Genesys voice portal whitepaper

Genesys Voice Portal

A G E N E S Y S W H I T E PA P E R

Discover the Power of Voice

Table of Contents
Executive Summary

1.

Genesys Voice Portal Features

1.

Genesys Voice Portal Architecture

2.

Key Components Overview

2.

Voice Communications Server

2.

Voice Portal Manager

3.

Genesys Studio

4.

Communication Between the Web Server and Genesys Voice Portal

4.

Automated Speech Recognition

5.

Text-to-Speech

5.

Integration with the Genesys Product Suite

5.

Configuration Management Environment

5.

Genesys I-Server

5.

Integration Features

6.

Standards Supported

7.

Application Development

7.

Development Language

7.

Developer Tools

7.

Application Deployment

8.

Administrative Tools

8.


8.


8.

Genesys Voice Portal Configurations

8.

Single Voice Communications Server

8.

Multiple Voice Communications Servers

8.

…Servers with Dedicated Voice Portal Manager

9.

Network Deployment Options

9.

In Front Of the Switch

9.

Behind the Switch

9.

Reliability

9.

Off-the-Shelf Hardware

10.

Recommended hardware

10.

Required Software

10.

Recommended third party software

10.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Genesys Voice Portal (GVP) is a software product that
delivers next generation voice processing to meet sophisticated call routing and voice self-service needs. GVP
improves the value proposition of traditional IVR systems with lowered costs and improved time to market for
speech-directed voice applications, a standards-based
VoiceXML development environment, more personalized and dynamic customer interactions, and an integrated approach to self-service, intelligent routing and agentassisted service. GVP enables phone access to web-based
content, facilitates consistent communications between
voice and web support channels, eliminates redundant
expenditures in disparate infrastructures, and delivers
operational cost savings over proprietary IVR solutions.
The GVP architecture is modeled after the web, giving
businesses the flexibility to separate their voice applications from the supporting telephony and speech
resources. Voice applications can reside on a Web Server
that is either remote or colocated with other GVP
servers. Just like with web applications, the disaggregated
GVP architecture ensures the quick implementation of
moves, adds and changes, which are easily propagated
throughout both local and remote voice resources. GVP
allows a customer to grow their capacity by simply
adding a standard telephony card enabled Windows 2000
server, loading the GVP software, and "telling" the new
server which web server it should contact to access the
application.This translates into faster and easier platform
expansion, and simplified application maintenance. It’s
just that simple.
GVP utilizes VoiceXML to provide a unified development environment that allows businesses to repurpose
web investments for voice, including application code,
business rules and personalization software. Voice and
web channels can share the same backend database integrations, facilitating a holistic view of the customer
regardless of how they choose to interact with the business. Additionally, Genesys offers a GUI development
tool for easy creation, testing and deployment of
VoiceXML applications.
GVP has three primary software components that can
reside on a single physical server or on separate physical
servers.They are:
• Voice Communications Server (VCS)
• Voice Portal Manager (VPM)
• Genesys Studio
The server(s) that host the Voice Communications Server
software must also host voice cards to terminate calls.
Additionally, Genesys I-Server is required to integrate
GVP with the Genesys Framework. Advanced Speech
Recognition (ASR) and Text-to-Speech are optional
third party software components that would reside on

the same server(s) as the VCS software.
Tightly integrated into the Genesys product offering,
GVP is uniquely positioned to provide a comprehensive
interaction management solution that includes personalized voice self-service, automated speech recognition,
universal queuing, intelligent customer segmentation,
advanced call routing and CTI, as well as robust cradleto-grave reporting and easy-to-use administrative GUIs.
GENESYS VOICE PORTAL FEATURES
Like traditional IVR solutions GVP provides the core
telephony features needed to support call handling for a
voice application. However, GVP expands traditional
IVR functionality with self-service capabilities that are
tightly integrated with the Genesys product suite and a
flexible, standards-based voice processing platform.
Core telephony features
• Call acceptance and processing via standard ISDN and
robbed-bit signaling
• Support for major PBXs (more added regularly)
• ISDN or robbed-bit T1 or E1 trunks terminate on
standard Dialogic boards (DM/VA series boards) for
voice processing
• Media services including the voice prompts, menus
and data (DTMF or speech) collection
• Call transfers with support for AT&T Transfer
Connect,WorldCom Takeback and Transfer, and
Sprint Agent Transfer as well as Call Bridging when
GVP sits in front of the switch
• Acceptance and processing of information delivered
with a call from the PSTN including ANI, DNIS
and CLID
• Telephony ports providing the ability to send and
receive calls. For example, a hardware platform
supporting 23 simultaneous and discrete conversations
would require 23 ports. GVP ports are universal in
that they can terminate any call for any application.
Supports approximately 46 ports ASR (2 T1/E1
spans), and 92-118 ports (4 T1/E1 spans) DTMF-only
per server (your final port density will be determined
by a number of factors).
Advanced features
• SpeechWorks OSR Automated Speech Recognition
(ASR)
• Nuance 8.0 (ASR)
• SpeechWorks Speechify Text-to-Speech (TTS)
• Advanced Call Control capabilities using TeleraXML
extensions, providing capability beyond the current
scope of VoiceXML
• XML-based backend data capture
• Intelligent call routing via integration with Genesys
Universal Routing Server
• Call parking, giving multi-site contact centers the
ability to allow self-service and call queuing on the

