Simulated Telephony Interface for Secure IVR Workflow Testing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
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 development and testing by generating a communication interface for simulated interactions and replaying recorded interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional communication channels (live telephone numbers) are used for testing contact workflows, then testing can be performed with real interaction, but security risks increase due to public accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a telephony application as an intermediary layer between the tester and the contact workflow. This application captures simulated telephony inputs (keystrokes, voice) and translates them into workflow execution commands, eliminating the need for public telephone numbers while maintaining realistic testing conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the telephony interface within the development environment. Instead of using real telephone numbers that are publicly accessible, the system generates simulated telephony sessions that replicate real call interactions, allowing secure testing while preserving testing fidelity
2Manufacturing precision
If testing starts from the workflow entry point, then complete workflow execution can be tested, but time consumption increases for testing specific instruction blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent displays the contact workflow as segmented instruction blocks within the telephony application interface. Users can identify and select specific instruction blocks for testing, allowing targeted execution rather than requiring complete workflow traversal from the entry point
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary setup by loading the complete workflow structure and making all instruction blocks accessible for selection. This preliminary organization enables users to jump directly to specific blocks for testing without executing unnecessary preceding steps
Data Source
AI summary
An interactive contact workflow system provides a graphical representation of a contact workflow in a graphical user interface (GUI). The system displays a first visual indicator that graphically highlights a first visual display object to indicate that a first instruction block is active. The system executes the first instruction block and outputs a first prompt via a communication interface, the communication interface to simulate a telephone communication with the interactive contact workflow system. The system receives a first response to the first prompt from a GUI element, identifies a first command to execute a second instruction block based at least in part on the first response to the first prompt, and displays a second visual indicator that graphically connects the first visual display object to a second visual display object within the GUI, the second visual display object corresponding to the second instruction block of the interactive contact workflow system.