The Voice Extensible Markup Language (VoiceXML) was developed to fulfill the increasing demand for developing speech recognition-based Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications. VoiceXML uses a markup language model, similar to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), to develop voice-based dialogs. Whereas HTML is used by a web browser to render content onto a computer display, VoiceXML is used by a media server to render the XML content into an audio stream that is transmitted over the phone line.
Though VoiceXML uses common language syntax for creation and deployment, developers of VoiceXML-based applications can benefit from the use of service creation tools that generate VoiceXML dialogs. As HTML developers use tools to generate HTML based dialogs, VoiceXML developers have access to GUI-based application builders to create VoiceXML logic and dialogue that take advantage of these newer technologies for interactive voice and video applications.
Service creation tools provide many benefits to developers of VoiceXML based logic, including
- Ease of use. VoiceXML service creation tools allow the rapid creation of VoiceXML dialogs without an in depth knowledge of XML programming skills. Many service creation tools provide calls to Java-based or .NET based business logic and backend service-oriented architectures (SOA), eliminating the need to hand code these steps within the VoiceXML dialogs.
- Robustness. The service creation environment usually contains automated testing environments to test drive the dialog logic, while hand-coded dialogs are dependent on a self-scribed testing process.
- Ongoing support. Service creation tools are fully supported by the supplying vendor who provides updates to support new VoiceXML extensions, such as support for video and speech-initiated dialogs.
- Grammar generation and Optimization. Speech driven dialog systems stay or fall with the quality of a developer’s grammar. Specifying grammar is a task that requires knowledge from experienced speech engineers. Service creation environment help to ease the burden of generating good grammar models. Several environments come packaged with pre-built grammars for most commonly used applications. Moreover, the SCE is also used for collecting speech samples to optimize grammar.
- Usability tracking and statistics. Good SCEs gather statistics of the decisions a user takes while interacting with the dialog system. This information is important for a developer to see what branches of the dialogs are frequently taken and those not used. The developers can then make decisions to improve the system efficiency and make the dialog experience more concise for the end customer.
NMS Communications’ Vision VoiceXML Server interoperates with a number of service creation environments. Metaphor, Vicorp, Speech Village, ,and Open Methods are independent service creation tool suppliers who have tested their tools with the Vision VoiceXML Server and offer unique advantages to NMS Vision customers.
| Metaphor |
Plug & Play IVR – Configurable Packaged Applications |
Web-based development environment to customize existing packages or creating new ones from scratch |
| Vicorp |
xMP Service Creation Environment |
The only GUI based SCE environment where content and service logic are separated, to enable “white-label” VXML application development. Delivers application portability and asset protection for voice services |
| SpeechVillage |
Speechdraw |
General-purpose VoiceXML generator that enables the design of any application without the need for an application server. Step by step assistant and internal debugger makes testing easy and fast. |
| Open Methods |
Open VoiceXML studio |
A service creation environment (SCE) and interaction process engine (Voice Application Server) designed specifically for the creation and management of interactive voice, video and instant messaging applications. OpenVXML is an open source solution that can be downloaded from our website (www.openmethods.com) |
NMS’s Vision VoiceXML Server, when coupled with service creation tools and application packages for VoiceXML, simplifies the technically challenging task of building and deploying interactive voice and video response applications by providing the key elements for rapid development and deployment of robust and dynamic applications involving complex media processes.