17.2.1. Speak App
- 11 Dec 2024
- 4 Minutes to read
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17.2.1. Speak App
- Updated on 11 Dec 2024
- 4 Minutes to read
- Print
- DarkLight
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Summary
Used for: Playing TTS or Audio files to the caller
Container: Action
Call Policy: ✔
Data Analytics Policy: ✖
Example(s):
Use case
A speech app can be added to the beginning of the call flow to welcome clients to the business or make an announcement specific to the time of year or could be added at the end of a post call survey to thank a customer for leaving their response.
How to do it
- From the end of the previous container, drag the connector out.
- Add an action container followed by adding a speak app into the container.
- Pick a voice, if you choose ‘default’ this will follow the voice you have set in the account settings (for more information see the Account Settings tab).
Please note: the voices with AI included in their name sound more natural and human-like. - Add your text-to-speech or add a recorded message by clicking on the speaker icon and selecting a previously uploaded audio file.
Audio files can be uploaded in the account settings. - Nothing else needs to be added after this message. Make sure to save the policy.
Configuration Details
The Speak app enables all calls that pass through the container to have a preconfigured speech played to them. The words can be synthesised using TTS, with the added use of call macros and speech mark up, and/or the playback of sound files. The playback of the speech occurs as soon as the app is activated in the call route. When using TTS, the voice that is used can be selected.
Policy Type
Call | Data Analytics |
|---|---|
Available | Not Available |
Location
The Speak app is found in the Action container:
Configuration
The options for this app consist of Name this item and Configure this Item:
Configure This Item
This app is all about crafting the right message for the caller to hear, by configuring the Phrase field and setting an appropriate Voice.
Where the sound selector icon appears in the text field, this can be clicked to insert a prerecorded sound that has been saved into the account in Account Settings. These can be either recorded via the phone by dialing *150 from an extension, or uploaded via the settings screen. When a sound is added, it is displayed as a tag in the text field, for example, {WelcomeCaller}. If the sound tag is not recognised as valid, then it is shown in red, while a known sound tag is displayed in blue. Sound files can be mixed into TTS, for example {WelcomeCaller}. How are you today? |
|---|
Where the macro selector icon appears in the text field, this can be clicked to insert a macro, either from the macro selector or from scratch. These can also be mixed into TTS. |
These fields require a customised response, shown below with a **. |
Speech Markup can be used in this app.
Break Time
<break time> adds a pause into Text to Speech. The following example shows a two second pause:
<break time = "2s" />
Note that the time unit MUST be included in the code:
s Duration of the pause in seconds. A pause may be up to 10s in duration.
ms Duration of the pause in milliseconds. A pause may be up to 10000ms
By pressing the play button you can now hear exactly what customers will hear. The preview supports both sound files and TTS messages (and a mixture of both).
Clicking on the play button will automatically start playing the message you have created. When the message is playing, the play button will change to a stop button where you can stop the playback. If you make changes to the message, you do not need to save the policy to hear the updated preview.
Changing the voice in the dropdown above the message box will change the voice heard in the preview playback.
The preview will always start from the beginning of the message.
If you have any macros in the message, before playing, you will be asked to enter a value for the macro - this is just for the playback.
Built in Properties and Values
Built In Property | Value (*default) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
The voice from the known reportoire | Drop down list | Specify which voice should be used to say the words, selected from the drop down list of available voices. The default is that which is set in the Account Settings. |
The phrase you want to say | Blank text field** | Input the text to be converted to speech. Whatever is typed in this field will be heard when the app is activated. The Text To Speech (TTS) engine is relatively intelligent in the way it interprets terms, for example, the The date is 27/10/2022 is pronounced The date is 27th October 2022. Sounds, speech markup and macros can be interespersed with the TTS, the misture entirely configurable. |
Result
After a call has passed through this app, it passes on the the next app within the container (or the container itself). It has no functionality to link to a new container/app. The app simply plays the configured speech to the caller, it has no other function.
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