Bank.
• Universe Type - Allows you to set the type of universe you would like to use to generate your online phone bank.
• Select the Saved Universe for the Project - Allows you to select the actual universe that will be used in the Online Phone Bank.
• Select the Project's Base Survey - Allows you to select the main survey that will be used in the Online Phone Bank.
• Assign phone bank to an existing link - Allows you to select which link your callers will use to access the Online Phone Bank. For more information, go to the Managing your Phone Bank Links section of this article.
• Allow Browser Calling for auto dialing services - Allows you to enable the Click to Dial and Dial In functionality in the phone bank.
• Phone Bank is Active - Controls whether the Online Phone Bank is active or inactive.
• Template - Allows you to select the Online Phone Bank Layout.
  • Note: This option will only appear if your selected universe type is People or Person List.
• Recently Called Filter - Allows you to filter out individuals who were called within a select period of time.
• Exclude Universe - Allows you to filter your Online Phone Bank to exclude individuals who are included in both the universe selected in the Universe Name drop-down menu and the Exclude Universe drop-down menu.
• Acquisition Type - Allows you to set the Acquisition Type for the flags that are collected in the Online Phone Bank.
• Event - Allows you to select the event this Online Phone Bank is part of.
• Show All Persons at the Phone Number - Expands the Online Phone Bank to display all of the voters in the household where at least one person meets the criteria of the universe.
• Top Priority Survey - Allows you to select an additional survey that an individual will receive if they meet the qualifications of the universe selected in the Top Priority Sub-Universe drop-down menu and the Universe Name drop-down menu.
• Top Priority Sub-Universe - Allows you to select a Universe of individuals who will receive the survey selected in the Top Priority Universe drop-down menu as long as they are in the Universe selected in the Universe Name drop-down menu.
• Secondary Survey - Allows you to select an additional survey that an individual will receive if they meet qualifications of the Universes selected in the Secondary Survey and Universe Name drop-down menus, while not meeting the qualifications for the Universe selected in the Top Priority Sub-Universe drop-down menu.
• Secondary Sub-Universe - Allows you to select a Universe of individuals who will receive the survey selected in the Secondary Survey drop-down menu as long as they are in the universe selected in the Universe Name drop-down menu, while not in the universe selected in the Top Priority Sub-Universe drop-down menu.
• Remove Party Field from Project - Allows you to hide individuals' party affiliations from your callers.
• Remove All Personally Identifiable Information - Allows you to hide individuals' personally identifiable information from your callers.
• Set Geographical Filter - Allows you to set your Online Phone Bank to voters in a user selected list of geographic areas.

Creating a Simple Voter Phone Bank

1. Click the Create Phone Bank button.
2. Use the Enter Name of the new Phone Bank Project textbox to assign a name to your Online Phone Bank.
3. Use the Select the Saved Universe for the Project drop-down menu to select the Voter Universe.
4. Use the Select the Project's Base Survey drop-down menu to select the Electronic Survey you would like to use in the Online Phone Bank.
5. Use the Assign phone bank to an existing link drop-down menu to select the link your callers will use to access the Online Phone Bank. Each account automatically comes with one Default Phone Bank Link. For more information about links, go to the Managing your Phone Bank Links section of this article.
6. If you are creating a Browser Calling or Dial-In Phone Bank, activate the Allow Browser Calling checkbox.
7. Click the Save button.

