With increasing usage of internet in almost every sphere of life, IVR development activity has also become online where one can just visit a website, login, drag and drop few “voice module” or “voice controls” in a “form” or just use few APIs in any website programing languages and an IVR would be ready for commissioning!

Online Voice Apps Development Tools

This kind of online tool for designing and deploying voice applications on internet has opened up possibilities of more innovative IVR usage. Hosted IVR service has also got a powerful and beneficial tool where subscribers to hosted IVR service can design their own IVR easiest way possible!

I have always been thinking about compiling a list of available online IVR development tools, specially after I tried to classify Types of IVR Development Tools. Here are some of the online available voice application tools :

1. Twilio
It is one of the pioneer in bringing online visual IVR to the world and develop developer community around it. It provides simple APIs using which one can add “voice extension” to any web-based ( or even stand alone) applications.
They also provide phone numbers to which one can rent and use.

2. Tropo
Tropo is (similar to Twilio) Voxeo online tool which allows a developer to design and run their own voice applications using PHP, Python or any other web development script/languages.

3. QuickFuse
QuickFuse is a completely online visual tool to use simple drag and drop ( of “voice modules”) method where no coding is required to get an IVR system running! QuickFuse is a product from PlumVoice, a major hosted IVR service provider in USA.

4. Invox
Invox is also a online visual tool to design IVR applications online and deploy in minutes! It has ready-made integration with CRM software.

5. KooKoo
This is an Indian addition to the world of online voice application tool which uses HTTP API for making/receiving calls! Kookoo APIs uses simple tags for playing sound files, collecting DTMF inputs.

6. Angel’s Online Site Builder toolkit

Angel’s online Site Builder toolkit offers “point and click” to create “voice pages” with features like speech recognition, DTMF detection etc.

(Updated on 28 Oct 2011 )

One of the major advantages of using these online tools for your IVR need is, you do not need to learn ( or tolerate ) those telecom jargon! Mostly these tools also provide a fixed and dedicated phone number accessible universally which means you need to contact multiple vendors to start with your IVR system for your business.

I may have missed to list some other online IVR tools, I hope they would leave a comment so that I may add them here later.

Like many emerging services and technologies, development of IVR services too have many competing methods to develop IVR software. While Googling, interacting with various IVR companies, professionals I have found out some different types of IVR development tools or ‘school of thought’ as they call!

IVR Development Tools

Here are few I have thought of :-

1. Old School Of thought – Using built in API in C++ provided by the CTI manufacturers.

This type of IVR developers are decreasing and might become extinct in future! Most probably, Dialogic, Synway and Donjin may provide some lifeline to this kind of IVR developers as they are few CTI manufacturers with well documented API in C++. Old IVR programmers like me still prefer API and C++ as it gives power!

2. Web Style development – VXML, CCXML, VoicePHP

This kind of IVR developers treat IVR software as website or portal ( now we know why they call voice portal) and want to use simple tags for interacting with caller. This is intended to be open standard which will use a VXML Browser ( just like web browsers). VXMl browsers are available on Asterisk as open source also commercially available from Voxeo, I6net, Phonologies from India. Few CTI manufacturer like Digium, Sangoma etc. support this kind of IVR development tools.

3. Extension of Traditional Development tools like Microsoft .NET – VBVoice, Velocity

This kind of IVR tools reside in traditional powerful development environment Microsoft .NET technologies. They are very powerful and does not need any learning curve as conventional C# or VB is used for coding while using the Telephonic or CTI interfaces as component just like any button in the form. This kind of IVR development is gaining momentum now for the obvious reasons.

4. Complete New Tool with simple drag and Drop visual tools – Envox, Invox, Osidail, XtendIVR, OmniVox3D

This kind of tools comes as a complete solution which has its own GUI tool to drag and drop for making IVR call flow, test them offline, compile them and even port to VXML code to host in another hosting platform! With recent advancement in internet, this kind of tools are completely online and developers can just create an account and then start developing their IVR software! I think, the number of this kind of tools are highest at present.

