Total Newbie

[Guest worldclock]

I'm totally new to VG. Just got a copy yesterday.

 

What I need my IVR for is to setup a look-like model of those prepaid calling card system(not exactly like but similar)

 

Inother words, I want to create a whole bunch of accounts #'s with 2 passcodes and then store that with the account information such as balances, dates and other account activities so that when customers call in they can enter the account # and then the passcode to know that its really them and once thats entered they will be able to have access to their account information like how much they owe and when their next payment is due etc.

 

So basically I know i have to design the script my self( I can graphically visualize it) but i dont know is how to start that #1 and most importantly is which/what do I use that I can enter all those data that will automatically be linked with VG, so when my customers call in they will be able to access those datas.

 

That data program or what not ...must be able to know each script i set up..because I'm going to set the scripts up differently based on my customers account grade...i.e GOLD accounts holder will run a different script and Premier holders a different scripts.

 

Many more features....but I just need a headstart on how to begin and the data storage thing.

 

Thanks in advance to the Support Team.

[Guest worldclock]

TO restate in steps:

 

(1) Need a database program(any recommendation or if VG has one) that I can input data to

(2)Scripts design must be able to acess the data and let customers know their account details

(2a) input account # and then input passcode/digits then input account information

(2b)when customers call they can enter those account info and listen to details.

 

that is just the simple outline....all others like sound files etc I just might be able to figure out.

 

The first big help is if I can get a sample copy of the Calling card system script design.

 

thanks.

[SupportTeam]

(1) Need a database program(any recommendation or if VG has one) that I can input data to

Any database is fine. start with MS Access if number of users is less then about 100,000 - MS Access will be able to handle this pretty easily. Otherwise look at MySQL or SQL Server etc.

(2)Scripts design must be able to acess the data and let customers know their account details

Use a Database Query module to retrieve data from databases. See: http://www.voiceguide.com/vghelp/html/modDbQuery.htm

(2a) input account # and then input passcode/digits then input account information

See: http://www.voiceguide.com/vghelp/html/modGetNumber.htm

 

To obtain ready-to-use Calling Card scripts you would need to contact sales@voiceguide.com

[Guest worldclock]

Thanks I finally got a headstart. I've designed some of the basic scripts.

 

There are some part I still cant figure out.

 

(1) I'm using Excel for my data storage. The part I dont know how to figure out is the Query.

 

Say I have 5 colums and 50 rows with data in them and I want customers to acess their data (just a particular row that belongs to them) when they call in, how do i go about doing that? with "Excel query" code.

 

I dont understand the example given in the help file. I know what it says but I just dont understand what data the "$RV[Excel Query_1_1]" will get....I know it says start time in the example page but exactly is start time linked to query_1_1?......considering I will have 5......what code do i use to get each column?

 

(2) ‘*’ Paths

How do I implement this part in the VBscript...so that when customers enter the wrong number they will have the choice to begin all over again by pressing the * key.

[SupportTeam]

considering I will have 5......what code do i use to get each column?

It depends how the data is arranged. Just see what data is held by $RV[Excel Query_1_2] and $RV[Excel Query_2_1] etc. This will let you see what RVs to use...

 

so that when customers enter the wrong number they will have the choice to begin all over again by pressing the * key.

Just specify the "*" as the path trigger... you probably will be using this feature in a Get Numbers type module...

 

It may be useful if you could post your script and a sample Excel file here so that we can see better what the script/files are setup to do.

[Guest worldclock]

I dont know anything about programming so I'm having a hard time designing this script.

 

(1)How can I reduce the timeout after customers are done with their input.

I tried the script i'm designing today and after the get numbers it just took for ever to go to the next step.

 

(2)How I can write a VBscript that will verify numbers entered and make sure the numbers are not less or more than the required.

 

The most sad issue is that what I'm trying to do is not even complex at all.

 

(a) I want my customer to call in---and enter there account # , I want the account number to be verifiable like if the number of digits entered is more/less than the required so the system will let them know and let them start over.

