Basics

To create a new application, visit the 'Applications' page and click the button. Enter a name for your application and select the default language. Then, click the button to launch the application editor.

Editor

The call-flow editor is the primary workspace in Plum Fuse. This is where users assemble the components that comprise the call-flow of their IVR application.

The editor toolbar provides users with quick access to several aspects of the Fuse tool.

• 1. Help: Click this button to initiate a guided tour of the application editor.

• 2. Version: Hover over the button to display the version you are currently working on. Click the button to display a list of all versions of the application.

• 3. Pages: For clarity and ease of use, many times it makes sense to create a new page for each component of your voice application call-flow. The page tabs allow you to quickly switch between these different sections. Click on the plus () button to add a page, or click on the gear icon in the upper corner of the page tab to rearrange, rename, or delete a page.
• 4. Application Name: The name of the application is displayed in the middle of the toolbar. To update or change the name of an application click on the application name to convert it to an editable text field.

• 5. Modules: All of the available Fuse modules are available in this menu. The menu has a built-in search function and can be pinned to the workspace desktop in each page for quicker access. To add a module to the workspace simply click on it or drag it from the Modules menu onto the workspace.

• 6. Editor: This button opens the workspace/pages for a given application.

• 7. Settings: Use this page to access the application settings menu. Here users can change global default behaviors for an application such as timeouts and error handling.

• 8. Audio Manager: Use this page to access the audio manager. Here users can upload audio files for any static prompts in an application.

• 9. Save: Click the button to save a minor revision of an application, or click on the arrow for a drop-down menu with advanced save options, such as revision type (major/minor), name, and number.

Call-flow

Launching the application editor takes users to the call-flow tab by default. The gray hashed area below the editor toolbar is the primary workspace for a given tab. Users build their call-flow in this area, adding modules and connecting them together with paths.

Modules contain a standard set of components:

• 1. Receptor: The triangle at the top of a module is the receptor. To connect two modules, click on the transmitter of one module and drag that link to the receptor of another module. Users can also click on the receptor and drag the module around the workspace.

• 2. Icon: The icon indicates the module type. An icon with an inverted gray background indicates that the module is in 'private' mode. Users can click on the icon and drag the module around the workspace.

• 3. Name: Click on the title of the module to change it. Note: for greater clarity in reporting it is helpful to change the name of the module to something that describes what the module does within the application.

• 4. Options: Modules that have additional user options display the options menu where users can access and adjust those settings.

• 5. Delete: Removes the module from the workspace.

• 6. Body: This is the where users customize the module behavior.

• 7. Transmitter: The circle at the bottom of a module is the transmitter. Click on the transmitter and drag the cursor across the screen to display a path line. Drag this path line to the receptor of another module on the same page to connect them. To remove a link between two modules, click on the transmitter again. For modules with multiple transmitters located on the side of the module (instead of the bottom), double-click on any transmitter to switch it to the opposite side.

Start Building An Application

All workspaces contain a 'Start' () module when created. Whether an application accepts inbound or makes outbound calls, the 'Start' () module on the first page remains the entry point to the call-flow. Click anywhere on the 'Start' () module and drag it to change its location in the workspace.

• To begin building an application, add a Prompt () module and connect it to the 'Start' () module. To add a module, click on the button in the toolbar to open the modules toolbox. Next, expand the 'Call-flow' section and locate the Prompt () module. To add the module to the workspace either click on it or click and drag the module to place it in a specific location in your workspace.
• Next, drag the 'Start' () and Prompt () modules to the desired place in the workspace.
• Then click and drag the transmitter from the 'Start' () module and drop it on the 'Prompt' () module's receptor. This creates a path, connecting the two modules.
• Change the name of the Prompt () module in the title bar and then type “Hello, World!” into the main text box.
• Next, locate the Exit () module from the list of modules and add it to the workspace.
• Drag the transmitter from the Prompt () module to the receiver of the Exit () module to connect them and complete the call-flow.
• At this point, go ahead and save the application by clicking the button in the main editor toolbar. This creates a new revision of your application. Users can verify this by looking at the Revisions () menu in the main toolbar. Click on the drop-down arrow on the button for more granular control over how Fuse saves application revisions. The default save behavior can be set to either a major or a minor revision and to add the current date to the title.

Settings

After saving the application, click on the 'Settings' () icon in the main editor toolbar. The Application Settings tab provides a range of options that enable users to change the global default settings for the modules in their application(s).

• Language Settings: In this section, users can set or change the default language for their application. This is also where users select the Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine that will power prompts that use dynamic variables or don't have pre-recorded audio. Select the desired TTS voice from the drop-down menu. Note: Not all TTS languages will have multiple voice options.

• User Input Settings: This section allows users to change their application's behavior when collecting end-user input. For example, it is possible to create custom messages when an end-user fails to provide a response or enters an invalid response (i.e. a 'no match'). Users can set the timeout duration for end-user actions as well (e.g. DTMF, Speech). These values are in seconds and can range from 1 to XX. The default setting for initial input timeout is 5 seconds, and for final DTMF and speech input the default is 3 seconds. Users can set the number of times end-users will be re-prompted when an error occurs and can set a custom audio message for each re-prompt if desired. Enter the text to be spoken in the field(s) of the 'Say' column. If an end-user exhausts all of their input attempts, you can choose what action your application will take next. The available options are–Keep Reprompting, Hang Up, Jump To, and Transfer To. If Jump To or Transfer To are selected, a new drop-down menu appears immediately to the right where users can set a default destination. The 'Shortcuts' option works in the same way as the Jump To or Transfer To settings.

• Connection Settings: This section lets users adjust webservice and call transfer behaviors. This includes timeouts (in seconds, 1 to XXX) and custom audio.

• Post-Call Webservice: This section lets users ensure that when a call is complete, that the Fuse application always sends specific data from the application to a webservice. Note: Users must create their own webservice to use this functionality.

See the Settings section for more detailed information on this menu.

Audio Manager

Clicking over to the Audio Manager page and one of the first things to notice is that the editor toolbar is slightly different. Here users have a separate tab for each language used in their application. To add a language click the () icon.

Note that this menu provides a list of all the audio prompts in the application. This is replicated for each active language. The list contains default prompts that users did not type. For example, the error handling prompts from the User Input Settings menu (“I'm sorry, I didn't get that,” and “I'm sorry I still didn't get that”) are included here. To change the text for those prompts, go to the Settings page, update the text, and Save your work.

There are also some built-in prompts that Fuse creates automatically. The dashboard () icon in the left 'Type' column designates built-in prompts. Users can edit built-in prompts directly on the Audio Manager page by clicking on the text in the 'Phrase' column to make the text editable.

Note: Only built-in prompts can be directly edited this way in the Audio Manager menu.

By default, all the prompts in the list will be read using machine generated text-to-speech (TTS). Users can customize their TTS on the Settings page. Users also have the option of uploading audio files that will play instead of TTS. To do so, click on the upload () icon.

Plum recommends uploading audio files for all static prompts because well-recorded audio is easier for end-users to understand, which results in fewer input errors, quicker calls, and better customer experience. Plum Fuse accepts most common audio files formats (see the audio manager for more details).

To test out this functionality, download this audio sample to your computer and upload it for the “Hello, World!” prompt.

55KB

Audio Sample - Hello World.wav

After successfully uploading the file, the “Hello, World!” prompt displays new action () icons. Users now have the option to upload a replacement file, as well as Play (), Download (), or Delete () the current audio file. Click to finalize any uploaded prompts.

See the Audio Manager section for more detailed information on this menu.