Product Update - v6.4.1, November 2023

Webex Connect v6.4.1 release brings some important enhancements for Export Logs, SMS traffic details across Reports, Service Dashboards, Export Logs, and Usage, MMS API and more. Please refer to the details below to learn about all the changes and enhancements.

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Release Date

The date of release will be communicated separately over an email.

Details

Changed – Export Logs Configuration Options and Output Log Files

We're introducing the option to select more than one service, channel, and/or asset when downloading or scheduling log exports using Export Logs tool. This change will reduce the need for performing multiple downloads and/or configuring multiple schedules to get logs for all the communications you’re automating using Webex Connect. However, please note that duplicate schedules for the same service, channel and/or asset combinations will not be permitted.
When exporting outbound logs using multi-select capability, a separate file will be generated for each channel combining transactions for that channel across all the selected services in the concerned Export Logs schedule. Similarly, when exporting inbound logs, a separate file will be created for each channel combining transaction records of various message types/events belonging to the selected channel assets. Additionally, export frequency option will be limited to ‘Hourly’ when using multi-select option and a new file will be generated for every 1 million transaction records in the export zip file, to ensure efficient data organization. On similar lines, when downloading Export Logs from platform UI using multi-select option, time-period will be restricted to maximum of one day.
This feature is currently being launched in a controlled early access mode and is available to selective tenants only. Please refer to the documentation for full details if you’re one of the early access tenant users.

Changed – Export Logs changed to remove all estimated counts and show actual message counts for SMS

From v6.4.1 release onwards, Export Logs will contain the final/actual segment counts for SMS messages instead of the estimated ‘multi-part message’ i.e., segment counts. Segment counts for outbound SMS transactions for which delivery receipts have not been received by the time of exporting the logs will be logged as zero (value ‘0’). Hence, value zero will indicate that the final message segment counts are yet to be received. Please note that it can take up to 3 days for these counts to become available after sending the message via Webex Connect. Transactions with no recorded or zero count will be updated with the final correct segment count for the message as DLRs are received.

Changed – Reports for SMS Channel

We have changed reports to remove ‘Total Messages Submitted (Estimated Segments)’ field. Instead, a field named ‘Messages_Submitted’ will now be shown,[A(1] [Z(2]  and it will contain the total SMS message segments submitted from Webex Connect, to be delivered to the intended recipients. Also, as a small UI change, the additional text ‘(Actual Segments)’ will be removed for Messages Delivered, and Messages Failed stats, for simplicity.

Changed – Service Dashboard Count calculations for SMS Channel

The following changes are being made to stats available in the Services Dashboard and inside a Service:

• On the Services Dashboard, i.e., the default landing page in Webex Connect currently, the ‘Message Sent’ count is being changed to ‘Total Requests’ count on each of the Service Card. The ‘Total Requests’ will include the counts of successful messaging API, Send Node, and Messaging requests via Rule-Actions for all channels (every request in case of batching is counted separately) used in the selected Service. Previously, for SMS channel, the counts of message multi-parts were being considered. As a result, you may see a slight drop in the reported count when we change from ‘Messages Sent’ to ‘Total Requests’. The same will be done for the ‘Delivery Rate’ stat, and it will be based on messaging requests counts and not multi-part message counts.
• Keeping in line with the above, under Traffic section within the Service-specific Dashboard, SMS traffic stats will now be based on successful messaging API, Send Node, and Messaging requests via Rule-Actions.
• Finally, the Messages Sent count under Flows and Messaging API cards will now be based on successful messaging API, Send Node, and Messaging requests via Rule-Actions. Previously for SMS channel this included multi-part counts which would no longer be the case.

Changed – Monthly ‘Usage’ report generation date, and SMS usage reporting

The following changes are being made to the Usage Reports:

• From v6.4.1 release onwards, the monthly usage report will be generated on the 4th day of the current calendar month, based on UTC timezone.
• In line with the changes in the reports section, usage reports will reflect accurate actual message segment counts (instead of estimated) for SMS channel, under the messages_submitted column in the SMS Outbound sheet.

Added – Support for MMS Channel Subject Line in Messaging API v2

We’ve added support for passing the Subject Line while sending MMS using Messaging API v2. The subject line can have a maximum of 80 characters, characters beyond that may be truncated/rejected during further processing. However, as a best practice, we recommend keeping the MMS subject line to 40 characters or less.

Important Additional Notes

Earlier this year, we had suspended support for Twitter DM channels after the API and packaging changes were announced by Twitter. After further deliberation, we’ve decided to deprecate Twitter Direct Messages as a native channel on Webex Connect. The decision has been taken keeping in view various factors including client feedback on preferred channels for supporting business customer interactions. This change allows us to accelerate our roadmap for other channels and platform capabilities.

Changelog