What
Is IVVR?
Interactive
Voice Response (IVR) systems enable companies to create self-help telephony
applications and reduce contacts with their agents, Interactive Voice and Video
Response (IVVR) will extend that paradigm, allowing companies to build
self-help audio/video applications that address significantly more complex
tasks.
The
word "interactive" has a notable distinction when describing the
extension of traditional IVR to IVVR. In the early days of Voice Response Unit
(VRU) development, all the data that was to be delivered to the caller had to
be available on the VRU. As these systems became more technically sophisticated
they could "interact" with other computer systems that were storing
the important data. In this case, the word "interactive" refers to
the ability of the VRU to interact with another computer system in order to
retrieve data and information for delivery to the caller.
However,
the ability for computer systems to interact is now considered a "table
stakes" feature and the word interactive has taken on a new meaning.
Interactive now refers to the callers' ability to synchronously interact with
the IVVR system to control the delivery of the video content. In other words,
the host system is always aware of any manipulation (that is, pause, skip,
mute, replay) of the video content by the user.
This
is different from streaming video applications in which all (or part) of the
video content may be buffered on an intelligent endpoint. In this case, the
user may manipulate the content without having to notify the host.
This
difference is important as providers of the application work to understand what
portion of their video information is most important to the user, which
portions may be unclear to the user, and where billable transactions may start
and stop within the session.
IVVR
is a type of Video Enabled Telephony, rather than a streaming video solution.
This means that:
- Interactivity is managed between the host and the endpoint
- Creation of Call Detail Records (CDRs) is an inherent function of the system (CDRs allow for very detailed and accurate tracking)
- Detailed and accurate tracking enable per minute billing
- When per minute billing is not competitively attractive, billable transactions within the call are a possibility
Benefits
of IVVR
The
benefits of IVVR can be looked at in two ways. The first way is to view IVVR as
an extension of the familiar IVR system that can:
- Deliver significantly more complex instruction sets that IVR
- Deliver those instructions much more efficiently than a "voice only interface," in that a picture (or a video) "is worth a thousand words"
- When combined with mobile delivery, deliver complex instructions exactly where and when they are needed
- Deliver certain information graphically when graphics are the most appropriate way to deliver that information (for example, the location of an airplane seat map or the location of a taxi stand may be best communicated with a picture, rather than through a written description)
The
second way to view IVVR is as a simplified interface to a complex system, much
like an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is a simplified interface to a banking
system. By using simple commands with limited responses, added to the
advantages of a visual interface, a Video Enabled banking by phone system can
be more effective and efficient than using a smartphone browser or even a
traditional IVR system.
IVVR
Technology
The
following figure shows one potential implementation of an IVVR system. In
certain implementations, the functions of each component may be combined in a
single physical server, or two functions may be provided by a single software
package.
In
the figure, the components perform the following functions:
Application
Server or Command Interpreter
- Where the application logic is created and/or interpreted for use by the
video media server. For example, application logic may be created using a
"C" based application program, an XML based programming environment
like vXML or ccXML, or through a scripting language like an Asterisk DialPlan.
Video
Media Server - Where the video clips and/or other
content is stored and formatted for delivery. The video media server may also
transcode the content from the format in which it is stored into the format
that is correct for the endpoint on which the content will be viewed.
3G-324M
Gateway - While some media servers may be
able to send and receive content directly to the 3G-324M network, other may
require a 3G-324M gateway in order to deliver their content via this type of
network.
