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This example shows how the Avaya IR system interacts with other systems to handle calls. Operations for various Avaya IR system configurations are depicted.
1. Call comes into the switch.
A caller from the public switched telephony network (PSTN) dials a telephone number. The PSTN routes the call to the switch associated with the number and establishes a circuit-based connection between the caller and the switch. The figure that follows shows a call coming into the switch.
Another possibility is for calls to go directly to Avaya IR system or farm. The figure that follows shows the configuration without a switch.
2. Call goes from switch to an Avaya IR system.
When a switch receives a call from the PSTN, it establishes a call to the Avaya IR system farm. In a circuit-based configuration, connection is through T1/E1. The figure that follows shows a call being sent to a Avaya IR system farm through a direct connection.
If the VoIP feature is in use, the voice data for the call is broken up into packets and sent over the LAN to the Avaya IR system. The figure below shows an Avaya IR system and the speech servers on a separate LAN segment.
3. Avaya IR system interacts with caller.
When a call reaches the Avaya IR system, the voice response application associated with the called number interacts with the caller by playing a prompt. The caller responds by entering DTMF digits or by speaking. Interpretation of speech requires the Speech Recognition feature.
4. Speech is interpreted, if necessary.
If the voice response application uses speech recognition instead of DTMF digits to collect data, the Avaya IR system establishes a connection to a server where a speech recognition application resides. The recorded voice segments are forwarded to the server for processing.
5. Data is extracted and returned to the Avaya IR system.
When the information provided by the caller is in a form that can be interpreted, it is passed to the appropriate database. An Oracle database may reside on the hard drive of the Avaya IR system. In most cases, however, the database resides on the LAN, which is used to complete the data transfer.
6. The Avaya IR system speaks information to the caller.
The Avaya IR system interprets information from the database into spoken form and the application plays it for the caller. With TAS voice response applications, Enhanced Basic Speech can be used to convert information from the database into spoken form. With VXML voice response applications, the Text-to-Speech feature is highly recommended for converting information.
7. Self-service ends.
If the caller hangs up, the PSTN clears the call to the system that received it--the switch or the Avaya IR system. If the calls clear first at the switch, it will, in turn, clear the call from the switch. If the call is transferred, the transfer process may be handled by the switch or by the Avaya IR system.