Creating an Advanced Voter Phone Bank

1. Click the Create Phone Bank Project button.
2. Use the Enter Name of the new Phone Bank Project textbox to assign a name to your Online Phone Bank.
3. Use the Select the Saved Universe for the Project drop-down menu to select the Voter Universe.
4. Use the Select the Project's Base Survey drop-down menu to select the Electronic Survey you would like to use in the Online Phone Bank.
5. Use the Assign phone bank to an existing link drop-down menu to select the link your callers will use to access the Online Phone Bank. Each account automatically comes with one Default Phone Bank Link. For more information about links, go to the Managing your Phone Bank Links section of this article.
6. If you are creating a Browser Calling or Dial-In Phone Bank, activate the Allow Browser Calling checkbox.
7. Click the Show Additional Options link.
8. (Optional) Use the Recently Called Filter drop-down menu to select a group of recently called individuals that you would like to remove from your Online Phone Bank.
9. (Optional) Use the Exclude Universe drop-down menu to select a Voter Universe that you would like to use to filter individuals out of your base universe.
10. (Optional) Use the Acquisition Type drop-down menu to select an Acquisition Type to associate with the flags that will be collected.
11. (Optional) Use the Event drop-down menu to select the Event that this phone bank is part of.
12. (Optional) Select Show All Persons at the Phone Number if you would like to include all of the voters in the household where at least one person meets the criteria of the universe.
13. (Optional) Use the Top Priority Universe drop-down menu to select the top priority survey.
14. (Optional) Use the Top Priority Sub-Universe drop-down menu to select the top priority universe.
15. (Optional) Use the Secondary Survey drop-down menu to select the second priority survey.
16. (Optional) Use the Secondary Sub-Universe drop-down menu to select the second priority universe.
17. (Optional) Activate the Remove Party Field from Project checkbox if you do not want your callers to see the party affiliations of the individuals they are calling.
18. (Optional) Activate the Remove All Personally Identifiable Information checkbox if you do not want your callers to see any personally identifiable information about the individuals they are calling.
19. (Optional) Click the Set Geographical Filter link.
    1. Use the List of Districts drop-down menu to select the type of district you would like to use to filter.
    2. (Optional) Use the Only Areas drop-down menu to select the area type you would like to use to filter your list of geographies.
    3. (Optional) Use the Areas drop-down menu to select the area that you will be filtering towards.
    4. In the list, click on the areas you would like to add.
    5. Click the Add Criteria to Universe button.
20. Click the Save button.

Creating a People Phone Bank

1. Click the Create Phone Bank Project button.
2. Use the Enter Name of the new Phone Bank Project textbox to assign a name to your Online Phone Bank.
3. Click the Show Additional Options link.
4. Use the Universe Type drop-down menu to select People or Person List.
5. Use the Select the Saved Universe for the Project drop-down menu to select your People Universe or Person List.
6. Use the Select the Project's Base Survey drop-down menu to select the Electronic Survey you would like to use for your Online Phone Bank.
7. Use the Template drop-down menu to select the template you would like to use for the Online Phone Bank.
8. Use the Assign phone bank to an existing link drop-down menu to select the link your callers will use to access the Online Phone Bank. Each account automatically comes with one Default Phone Bank Link. For more information about links, go to the Managing your Phone Bank Links section of this article.
9. If you are creating a Browser Calling or Dial-In Phone Bank, activate the Allow Browser Calling checkbox.
10. (Optional) Use the Acquisition Type drop-down menu to select the Acquisition Type to associate with the flags.
11. (Optional) Use the Event drop-down menu to select the Event that this phone bank is part of.
12. (Optional) Activate the Remove Party Field from Project checkbox if you do not want your callers to see the party affiliations of the individuals they are calling.
13. (Optional) Activate the Remove All Personally Identifiable Information checkbox if you do not want your callers to see any personally identifiable information about the individuals they are calling.
14. Click the Save button.

Managing your Phone Bank Links

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Phone Bank Links provide your canvassers with access to your Online Phone Banks. An Online Phone Bank can be assigned to multiple Phone Bank Links, with each link having its own special properties. Once an Online Phone Bank has been completed, the Phone Bank Link can be reused again for a new Online Phone Bank, allowing you to update the Phone Bank without changing the URL for your canvassers.

Each organization account comes with a Default Phone Bank Link that has been created for you. The default settings are very simple. The Default Phone Bank Link enables callers to self-register as callers for your Online Phone Bank, and it is automatically marked as active. To edit these settings, follow the instructions in the Editing a Phone Bank Link section of this article.

Jump to subsection:

• Editing a Phone Bank Link
• Sharing a Phone Bank Link
• Creating a New Phone Bank Link
• Managing your Phone Bank Links in the Main Page

Editing a Phone Bank Link

If you would like to edit a Phone Bank Link, hover over the Outreach section in the navigation menu, click Phone Canvassing, and click Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project.

Click on the name of the Phone Bank Link you would like to edit. A pop-up will appear.

Click Show Additional Options to view all of the options for your Phone Bank Link.

A list of the options is below.