1


GVP ahead of transferring or bridging the call to an agent
,
• Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the development
of VoiceXML applications
• Real-time monitoring and management, as well as
historical reporting and analysis via integration with
the Genesys Framework
• Web-based GUI for configuration of system features
and voice applications, as well as diagnostics and other
administrative functions
• Flexible deployment options including single site
configuration or distributed configuration with centralized management
GENESYS VOICE PORTAL ARCHITECTURE
Key Components Overview
The Genesys Voice Portal software product integrates
with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
to deliver web-driven telephony services to callers. The
GVP has three primary software components that can
reside on a single server or be separated onto individual
servers.They are:
• Voice Communications Server (VCS) – VCS parses,
interprets and executes the VoiceXML commands in
the XML documents served by the voice application.
The VCS also integrates with automated speech
recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS)
software.
• Voice Portal Manager (VPM) – The Voice Portal
Manager (VPM) is the component that is used to con
figure the various components of the GVP. A webbased interface is used to administer GVP components.
• Genesys Studio – Genesys Studio is a Windows-based
GUI tool that can be used to build and test voice
applications using a "drag and drop" paradigm.
A standard Web Server (IIS, Apache, etc.) may be added
to the GVP configuration as an optional fourth network
component. In this configuration, the GVP voice applications would reside on the Web Server and be remotely configured and managed from the VPM.Web Servers
connect directly to the GVP server via a corporate LAN
or WAN. The voice application resident on the Web
Server produces the VoiceXML that directs the VCS to
play recorded greetings, prompts, and informational
messages to the caller.The voice application also receives
caller input via the VCS and plays customized responses.
Each Web Sever can handle HTTP requests for approximately 400 voice ports. Primary and backup Web
Servers are recommended.
The fifth network component is Genesys I-Server. As
mentioned earlier, I-Server helps GVP identify the
correct voice application when a call arrives. It also
orchestrates call transfers.

The standard version of GVP enables web-driven voice
applications using DTMF. Advanced Speech
Recognition (ASR) via integration with Nuance and
SpeechWorks and Text-to-Speech (TTS) via integration
with SpeechWorks Speechify are optional integrated
third party software components.
The Voice Communications Server (VCS) software
works with standard Dialogic boards to terminate and
process voice calls that arrive on TDM circuits. When
GVP is deployed in front of the switch, the Dialogic circuit boards connect to T1 & E1 lines that carry the voice
calls. When GVP is behind the switch, the Dialogic
circuit boards connect to the premises-based switch via a
standard RJ-48 connector. The VCS communicates with
the Dialogic boards, instructing actions such as playing
prompts or listening for DTMF/speech input.

Multiple VCS hosts can be deployed in a distributed
fashion for high availability. The VCS includes voice
browsers to interpret VoiceXML documents into call
processing events. It integrates with other Genesys software components via the I-Server and optionally integrates with TTS and ASR engines.
The VCS contains several processes that work together.
Watchdog
Watchdog is a centralized process that initiates the loading of information for all other processes. Watchdog is
always the first process that starts on the VCS. It reads
information from the GVP pop.ini file and provides the
process with settings and initialization information.
Network Management
This process is responsible for interfacing with the
SNMP subsystem. It fields SNMP MIB requests and
generates traps for processing by a network management

2


system. It can also provide activity logging for information and debugging purposes.The network management
process has a user interface component found in the
Voice Portal Manager that displays statistics on the number of active ports and allows the manual stopping and
restarting of VCS processes.

Execution Engine.

Dialogic Call Control
The Dialogic Call Control processes the actual voice
calls and manages the Dialogic telephony interfaces.

Call Flow Assistant
The Call Flow Assistant (CFA) initiates an outbound call
request and communicates with the VPM to authorize
instructions to the VCS.The CFA:
• Provides assistance to every port in translating call
control macros into elemental call control steps.
• Provides two-way communication with Genesys
I-Server.

Dialogic Media Service
Dialogic provided call management and media processing services used by the Telephony Manager.

I-Server Client
The I-Server Client communicates with the Genesys IServer on a remote host.