So, these are four majorly available IVR development tools and every tool has merits and demerits. Most probably, a choice of IVR development tool would mostly depend on type of IVR software.

The one similarity in all above available tools are, they are licensed per channel basis. Developers has to pay per channel for their production IVR software for using the development tool or VXML browser.

What is VXML ?
VXML, also known as Voice XML is W3C(World Wide Consortium) standard for specifying voice interaction between human and a computer. So, it essentially is a ‘tool’ or high level level language for scripting an IVR ( Interactive Voice response) application. It can take input from human in the from of DTMF digits, automatic speech recognition (ASR) etc. Like standard XML, it consists of many ‘tags’ specific to voice applications which are accepted as standards by W3C.
Voice XML or VXML can be used to specify a call flow in an IVR application without having to learn about CTI boards, its integration with switches, PABX systems etc.

What is VoicePHP ?
VoicePHP is another “tool” for developing voice applications which mainly integrates IVR applications to web. It can be thought of an extension of widely popular PHP language to build voice specific same way as any web application is built!
VoicePHP is tool which seems to be in direct competition with VXML for specifying voice applications on web. VoicePHP is a product from tringme.

Both these tools provide ‘tools’ or ‘convention’ to specify or write voice applications or IVR applications, they differ from other RAD tools like Pronexus VBVoice, Envox CT AD in their intended usage. Most probably, these two “voice application” tools are aimed at developing or integrating IVR with many web applications. With recent growth in usage of outbound IVR application, these two tools may prove to be very useful for many people to integrate voice mail box in their blogs, websites which would be streamed live or delivered instantly to concerned person.
With this kind of tools in place, website visitor could get a call on his telephone by call center to learn more about products, service on the website as well as discuss specific requirements instantly.

While VXML is be endorsed by W3C, but writing complex voice application with dynamic content would not be too easy, it seems. But, it would be easy to build any interpreter which would actually implement the voice application as per the specification written in XML.

I was just wondering:-
1. What is the best way to specify a voice application ?
2. Do we need voice application to be modeled as any Web Applications ?
3. Could we model voice application to be embedded system with real time data exchange with many other applications as well as controlling of call flow ?
4. How would these “voice application tools” would keep up with CTI boards which are being upgraded constantly ?

I had visited India Telecom 2009 exhibition held from 3rd December 2009 to 5th December 2009 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. Though it was mainly an exhibition about Indian Telecom Industry, but I found many companies from IVR industries present there. I thought I would update about them.

These are the companies I found :-

1. Aculab
It came with CTI boards VXML interpreter. While I was visiting the stall, there were some visitors and I did not speak to anyone, did not fail to pick up their brochures. But I think, Aculab got good number of visitors.

ACULAB at India Telecom 2009 Exhibition

2. OpenVox
Among many Chinese Telecom companies in the exhibition, I never expected to see Openvox. I was looking for Miss Lily who commented about Donjin DN300 board. They were offering various IP PBX solutions based on Asterisk. I think, would start working on building PABX using Asterisk too.

OPENVOX at Indian Telecom 2009 Exhibition

3. Synway
Synway was there too with their many CTI boards. When I saw OpenVox, I was certain to see Synway too. Synway is now quite known in CTI market in India. There were many visitors when I was passing through it.

SYNWAY at Indian Telecom 2009 Exhibition

4. Alliance Infotech
I saw stall of Alliance Infotech too. It is a Indian IVR company, based in delhi and they are also reseller of Digium boards. I forgot to take a picture of their stall.

After seeing the above IVR related companies, I was hoping, I might get to see about few more too! For example Dialogic, Donjin, Pronexus with VBVoice, Invox with their IVR designer products as well as Hosted PBX, Syntellect with their Envox products. But no, they were not there!