 

( after which they will enter their PIN (also to be verifiable)

 

©after PIN is verified to match the account # then they can pull up their account information(which is just how much they owe)

 

those are the 3 basic steps.

 

I've structured the steps...the part where numbers entered can be verified is where I'm clueless because I cant figure out this vbscript thing.

 

Help me. Its fraustrating to say the least.

[SupportTeam]

(1)How can I reduce the timeout after customers are done with their input.

Have you tried using a Timeout path?

 

2)How I can write a VBscript that will verify numbers entered and make sure the numbers are not less or more than the required.

You may want to look at using the "Verification" script option in the Get Numbers module. See the section of Help file which covers the Get Numbers module.

 

Probably best for you to post the current script and indicate where it is not working as expected right now and we can modify it an post a version which is closer to your needs.

[Guest worldclock]

This first part where I'm having trouble is the "Get client Id number"

 

After the greetings in the welcome and client has been instructed to press 1 for the account balances it just fails to ask the client to enter their id number...and every thing just stops there.

 

these is how my get client id number is configured in all the 4 tabs.

sample_script.doc

[SupportTeam]

Please post the actual .vgs file so that we can open the script in the Script Designer.

[Guest worldclock]

That is what i have for now.(i.e beta setup)

 

what i'm trying to do is make the script check my database on "get client ID" and make sure the id is actually exist in my database and then once that is confirmed it should ask for PIN and then also to confirm the PIN the same it did the client id. once that is done...and the pin is confirmed it should read the client the amount owed. NB: i'm using microsoft access for my database.

 

i also have a vbscript in the "get numbers" module to verify the amount of digits entered...so that its not more than the amount i wanted. its just a simple modifications to the copy and paste from the examples....i dont know if its right or not.

 

Thats all i wanted....at least for now, their others things i want to add..which i think i will do once i get a grasp on things.

 

thank you support team for all your well support.

beta_setup.vgs

[SupportTeam]

We have modified the script to get you closer to what it looks like you're trying to achieve. Some changes which were made are:

 

- length checks moved out of Verify section and set in module itself.

- SQL query has a missing quote

- Say Number module was using an RV not corresponding to the DB Query module's title.

- rearranged script for easier readability.

 

If you have anything not working as expected please in future post the script as well as the trace log capturing the call.

 

Enable logging by setting the log levels to 10 in VG.INI as per below:

[Log]

 

VoiceGuide=10

Then restart VG and make a test call which demonstrates the problem.

 

Trace files will be created in VG's \log\ subdirectory.

 

When posting traces/scripts please .ZIP them up and post them as attachments.

beta_setup_modified.vgs

[Guest worldclock]

Thanks for your support.

The next question is about my database.

 

(1)I have attached a sample of my database(microsoft access, named Akate Info)

The query database module is not finding my account. It doesnt say funds in the speak number module.

The Script is the same as the one u modified for me.....only i just included the file path in the database module.

 

(2)From the same script in which you have arranged for me....What i want to do next, which i cant do is make the "get client id" module verify the entered id numbers from my database before allowing the PIN...meaning if the id number is wrong..client would be ask again to enter the right id....meaning the next module wont ask for access code since client id doesnt exist or wrong.....and then the same thing to the access code..i.e the access code be confirmed from database before saying the funds.

 

(3) I've include my short database with the post because i want to see how you will write the SQL query so that the script would act according to the design. I dont know what box the " _2_1" or " _1_1" query gets from the microsoft access document.

 

Help me adjust this settings in the scripts you have initially adjusted for me and majority of problem will be solve....and i will pretty much handle everything from there.....except the vbscript thing...i have no clue about visual basic.

 

thanks you sirs/mam.

my_database.doc

[SupportTeam]

(1)I have attached a sample of my database(microsoft access, named Akate Info)

The query database module is not finding my account. It doesnt say funds in the speak number module.

The Script is the same as the one u modified for me.....only i just included the file path in the database module.