Telephony Manager
The Telephony Manager controls the physical voice processing media and communicates with the Dialogic Call
Control and the Dialogic Media Service. Through the
media's driver interface, the Telephony Manager may
issue requests such as setting up and tearing down a call,
playing a voice file, or bridging a call. The Telephony
Manager executes call control commands from the
Conversation Controller and Action Execution Engine.
It also interfaces with the ASR APIs to process speech
recognition requests to the ASR components and returns
the recognition results to the Conversation Controller
and Action Execution Engine.

Text-To-Speech (TTS) API
The TTS API communicates with a TTS resource server. It receives instructions and text strings from the
It then returns these execution results in a media file that
is streamed out through the Dialogic Media Services API
by the Telephony Manager.

Conversation Controller and Action Execution Engine
The Conversation Controller drives the conversation
with the voice application. It creates a parsed stream of
the commands, and using the appropriate APIs, executes
the stream of commands. For standard voice processing,
such as playing a voice file, it dispatches the play request
to the Telephony Manager. If TTS is required, the
request is dispatched to the TTS API by the Telephony
Manager, which then plays the resulting TTS generated
voice.
Page Collector
The Page Collector is a process that fetches the XML
pages that need to be executed, determines the document format and passes the pages to the appropriate
parser.
TXML Parser
The TXML Parser parses XML documents using the
TeleraXML (TXML) tag set for specific call control and
sends the interpreted telephony commands to the
VXML Parser
The VXML Parser parses XML documents using the
VoiceXML tag set and sends the interpreted telephony
commands to the Conversation Controller and Action

ASR API
Provides access to grammar modules and the speech
recognition engine for SpeechWorks, Nuance and other
vendors.
The Voice Portal Manager (VPM) is used to configure
the various components of the GVP. VPM offers a webbased interface for entering and changing information.
The VPM can be either co-resident on the VCS or reside
on its own separate server. The later is recommended
when multiple VCS servers are deployed in the network.
VCS Integration with VPM
The VPM acts as a central repository for the configuration data of each VCS installed in the GVP network.
During the installation, the VCS self registers with the
VPM. Upon any restart of the VCS, the VCS configuration information is obtained from the information stored
in the VPM.The VPM can manage a single or multiple
VCSs in a GVP network solution.This enables the VPM
to provide the ability to configure all VCSs in a GVP network solution with one simple graphical interface.
The primary VCS configuration features of the VPM are:
• Monitor VCS performance
• Enable/disable VCS system logging
• Manage grammar packages for ASR voice applications
• Manage VCS system messages and traps (such as
filtering)
• Configure TTS servers (local or remote)
• Configure ASR servers (local or remote)
• Manage VCS system start/stop processes

3


• Manage TTS language types and voice types
Voice Application Configuration
Any voice application that is processed on the GVP must
be configured in the VPM. Voice applications that are
created using Genesys Studio are automatically registered
in the VPM.Voice applications that are not created using
Genesys Studio must be manually configured in the
VPM.This is necessary because the VCS uses these application configurations during call treatment. In addition,
the VPM configuration enables the VCS to correctly
identify the desired voice application using the DNIS of
the incoming call.The primary voice application configuration features of the VPM allow authorized administrators to:
• Add, modify, and delete voice applications from GVP
• Configure the voice application URL
• Assign specific external telephone numbers to a voice
application
• Enable ASR capture (when ASR is enabled)
• Configure a fail over voice application upon failure of
primary voice application
Diagnostics/Network Management
VPM provides links to graphical interfaces that provide
diagnostics and network management for all VCSs in the
network.The diagnostics interface can be used to troubleshoot GVP problems. The network management
interface provides information about each particular
VCS.
The diagnostic and network management features of the
VPM allow authorized users to:
• Start and stop VCS,TTS,ASR and Dialogic processes
• Run diagnostic tests and view diagnostic logs
• View summarized system configuration information
for each VCS
• View real-time VCS,TTS, and ASR system activity
information (this does not include historical
information)
Genesys Studio
As discussed in section 5, Genesys Studio is a GUI development tool that can be used to build and test voice
applications. It is designed for beginners and programmers who are accustomed to Integrated Development
Environments (IDEs). Genesys Studio allows applications to be generated in ASP or JSP and emits VoiceXML
and Telera XML documents.
Genesys Studio offers a series of palettes that include
blocks which represent predetermined functionality in a
call flow. These blocks can be dragged-and-dropped
onto a canvas to quickly build a call flow that denotes the
voice application. This speeds application development
by freeing the developer from having to learn and write
VoiceXML tags. Instead, developers can focus on application call flow.

