Conversation: Using the Voice response workflow for speech Server 2007

This article discusses:

Basic knowledge of voice response applications

Create a Voice response workflow

Tips, keywords, and syntax

Handling User Responses

This article uses the following techniques:

Speech Server 2007,.net Framework

Embedded presence, instant messaging (IM), audio and video conferencing, and telephony are among the unified communications features provided by Microsoft®office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. Developers can build a set of OCS APIs to include these and other features in their own applications. However, OCS 2007 adds a developer-centric feature that you may not have heard of-based on the Microsoft Speech Server Platform Interactive Voice Response (IVR) workflow.

Not quite sure what IVR is? If you have ever called a company and heard a message like, "Press 1 for the sales department, click 2 for customer service," You have already encountered an IVR system.

Voice Application Basics

Microsoft Speech Server 2004 only supports IVR development implemented through the Voice Application Markup Language (Speech application Language tag, SALT) API. The new version of OCS 2007 Speech Server (Speech Server 2007) not only supports SALT and VoiceXML, but also introduces a Microsoft. NET Framework API for creating IVR applications. Speech Server 2007 also includes a Visual IVR Application designer based on Windows®workflow Foundation (Windows WF) named "Voice Response Workflow "(Speech response Workflow Designer).

Current IVR development standards, such as SALT and VoiceXML, are primarily based on XML markup and JavaScript and web-based development models. These two standards focus on providing a user interface for IVR applications. However, any important IVR application still needs to perform such tasks as accessing data in the database. For these tasks, you still need server-side code (typically developed in a. NET-compatible language or Java). At the same time, this slightly weakens the main advantages that SALT and VoiceXML are designed to provide: Cross-platform compatibility for IVR applications.

From a developer's perspective, using the. NET Framework as the basis for IVR application development has a significant advantage over SALT or VoiceXML, with the primary advantage of being able to use object-oriented programming languages rather than XML tags. From an enterprise perspective, IVR based on the. NET Framework can reuse existing enterprise and data access logic, enabling enterprises to take advantage of their own investments in Microsoft technology.

Another advantage is finding key resources. Try to ask the HR manager or recruiter to look for developers who use VoiceXML and developers who use. NET. What kind of developer do you think they'll find first? There are obviously more developers working with. NET.