Components

An organization needs the following components to set up IVR Junction:

1. Windows laptop or desktop
   
   • $500
     
2. GSM or Fixed line modem
   
   • Matrix SETU ATA211G (GSM modem) or Matrix SETU ATA211 (Fixed line modem). This  hardware integrates the telephony network with VoIP. Matrix has excellent customer support and is highly recommended! You can email Vinit (vinit.mahulkar@MatrixComSec.com) to order modems.
     
   • approx. $100
     
3. SIP and VoiceXML interpreter software
   
   • Voxeo Prophecy 11
     
   • Free for 2 ports (for evaluation purposes). Requires a quote for production purposes
     
4. IVR Junction
   
   • Utilizes free Microsoft components like IIS Express, MS SQL Server Express, .NET framework 4 etc.
     
5. Voice forum application code
   
   • Coded in VoiceXML (free modifiable templates would be released soon)
     
   • Free
     
6. YouTube account
   
   • Online content moderation channel
     
   • Web hosting of audio recordings
     
   • Free
     
7. SkyDrive or Dropbox account
   
   • Synchronize audio recordings of distributed “geographically-dispersed” branches
     
   • Free
     
8. Facebook page
   
   • For dissemination of voice content over the Internet
     
   • Free

How does it work?

Let's say you want to setup a simple voice forum which enables users to record a message and listen to messages recorded by others.  The callers' experience would sound something like this:

Hello, Welcome to the Citizen News Journalism service.
Press 1 to record a message.
Press 2 to listen to messages recorded by others.

  Here is the call flow:

1. A voice forum caller calls the voice forum number to record a message.
2. A GSM modem links the voice traffic to the local machine and connects the caller to the voice forum application which is coded using VoiceXML standards. The caller records the message using the application. The user presses 1 to record a message.
3. IVR Junction converts the audio file into a video and uploads the video corresponding to the recorded message on the configured YouTube channel to get approval from a moderator.
4. The YouTube moderator signs in on the YouTube channel to see if there are new recordings that await his approval. The YouTube moderator approves or rejects a recorded message on the basis of the content or quality or both.
5. If the moderator rejects a message then nothing happens. If the moderator approves a recording then the following steps execute in parallel:
   
   • IVR Junction uploads the audio file corresponding to the approved YouTube video on the configured Dropbox folder.
     
   • If approved by moderator, the corresponding video is posted on the Facebook page of the voice forum.
     
   • The content is available for consumption by the Internet audience on the Facebook page and YouTube channel.
     
   • Other users of the voice forum are able to listen to the message posted by the user when they call the number and press 2.
     

Distributed Architecture

Some organizations have geographically distributed branches. Even if these branches are in different regions, it may be desirable for them to share a single audio repository, as users (such as farmers) often speak the same local language, share similar local constraints and geographical features, and have comparable standards of living. However, sharing content via a single server can be expensive, because some users may need to dial a long-distance number if they are located in a different state or calling area. This expense could discourage people from using the service. IVR Junction overcomes this problem by utilizing distributed servers that can be set up in each calling area. If desired, local audio contributions from each region are automatically synchronized with an audio repository in the cloud, thereby facilitating increased knowledge sharing. IVR Junction utilizes  this distributed architecture to reduce the call cost and thus is scalable. In addition, IVR Junction also supports multiple parallel lines.

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