Genesys Studio works in conjunction with the VCS to
enable developers to debug voice applications that are
built using Genesys Studio or in native VoiceXML.
Once a voice application is created in Genesys Studio
and configured using VPM, it can be installed on a Web
Server for access by a VCS. Genesys Studio provides a
graphical interface for observing interactions between
the VCS and the Web Server.
The Genesys Studio software can be installed on a GVP
server or on a separate Web Server.
Communication Between the Web Server and

Communication between the Web Server and GVP is
analogous to the desktop web browser model. In a standard web-based application, servers issue instructions to
desktop browsers using HTML.The browser responds by
rendering a page on a computer display and establishing
links to other pages on the Web.When the user clicks on
a link, the browser issues a request to the designated
URL, which results in another web page being fetched
and rendered.When the page or its contents change the
next fetch from any browser receives the updated page.
Requests and information exchange on the GVP are
handled in a similar fashion, but the markup language is
VoiceXML instead of HTML. The VCS has a
VoiceXML-enabled web client that fetches pages from
Web Servers.Voice applications are generally developed
in Active Server Pages (ASPs) or Java Server Pages (JSPs)
that render and deliver instructions in VoiceXML form.
The VCS parses the VoiceXML and instructs call handling (answering, bridging, disconnecting calls), media
management (playing greetings, prompts, and messages
using cached voice files and text to speech), and caller
input (collect touch-tone digits, perform speech recognition).VoiceXML enables a voice application to drive an
interaction with a caller in the same way that it would
interact with a desktop web browser to render a screen
and react to keyboard or mouse input.As with the desktop browser, any changes to the voice application on the
Web Server become effective the next time a page is
requested.
Automated Speech Recognition
GVP incorporates pre-built ASR interfaces for use in
speech-enabled voice applications.The GVP ASR architecture is designed to allow communication through
standard Ethernet networks of 100Mbps or more.
4


The primary ASR components of GVP are:
• ASR Software – Processes that run on the VCS and
handle ASR related tasks.
• ASR Package – A package that is specific to each
voice application. It consists of the complete set of files
required to run an ASR voice application including
the grammar, dictionary, parameter settings, and
prompt files.The VCS manages the ASR Package.
• ASR Application Related Prompts – The prompt files
that are played during the execution of the ASR voice
application.This is also voice application specific.
ASR SpeechWorks
SpeechWorks components run on the VCS with "in the
skins" option (OpenSpeech Server-enabled client-server
configuration).

least busy recognition server. If a VCS needs to
compile a grammar at run time, the ASR Resource
Manager sends the grammar to the ASR Compilation
Server.The complied grammar is stored in the ASR
database and is fetched by the ASR Recognition
Server when needed.
Text-to-Speech
GVP includes interfaces for incorporating third party
text-to-speech technology for use in voice applications.
GVP currently supports SpeechWorks Speechify. The
API that interfaces with the TTS software is referred to
as the TTS Server. Both the TTS Server and the
SpeechWorks Speechify TTS software are installed on
the VCS. The VCS communicates with the TTS server
through HTTP.

GVP integrates with SpeechWorks OpenSpeech
Recognizer (OSR) version 1.1 that resides on a single
server and includes:
• OSR Client/Server - Provides programmer-level
APIs for ASR and performs speech recognition by
collecting speech samples and directing them to internal
resources for recognition and interpretation. It provides
automated grammar caching, compilation services for
the voice application and caches compiled grammars.
• OSR License Manager - Runs as an external process
on the VCS.

The TTS Server can convert TTS in real time or batch
modes. In real time mode, text is converted to speech and
directly streamed back to the client. In batch mode, the
converted text is posted to a specific URL at the end of
conversion.

ASR Nuance
All Nuance components run on the VCS.These components, or processes, are referred to as "servers" by
Nuance. GVP supports Nuance version 8.0 with the
appropriate service pack.

Configuration Management Environment
Centralized configuration and management of Genesys
Voice Portal is enabled in the Genesys environment
through the integration with Configuration Management
Environment (CME). Using Configuration Manager, a
graphical user interface application, administrators can
control resources and make real-time updates.

The Nuance component running on the VCS contains
the following five processes:
• ASR License Manager – Provides the run time
licenses for the Nuance processes.
• ASR Client – Provides programmer-level APIs for
ASR. It collects speech samples and directs them
to recognition resources for recognition and
interpretation.
• ASR Recognition Server – Performs the actual
speech recognition and is available in multiple
languages.This server contains pre-loaded grammars
and each server can have a different set of grammars.
The ASR Recognition Server is configured at the
time of installation.Again, this "server" is loaded and
runs on VCS.
• ASR Compilation Server – Provides the compilation
service to the voice application and stores complied
grammar in a database.
• ASR Resource Manager – Distributes recognition
tasks from ASR Clients across available ASR Servers
and performs load balancing by assigning tasks to the

INTEGRATION WITH THE GENESYS PRODUCT SUITE
GVP takes advantage of the existing Genesys Framework
to interface with various components of the Genesys
product suite. The integration between GVP and other
Genesys components is via the Genesys I-Server.

