Writing Voice Mashups Thomas Howe - http://www.thomashowe.com

Agenda Introduce the After Hours Doctor’s Office Scenario The goals of the Mashup Introduce the architecture Go over every component Functionality, interface, code Give you some ingredients, ideas What this isn’t A complete, and coherent, application Utterly scalable, but surprisingly close What is this? Think of Lewis and Clark Today’s telephony is very far from this. Very far. With a bit of luck, this is tomorrow’s telephony

Introduce the After Hours Doctor’s Office

Scenario

The goals of the Mashup

Introduce the architecture

Go over every component

Functionality, interface, code

Give you some ingredients, ideas

What this isn’t

A complete, and coherent, application

Utterly scalable, but surprisingly close

What is this?

Think of Lewis and Clark

Today’s telephony is very far from this. Very far.

With a bit of luck, this is tomorrow’s telephony

After Hours Doctor’s Office Mashup written specifically for the Contest I quit my job because I was technically bothered Goals Show you the money Explore the use of Amazon Turks in Telephony Mashups Demonstrate the effects of modern Web technologies in telephony applications Resources Me, 40 hours and a PowerMac G5 Server TellMe Studio - Voice XML hosting Strike-Iron - SMS Messaging Amazon Web Services - Amazon Mechanical Turks Web Hosting Provider - PHP and Ruby on Rails Source and commentary available at thomashowe.com

Mashup written specifically for the Contest

I quit my job because I was technically bothered

Goals

Show you the money

Explore the use of Amazon Turks in Telephony Mashups

Demonstrate the effects of modern Web technologies in telephony applications

Resources

Me, 40 hours and a PowerMac G5 Server

TellMe Studio - Voice XML hosting

Strike-Iron - SMS Messaging

Amazon Web Services - Amazon Mechanical Turks

Web Hosting Provider - PHP and Ruby on Rails

Source and commentary available at thomashowe.com

Application Scenario Mr. Kraus feels sick, calls Dr. McCarthy After hours - no one’s there. Decision to make - emergency room? Tomorrow? Application takes voice mail message Forwards into pool of Amazon Turk Nurses SMS messages increase reaction time for small service Immediately responds to patient - constant feedback Turk Nurse determines urgency Listens to the message, summarizes and forwards Application gives direction to patient Routine? A message from nurse reassuring patient Urgent? A call from the Doctor, right away Benefits? Faster, cheaper with a higher quality of care

Mr. Kraus feels sick, calls Dr. McCarthy

After hours - no one’s there.

Decision to make - emergency room? Tomorrow?

Application takes voice mail message

Forwards into pool of Amazon Turk Nurses

SMS messages increase reaction time for small service

Immediately responds to patient - constant feedback

Turk Nurse determines urgency

Listens to the message, summarizes and forwards

Application gives direction to patient

Routine? A message from nurse reassuring patient

Urgent? A call from the Doctor, right away

Benefits?

Faster, cheaper with a higher quality of care

The Money Where is the money? 50 million unnecessary emergency room visits in the US Each costs about $900.00 more than a doctor’s office visit Where isn’t the money? Customer education that the service exists Repeated marketing to habituate the service Costly market trials Why? Integration of real time communications into the business process makes it more efficient, saving money for the enterprise and increasing customer satisfaction

Where is the money?

50 million unnecessary emergency room visits in the US

Each costs about $900.00 more than a doctor’s office visit

Where isn’t the money?

Customer education that the service exists

Repeated marketing to habituate the service

Costly market trials

Why?

Integration of real time communications into the business process makes it more efficient, saving money for the enterprise and increasing customer satisfaction

Amazon Turks Internet Scale Workforce One doctor needs 1/10 of a nurse One thousand doctors needs 100. More use, more turks, faster service Practical? Absolutely Nurses get $3.00 for three minutes work == $60/hour Down time, family time, sick time, whatever Off-shoring? Comprehensive Quality Amazon Turks automatically Record urgency accuracy, compare history Transcriptions

Internet Scale Workforce

One doctor needs 1/10 of a nurse

One thousand doctors needs 100.

More use, more turks, faster service

Practical? Absolutely

Nurses get $3.00 for three minutes work == $60/hour

Down time, family time, sick time, whatever

Off-shoring?

Comprehensive Quality

Amazon Turks automatically

Record urgency accuracy, compare history

Transcriptions

Bringing a knife to a gun fight… What did I use? 40 hours, web services and a rapidly aging geek Ruby on Rails, SOA, PHP $25.00 to Strike Iron, and I’d probably have to pay x cents a minute to TellMe, Angel, or Voxeo What did I not use? Big Iron ==> NO LARGE INVESTMENT A Contract ==> NO CARRIER INVOLVEMENT Marketing ==> NO CUSTOMER EDUCATION Risk ==> NO LONG DEVELOPMENT CYCLES Traditional carriers will get their clocks cleaned.

What did I use?

40 hours, web services and a rapidly aging geek

Ruby on Rails, SOA, PHP

$25.00 to Strike Iron, and I’d probably have to pay x cents a minute to TellMe, Angel, or Voxeo

What did I not use?

Big Iron ==> NO LARGE INVESTMENT

A Contract ==> NO CARRIER INVOLVEMENT

Marketing ==> NO CUSTOMER EDUCATION

Risk ==> NO LONG DEVELOPMENT CYCLES

Traditional carriers will get their clocks cleaned.

