VXML(Voice XML) is widely used by IVR users who prefer to host their voice applications with hosted IVR provider. Mostly, companies or organizations who want to have their complete control on the voice application and do not want to invest in CTI hardware and infrastructure of running a data center along with telephone lines.

In simple and plain language, VXML based applications remain at IVR user premise and hosted IVR system downloads VXML codes to its server and executes the codes. By this arrangement, VXML based voice applications remain at the control of the IVR user while users of that voice application call up hosted IVR number and avail the IVR service.

Payment gateway, CRM ( Customer Resource Management) are few IVR applications which are widely configured to work in the above architecture.

Though VXML is preferred tool for writing such voice applications, as it works seamlessly with any web services as well as its similarity in coding with HTML. Now a days, many hosted IVR service providers provide visual tools for developing voice applications which are faster and simpler to learn and develop any kind of voice applications.

Main advantages of use of VXML for voice application to be hosted are :-

1. VXML is standard adopted by W3C and now supported by all hosted IVR providers. It provides flexibility to change its call flow locally without having to depend on hosted IVR provider.

2. Many high end PABX systems supports VXML now a days. There are large community who are actively developing VXML based voice applications.

3. VXML offers very high flexibility in terms of distributed computing as VXML codes may reside in many web servers which would be fetched by hosted IVR server. New VXML voice applications could be stored in different server anytime without any changes in hosted IVR platform.

4. Adopting new technologies like automatic speech recognition (ASR), text to speech conversion ( TTS) and other CTI technologies are easy for VXML based voice applications.

Though VXML provides many advantages, it has some disadvantages too:-

1. VXML interpreter introduces new cost of total IVR system which may increase cost of the IVR system.

2. It is not that easy to write voice applications using VXML and to maintain it, trained VXML coders are required full time.

3. There are many hosted IVR service providers who do not support VXML due to cost component. Other alternatives to VXML, visual tools like INVOX come with free for hosted IVR subscriber and much easier to develop voice applications.

So, for voice applications which need to be tightly integrated with other web services, VXML seems to a good choice while quick changes in call flow, visual tool for designing call flow seems better choice.

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 posted a report few weeks back about IVR market growing to $2.7 billion by 2011 provided by DMG Consulting LLC, and today I had come across another press release while Googling, which says IVR market will grow to $514million from present estimate of $431million this year, as per T3i Group LLC, which “provides market research, data, analysis, and consulting and advisory services to the telecommunications industry.”

Few Key findings of the report says :
1. 95% of IVR shipped would be supporting VXML from recent less than 75%.
2. Top three IVR systems are
a. Inbound Call handling for contact centers
b. Inbound IVR self service transactions
c. Outbound IVR for alerts like appointment confirmations, payment collection remainder.
3. Inbound IVR will see decrease by 10% by 2013.
4. Outbound IVR will grow by 12% yearly.
5. Analog CTI boards are decreasing and DTMF based menu in IVR application are also on the decline. Speech enabled menu is growing and will be have 2:1 advantage over DTMF.

Complete Press release, Please visit : http://telecomweb.com/aboutus/pressreleases/262963.html

About T3i Group LLC

T3i Group LLC provides market research, data, analysis, and consulting and advisory services to the telecommunications industry. It has clients in 46 countries and conducts its business through four operating units: InfoTrack publishes reports that analyze shipment, revenue, market share and other pertinent data of importance to telecommunications equipment manufacturers; TelecomTactics maintains a database of the features and functionality of major telephony systems; Tarifica maintains a database of pricing-related information covering 400 telecommunications carriers operating in 130 countries; and TelecomWeb (www.t3igroup.com) serves as T3i Group’s primary delivery mechanism for distributing its reports, analyses and data to subscribers.

T3i Group LLC is headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., with additional offices in New York City; London, England; and Cherry Hill, N.J.