Set Up a Bring Your Own Channel (BYOC) Integration

Channel	Type	Set Up & Details	What Agents can Do
Bring Your Own Channel (BYOC)	Messaging and Social	You must build middleware that can call the CXone APIs APIs allow you to automate certain functionality by connecting your CXone system with other software your organization uses. and receive API callbacks from CXone. This middleware sits between Digital Experience and the BYOC channel. Be sure you are familiar with the high level setup process before you begin. You need to select a default Studio script and a default skill for each channel you create. To configure this for existing channels go to ACD> Digital > Points of Contact Digital.	Send and receive messages. Send and receive attachments, if the integration supports it.

 

Outbound BYOC using Personal Connection has a separate setup help page.

Before You Begin

Be sure you are familiar with the high level setup process and have all the information you need from your engineering team.

Add a BYOC Integration

Each BYOC acts as a new channel type, such as chat or email. This means that each BYOC can contain multiple channels of that type.

1. Click the app selector and select ACD.

2. Go to Digital > Bring Your Own Channel.

3. Click Add.
4. Enter all details for your BYOC Channel. Many of these details come from the middleware and should be provided by your engineering team.
   Learn more about fields in this step

   Field	Details
   Name	The name for your channel integration.
   Integration box URL	The fully-qualified URL to be used for HTTPS message callbacks from CXone. Message callbacks notify your server of a message event, like message received or message delivered. This is the URL that CXone should use to communicate with your middleware. This comes from the middleware and your engineering team should provide this.
   Authorization URL	The fully-qualified URL of your authentication server. This can be a separate URL from your middleware message processing URL. If you leave this field blank, the Integration box URL is used.
   Add action URL	The fully-qualified URL for the page you created to add a channel. You create this page on your own, outside of CXone. This comes from the middleware and your engineering team should provide this.
   Reconnect action URL	The fully-qualified URL for the page you created to reconnect an existing channel if it has been disconnected. This can be the same as Add action URL, if you only have one page to point to. This comes from the middleware and your engineering team should provide this.
   Remove action URL	The fully-qualified URL for the page you created to delete a channel. This can be the same as Add action URL, if you only have one page to point to. This comes from the middleware and your engineering team should provide this.
   Client ID	Used to provide an OAuth 2.0 authorization for message callbacks to your integration. This comes from the middleware and your engineering team should provide this.
   Client Secret	Used to provide an OAuth 2.0 authorization for message callbacks to your integration. This comes from the middleware and your engineering team should provide this.
   Client Certificate	If you have mTLS security enabled, enter the mTLS certificate here. This must be in PEM format. mTLS secures both sides of a connection. This ensures that both the BYOC middleware and CXone verify each other. Your developers implementing your middleware can provide you with the certificate. Your organization is responsible for mTLS implementation. CXone does not provide or configure this for you.
   Private Key	If you have mTLS security enabled, enter the certificate's private key here. The private key is mandatory if you want to have mTLS security. This must be in PEM format. Your developers implementing your middleware can provide you with the key. Your organization is responsible for mTLS implementation. CXone does not provide or configure this for you.
   Certificate Authority	The entity who issued your digital certificates. Your engineering team should provide this. When configuring mTLS, this field is optional. If you leave this blank, it can open your system to certain security risks. If you do not include a certificate authority, CXone assumes that your certificates were generated legitimately and are correct. If you do want to include a certificate authority, this allows CXone to verify the certificates before any data is sent.
   Certificate Password	If the Private Key was password protected, enter the password here.
   Color	The color of the button displayed on the Points of Contact Digital page in CXone.
   Icon	The icon on the button displayed on the Points of Contact Digital page in CXone. This icon is also used in the agent UI.
   Use Digital 3.0 Outbound API for replies	Select Enable to automatically update endpoints to the latest version.

5. Click Save. This redirects you to the BYOC integrations list page.
6. On the BYOC integrations list page, locate your new BYOC and make a note of the Integration ID. You will need it to create a channel.

Set Up Channels and Messages

1. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.

2. Click the button for your BYOC. This opens the URL you entered in the Add action URL field when you set up your integration.

3. If your engineering team built a user-friendly UI with the middleware , you can complete a form to create a digital Any channel, contact, or skill associated with Digital Experience.point of contact The entry point that an inbound contact uses to initiate an interaction, such as a phone number or email address. (channel). Otherwise, you can call the Channel API directly. For this step, you will need the Integration ID that was generated when you created the BYOC integration.

   View example

   var(--codeSnippetCopyLabel)

   Example Channel API call

   POST /dfo/3.0/contact/channels
   {
       "id": "cd7d9728-5c64-433f-b49b-8924c97c2aa6",
       "idOnExternalPlatform": "myOwnId45678",
       "channelIntegrationId": "YOUR INTEGRATION ID",
       "realExternalPlatformId": "forum",
       "name": "My discussion forum",
       "isPrivate": true,
       "hasTreeStructure": false
   }

   Any messages sent through this channel are automatically handled by the middleware using the Message API.