Genesys I-Server
The Voice Communications Server includes an I-Server
client that communicates with a Genesys I-Server
process running on a remote host.When GVP is configured in front of the switch, I-Server is informed of new
calls arriving at the VCS as well as the termination of
existing calls. In a behind the switch configuration, the
Genesys I-Server is contacted at call setup to furnish the
ANI and DNIS of the incoming call so that the correct
voice application can be identified.
In either case, I-Server is able to control the VoiceXML
scripts that are executed by the VCS. VCS relays call data
to I-Server and I-Server is able to orchestrate the transfer of the call to the appropriate agent as necessary. Call
information along with any data associated with the call,
is passed to the Genesys I-Server. I-Server transmits the
information to other elements of the Genesys suite for
integrated call handling and management including:

5


Integration with the Genesys Management Layer
The Management Layer of the Genesys Framework
includes a Solution Control Interface (SCI) that allows
administrators to centrally manage, monitor and manually
start/stop all GVP processes. SCI provides the user’s view
into the Management Layer. A single source for OA&M
reduces overall operations, maintenance and training costs
while expediting reaction to system failures. Since this is a
familiar tool to administrators who are comfortable with
Genesys Framework, integration of GVP into operating
procedures is routine.
Integration with the Genesys Reporting Layer
The Reporting Layer of the Genesys Framework
provides a foundation for real-time and statistical historical
reporting. The Reporting Layer consists of Call Center
Pulse for integrated real-time reporting and monitoring and
Call Center Analyzer for integrated historical reporting and
analysis allowing call data to be associated with specific call
records. The Telera I-Server client will provide call information in the form of key/value pair attached data to enable
Genesys real-time and historical reports.

In a GVP controlled call flow, the self-service phase of the
call can continue without I-Server assistance.The I-Server is
contacted once the call is queued by the voice application
using the TXML QUEUE_CALL tag. The I-Server is
always notified of call arrival and the hang-up of events for
reporting purposes. In a Call Router controlled call flow, the
self-service phase cannot continue without I-Server assistance. The GVP will wait for the URS to instruct which
voice application to execute.
Route Request
This feature allows the voice application to park a call on the
GVP and issue a request to the Genesys Framework for
identifying a target where the call can be transferred. The
voice application makes the request using the TXML
QUEUE_CALL tag.
Transfer of CED
When a voice application queues the call, the voice application can send Caller Entered Digits (CED) via the
QUEUE_CALL TXML tag. The CED can also be transferred using the SCRIPT_RESULT tag when the call flow
type is 'Call router controlled call flow'.

Integration with Genesys Universal Routing Server (URS)
The VCS integration with Genesys I-Server allows URS to
control voice application treatment, perform call transfers
and gather reporting information. Genesys I-Server passes
call information and attached data to the Genesys URS
enabling enhanced, cost-effective call routing.

Launching of routing strategy on URS
This feature allows a voice application to specify the
RouteDN based on the CED.The RouteDN is utilized by
the URS to launch different routing strategies, or routing
scripts. The routing strategy contains the logic to control
how the call is handled.

Integration with Genesys Workflow and Workforce Management
The Workforce Management solution is a multi-media
resource planning tool which optimizes the scheduling,
forecasting and adherence capabilities for a workforce
handling any combination of voice and Internet-based
transactions. The Workflow solution helps manage the
lifecycle of a customer interaction from initial contact
through fulfillment – regardless of how the customer chooses to communicate with the business.

Call transfer
The voice application can transfer the call by providing a
phone number. The transfer can be invoked either via the
VoiceXML Transfer tag or the TXML CREATE_LEG_
AND_DIAL tag.

A voice media channel for the Genesys Universal Queue
Genesys Universal Queue allows a business to route all
incoming customers, regardless of contact media, to a single,
integrated media queue. This gives the customer a single
point of contact with the company, and the company a
common view of the customer optimizing each interaction.
Integration Features
As a result of the GVP integration with Genesys
Framework, various contact center features are made
available.
Call flow types
GVP, working with the Genesys Framework, can support
both GVP controlled and Call Router controlled call flows.

Whisper
The whisper feature allows the voice application to perform
a whisper on the agent leg before the caller and the agent
legs are bridged.This feature is available for "in front" of the
switch GVP configurations when the voice application performs a VoiceXML transfer and bridging is not used.

