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Voice User Interface Applications
Overview
In telephony, interactive voice response, or IVR, is a computerized system that allows a person, typically a telephone caller, to select an option from a voice menu and otherwise interface with a computer system. Generally the system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the person presses a number on a telephone keypad to select the option chosen, or speaks simple answers such as "yes", "no", or numbers in answer to the voice prompts.
The latest systems use natural language speech recognition to interpret the questions that the person wants answered.
Other innovations include the ability to speak complex and dynamic information such as an e-mail, news report or weather information using Text-To-Speech (TTS). TTS is computer generated synthesized speech and is no longer the robotic voice people associate with computers. Real voices are used to create the speech in tiny fragments that are glued together before being played to the caller.
IVR systems can be used to create and manage many services including telephone banking, order placement, caller identification and routing, balance inquiry, and airline ticket booking. Voicemail systems are different from IVR systems in that they are a one-way communication tool (the caller leaves a message), whereas IVR systems attempt two-way interaction with the caller. Automatic call distributor (ACD) systems are often the first point of contact when calling many larger businesses, and can be used in place of more expensive IVR systems. IVR systems are generally used at the front end of call centers to identify what service the caller wants and to extract numeric information such as account numbers as well as provide answers to simple questions such as account balances or allow pre-recorded information to be heard.
IVR systems are often criticized as being unhelpful and difficult to use due to poor design and lack of appreciation of the callers' needs. A properly designed IVR system should connect callers to their desired service promptly and with a minimum of fuss. This has led to many people creating IVR cheat sheets.
IVR as a technology can be utilized in several different ways:
- Equipment installed and setup on the customer premise
- As an Outsourced Solution Provider (OSP)
Technology
IVR call flows are created in a variety of ways: while older systems depended upon proprietary programming or scripting languages, modern systems are structured similar to WWW pages, using the VoiceXML or SALT languages. This allows any Web server to act as an application server, freeing the developer to focus on the call flow. Developers then also no longer require specialized programming skills, as any Web developer already has all the tools needed to create an IVR call flow.
Dynamic voice applications can be developed using any technologies like C, .NET, JAVA etc, using Speech Recognition tools like NUANCE, VoiceXML, and SALT etc.
How it works
How IVR works, is a customer calls on a telephone number, the Voice System answers the call, greets the customer and prompts for instructions via spoken menu. In response to the caller's commands, database information may be retrieved or service requests executed. Responses to the caller are via pre-recorded digitized voice, or Text-To-Speech technology.
The basics of the voice interactive systems are the grammar. The grammar is used to interpret the user inputs. The user inputs can be either using voice or using the keypads, Dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF). Once the use calls the service number through their phone, the user will be redirected to the specific application which is activated to handle that incoming number.
To deliver or leverage IVR, an enterprise requires:
- IVR Platforms
- IVR Applications
- Back-end servers
- Telephony Infrastructure
- IVR Experts
WAP Applications
Overview
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is an emerging technology which is very powerful and is used all over the world to use with mobile browsers. WAP applications range from simple information pages to mobile commerce applications.
Technology
The basics of WAP application is WML (Wireless Markup Language) pages. The basic WAP applications can be developed using simple WML pages. One can use any web technology like ASP.net, JSP, and PHP etc to develop more advanced dynamic WAP applications.
How it works
WAP uses Wireless Markup Language (WML), which includes the Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) developed by Phone.com.
WML can also trace its roots to eXtensible Markup Language (XML). A markup language is a way of adding information to your content that tells the device receiving the content what to do with it. The best known markup language is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Unlike HTML, WML is considered a meta language. Basically, this means that in addition to providing predefined tags, WML lets you design your own markup language components. WAP also allows the use of standard Internet protocols such as UDP, IP and XML.
There are three main reasons why wireless Internet needs the Wireless Application Protocol:
- Transfer speed
- Size and readability
- Navigation
Most cell phones and Web-enabled PDAs have data transfer rates of 14.4 Kbps or less. Compare this to a typical 56 Kbps modem, a cable modem or a DSL connection. Most Web pages today are full of graphics that would take an unbearably long time to download at 14.4 Kbps. Wireless Internet content is typically text-based in order to solve this problem.
Here's what happens when one access a Web site using a WAP-enabled device:
- User turns on the device and opens the mini browser.
- The device sends out a radio signal, searching for service.
- A connection is made with your service provider.
- User selects a Web site that you wish to view.
- A request is sent to a gateway server using WAP.
- The gateway server retrieves the information via HTTP from the Web site.
- The gateway server encodes the HTTP data as WML.
- The WML-encoded data is sent to your device.
- User sees the wireless Internet version of the Web page you selected.
To create wireless Internet content, a Web site creates special text-only or low-graphics versions of the site. The data is sent in HTTP form by a Web server to a WAP gateway. This system includes the WAP encoder, script compiler and protocol adapters to convert the HTTP information to WML. The gateway then sends the converted data to the WAP client on your wireless device.
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Cerulean works with OnMobile, a California based company that develops and delivers cutting-edge software solutions for the wireless Internet and mobile industry worldwide. Their solutions are used by over 23 million mobile subscribers, with a footprint across much of Asia-Pacific. Following are from our work with them:
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