# Getting started

#### What is the sipgate Contact Center?

The sipgate Contact Center is a fully integrated area within the sipgate cloud phone system that allows you to monitor and analyze the call volume of your inbound and outbound telephony. It is suitable for teams of 5 or more people with regular call volume. As an admin, you will see the Contact Center as a separate section on the homepage in the logged-in area.

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The range of functions includes:

* Structured distribution of incoming calls to your team
* Configuration of service hours, queues, and announcements
* Real-time overview of team utilization in live monitoring
* Historical analyses for shift planning and service optimization

#### Requirements and tariffs

The Contact Center is available to all active accounts with a sipgate business S, sipgate business L, or sipgate business XL plan.

Important: The IVR functions are only included in the base plans sipgate business L and XL.

The advanced views in the desktop app are only available with sipgate App Premium.

#### How do I create a Contact Center channel?

A set up Contact Center channel is required to use a Contact Center. Each hotline or service team gets its own channel. Any number of Contact Center channels can be created.

To create a channel:

1. In the sipgate account, navigate to the “Channels” tile in the Contact Center section.
2. Click on **Add channel** .

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3. Assign a name (e.g. “Customer Service” or “Technical Support”).

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4. Assign one or more phone numbers or extensions. (optional)

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5. Click on **Book**.

After the Contact Center channel has been created, you can adjust the routing settings accordingly or add agents to the Contact Center channel.


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