Lucent Technologies INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0 Guide

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
About This Book 
Page xi How to Use This Book 
How to Use This Book
This b ook is d esig ned  as a d isc ussion of voic e response tec hnolog y, and  the 
b est method s to use to d esig n ap p lic ations for the I
NTUITY C O N VERSA N T 
system.  This book c ontains useful g uid elines and  sug g estions, b ut does not 
c ontain sp ec ific  p roc edures to follow to d evelop  ap plic ations.  For information 
ap plic ation d evelop ment, see the sec tion titled , “ Related  Resourc es,”
 in this 
c hap ter.
To Locate Specific Topics
This book inc ludes an alphabetic al index at the end for quick acc ess to specific  
topic s.
Conventions Used in This Book
This sec tion d esc rib es the c onventions used  in this book.
Key Presses
Keys that you p ress on your telep hone keyp ad  are rep resented as sq uare b oxes.  
For example, an instruc tion to p ress the first key on your telep hone keyp ad  is 
shown as
Press   to record a message.
Screen Displays
nValues, system messag es, field  names, and  p romp ts that ap p ear on the 
sc reen are shown in typ ewriter-style constant width
 as shown in the 
following  examp les:
Example 1:
The grammars provided can be seen in the Choices menu for the 
Recognition Type
 field on the Promp t & Collec t sc reen).
Example 2:
Prompt & Collect
Prompt
Speak with Interrupt
Phrase: 
“Please enter your 5-digit
customer number.
”
1 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
About This Book 
Page xii Conventions Used in This Book 
Typography
nCommand s and text you typ e in or enter ap p ear in bold type
, as in the 
following  examp les:
Example 1:
En t e r  change-switch-time-zone
 at the enter command:
 prompt.
Example 2:
Ty p e  high
 or low
 in the Speed:
 field .
Safety and Security Alert Labels
This b ook uses the following  symb ols to c all your attention to p otential p rob lems 
that c ould  c ause p ersonal injury, d amag e to eq uip ment, loss of d ata, or servic e 
interrup tions: 
!CAUTION:
Ind ic ates the p resenc e of a hazard  that if not avoid ed  c an or will c ause 
minor p ersonal injury or p rop erty damag e, inc lud ing loss of d ata.
!WARNING:
Ind ic ates the p resenc e of a hazard  that if not avoid ed  c an c ause d eath or 
severe p ersonal injury.
!DANGER:
Ind ic ates the p resenc e of a hazard  that if not avoid ed  will c ause d eath or 
severe p ersonal injury. 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
About This Book 
Page xiii Related Resources 
Related Resources
This sec tion d esc rib es ad d itional d oc umentation and  training  availab le for you to 
learn more ab out the I
NTUITY CONVERSANT product.
Documentation
NOTE:
Th e  INTUITY™ C O N VERSAN T®  Sy s t e m  Ve r s io n  6 . 0  Sys t e m  D e s c r i p t io n, 
585-310-241, c ontains a d etailed  d esc rip tion of all b ooks inc lud ed in V6.0 
I
NTUITY CONVERSANT doc umentation library.
Always refer to the ap p rop riate b ook for sp ec ific  information on installing , 
ad ministering , or maintaining  an I
NTUITY C O N VERSA N T s y st e m .  
Application Development Documentation
To d evelop  an ap p lic ation for your INTUITY CONVERSANT system, use the 
following  d oc umentation:
nINTUITY™ CONVERSANT®  System Version 6.0 Ap p lic ation Develop ment 
with Script Builder
, 585-310-760
nINTUITY™ CONVERSANT®  System Version 6.0 Ap p lic ation Develop ment 
with Ad vanc ed  Method s
, 585-310-761
nINTUITY™ CONVERSANT®  System Version 6.0 Sp eec h Develop ment, 
Processing, and Rec ognition
, 585-310-762
nINTUITY™ CONVERSANT®  System Version 6.0 Communic ation 
Develop ment
, 585-310-763
nINTUITY™ CONVERSANT®  System Version 6.0 Ap p lic ation Develop ment 
with Grap hic al Desig ner
, 585-310-764
Additional Suggested Documentation
It is sug g ested  that you also ob tain and  use the following  b ook for information on 
sec urity and  toll fraud  issues:
nB C S Pro d u c t s  Se c u r it y  H a n d b o o k, 555-025-600
See the insid e front c over for information on how to ord er I
NTUITY C O N VERSA N T 
d oc umentation. 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
About This Book 
Page xiv How to Comment on This Book 
Tr a i n i n g
The following  training  c lasses are rec ommend ed  for Sc rip t Build er app lic ations 
on a V6.0 I
NTUITY C O N VERSAN T sy s t e m :
nCourse No. BC3612A, Introd uc tion to Sc rip t Build er (for d omestic  
ap plic ations)
nCourse No. GC3604A, Introd uc tion to Sc rip t Build er (for international 
ap plic ations)
nCourse No. BC3625A, Ad vanc ed  Sc rip t Build er (for domestic  
ap plic ations)
nCourse No. GC3605A, Ad vanc ed  Sc ript Build er (for international 
ap plic ations)
For more information on I
NTUITY CONVERSANT training , c all the BCS Ed uc ation 
and Training Center at one of the following numbers:
nOrg anizations within Luc ent Tec hnolog ies:  (904) 636-3261
nLuc ent Tec hnolog ies c ustomers and  all others:  (800) 255-8988
How to Comment on This Book
We are interested  in your sug g estions for imp roving  this b ook.  Please c omp lete 
and  return the reader c omment c ard  that is loc ated  b ehind  the title p ag e. 
