IVR Development in java

Question

I'm going to develop an on-line IVR application using Java (without PBX). In the software requirements there are some mathematical calculations and database communication which I prefer to implement on Java side.

As you know, different technologies are ready to integrate with Java, such as JTAPI, Zanzibar OpenIVR, Moho, VoiceXML, CCXML, Jive, Prophecy, Voicent, Voxeo etc.

Now the question is: What is the best solution? Which one is easiest to reach? Which one have the best efficiency? Do you recommend Open Source frameworks? Is there any Windows API for handling IVR systems?

Answer 1

I know that those are "de jure standards". But you should also take Asterisk(with AGI/AMI) as a consideration for your project. If you decide to try Asterisk and Java, take a look of astivetoolkit.org it may be very helpful.

Answer 2

If you're going to do VoiceXML with Java, you should take a look at Rivr, an open-source VoiceXML dialogue engine.

Rivr let you code your callflow naturally in the Java language. Thus you can reuse all the available Java tools (e.g. debugger, unit testing framework, coverage test tool) to develop the callflow. You also benefit from all your IDE features too (refactorings, source navigation, version control, etc).

The API is very simple. You can code a complete callflow with a single method. No need to define "states" or to manipulate templates or XML files.

Integration with server-side logic is trivial since you are only coding for the server side.

Answer 3

There is far too little information here to provide a direct answer, but I'll try to give you some basics.

The standards for IVR application development is VoiceXML for dialog (caller interaction) and CCXML for call control. The latter is not as commonly available. There are also numerous proprietary solutions. Your choice of an open standard versus a proprietary solution should be more about vendor/solution lock in. Even with the open standards, you'll likely use custom enhancements and have some amount of lock in, but portability will be easier. You can code directly to the telephony boards (challenging and usually poorly documented if you are someone new to telephony) or work with solutions that provide end to end capability. I find very few people porting IVR applications so I would focus on supportability of your application, features and ease of use in your decision.

Platform choices run the spectrum. You have premise (onsite) and hosted solutions. You mostly have high end enterprise solutions and low end solutions. There are very few middle ground solutions. Features (telephony and integration capabilities) vary dramatically.

From a telephony perspective, take nothing for granted. In particular, transfers. There are many ways to transfer a call. How it is done will be constrained by your connection. An analog line to the CO (phone company) can have multiple mechanisms and the one in place will typically be dictated to you. Not all telephony platforms will support what you need. Hangup detection, at least on analog lines, can also catch the novice out. Hosted solutions will typically allow you to avoid most of these problems. VoIP solutions are even more complicated due to compatibility between devices (yes there are standards, lots of them, with lots of optional parts and then there are custom flavors).

For windows specifically, you can use Lync, but it is complicated...though many of the solutions you will explore will be complicated.

In short, there is no best solution. Your knowledge of the technologies, requirements and budget are going to drive the decision. I've generally worked with enterprise IVRs in on premise and hosted configurations that are typically fronting large call centers. I have come in contact with many of the open source solutions. Anything on premise is likely to be complicated because of the system and telephony configuration. Hosted solutions have typically done most of that for you.

Answer 4

Ricky from Twilio here.

For me, picking the best tool for a particular problem is one of my favorite tasks a developer. One technique to figuring this out is blocking off a day and spending an hour or two with each potential option. A few question I'll typically explore:

• Which tool is the easiest to get started with?
• Which tool has the best documentation?
• Which tool has an engaged community that I can learn from?

I'm sure there are a ton more questions depending on your scenario you'd want to explore (Does it fit within my budget? Can I use it with the technologies I already know and love?).

If you're looking at building an IVR, we have an API that could help. We just dropped some new tutorials including a non-trivial, production ready IVR application using Java.