• Phone Bank Link Name - Allows you to assign a name to your Phone Bank Link.
• Phone Bank to Use With This Link - Allows you to associate an Online Phone Bank with the link.
• Require Phone Bank Password - Makes a password required to access the Online Phone Bank from the link.
  • Note: You will set the password in the Password textbox.
• Show Volunteer Organization Dropdown on Login Page (Make Optional) - Displays an organization drop-down menu in the Online Phone Bank login screen, allowing your canvassers to select the organization they belong to before logging in.
• Show Volunteer Organization Dropdown on Login Page (Make Required) - Displays an organization drop-down menu in the Online Phone Bank login screen, requiring that your canvassers select the organization they belong to before logging in.
• Enable Callers to Self Register - Allows callers to register themselves as canvassers to your Online Phone Bank.
• Disable Skip Calls - Disables the ability to skip calls in the Online Phone Bank.
• Link is Active - Control whether this Phone Bank Link is active or inactive. Phone Bank Links will be active by default (the checkbox will display a checkmark).
• Hours of Operation - Set hours for the phone bank.
• Phone Bank Link URL - Displays the URL that is used to access the Online Phone Bank.
  • Note: You will only see a link here once your Phone Bank Link has been created.

Editing a Phone Bank Link

1. Click on the name of the Phone Bank Link you would like to edit.
2. (Optional) Use the Phone Bank Link Name textbox to change the name of your Phone Bank Link.
3. (Optional) Use the Phone Bank to Use With This Link drop-down menu to select or change the Online Phone Bank you would like to associate with this link.
4. (Optional) If you would like to password protect your Phone Bank Link, activate the Require Phone Bank Password checkbox and enter a password in the Password textbox.
5. (Optional) If you would like to give your canvassers the ability to associate their canvassing with an organization, activate the Show Volunteer Organization Dropdown on Login Page (Make Optional) checkbox.
6. (Optional) If you would like to require your canvassers to associate their canvassing with an organization, activate the Show Volunteer Organization Dropdown on Login Page (Make Required) checkbox.
7. (Optional) If you would like to give your canvassers the ability to register themselves as phone bank callers, activate the Enable Callers to Self Register checkbox.
8. (Optional) If you would like to disable the ability to skip calls, activate the Disable Skip Calls checkbox.
9. (Optional) If you would like to activate the Phone Bank Link, activate the Link is Active checkbox. If you would like to deactivate the Phone Bank Link, deactivate the Link is Active checkbox.
10. (Optional) Activate the Hours of Operation checkbox to set hours of operation for the link.
11. Click the Save Link button.

Sharing a Phone Bank Link

Click on the name of the Phone Bank Link you would like to share. A pop-up will appear.

At the bottom of the pop-up, you will find a box containing the Phone Bank Link URL. Click Copy link to copy the link to your computer's clipboard. Then, you can share the Phone Bank Link with your canvassers.

Creating a New Phone Bank Link

You can create new links by cloning the Default Phone Bank Link. If you already have multiple links, you can clone any of them to create a new one.

Cloning a Phone Bank Link will copy all of its attributes, such as a password or hours of operation. This is so that if you have multiple Online Phone Banks running simultaneously, you can provide different links for each phone bank.

Once an Online Phone Bank ends, you can reuse its Phone Bank Link for another phone bank, so most users will not need to create many links. However, if you have multiple simultaneous Online Phone Banks, you will need a link for each phone bank.

There are two ways for you to clone an existing Phone Bank Link. The first way is to do it on the Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page. The second way is to do it while you are creating a new Online Phone Bank. Instructions for both of these methods are below.

Creating a New Phone Bank Link from the Phone Bank Links Section

To create a new Phone Bank Link, hover over the Outreach section in the navigation menu, click Phone Canvassing, and click Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project.

Find the Phone Bank Link you would like to copy and click the corresponding Clone link. A pop-up will appear.

Provide a unique name for your new link and click the Create Link button.

To make changes to this new link, go back to the Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page and follow the instructions in the Editing a Phone Bank Link section of this article.

Creating a New Phone Bank Link While Creating a New Phone Bank

Follow these instructions if you are currently creating a new Online Phone Bank and would like to associate it with a new Phone Bank Link.