IVR Take Back
This feature allows control to be returned to the voice
application after the caller has finished speaking to the agent.
This feature is available for "in front" of the switch only
GVP configurations when the voice application performs a
VoiceXML transfer and bridging is not used.
STANDARDS SUPPORTED
GVP is a pure software solution that does not rely on proprietary programming languages or hardware. It complies
with the latest industry standards as well as emerging stan-

6


dards from organizations such as the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF), the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) and the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C).
Supported standards include:
• VoiceXML 1.0 and 2.0 (latest public working draft)
• HTTP for all inter-server communications
• TCP/IP and UDP protocols
• SNMP manageability for both hardware and software
processes
• ISDN for PRI
• Robbed-bit (in-band signaling)
Future releases of GVP will support the following IETF
standards:
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), an application layer
control protocol used to establish and terminate calls
between one or more endpoints in an IP-based network
– RFC 2543bis
• Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP), providing end-toend network transport functions suitable for applications
transmitting real-time data – RFC 1899
• RTP Payload for DTMF Digits,Telephony Tones and
Telephony Signals – RFC 2833
• Session Description Protocol (SDP), describing multimedia sessions for the purposes of session announcement
and multimedia session initiation – RFC 2327
• SIP INFO Method, allowing for the carrying of session
related control information that is generated during a
session – RFC 2976
• Draft-ietf-session-sip-timer, allowing for a periodic
refresh of SIP sessions through a re-INVITE.The refresh
allows both user agents and proxies to determine if the
SIP session is still active.
• Draft-rosenberg-sip-app-components-01, supporting
decomposition of the application server into two
components – a media server that handles the media
component, and an application server that handles the call
control, data, and signaling.
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
The skill set needed to write GVP applications is essentially the same as that for writing any Web application, with the
additional consideration of the target user interface (audio
vs. visual). Development does not require knowledge of
proprietary languages or telephony-related functions such as
DID/port allocations or call handling. GVP’s web-driven
development platform allows businesses to leverage existing
web development expertise as well as any existing webbased integration with backend systems. Furthermore,
businesses may be able to re-purpose application code, business logic and software that is currently used in conjunction
with its online applications.

Development Language
Voice applications written for use on GVP must be written
in the nonproprietary coding language of VoiceXML. GVP
supports both the W3C standards for VoiceXML 1.0 and
VoiceXML 2.0 (April 25, Last Working Call submission for
the VXML 2.0 submission to the W3C – http://
www.w3.org/Voice/).
GVP also supports XML tag extensions to assist in the
sophisticated call control requirements of many voice
applications.These tags include advanced functionality such
as leg creation, dialing, bridging, queuing, carrier-specific
integrations, etc. Furthermore, the tag extensions allow
integration of a web application that drives media
interactions with an intelligent call router such as Genesys
URS. For instance, they allow the voice application to
communicate collected information to the intelligent call
router for use in an agent screen pop. GVP can intersperse
TXML and VoiceXML pages.
While the use of VoiceXML greatly increases portability
between VoiceXML compliant platforms, it is important to
be aware that some companies have taken shortcuts, not
implemented certain features, or changed the VoiceXML
standard according to what they see appropriate. It is also
prudent to understand that a complex VoiceXML application that is built for one platform is unlikely to work
unchanged on another platform.
VoiceXML applications can be developed using the Genesys
Studio GUI tool. Or, they can be written in native
VoiceXML using any VoiceXML 2.0 development tool or
be written manually using a standard text editor.
Developer Tools
The GVP product suite provides a VoiceXML application
development tool called Genesys Studio. Genesys Studio is
a Windows-based GUI tool that is used to build and test

voice applications using a "drag and drop" paradigm. In this
paradigm, developers can arrange, add and delete functional
blocks – such as start, stop, prompt and menu – in the main
window. The blocks are then connected to build the call

7


flow for the voice application. Once the code is generated,
an Active Server Page (ASP) or Java Server Page (JSP) file is
created for each block.
The tool is designed for beginners and programmers who
are accustomed to Integrated Development Environments
(IDEs). Genesys Studio supports touch-tone and ASR
voice applications, as well as provides a common mechanism
to link to databases. In addition to Genesys Studio, the VPM
also provides a tool that allows developers to capture caller
"utterances" for tuning of ASR voice applications.
Genesys Studio also includes a code tracing feature that aids
in voice application debugging.
Application Deployment
Once a voice application has been debugged and is ready for
deployment, it can be configured for actual use through the
Configure to Go Live feature of Genesys Studio. When
using Genesys Studio, voice applications are automatically
registered to the VPM. Users are prompted to enter information such as the toll free number associated with the
application, the fail over number and a backup voice application URL.
Voice applications that are written in native VoiceXML
require the developer to load the VoiceXML files onto a
standard web server and then use the Genesys Voice Portal
Manager to associate the toll free number with the start
page’s URL.
ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS
Through the tight integration with Genesys Framework,
Voice Portal can be centrally configured in the Genesys
Configuration Management Environment. Genesys management tools such as the Solution Control Interface can
start, stop, auto-restart and control the status of GVP components as well as provide a view into logs.
In addition, GVP provides a Voice Portal Manager (VPM),
which includes a configuration GUI that is accessible via
Internet Explorer. VPM provides the ability to configure
voice applications and administer solution components. It
also provides diagnostic tools.
VPM allows:
• Configuration of system features
• Configuration of voice applications including the ability
to add a new voice application, edit voice applications or
delete voice applications.
• Enabling of voice applications
• Viewing of various operational logs
• Ability to view status of Advanced Speech Recognition
(ASR) engines
• Ability to view status of Text to Speech (TTS) engines
• Ability to view connectivity with Genesys I-Server