Could you please post a copy of VoiceGuide's Trace Logs which captures the problem, this will allow us to see what happened.

 

Enable logging by setting the log levels to 10 in VG.INI as per below:

[Log]

 

VoiceGuide=10

Then restart VG and make a test call which demonstrates the problem.

 

Trace files will be created in VG's \log\ subdirectory.

 

Please post the traces and the VoiceGuide script used and the database.

 

When posting traces/scripts please .ZIP them up and post them as attachments.

 

(2)From the same script in which you have arranged for me....What i want to do next, which i cant do is make the "get client id" module verify the entered id numbers from my database before allowing the PIN...meaning if the id number is wrong..client would be ask again to enter the right id....meaning the next module wont ask for access code since client id doesnt exist or wrong.....and then the same thing to the access code..i.e the access code be confirmed from database before saying the funds.

Sounds like yo should be doing the database query after the [Get client ID number] module - and checking that the Client ID exists. Then in the [Get access code] module you can check against the database retrieved PIN in the Verify script.

 

(3) I've include my short database with the post because i want to see how you will write the SQL query so that the script would act according to the design. I dont know what box the " _2_1" or " _1_1" query gets from the microsoft access document.

Please post the traces and the VoiceGuide script used and the database.

[Guest worldclock]

The akate info is my database, 1107vgm is the trace log and the beta setup is the script.

 

(1)Now the scripts runs okay until it gets to the database and it just hangs up after i input the PIN.

 

(2) One other major design i want to include in the script which i cant quite figure out is:

 

How to make the "get client id" module verify the entered client id numbers FROM my database before allowing the PIN...meaning if the id number is does not exist on my database....client would be ask again to enter the right id....that is, the next module wont ask for access code since client id doesnt exist or wrong.....and then the same thing to the access code..i.e the access code should be confirmed from database before saying the funds.

 

If u can please implement that design for (i mean 2 above), my sleepless nights will be pretty much done.

I havent slept for more than 5 hours a day since i started working on this software.

 

(3) The other minor part is the database....i dont know what I should be doing with the microsoft ODBC...say i input all my data into microsft access the way i want them and save it to a known folder......what i should be doing with ODBC to link to my database folder is other mystery....because i think VG gets to the database with ODBC....?..I think.

 

Anyways.....those are the 3 difficulties....as you can tell, I have to be spoonfed...not my fault really...VG is too smart for me..lol

but thanks to you guys.

1107vgm.zip

beta_setup_modified.zip

Akate_Info.zip

[SupportTeam]

Trace shows that your database query is failing:

130749.05 4 db About to execute a Retrieve type operation [sELECT PIN, AVAILABLE AMOUNT FROM ACCOUNT INFO WHERE ACCOUNT NUMBER=54782290]

130749.08 4 OpenRecordset: 3075:Syntax error (missing operator) in query expression 'AVAILABLE AMOUNT'.

Change the Table name and Column names so that there are no spaces in the names, I think the spaces in the names are causing problems with the SQL Query. Also the NUMBER column is an integer type so there is no need to use quotes around the number in the SQL query.

 

Modified Database and Script attached. Try using these and post traces and files as before if you still have any problems.

WorldClock.zip

[Guest worldclock]

Let me start by saying your excellent support is second to none. A friend of mine initially wanted me to get Televoice(u guys might know that company)....It wasnt appealing since day 1 that I contacted them for inquiries, too slow and didnt even answer all my questions....I was transfered to some guy called Bob..who apparently doesnt like his Job...lol..Joke

 

Eventually I got voiceguide and I must say. I'm delighted with all the support, If it aint so I wont be saying it...I mean up until 2,3,4 AM in the morning you guys were still helping...I didnt sleep and so did u guys. AAAA.. ok.. support, no doubt.