In the Assign phone bank to an existing link drop-down menu, select the Create a new link from clone option.

Then, select the existing Phone Bank Link you would like to clone and provide a unique name for your new link. (Remember to click Save.)

To make changes to this new link, go back to the Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page and follow the instructions in the Editing a Phone Bank Link section of this article.

Managing your Phone Bank Links in the Main Page

Phone Bank Links can be managed in the main Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page. However, the options are limited in this screen. For full editing options, follow the instructions in the Editing a Phone Bank Link section of this article.

The main Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page allows you to change the Online Phone Bank associated with the Phone Bank Link, activate/deactivate the Self Registration option, and activate/deactivate the Skip Calls feature.

• The Online Phone Bank associated with the link can be changed by using the Assigned Phone Bank Project Name drop-down menu to select the phone bank.
• The Self Registration option can be enabled and disabled by activating and deactivating the Allow Self Register checkbox respectively.
• The Skip Call feature can be enabled and disabled by activating and deactivating the Disable Skip Calls checkbox respectively.
• Once you have completed your changes to your phone bank links, click the blue Save button below the Active Phone Bank Links table.

Managing your Online Phone Banks

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Managing your Online Phone Banks

Once an Online Phone Bank has been canvassed, most of the fields of your Online Phone Bank will lock. The Online Phone Bank will also add two buttons, which are unique to a canvassed Phone Bank: Release Skipped Calls and Second Pass.

The Release Skipped Calls button will place the households that were skipped in the Phone Bank back into the Phone Bank.

The Second Pass button will release the individuals that were marked with Non-Contact Dispositions back into the Phone Bank.

Monitor Caller Activity

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The Monitor Caller Activity page allows you to review your Phone Bank activity in two different reports. The Active Callers report provides you with a top level view of your callers overall activity, while the Call Details page will provide you with a call by call report. The reports are selected in the View Report Type drop-down menu. Once a report has been selected, you can use the remaining drop-down menus and textboxes to further customize your report.

To access the Monitor Caller Activity page, go to Outreach > Phone Canvassing > Monitor Caller Activity.

• View Report Type - Allows you to select the type of report you are generating.
• Filter By Phone Bank - Allows you to filter the report to a specific phone bank.
• Filter By Coordinator - Allows you to filter the report to a specific coordinator.
• Filter By Caller - Allows you to filter the report to a specific caller.
• Volunteer Organization - Allows you to filter the report to a specific Organization.
• Filter By Survey - Allows you to filter the report to a specific Survey.
• From / To Date - Allows you to filter the report to a user selected date range.
• Search by Voter Last Name or Phone - Allows you to search the report for a specific voter.

Phone Bank Statistics

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The Phone Bank Statistics page provides you with a number of ways to review your phone banking efforts. To access the Phone Bank Statistics page, go to Outreach > Phone Canvassing > Phone Bank Statistics.

• Active Phone Bank Status - Provides you with the progress for each active phone bank individually.
• Statistics - Provides you with a summary for the progress of each.
• Daily Progress - Provides you with a report of the support statuses captured through the Online Phone Bank. The line graph can be filtered by Online Phone Bank, Coordinator, and Caller.
• Top Callers - Provides you with a report for each caller between all phone banks.

Cloning a Phone Bank

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Once an Online Phone Bank has been saved, the list of voters in that phone bank becomes static. This means as your canvassing efforts increase outside of the Online Phone Bank, the list of voters in the Phone Bank will remain the same, even if the selected universe has changed overtime.

To easily update the universe used in an Online Phone Bank, you can clone your Phone Bank on the Create/Edit a Phone Bank Project page. This will copy all elements over from the previous Phone Bank, except for the name of the previous Phone Bank and the assigned Phone Bank Link.

Cloning a Phone Bank

1. (Optional) Activate the Show Inactive Projects checkbox.
2. Click the Clone button in the row of the Phone Bank you would like to clone.
3. Use the Enter Name of the new Phone Bank Project text box to assign a name to the new Phone Bank.
4. Use the Assign phone bank to an existing link drop-down menu to select a Phone Bank Link for the new Phone Bank.
5. If you are creating a Browser Calling or Dial-In Phone Bank, activate the Allow Browser Calling checkbox.
6. Click the Save button.