• Ability to view connectivity with voice application Web
Servers
• Ability to access the Dialogic diagnostic software
• Diagnostics to analyze and test the GVP
• Ability to capture caller "utterances" for tuning of ASR
voice applications
• Ability to view the active calls on GVP
Multiple local or remote servers can be configured from a
single VPM or multiple VPMs based on user preference. In
addition, when separate Web Servers are used to host the
voice applications, they too can be configured using VPM.
Within the VPM GUI is a link to administration GUIs for
each of the VCSs that are configured for the GVP. These
GUIs can be accessed from any computer that has http
connectivity to the VCS. They allow the user to monitor
VCS performance and perform diagnostics including
connectivity tests.
GVP CONFIGURATIONS
There are three basic GVP configuration options:
Single Voice Communications Server
In this basic configuration, there is only one Voice
Communication Server (Host1). The VPM is co-resident
on the VCS. A separate Web Server hosts the voice applications and can host the Genesys Studio software.

Multiple Voice Communications Servers
The VPM is co-resident on one of the VCSs (VCS Host 1).
The other VCSs rely on access to the VPM on VCS Host 1.
This implies that the VPM components on VCS Host1 must
be active even if the VCS processes on VCS Host1 are down.
A separate Web Server hosts the voice applications and can
also host the Genesys Studio software.

VCSs can be physically distributed across sites for high reliability.All VCSs are managed by the centralized Voice Portal

8


Manager. The combination of distributed voice processing
nodes and centralized application and configuration management eliminates duplication that is typical in traditional
IVR solutions, resulting in significant cost and time savings
to business customers.
Multiple Voice Communications Servers with
Dedicated Voice Portal Manager
The VPM is resident on a dedicated host (VPM Host).The
VCS hosts access the VPM independently. Therefore, the
VCS host can be down for maintenance without impacting
the other VPM hosts’ access to VPM. A separate Web Server
hosts the voice applications and may host Genesys Studio
software.
NETWORK DEPLOYMENT OPTIONS
GVP can be positioned as a solution "in front" of the premises switch (calls will be terminated directly into GVP from
the PSTN) or "behind" a premises-based switch configuration. Both in front and behind the switch configurations can
be deployed in a single or multi-site environment.
Additionally both have universal port capability – meaning
that a call received on any physical port can access any configured voice application.

cation treatment, call transfer and gain reporting information.

II Behind the Switch
In this configuration the GVP only receives incoming calls
that are directed to the VCS by an enterprise PBX. It is the
PBX that directly interfaces to the PSTN. When a call
arrives from the PSTN, the PBX performs the necessary
signaling hand-shakes to accept the call. The call is then
switched (by the PBX) to the VCS. In this deployment, the
VCS is also integrated with Genesys I-Server within
Genesys Framework. I-Server provides the VCS with ANI
and DNIS information so that the correct voice application
can be identified. At the end of the voice application call
flow, if the call needs to be routed to an agent, the VCS again
contacts the I-Server to transfer the call to the appropriate
agent.
RELIABILITY
High reliability is achieved via physically distributed Voice
Communications Servers. In a distributed GVP deployment, the VCSs are daisy-chained for automatic server-toserver overflow. In the event of a busy condition or server
failure, calls can hunt transparently and automatically to the
next server. If all ports at all VCSs are busy, calls can fail over
to a predetermined backup location.
GVP ports are universal in that any port can handle any call
application.This enables businesses to employ cost-effective
redundancy since the capacity needed to recover from a
single server failure is greatly reduced.
VCS components are monitored by a Watchdog process that
automatically restarts failed processes and alerts the enterprise Network Management System (NMS) through an
SNMP trap. The Watchdog process resides on the Voice
Portal Manager and includes a user interface to allow the
manual stopping and starting of any VCS component.