If the reader c omment c ard  has b een removed , send  your c omments to: 
Lucent Technologies 
Prod uc t Doc umentation 
Room 22-2H15 
11900 North Pec os Street 
Denver, Colorad o 80234 
You may also fax your c omments to the attention of the Luc ent Tec hnolog ies 
I
NTUITY CONVERSANT d oc umentation team at (303) 538-1741.
Please mention the name and  ord er number of this b ook, 
INTUITY™ 
CONVERSANT®  System V6.0 Ap p lic ation Desig n Guid elines
, 585-310-670.  
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
About This Book 
Page xv Disclaimer 
Disclaimer
Intellec tual p rop erty (inc lud ing trad emarks) related  to this p rod uc t and  reg istered  
to AT&T Corp oration has b een transferred  to Luc ent Tec hnolog ies Inc orporated .
Any referenc e within this text to Americ an Telep hone and  Teleg rap h Corp oration 
or AT&T should  b e interp reted  as referenc es to Luc ent Tec hnolog ies 
Inc orp orated .  The exc ep tion is c ross referenc es to b ooks p ub lished  p rior to 
Dec emb er 31, 1996, whic h retain their orig inal AT&T titles.
Luc ent Tec hnolog ies—formed  as a result of AT&T’s planned  restruc turing —
designs, builds, and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, 
c ommunic ations systems and  software, c onsumer and  b usiness telep hone 
systems, and  mic roelec tronic  c omp onents.  The world -renowned Bell 
Lab oratories is the researc h and  d evelop ment arm for the c omp any. 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
About This Book 
Page xvi Disclaimer  
						

							Introduction to Voice Response Application Design 
Page 1-1 Overview 
1
INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
1
1Introduction to Voice Response
Application Design
Overview
This c hap ter p rovid es an introd uc tion to the c onc ep t of voic e response.
Purpose
The p urp ose of this c hap ter is to introd uc e you to the c onc ep t of voic e resp onse, 
inc lud ing  voic e resp onse ap p lic ations and  voic e resp onse ap p lic ation desig n. 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
Introduction to Voice Response Application Design 
Page 1-2 What is a Voice Response System? 
1
What is a Voice Response System?
A voic e resp onse system c onsists of hard ware and  software that p rovid es either 
full or p artial automation of telep hone transac tions that would  otherwise b e 
p erformed  b y an op erator/attend ant, an emp loyee, or a c all c enter agent.  The 
I
NTUITY™ CONVERSANT®  system not only p rovid es the b asic  voic e resp onse 
tec hnolog y to automate telep hone transac tions, b ut also provid es the 
mec hanism need ed  to d evelop  the software that g uid es suc h transac tions.  This 
software is known as an 
application.
What is a Voice Response Application?
An ap plic ation is a set of instruc tions written for the voic e resp onse system that 
informs it how to c arry out the automated  transac tion.  Ap p lic ations d efine the 
c all flow and  d etermine what c allers hear and  how c allers resp ond  to the system.
Voice Response Application Uses
Voic e resp onse ap p lic ations c an b e used in a wide variety of situations.  The 
following  examp les c an help  you d etermine some p ossib ilities for the b est use of 
voic e resp onse ap plic ations for your b usiness.
Voice Response for Repetitive Information Requests
Rep etitive information req uests that c an b e fulfilled with a voic e resp onse 
ap plic ation inc lud e:
nInterest rates, foreig n c urrenc y exc hang e rates, and  loan rates
nReal estate information on a p roperty with a sp ec ific  id entifier suc h as a 
number
nCustomer servic e information such as updates on product maintenance 
issues and  their resolutions
nStatus of automob ile rep airs b eing  performed  and  their estimated  c osts
nReg istration forms, entry b lanks, or tax forms
nConferenc e/trad eshow information suc h as list of sp eakers and  sc hed ules
nAir travel information such as departure/arrival times
nFinanc ial statements c omp any sharehold ers
Other examp les inc lud e p ark or rec reation loc ations, b ranc h offic e/store 
loc ations, restaurant loc ations, b us sc hed ules/rates, theater sc hed ule/rates, 
c onc ert information, and  sporting  event times and results. 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
Introduction to Voice Response Application Design 
Page 1-3 What is a Voice Response System? 
