voicexml tutorial - outbound transfer basics

VoiceXML 2.1 Development Guide

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Transfer Types

One of the two ways that you may dial out within your Voxeo VoiceXML applications is to make use of the <transfer> element. Lesson 6 covers this procedure step by step, so we will content ourselves with a broad overview of the types of calls we can make, and the intricacies of dealing with all of the possible events that can happen during a <transfer>.

There are two kinds of calls that we can make on the Voxeo network, a bridged transfer, and a blind transfer. A bridged transfer is where the original caller is returned to the VoiceXML application after the dialed party hangs up, and a blind transfer will end the application execution when either party disconnects. Note that at this time, only bridged transfers are allowed; blind transfers are not enabled on either the Staging network, or on the Production network, and attempting to use one within your code willnot result in the 'connection.disconnect.transfer' event.

For a 'true' blind transfer, you will need to contact the Voxeo Sales Team, and get hooked up with the ‘take-back and transfer’ feature, which allows the caller to dial into the application, and then make a transfer off the Voxeo network. This feature is not enabled on the Staging center, but can be enabled on a Production application upon request. Contact the Voxeo sales team for further details regarding this feature.

Outbound Dialing Permissions

Be aware that outbound dialing is not enabled for developer accounts by default. Unless you have received the account permissions from the Support Team, then all <transfer> attempts will result in a 'busy' event every time. In order to get this permission enabled, you'll need to contact Support.

When requesting the outbound dialing privilege, remember to include:

AccountID Number OR Account Username
Flattery; the Support Team needs external validation from time to time

Inbound International Dialing

While we Americans tend to show a bit of hubris when it comes to our technologies, we certainly don't discriminate when it comes to sharing the love to our friends from other countries. If you happen to live 'across the pond' from us Yanks, then you still have the ability to use our testing platform for free. Another Capitalist trick, you ask? Not hardly. Check our VoIP dialing information page, and our web-forums for more information on this feature.

Outbound International Dialing

Some applications with a 'world beat' in mind will likely want to make use of outbound International dialing, such as within the <transfer> element, or within a token-based outbound call. Before we start, there are a few basic things you should know about International dialing on the Voxeo platform. Intenational dialing can be enabled for production accounts only, with the following caveats:

A prepaid deposit of $5000.00 is required before this can be enabled for a particular account.
A one-time setup fee, (non-refundable), of $775.00 is required, for this feature.
International rates are almost always more expensive than calls within the Continental US. It is the customers responsibility to make themselves aware of the billing differences

Contact our sales team for additional information on International dialing.

Once you have gotten setup with this feature, then you'll need to actually code it, so a few bits of advice are in order to get you off on the right foot. The number formatting for placing an international call to anyone is as follows:


tel:+[country code][number]

So, if you wanted to place a bridged transfer to '000-111-2222' in Uganda, where the Country Code is '256' then your dialing string might look like this:


<transfer dest="tel:+2560001112222" bridge="true">

For a token-initiated call, the same holds true, but with one caveat: Sending a string value of 'tel:+2560001112222' isn't going to fly at all, as we will need to URL-encode the '+' character before sending it across to session.voxeo.net. To illustrate, let's look at two examples:

Incorrect Formatting


http://api.voxeo.net/SessionControl/VoiceXML.start?
     numbertodial=tel:+2560001112222&
      tokenid=yourTokenIDhere

Correct Formatting


http://api.voxeo.net/SessionControl/VoiceXML.start?
     numbertodial=tel:%2B2560001112222&
      tokenid=yourTokenIDhere

ANNOTATIONS: EXISTING POSTS

djvergara

11/11/2007 1:56 PM (EST)

Is it possible to place a call to a SIP address? Something like

http://session.voxeo.net/VoiceXML.start?
numbertodial=sip:user@ekiga.com&
tokenid=yourTokenIDhere

voxeo.benb

11/11/2007 5:58 PM (EST)

Hello,
I've enabled SIP outbound dialing for your evolution account. This should allow your applications to call sip numbers.

Thank You,
Ben Bohn
Voxeo Support

mgoebel

3/28/2008 9:13 PM (EDT)

Could you please do the same for me? I would like to configure a transfer to a SIP address in evolution. Could you explain me how to do it?

VoxeoDustin

3/28/2008 9:32 PM (EDT)

Hey,

I have enabled SIP outbound dialing privileges for your account. I assume you want to be able to perform a SIP transfer via Evolution Designer as this is the only application type I see in your account.

In this case, you will want to use the Transfer step of Designer. For the type of transfer, select Phone Number and input the full SIP address like as: sip:number@address

e.g. sip:91111111@sip.voxeo.net

Cheers,
Dustin

kennyd6

3/30/2008 9:15 AM (EDT)

I requested and received a tokenId. Would it be possible to check if outbound SIP is enabled on my account? I need to dial a SIP phone from a html form.

What are my other options (if any) for free outbound dialing considering I live in Ireland? My application needs to be able to dial 2 numbers at once with the same VoiceXML file. Is this possible with my account?

Thanks

VoxeoDustin

3/30/2008 10:38 AM (EDT)

Hey Kenny,

You account is indeed setup for SIP outbound dialing. Currently, the only option for free international dialing is via SIP. You can dial in via Skype currently, but currently dialing out to a Skype address is not supported.

With VoiceXML, you'll only be able to do a bridged transfer from one number to another. If you need to dial two numbers from a VXML app, you could launch the first call via token and once connected, perform a bridged transfer via the transfer element to the second number.

Cheers,
Dustin

G: Outbound Dialing

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