================================

 

With that said, I just bought a new TTS engine. Loquendo (susan) BUT I dont know how I can incorporate that into Voiceguide or even Microsoft SAPI...I'm using the enterprise version of VG and i've downloaded microsoft SAPI 5 but I thought the loquendo was going to have a interface, like the demo on their website where I can just input the text and get my speech and then save that file path to my VG script..but its not so....because all I see are .dll extensions from the loquendo.

 

I've searched the forum and read the VG help file...the only thing i could pick up was something bout making the TTS engine default from control panel, speech....tried that too but I just dont know which of the .dll does what.

 

I think I've explained to my ability....please help....again.

thank you.

[Guest worldclock]

Ha...spoke too soon...I figured it out.

 

I restarted the computer and I found the voice on SAPI TTSAPP.

 

Thanks.

[SupportTeam]

Let me start by saying your excellent support is second to none.

Thanks

 

I just bought a new TTS engine. Loquendo (susan) BUT I dont know how I can incorporate that into Voiceguide or even Microsoft SAPI...

The default TTS voice used by VoiceGuide when generating TTS on-the-fly can be set in:

 

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Speech

 

I found the voice on SAPI TTSAPP.

Yes, that's a good app to use if you just want to pre-generate your TTS files.

[Guest worldclock]

(1)When I call in to the system...it takes forever before the greetings pickups.....It starts with some silence, about 2-3 seconds, and the it says the greetings....what could be the cause of this?

 

(2) TTS.....I use loquendo with SAPI TTSAPP to pre-generate my sound files but when it plays the file in the system, the sound crawls...I mean really crawl like.....heeeeelllllllooooo, plllleeeeaaaassseee

I recorded the sound file in 11Khz 16bit mono and it plays fine when testing it but when applied to the script..it just crawls.

 

I have attached the .zip files.

1109vgm.zip

beta_setup_modified.zip

[SupportTeam]

Looks like the TTS engine used on this sytem is generating the TTS very slowly...

 

You can see this in the trace. The first TTS after resart took 2.5 seconds to create:

 

174341.97 4 tts generate start[Welcome to Del property management . Please choose one of the following 2 options. For account balances press 1. For all other enquiries, please press 2.]

174341.97 4 tts generate wait

174344.36 4 tts generate finish

 

It's expected that first TTS generation after restart will take a bit longer., but the second TTS generation made during the same call took almost 2 seconds:

 

174519.75 4 tts generate start[Welcome to Del property management . Please choose one of the following 2 options. For account balances press 1. For all other enquiries, please press 2.]

174519.77 4 tts generate wait

174521.58 4 tts generate finish

 

2 seconds for such a short TTS sound file is very slow... How fast is this machine?

 

On a current average computer (say current release architecture 2GHz) TTS takes less then 50ms (1/20th of a second) to generate 3 seconds worth of speech.

 

See: http://www.voiceguide.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=397

 

I recorded the sound file in 11Khz 16bit mono and it plays fine when testing it but when applied to the script..it just crawls.

Spounds like the sound files for your system should be recorded in 8kHz format, not 11kHZ.

[Guest worldclock]

My computer is Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.06GHz,3.06GHz with 2.0GB RAM. Any better and It'll have to be a server.

 

But i think you are right about the TTS engine. I used one other TTS engine yesterday...acapela and it was ok.

 

I'll do the sound file in 8Khz....but i just searched the forum to look for answer b4 u guys replied and i read somewhere about dialogic wav drivers.....I'm not sure if I have this or not...but I hope its not the problem.

Please direct on how i can know if i have the wav driver. I could be wrong if the wav driver has nothing to do with it entirely. I did install the software(dialogic system release 6.0) that came with the card.

 

thanks....I'll let u know if works out with 8khz.

[SupportTeam]

If you are using v6 of VoiceGuide (VoiceGuide for Dialogic) then you do not need to install any Wave drivers.

 

VoiceGuide for Dialogic does not use any Wave drivers - it controls the Dialogic card directly.

