Cisco Virtualized Voice Browser (VVB) provides ability to process concurrent multimedia communications. It has the following features:
- Provides self service applications using touch tone or voice recognition technologies
- Provides multilingual support
- Allows customers to retrieve information without interacting with agents
Cisco VVB Web Interfaces
You can use a web browser to administer Cisco VVB. It provides following two web interfaces:
- Cisco VVB Administration – Use this web interface to configure system parameters, configure subsystems, view real-time reports that include total system activity and application statistics
- Cisco VVB Serviceability– Use this web interface to view alarm and trace definitions for Cisco VVB services, start and stop engine, monitor engine activity.
Configure Cisco VVB Call Flow
Cisco VVB provides the standard list of scripts that require you to configure for the Unified CVP call flow to work. The primary steps are to create application and assign corresponding SIP trigger.
Log in to Cisco VVB Administration Console and follow below tasks:
- Create an application to define the call flow using scripts. An application can be either a Standalone Application or Comprehensive and Ringtone Application.
- Create triggers to invoke an application using the incoming directory number.
- Cisco VVB can play recorded audio prompts and detect DTMF tones. You can also add ASR and TTS if you need speech recognition functionalities.
- Manage prompt files to add custom ringtone for comprehensive call flow or to use custom prompts.
Configure Cisco VVB Settings for Comprehensive Call Flow
As we are looking at CVP call flows, we will discuss about configuring VVB settings for Comprehensive call flow. Cisco VVB is prepopulated with comprehensive application – also called bootstrap- and the ringtone application.
Follow below steps to create custom comprehensive (CVP/VRU) or ringtone application:
- Select Application -> Application Management from VVB Administration menu bar
- Click Add New
- Type application name in the Name field
- The Maximum Number of Sessions field is prepopulated based on the OVA. You can edit this field.
- Select the script from drop down list. You can use below scripts for comprehensive call flow:
- CVPComprehensive.aef (bootstrap)
- Ringtone.aef
- Fill in the Description field
- Enable the application by selecting the radio button. You can choose to disable the application to retain the configurations for later use.
- Click Add. The Cisco script application page refreshes and the Add New Trigger hyperlink appears on the left navigation bar.
- Follow the steps described in Configuring SIP Trigger section to add new trigger.
Configure Error Application
- From Cisco VVB Administration menu bar, navigate to Applications > Application Management
- Click Add New
- Type the application name in the Name field
- The Maximum Number of Sessions field is prepopulated based on the OVA profile. You can edit this field.
- Select Error.aef script from the drop-down list. This script is used to play error tone.
- Fill in Description field
- Enable the application by selecting the radio button. You can keep it disabled for future use.
- Click Add.
- Cisco Script Application page is refreshed and the Add New Trigger hyperlink appears in the left navigation bar.
- Follow the steps described in Configuring SIP Trigger section to add new trigger.
Configuring SIP Trigger
SIP trigger responds to calls that arrive on a specific route point and uses telephony and media resources to complete the call and to invoke the application script. You must add SIP triggers to invoke Cisco applications in response to incoming contacts.
Follow below steps to add SIP Trigger:
- From Cisco VVB Administration menu bar, navigate to Subsystems > SIP Telephony > SIP Triggers. Or select Add New Trigger from your previously configured Application.
- Click Add New and enter the following fields:
- Dial Number Pattern: A unique phone number. The value includes digits and optionally includes ” * ” to mask multiple digits. Trigger can not have only wild cards.
- Application Name: From the drop-down list, choose the application to associate with the trigger.
- Enabled: Click a radio button to choose – Yes to enable trigger (default selection), No to disable trigger.
- Idle timeout (in ms): The number of milliseconds (ms) the system waits before rejecting the SIP request for this trigger.
- Override Media Termination: Click a radio button to choose – Yes to override media termination and No to Enable media termination (default selection).
- Description: Enter description for the trigger.
- Click Add
- New trigger is created and listed on the SIP Trigger page.
I will have another page to discuss about TTS and ASR. If you have any other question or want to know more about VVB, please drop in a note and your feedback!!!