   View example

   var(--codeSnippetCopyLabel)

   Example Message API call

   POST /dfo/3.0/channels/YOUR CHANNEL ID/messages
   {
      "idOnExternalPlatform":"comment-300001",
      "thread":{
         "idOnExternalPlatform":"thread-1001"
      },
      "messageContent":{
         "type":"TEXT",
         "payload":{
            "text":"Hello, can you help me, please?"
         }
      },
      "createdAtWithMilliseconds":"2021-01-15T03:20:50.52-04:00",
      "direction":"inbound",
      "authorEndUserIdentity":{
         "idOnExternalPlatform":"5459",
         "firstName":"Peter",
         "lastName":"Solo",
         "nickname":"@peter007"
      }
   }
   

Delete Channels

To delete a channel, you can call the Digital Engagement API directly or use the Digital Experience interface. To delete a channel from Digital Experience:

1. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.

2. Locate the channel in the Your Channels list.

3. Click Delete. This opens the URL you entered in the Remove action URL field when you set up your integration.

Configure Permissions

You need to add this channel A way for contacts to interact with agents or bots. A channel can be voice, email, chat, social media, and so on. to each role that will use the channel. When you add a channel to a role, you need to configure permissions. These determine what users assigned to the role can do when interacting with the channel.

You can add this channel to existing roles or create a role in the CXone Admin application specifically for this channel. Digital Experience users can only have one role.

If you create a new role for this channel, be sure to include any necessary permissions from the Digital Engagement list on the Permissions tab in the CXone Admin application. When you save the new role, it appears in the ACD > Digital > Roles list, where you can add channels and permissions, as well as assign the role to digital agents An agent who handles digital interactions, such as those on email, chat, social, messaging, and SMS channels. . Agents using CXone Agent need to have the Digital Engagement attribute enabled and be assigned to a digital skill to handle digital interactions. Agents using MAX can handle digital interactions if they have either the Digital Engagement attribute or a digital skill assigned to them.Agents either need the Digital Engagement attribute enabled or a digital skill assigned to them to handle digital Any channel, contact, or skill associated with Digital Experience. interactions. However, if you want agents to be able to use other features like searching posts, cases, or messages, you must enable the corresponding permissions.

1. Click the app selector and select ACD.

2. Go to Digital > Roles.

3. Click the Edit icon for the role you want to use.
4. In the Channels section, locate the channel you want to configure permissions for and click Edit permissions.

5. Select the checkboxes in the channel's row for each permission you want to add to the selected role.

   View image

   
   Learn more about channel permissions

   Depending on how Digital Experience is configured, some permissions may not be available.

   Permission	Details
   Reply	When selected, users can write replies that are published Posting directly to a social media wall, feed, or account. on behalf of the channel. Users without this permission can write drafts of messages. The drafts must be approved before they can be sent or published.
   Deleting from original platform	When selected, users can delete a message or post A social media thread stems from one original post. A post can result in multiple threads from various contacts. from its original platform (for example, from Facebook or Twitter).
   Hide from original platform	When selected, users can hide a message or post on its original platform (for example, Facebook or Twitter).
   Can approve	When selected, users can approve drafts of replies written by other users.
   Ability to assign/re-assign	When selected, users can assign or re-assign any conversation to themselves or other users.
   Ability to unassign	When selected, users can unassign a conversation from themselves or other users.

6. Click Save. Continue adding permissions for other channels, as needed.

Configure Routing and Queues

You need to define how Digital Experience routes messages that come in through this channel A way for contacts to interact with agents or bots. A channel can be voice, email, chat, social media, and so on.. You can modify the filters for existing routing queues The system uses routing queues to determine which agents to route cases to. Your system administrator creates routing queues so that certain cases are routed to agents with expertise in that type of case. to also route for this channel.  Routing queues in Digital Experience are similar to skills Used to automate delivery of interactions based on agent skills, abilities, and knowledge in ACD.

1. Click the app selector and select ACD.

2. Go to Digital > Routing Queues.

3. In the table, locate the routing queue you want to work on and click Filters.
4. Locate the filter you want to use and click Conditions. You can also add a new filter.
5. Click Add condition.
6. Use the drop-down to select Included channels rule, then click Create condition for selected type.
7. Click Add for each channel you want in the routing queue. Review the Selected Channels section when you're done, then click Back. Changes are saved automatically.
   View image

   

Create an Outbound Digital Skill

Agents using CXone Agent need to have the Digital Engagement attribute enabled and be assigned to a digital skill to handle digital interactions. Agents using MAX can handle digital interactions if they have either the Digital Engagement attribute or a digital skill assigned to them.

1. Click the app selector and select ACD.

2. Go to Contact Settings > ACD Skills.

3. Click Create New > Single Skill.

4. Set the Media Type to Digital and Inbound/Outbound to Outbound.
5. Enter a Skill Name.
6. Set the Digital Channel to Bring Your Own Channel.
7. Select the Digital Channel Name of the channel you're using.
8. Select the Campaign you want the skill to be part of.
9. Select a Message Template from the drop-down.
10. To add a sub-skill to this skill, select the checkbox. This only applies if you use digital routing queues for contact skill assignment. This is not the recommended routing method. Using Studio scripts is the recommended method to manage contacts and assign skills.

