How do I create manuscripts?

Manuscripts. Creating and linking pages. Variables. Tags.

Manuscripts are used in outbound projects to give agents a script to follow, and to record information as they progress through it. Manuscripts can be used to create proper greetings, sales pitches, or to conduct surveys, among a host of other possibilities.

To create a manuscript, in your Admin account:

1. Go to the Products page.
2. Go to the Manuscript Tool subpage.
3. Click the Create new manuscript button.

Manuscript information

1. Type a Manuscript name.
2. Write a Manuscript description. While this step is technically optional, if you use a lot of manuscripts, the descriptions will help you manage them later.
3. Optionally, click the Manuscript office drop-down list to select the appropriate office.
4. Click the Manuscript category drop-down list and select a category. This will be another useful reminder later as to the purpose of this manuscript.
5. For Manuscript relation, click to select Call specific manuscript or Contact specific manuscript.

If the agent calls the same contact multiple times and you have selected the manuscript be Call specific, the manuscript will be fresh for each call. If you selected Contact specific, the manuscript will reopen each time the contact is called, remembering the answers previously recorded.

With the basic manuscript information recorded, you can begin creating the manuscript pages you need.

Creating pages

Most manuscripts will be made of multiple pages. You can link the pages in such a way that agents can navigate through them by selecting answers to questions. Since you can only link to pages that exist, you will usually have to create several pages before linking them.

To create a page:

1. Click the Create new page link at the top of the manuscript tool.
2. Type a New page name.
3. Click the OK button.
4. Create the text for the page. You have a range of formatting tools available to make the page more readable. You can even include media and links.

You can also include Dynamic variables, Dropdown lists and Text input.

Dynamic variables

Dynamic variables let you include information about the call or the contact into the text of the manuscript page.  For example, in the screenshot above, the tag {contact.fname} will be replaced by the contact's first name when the agent sees the manuscript during a call.

1. Position the cursor in the text where you want the variable to appear.
2. Click the Dynamic variables drop-down list and select the variable to include.

A tag will be placed into the text that will be replaced by the relevant text when an agent uses the manuscript.

Dropdown lists

To let an agent select answers from a predefined list, you can include a drop-down list.

1. Position the cursor in the text where you want the drop-down to appear.
2. Type a name for the drop-down list that tells the agent its purpose.
3. Click the Create dropdown list button near the top of the page information.

In the Create dropdown element for page dialog:

1. Type a Dropdown name.
2. If you want to require that the agent select an option, click to tick the checkbox for Mandatory field.
3. Type the list of items for the drop-down, pressing Enter after each item. Consider which item should appear first in the list, as it will be shown to the agent by default. If the list of items is long, think about how best to order the options to make it easier for the agent to find the one they want.
4. Click the OK button.

Links for Edit and Remove appear after the drop-down, letting you update its information (or delete it) if needed. These links will not show in the Agent view of the manuscript.

Text input

If you have a question that you want the agent to ask that will need a free text answer, you can include a Text input field.

1. Position the cursor in the text where you want the text input to appear.
2. Type a name for the text input that tells the agent its purpose.
3. Click the Create text input field button near the top of the page information.

In the Create Textbox dialog:

1. Type a Textbox name.
2. If you want to require that the agent type into this field, click to tick the checkbox for Mandatory field.
3. Click the Select width of the textbox drop-down list and click to select the percentage of the manuscript area that text box will cross.
4. Click the OK button.

Links for Edit and Remove appear after the textbox, letting you update its information (or delete it) if needed. These links will not show in the Agent view of the manuscript.

Linking pages

The simplest form of moving between pages of a manuscript is to have a Next button:

1. Type a Navigation condition's name.
2. Click the Add transition conduit button.
3. The Target page drop-down list will appear. Click to select the page you want to link to.

You can also create a branching link, where the page the agent will go to will depend on their selection from a drop-down list.

1. Type a Navigation condition's name.
2. Click the Add transition conduit button for every branch you want to create.
3. Type a value for the Transition condition that the agent will select.
4. Click the Target page drop-down list to select which page that option will take the agent to.

Final page

Information gathered by text fields and drop-downs are only saved when the agent leaves the page they are on. It is important that the manuscript does not end on a page on which you have gathered information.

Create a final page with no links onwards, perhaps with "Thank you" text on it. All paths through the manuscript should bring agents to the final page to ensure that all responses have been stored.

Adding a manuscript to a campaign

To let agents access the manuscript, it will need to be added to the project as described in this article. 

Manuscripts in Action

Agents working on that campaign will then see the manuscript when calling contacts: