Contact Workflow Testing via Graphical Runtime Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional testing of interactive contact workflows, such as IVR, often requires a conventional communication channel, exposing workflows to public access and posing security risks, and lacks efficient methods for testing specific instruction blocks without starting from the workflow's entry point.
Innovation Solution
A contact run-time engine provides a graphical user interface for testing contact workflows, allowing users to select a starting point within the workflow and simulate interactions without a conventional communication channel, enabling secure and efficient testing and analysis of workflow execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional communication channels are used for testing contact workflows, then testing can be performed with standard telephony infrastructure, but security risks increase due to exposure to public access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a telephony gateway as an intermediary component that mediates between the contact workflow system and the external telephony network. This gateway acts as a controlled interface, allowing testing to occur through standard telephony infrastructure while preventing direct exposure of the contact workflow to public access. The gateway validates and controls all communications, thus maintaining security while enabling conventional testing.
2Reliability
If testing starts from the workflow entry point, then complete workflow execution can be verified, but testing time increases when only specific blocks need testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a visual editor that displays the contact workflow as segmented, discrete blocks or nodes that can be individually selected and manipulated. This segmentation allows users to identify and select specific blocks for testing without needing to execute the entire workflow from the entry point. Each block represents a testable unit, enabling focused testing that reduces time while maintaining verification reliability for the selected segments.
3Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary scripting languages are used without robust development platforms, then implementation flexibility is maintained, but testing and development efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent presents a universal visual editor platform that can handle multiple contact workflow types and scripting languages through a single unified interface. This platform provides multi-functional capabilities including visual block editing, drag-and-drop workflow construction, automated testing, and deployment across different telephony systems. By making the development platform universal, it maintains implementation flexibility for various proprietary languages while significantly improving testing efficiency through standardized visual tools and automated processes.
Data Source
AI summary
An interactive contact workflow system provides a graphical representation of a contact workflow in a graphical user interface (GUI) of an interactive contact run-time environment. The interactive contact workflow system receives a request to load response data for a previously recorded interaction with the contact workflow, retrieves the response data from a data store of stored response data, and receives a request to execute a first instruction block of the contact workflow within the interactive contact run-time environment. The interactive contact workflow system then executes the first instruction block by providing the first audio prompt of the first instruction block to an audio output interface of the client device, and provides a response from the response data to the first instruction block as a response to the first audio prompt.