After Hours Mashup Architecture

VoiceXML Accepts inbound phone calls with rich media experience Voice detection, ASR, IVR, recording audio Use CCXML from Voxeo for outdial operations May be blended with other voice applications Standards Compliant Operation I can choose among hosted options, local platform Little lock in Records audio and posts it to Web Server Store it, record it, play it Web Server can produce VoiceXML files to play Stateful processing Many choices for hosted providers TellMe, Voxeo Some have platform/hosted options

Accepts inbound phone calls with rich media experience

Voice detection, ASR, IVR, recording audio

Use CCXML from Voxeo for outdial operations

May be blended with other voice applications

Standards Compliant Operation

I can choose among hosted options, local platform

Little lock in

Records audio and posts it to Web Server

Store it, record it, play it

Web Server can produce VoiceXML files to play

Stateful processing

Many choices for hosted providers

TellMe, Voxeo

Some have platform/hosted options

After Hours Mashup Architecture

Uploader.php PHP file for accepting inbound request Called by VoiceXML file Handles uploading voice files, data Calls shell scripts to issue SMS requests Returns VoiceXML files back Could be dynamic; template procesing Complete integration with other Web Tech Database integration Instant Messaging and Presence Information

PHP file for accepting inbound request

Called by VoiceXML file

Handles uploading voice files, data

Calls shell scripts to issue SMS requests

Returns VoiceXML files back

Could be dynamic; template procesing

Complete integration with other Web Tech

Database integration

Instant Messaging and Presence Information

After Hours Mashup Architecture

Strike Iron SMS Web Service to send text messages One of many online, paid services Reverse phone number lookup Address verification, currency rate, background check Pay per click model First 100 clicks are free, small fee thereafter 168 characters per message User interface issues URL issues (TinyURL) Extraordinarily Powerful Ubiquitous Immediate

Web Service to send text messages

One of many online, paid services

Reverse phone number lookup

Address verification, currency rate, background check

Pay per click model

First 100 clicks are free, small fee thereafter

168 characters per message

User interface issues

URL issues (TinyURL)

Extraordinarily Powerful

Ubiquitous

Immediate

After Hours Mashup Architecture

Amazon Web Services Amazon Mechanical Turks Human Intelligence Tasks Things that humans can do easily, difficult for computers A9 Search Engine Artificial Artificial Intelligence It’s now OK to cheat Humans become subroutines S3, EC2 have unique telephony implications Mr. Erlang never worked for Amazon True defense against DDOS S3 == linear scalability == holy grail of telephony

Amazon Mechanical Turks

Human Intelligence Tasks

Things that humans can do easily, difficult for computers

A9 Search Engine

Artificial Artificial Intelligence

It’s now OK to cheat

Humans become subroutines

S3, EC2 have unique telephony implications

Mr. Erlang never worked for Amazon

True defense against DDOS

S3 == linear scalability == holy grail of telephony

After Hours Mashup Architecture

Extensions Call Centers Expert based call centers, makes response even faster Better for larger scale installations Integrates well with Amazon Turks Geolocation Give the data right to the nurse, showing hospitals, medical centers, etc. Combines well with text messages (text directions) Get location from reverse phone number lookup, zip code from VxML, GPS inside phone, or all of the above for fraud detection Medical Transcriptions to Testing Use medical transcriptions to check for consistency, accuracy, training.

Call Centers

Expert based call centers, makes response even faster

Better for larger scale installations

Integrates well with Amazon Turks

Geolocation

Give the data right to the nurse, showing hospitals, medical centers, etc.

Combines well with text messages (text directions)

Get location from reverse phone number lookup, zip code from VxML, GPS inside phone, or all of the above for fraud detection

Medical Transcriptions to Testing

Use medical transcriptions to check for consistency, accuracy, training.

Call Center : Sylantro Integrating with Sylantro switch Accepts inbound calls into expert queue Nurses login to the system from soft client or PSTN phone Turks are used to manage larger schedules Even better response for patient Nurse is right there to answer questions Use VoiceXML to do pre-processing, skills based routing SOAP based interface using Java Better choice for larger setups Dedicated equipment, staff Other functionality Conferencing in Doctor or other expert Past history integration with CRM for accuracy Click to dial for post care support through e-mail

Integrating with Sylantro switch

Accepts inbound calls into expert queue

Nurses login to the system from soft client or PSTN phone

Turks are used to manage larger schedules

Even better response for patient

Nurse is right there to answer questions

Use VoiceXML to do pre-processing, skills based routing

SOAP based interface using Java

Better choice for larger setups

Dedicated equipment, staff

Other functionality

Conferencing in Doctor or other expert

Past history integration with CRM for accuracy

Click to dial for post care support through e-mail

Yahoo! Local Nurses page shows location of caller Location derived from inbound calling info Alternatives are GPS, asked Gives nurse immediate information to share with patient Nearest clinic, hospital, etc. Directions; call ahead; 911 conference Flash based API Many APIs available… this was wicked simple to use

Nurses page shows location of caller

Location derived from inbound calling info

Alternatives are GPS, asked

Gives nurse immediate information to share with patient

Nearest clinic, hospital, etc.

Directions; call ahead; 911 conference

Flash based API

Many APIs available… this was wicked simple to use

Thank you!!! For more information, source code, and this presentation, see my site at thomashowe.com

For more information, source code, and this presentation, see my site at

thomashowe.com