 

VoiceGuide for Dialogic uses 8kHz sound files. See: http://www.voiceguide.com/vghelp/html/SoundFiles.htm

[Guest worldclock]

I have tried all I could before posting here.....Fraustration is starting to kick in

 

(1) What I want to do is to be able to know when my customers call in to verify their information. I mean say if they call in 6 times on a particular day I want to be able to know what time and when that specific customer called in.

 

(2) (a)The other part, Its a little complicated for me...this is really where I got fraustrated.

From my database and scripts posted above, after the say funds, I want to give my customers the options to transfer some funds. So if they owe $2300 and they wish to transfer $1000 out that amount, how would I set that up? And after they have removed $1000 from the amount they owe...so when next they call in to know ther balance they would hear they have $1300 left.

 

( in this part, before they are able to transfer any funds, I want them to use a code(maybe 5 digits) which i would have created and give them prior to them accessing their account information...I also want this code to be verifiable in my database, meaning if the number doesnt exist on the machine they will be denied access.

 

It seems simple but to me, its like getting a university degree program. I dont even know how to...but I need it to ease my time with never ending nagging customers.

 

Please help me incoporate this feature into my scripts and database posted above in my previous post.

 

Thank you in advance.

[SupportTeam]

(1) What I want to do is to be able to know when my customers call in to verify their information. I mean say if they call in 6 times on a particular day I want to be able to know what time and when that specific customer called in.

Sounds like you should be saving time or call and customer ID information etc into a database as soon as the customer identifies themselves (by entering their Customer ID for example).

 

(2) (a)The other part, Its a little complicated for me...this is really where I got fraustrated.

From my database and scripts posted above, after the say funds, I want to give my customers the options to transfer some funds. So if they owe $2300 and they wish to transfer $1000 out that amount, how would I set that up? And after they have removed $1000 from the amount they owe...so when next they call in to know the balance they would hear they have $1300 left.

So you would need to have a database which stores each customer's account and transaction details... and have these updated appropriately when transactions are made...

 

I think you should probably speak with a programmer or someone who is familiar with databases... It sounds like you are having problem with even the basics of what information needs to be stored in a databases and how the transfers will be made....

 

Alternatively we could creating the complete script and associated databases for you. If you want email the specification of the system to sales@voiceguide.com and we can come back to you with a quote.

[Guest worldclock]

(1) How exactly...... should I should be saving time or call and customer ID information?

 

(2) The only thing i needed done was what i have written in my A part in the previous post. The "B" part I can probably do. The Get number module that will access the database should work for that.

 

The "A" part a little complicated.

 

I've spent too much money already for a private small business. I'm not building a giant script like some corporation, in other words I cant afford any quote. The IVR is not directly my source of income.

 

I assure you that the A part is the only thing i needed done to complete my IVR. So i hope you guys will help me out.

[SupportTeam]

(1) How exactly...... should I should be saving time or call and customer ID information?

The Help file's entry on Database Query module has some examples of inserting data into the Database. It shows how to use Result Variables (which hold data entered by user or CallerID etc) in an SQL Query to insert data into a database. See: http://www.voiceguide.com/vghelp/html/modDbQuery.htm

 

By part "A" I assume you mean:

I want to give my customers the options to transfer some funds. So if they owe $2300 and they wish to transfer $1000 out that amount, how would I set that up? And after they have removed $1000 from the amount they owe...so when next they call in to know the balance they would hear they have $1300 left.

Basically you would need to:

1. Read back the amount from the database,

2. Then do some arithmetic in the VoiceGuide script as to what the new amount is,

3. Update database with new amount,

4. Save details of transactions as well in another database.

 

Steps 3 and 4 should be atomic - but this is now getting well beyond the scope of VoiceGuide related support.

[Guest worldclock]

It's like you just reiterated what i wanted to do, only in steps!

 

I dont know how...that is the problem. Is there a sample script i'm not reading or that I can simply follow?

 

I dont know. I'll keep trying maybe even look for alternative because it seems you guys are done helping.

Pity!..just at the pinnacle of the ivr to be complete.

 

Thanks.