Blacklist Database¶
Blacklisting lets agents ban abusive or unwanted customers so they cannot reach your queues for a set time. A blacklist database defines how a ban works: how long it lasts and how web chat customers are blocked. The bans themselves are stored in the Blacklist module, where team leaders can review and edit them. Set up blacklisting so that bans follow one agreed process instead of each agent's own judgement.
Blacklist databases are not CRM databases β see How Customer Data Works.
Watch this video that explains Daktela Blacklisting.
Blacklisting takes three steps, described below: create a blacklist database, select it in your queues, and allow blacklisting in your agents' user rights.
Create a New Blacklist Database¶
Go to Settings β CRM β Blacklist database and click Add new. There are several options and settings that determine how the system creates a ban for a customer in the Blacklist after the user blocks the customer.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Name for your blacklist database. |
| Description | Make a note of what the database will be used for. This is for your internal information only. |
| Default timeout | Relative time that should be added to actual time in order to calculate ban expiration time for number/IP in this blacklist (e.g. +6 days, 19 months). On the right, you will see an example of the calculated ban expiration from the current time. |
| Webchat blacklist type | If you use this blacklist database in a web chat queue, you have two options: 1. Local storage: Banned customer will have the web chat widget disabled in their browser. The customer will be denied from accessing any of your web chat connectors. 2. IP: IP address of the customer will be banned. They will still be able to access the web chat widget and enter the chat, but when they enter a queue with this blacklist database enabled (in relation), the interaction will end. |
| Blacklist contact | If this is checked and a customer is banned on a web chat activity with known contact, all of the contacts' phone numbers will be banned as well. Warning: This does not work vice versa. If the contact is banned in a call activity, we are unable to ban them for webchat because we do not store IP addresses of contacts. |
IP bans can hit innocent visitors
Blocking by IP address may affect multiple people who share the same network (e.g. offices, households, or mobile carriers using NAT), so banning one offender could prevent others from reaching your chat. Consider shorter timeouts or the Local storage type.
How to Use a Blacklisting on a Queue¶
Now, let's take a look at how to set up blacklisting on different queues and user rights. This process ensures that the Ban button will only be available to the agents and queues where you need it. Please note that the Blacklisting function can only be used on call activities (excluding campaign queues), SMS activities and webchat activities.
Queue Settings¶
For each queue, you can select a Blacklist database in the queue settings (Settings β Routings β Queues, open the queue β see Queue Basics). Look for the Blacklist database field. Here you can select which blacklist database and its settings should be used if a ban occurs.
- For call and SMS-type queues, you can leave it set to Global for all calls and incoming SMSes, which blocks the caller's number across all incoming routes and prevents any outgoing calls to that number. Alternatively, you can select the blacklist database you created, and all of the settings from that database will be applied when a ban occurs.
- For webchat-type queues, you can leave it set to None, which will disable blacklisting functions for that queue. Alternatively, you can select the blacklist database you created, and all of the settings from that database will be applied when a ban occurs.
User Rights¶
For each set of user rights, you can select which queues its users can use the ban button in. You can define this in Settings β Users β Rights β open the rights β Queues tab β "Allow blacklisting" for every queue where this function is available.
How to Prevent Banned Customers from Reaching Your Queues¶
After you set up your blacklist databases and assign them to queues and user rights, your agents will be able to ban customers. Those blacklisted will be stored in the Blacklist module. To ensure that banned customers do not reach your queues, you have to apply blacklist databases to your queues in their relations. Go to Settings β CRM β Blacklist database and click Queues in the Relations column. Here you can select which queues will check for banned customers from this database. If a queue is selected, any banned customer reaching that queue will be disconnected, and the interaction will end. The banned customer will be able to reach the queue again after the ban expires. Alternatively, you can manually edit the expiration time in the blacklist details within the Blacklist module.
Warning
If a ban occurs in a webchat activity that has the "Local storage" blacklist type, the customer will be unable to access any of your webchat connectors, regardless of whether a blacklist database is applied to a queue in its relations.