I In Front Of the Switch
In this deployment, the VCS directly interfaces to the
PSTN. Incoming calls terminate directly on the VCS where
the voice application treatment occurs. ISDN protocols in
North America and ISDN or CAS protocols in the rest of
the world are used for signaling between the PSTN switch
and the VCS. Use of ISDN enables the VCS to ascertain the
ANI and DNIS of the incoming call.The DNIS enables the
VCS to identify the desired application. If agent assistance is
needed,VCS instructs the PSTN switch (using takeback and
transfer capabilities) to route the call to the correct destination.The VCS is integrated with Genesys Framework so that
the Genesys Universal Call Router can control voice appli-

Communication between the VCS and Voice Portal
Manager is via HTTP. VCSs can access locally stored configuration information for each of the applications from
local cache. This information is accessed in the unlikely
event of a loss of connectivity with the Voice Portal
Manager. In this case, the VCS will automatically accept
the call and complete it using the stored backup termination number.
In a large-scale GVP solution, a caching appliance plays an
indispensable role in providing efficient communications
between a VCS and the Web Server in which the voice
application resides. In a smaller-scale GVP implementation, such as when the Web Server is collocated with one
of the VCSs, the need for a caching appliance on every
VCS is not required.
Application reliability is achieved via deployment of a

9


backup Web Server. Through the Voice Portal Manager,
multiple Web Server hosts can be configured. The order
in which each Web Server is contacted is also provisioned
in the Voice Portal Manager. In the event that none of the
Web Server hosts can be contacted in a reasonable time
period, the VCS can automatically reroute the call to a
backup number, typically terminating at a customer
premises or contact center.
OFF-THE-SHELF HARDWARE
Recommended hardware
The following hardware is recommended for a GVP installation:
Component
CPU
Hard Drive

Value
Dual Intel Pentium III CPU,
minimum 1.4Ghz
Two 10K RPM 18Gb with RAID 1

Memory

2 GB for dual CPU configuration

F1 Boot Prompt
BIOS Setting

Disabled

REQUIRED SOFTWARE
The following software is required for a GVP installation:
Genesys
• Genesys GVP software (available on a CD from
Genesys)
• Genesys Framework including I-Server
Windows
• Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 2
• Internet Explorer 6.0 +
• MSXML 4.0+
• Windows 2000 Components:
- Internet Information Server (IIS) > Common Files
- Internet Information Server (IIS) > File Transfer Protocol
(FTP) Server
- Internet Information Server (IIS) >Internet
Information Server Snap-in
- Internet Information Server (IIS) > World Wide Web
Server
- Management and Monitoring Tools > Simple
Network Management Protocol
• Windows time service
• Telnet service
Telephony
The following Dialogic telephony hardware is required:
• Dialogic DM/VA series card.There is also a DM/VA
driver which is shipped with the GVP installer discs.

• SpeechWorks OSR 1.1
• Nuance 8.0
Note:This software is distributed with the Genesys CDs.
Text to Speech
The following software is required if text-to-speech software is used:
• SpeechWorks Speechify 2.13
Note:This software is distributed with the Genesys CDs.
Miscellaneous
• WinZip, PKZip or any other un-zipping program
Recommended third party software
It is recommended that the GVP components run with the
following third party network management software:
• PC AnyWhere version 10.0
CONCLUSION
GVP is a powerful premises-based voice processing solution
for both medium and large-scale enterprises. Since the solution is based on open standards, GVP offers flexible deployment options and multiple other advantages over traditional, proprietary IVR systems. GVP offers a unified development environment for web and voice applications, allows
centralized management of a distributed platform and offers
investment protection with smooth, incremental migration
to VoIP. These advantages translate into reduced capital
spending, reduced operations staff, new revenue opportunities and accelerated time to market.
Key GVP Advantages
• Separates application logic from voice processing –
applications can be centrally managed and updated.
• Utilizes off-the-shelf hardware.
• Leverages VoiceXML 2.0 and standard web programming
(ASP, JSP, Java).
• Provides tight integration with Genesys product suite.
• Supports SpeechWorks OSR, Nuance ASR and
SpeechWorks Speechify TTS.
• Allows web investments to be extended to the telephone
including application code, personalization software and
back-end integrations.
• Designed to take advantage of modern web standards
including distributed applications, personalization tools,
caching, audio techniques, security and networking.
• Supports migration from TDM to VoIP.

Speech Recognition
The following software from SpeechWorks or Nuance is
required if speech recognition software is used:

10

Genesys Corporate Headquarters
2001 Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA 94103
Telephone: +1 415.437.1100
Facsimile: +1 415.437.1260
Web: www.genesyslab.com
E-mail: info@genesyslab.com

Genesys Asia Pacific
Genesys Australia
Genesys Canada
Genesys Europe/Middle East
Genesys Japan
Genesys Latin America

Telephone: +65 538 9886
Telephone: +61 2 9463 8500
Telephone: +1 506 658 1080
Telephone: +44 118 974 7000
Telephone: +81 3 5649 6821
Telephone: +1 305 789 6660

All other company and product names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks
of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2002 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Genesys voice portal whitepaper

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Genesys voice portal whitepaper

Recently uploaded

Genesys voice portal whitepaper