IVR Terminology
IVR (Interactive Voice Response)-
These menu driven systems allow you to navigate through options allowing you to listen to various announcements and sometimes give you the opportunity to leave voice mail and/or send and receive faxes.
PBX (Public branch exchange)-
Solutions for larger businesses where a large number of connections can be pooled into a single incoming and outgoing line (usually a T1).
CENTREX -
Like a PBX system except that it is managed at the Telco¹s site. Centrex services usually provide fancy features such as voice mail and call forwarding. A lot of business lines in large North American cities are on some kind of Centrex system.
TAPI -
This is a standard suite of functions developed by Microsoft, which allows programmers to control modems and communications ports. Several TAPI applications can run simultaneously (no more hogging the com port!)
MAPI -
This is a suite of messaging functions which to send e-mail messages and faxes. MAPI can also be used to retrieve messages from the InBox and OutBox.
ASR Automatic Speech Recognition -
This is the technology that allows the IVR to understand spoken words instead of just touch-tone commands. Speech is a much more natural way for people to interact, however, it poses many challenges when used in an IVR. The ability to distinguish words despite a person's accent or dialect presents a well known challenge. Similarly, the ability to recognize a wide variety of phrases to say the same thing introduces complexities in a telephone company grade speech application.
TTS -
Text-To-Speech. This technology allows the IVR to speak words from a file or a database. It is similar to the technology used to have a computer 'read' a book aloud. It does not require anyone to pre-record what it will say. The text it speaks may come from almost anywhere- such as an email message, a web page, or an instruction manual.
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These menu driven systems allow you to navigate through options allowing you to listen to various announcements and sometimes give you the opportunity to leave voice mail and/or send and receive faxes.
PBX (Public branch exchange)-
Solutions for larger businesses where a large number of connections can be pooled into a single incoming and outgoing line (usually a T1).
CENTREX -
Like a PBX system except that it is managed at the Telco¹s site. Centrex services usually provide fancy features such as voice mail and call forwarding. A lot of business lines in large North American cities are on some kind of Centrex system.
TAPI -
This is a standard suite of functions developed by Microsoft, which allows programmers to control modems and communications ports. Several TAPI applications can run simultaneously (no more hogging the com port!)
MAPI -
This is a suite of messaging functions which to send e-mail messages and faxes. MAPI can also be used to retrieve messages from the InBox and OutBox.
ASR Automatic Speech Recognition -
This is the technology that allows the IVR to understand spoken words instead of just touch-tone commands. Speech is a much more natural way for people to interact, however, it poses many challenges when used in an IVR. The ability to distinguish words despite a person's accent or dialect presents a well known challenge. Similarly, the ability to recognize a wide variety of phrases to say the same thing introduces complexities in a telephone company grade speech application.
TTS -
Text-To-Speech. This technology allows the IVR to speak words from a file or a database. It is similar to the technology used to have a computer 'read' a book aloud. It does not require anyone to pre-record what it will say. The text it speaks may come from almost anywhere- such as an email message, a web page, or an instruction manual.