1
Voice Response for Database Information Requests
A voic e resp onse system c an b e c onnec ted  to a system c ontaining  enterp rise 
sp ec ific  information to ac c ess or store information in the host.  Enterp rise sp ec ific  
information inc lud es:  p ub lished materials, b ank ac c ounts, and p rod uc t 
d esc rip tions.  Datab ase information req uests inc lud e:
nBank or investment accounts
nMag azine artic les
nNews wire stories
nPublic  rec ord s suc h as d eed s or lic enc es
nTelep hone d irec tory listing s
nGovernment rec ord s
nCatalog item descriptions
Voice Response for Order Processing
You c an d esig n a voic e resp onse ap p lic ation to ac c ept either touc h-tone inp ut, 
sp oken inp ut, or b oth, so that c allers c an use the system to plac e ord ers, c onfirm 
ord ers, or c hec k order status.  Ord ering  p roc essing  inc lud es:
nMerc handise orders, restoc king  — A manufac turer c alls a sup p lier to 
req uest sp are p arts.  A c onfirmation of the ord er c an be faxed  to the 
manufac turer.
nHotel reservations — Callers c an register and pay by telephone, then 
rec eive a c onfirmation fax inc lud ing  a map and  d irec tions.
nTravel reservations — Callers c an reserve a seat and  p ay over the 
telep hone.  Confirmation c an b e sent b y fax.
nBenefits reg istration — Callers sig n up  for a c omb ination of b enefits, and  
c an req uest c onfirmation b y fax.
nBrokerag e servic es — Callers c an b uy and  sell stoc ks and  b ond s, 
rec eiving  a fax c onfirmation of the transac tion.
nTalent ag enc y — Callers c an req uest information on ac tors with p artic ular 
talents or p hysic al attrib utes.  Information c an b e sp oken out, and  
p hotog rap hs and  resumes c an b e faxed  to the c aller.
Voice Response for Information Gathering
A voice resp onse system can b e used  to g ather information from those who c all a 
d esig nated  numb er.  Information g athering  inc lud es:
nConsumer or p olitic al surveys
nCustomer feed b ac k/c omp laints
nEmp loyee feedb ac k 
						

							INTUITY CONVERSANT System Version 6.0
Application Design Guidelines  
585-310-670  Issue 1.0
December 1996
Introduction to Voice Response Application Design 
Page 1-4 Defining Successful Voice Response Applications 
1
Voice Response System Versus An Attendant
Do not eliminate all attend ants.  Even a well-d esig ned automated  transac tions 
c annot serve every c aller’s need .  Some c allers will have prob lems that c annot 
b e hand led b y the voic e resp onse system.  Callers may want and  need  to sp eak 
to a p erson, so it is imp ortant to p rovid e some attend ants that are familiar with 
your business p olic ies and  p roc ed ures.
Defining Successful Voice Response 
Applications
Consid er multip le c riteria when d efining  suc c ess in your voic e resp onse 
ap plic ations.  You may have to measure some asp ec ts of how your c urrently d o 
b usiness, and dec ide on one or more sp ec ific  areas to targ et for imp rovement.  
Think ab out why you are interested  in automating  some of your b usiness 
interac tions.  To save time?  To save money?  To b etter serve your c ustomers?  To 
free p ersonnel for more c halleng ing  tasks?  Take your most imp ortant reasons for 
automation, and  d etermine measurab le ob jec tives for automation.
Defining Measurable Objectives
For example, if you want to use voic e resp onse to b etter serve your c ustomers, 
you mig ht c hoose as an ob jec tive to red uc e c all hold ing  times.  A measurab le 
ob jec tive mig ht b e to red uc e c all hold ing  times b y 50%.  You c an also figure out 
the yearly saving s exp ec ted  from red uc ed hold ing times, and  fac tor this into your 
p lan.
Here are some examp les of other typ es of measurab le ob jec tives that you may 
want to ac hieve throug h the d esig n of your ap p lic ation:
nReduce your cost per call by 30%.
nInc rease c all c omp letion rate b y 45%.
nReduce the percentage of callers who get a busy signal by 50%.
nInc rease c ustomer satisfac tion with the voic e resp onse system b y 25%.
Rememb er to estimate the rate of savings for eac h ob jec tive.
Determining  your true ob jec tives, as well as how to measure them, will allow you 
to jud g e the effec tiveness of your voic e response ap p lic ations.