11. Configure the remaining optional fields in the Skill Information section as needed.

    Learn more about fields in this step

    Field	Details
    Agentless	Don't select for agent dialing. When this is selected, Workforce Intelligence Minimum Agents and Workforce Intelligence Minimum Available Agents are not available.
    Sub-Skill	Allows you to add a sub-skill to a skill. This lets you apply additional filters to match a skill if you use digital routing queues for contact skill assignment. However, using Studio scripts is the recommended method to manage contacts and assign skills. Sub-skill is not compatible with Studio, so it's not recommended to be used.
    Enable Priority-Based Blending	When selected, this field enables priority-based blending The ability for agents to receive interactions from all eligible CXone ACD skills, Personal Connection dialer, and Digital Experience skills assigned to them, based on the relative skill priority. Personal Connection skills work the same way they normally would, no matter the dialing ratio. Each skill you want to blend with others must be configured with priority-based blending. for the skill. This means that when an agent logs into the system and sets the state to available, they receive communications from all eligible skills. The order of contact delivery is based on the relative skill priority. If you choose to use priority-based blending, you must configure priority-based blending for all skills you want an agent to use at the same time.
    Message Template	Don't use this field for voice dialing. It applies to Proactive SMS and Proactive Digital BYOC skills only.

12. If you want to use screen pops A configurable pop-up window with information about the contact. It appears on an agent's screen after a certain event, usually when the agent connects to a contact. for this skill, use the POPURL action in Studio. This capability is only supported for the CXone Agent suite.
13. To require agents to manually accept or reject interactions for this skill, select the Accept / Reject checkbox. If an agent rejects an interaction, it returns to the queue.

14. To enable a countdown timer for agent responses, go to Agent Response section. This capability is only supported in Agent. You can also do this later.

    Learn more about fields in this step

    Field	Details
    Enabled	Check the box to make the timer appear in the agent console. Clear the box to hide it.
    Agent First Response	Enter how long you want to set the timer for. The countdown timer starts when a contact is assigned to the agent. The countdown ends when the agent sends the first message.
    Follow on Response	Enter how long you want to set the timer for. The countdown timer starts again when a customer responds to the agent. It ends when the agent sends a reply.

15. To unassign contacts after a timer expires, go to the Customer Response section. This capability is only supported in Agent. You can also do this later.

    Learn more about fields in this step

    Field	Details
    Enabled	Check the box to unassign contacts when the timer expires. Clear the box to have no idle time limit.
    Customer Idle Time	The countdown timer starts when the agent sends the first message to the customer. The contact will automatically unassign the contact from the agent when the timer expires.
    Time Extension	Check the box to let an agent give the customer more time to respond. This enables a button the agent can click to reset the customer idle timer.

16. Click Create. Complete additional configurations to customize or manage your skills.

Configure Default Skill and Studio Script

You need to select a default Studio script and a default skill for each channel you create. To configure this for existing channels go to ACD> Digital > Points of Contact Digital.

1. Click the app selector and select ACD.

2. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.

3. Select the channel you would like to configure and click Edit.

4. Select a Studio script from the drop-down.

5. Select a default skill from the drop-down.

6. Click Save.

Configure Service Level Agreement (SLA) 

SLAs help you track how effective your agents are in managing their cases The full conversation with an agent through a channel. For example, an interaction can be a voice call, email, chat, or social media conversation.. Digital Experience lets you configure SLAs globally and per channel. The speed of communication can vary widely from channel to channel, so you might want different SLAs for channels with slower communication speed. For example, a live chat Agents and contacts interact on a real-time basis takes place in real time, but an email or SMS conversation may take days of back-and-forth between the agent and the customer.

SLAs are only calculated during your configured business hours.

Agents can see the current SLAs for a case display when they click in the reply field.

If you want to configure an SLA for this channel, complete this task. Otherwise, you can skip it.

1. Click the app selector and select ACD.

2. Go to Digital > SLA.

3. Locate the channel you want to configure and click Edit.
4. Set the toggle to YES if you want the channel to follow the global SLA or to NO, DIFFERENT to configure a specific SLA for this channel.

5. Use the drop-downs to set the number of days, hours, and minutes to set the First Response Time and Solution Time for this channel.

   Learn more about these metrics

   Field	Details
   First Response Time (FRT)	FRT starts counting the second a contact The person interacting with an agent, IVR, or bot in your contact center. creates a request (for example, sends you a message or comments on a post) and runs until an agent replies.
   Solution Time (ST)	ST is the total amount of time it takes to resolve a case. It starts at the same time as FRT, and runs until the case is marked Resolved by an agent. In reports, ST is sometimes referred to as RT Resolution time, sometimes called solution time.

6. Click Save.