Overall, I think, there were less visitors this time at India Telecom 2009. There were many notable absentees. Also, many stalls were empty. If the empty stalls and lesser crowd at India Telecom 2009 exhibition in crowded India with 1.2 billion population, are any indication, than, most probably, Indian Telecom industry may not be doing very well in 2009.

I have been thinking to prepare a list of RAD(Rapid Application Development) tools for developing IVR software or voice applications for long time. I have found 8 RAD tools ( including one free tool) for developing IVR Application so far and I think there may be more as I am quite sure, many IVR RAD Tool companies do not use SEO techniques to rank high in search engines! Or may be, Google does not know everything on net, after all.

I have tested only one among this list of 8 tools, VBVoice 5.6.1 of PRONEXUS, and I must admit, I am impressed with how they have made developing IVR software easy and quick! And I am sure pride of many people will be dented as who were member of exclusive and minority group of IVR developer using native API of CTI boards, including myself. I hope to download evaluation version of all the tools one day and compare all of them.

I would say, not all in this list of eight RAD Tools for developing IVR software may qualify to be called complete rapid application development tools, and here is the list:-

1. VBVoice 5.6.1 from PRONEXUS INC:-
I think this is the biggest RAD tool for IVR Software development. Very powerful, easy to use tool that uses industry standard programming environment like .NET technology. It has support for large speech and telephony technologies like ACD, SIP, HMP, MRCP, ASR, TTS and VoIP. If anyone knows VB.NET, C# then with this VBVoice 5.6.1, he can become an IVR Application developer overnight. They support high end CTI boards of Dialogic as well as other CTI boards from vendors like Donjin.

2. VoiceGuide by Katalina Technologies
Another powerful RAD tool for developing IVR. It has its own script and visual editor to write IVR Call flow. It has support for Microsoft SAPI. I feel this is a good tool to start with IVR application. They claim to have more than 5000 clients in their website.

3. Envox 7 from Envox Group
This is another big RAD tools for not only IVR Application, but for many more! It supports IP Telephony, Video Messaging and SMS! One of the key feature of this tool is support for VoiceXML, CCXML and Web Services. It has its own graphical programming environment Envox Studio. It gives good flexibility for developers to develop wide range of voice and IVR applications, most probably ideal for call center solutions. Supports wide range of CTI hardware.

4. Velocity 2.0 by Glorsoft Limited
New kid on the block! “Velocity™ is a completely new technology created by .NET developers for .NET developers.”, It is a new tool, but looks very promising. They support wide range of Dialogic CTI Boards. They have already got prestigious client like London Underground.

5. Xtend IVR 3.0 by Xtend Technologies (P) Ltd
Indian competitor in the field of IVR RAD development tool. This toolkit can be used in various programming languages like VB,VC++, C# etc. They also support speech technologies as well as CTI boards from multiple vendors. They also have a large clientele in India. Free tool for one channel IVR can be downloaded from their website.

6. CT Developer Studio 2 by Pingram Software
CT Developer Studio 2 is a Windows software that helps you quickly implement a professional voice response system into your business. Developing IVR solutions is easy with Visual IVR Script Designer and the many ready-to-use samples supplied with the product. They have their own script, visual script programming environment and simulator. They support Ai-LOgix, NMS and Dialogic boards.

7. Eurovoice objects version 2.0 by Eurovoice Ltd.
They provide COM interface to VB6, VB.net and C# programs for voice or IVR functionality. They mainly support PIKA CTI boards. But they also support PCI express boards from Dalogic. They have speech recognition through MRCP.

8. AGE (Application Generation Environment) version 2.1. by CompTek Internations
AGE is the fastest and easiest way to build voice applications. Best part is, it is completely free, but they charge you for runtime components. It supports Dialogic Voice boards. I think it may not be suitable for large IVR Applications.

I think I would give my top two ranks to VBVoice, Envox 7. Velocity 2.0 is the product to watch out for.