Network VRU Types
This section discusses the Network VRU types for Unified ICM, and how Unified ICM relates to Unified CVP deployments.
- Unified ICM Network VRUs. See Unified ICM Network VRU
- Unified CVP Type 10 VRU. See Unified CVP Type 10 VRU
- Unified CVP Type 7 VRU (Correlation ID Mechanism). See Unified CVP Type 7 VRU (Correlation ID Function)
- Unified CVP Type 8 VRU (Translation Route ID Mechanism). See Unified CVP Type 8 VRU (Translation Route ID Function)
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The terms voice response unit (VRU) and interactive voice response (IVR) are used interchangeably throughout this document. |
Unified ICM Network VRU
Unified ICM perceives calls that need IVR treatment as having two portions: the Switch leg and the VRU leg. The Switch is the entity that first receives the call from the network or caller. The VRU is the entity that plays audio and preforms prompt-and-collect functions. If you use Unified ICM, Unified CVP can participate in the Switch role or the VRU role, or both. In a network deployment, multiple Unified CVP devices provide the Switch and VRU portions independently.
The call delivery to VRU can be based on either a Correlation ID or a translation route ID function, depending on the network capability to pass the call reference identification to the VRU. Call reference identification is needed because Unified ICM has to correlate the two legs of the same call in order to provide instructions for completing the call. In the Unified ICM application, the VRU supplies this call reference ID to Unified ICM when the VRU asks for instructions on how to process the incoming call that it receives from the switch. This method enables Unified ICM to retrieve the appropriate call context for this same call, which at this stage is to proceed to the IVR portion of the call.
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Correlation ID—This method is used if the network can pass the call reference ID to the VRU when the VRU is located in the network with the switch and the call signaling can carry this information (for example, the Correlation ID information is appended to the dialed digits when Unified ICM is used). This function usually applies to calls being transferred within the VoIP network.
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Translation Route ID—This method is used when the VRU is reachable across the PSTN (for example, the VRU is at the customer premise) and the network cannot carry the call reference ID information in delivering the call to the VRU. You must configure a temporary directory number (known as a translation route label) in Unified ICM to reach the VRU, and the network routes the call normally to the VRU as with other directory number routing in the PSTN. When the VRU requests instructions from Unified ICM, the VRU supplies this label (which can be a subset of the received digits), and Unified ICM can correlate the two portions of the same call. Generally, the PSTN carrier contains a set of translation route labels to be used for this purpose.
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The deployed VRU can be located in the network (Network VRU) or at the customer premises. At the customer premises, a Network Applications Manager (NAM) is deployed in the network and a Customer ICM (CICM) is deployed at the customer premises. The corresponding Correlation ID or Translation Route ID is used, depending on the location of the VRU. |
Unified CVP Type 10 VRU
Unified CVP Type 10 VRU simplifies the configuration requirements in Unified CVP Comprehensive Model deployments. Use the Type 10 VRU for new installations except for the VRU-only deployments. In deployments that need to use ICM Customers, you cannot initiate a two-step transfer from the Unified CVP VRU switch leg to a completely separate Unified CVP (for example, a two-step CVP-to-CVP transfer using SendToVRU). You are require to use a translation route for these two-step transfers to work.
Type 10 Network VRU operates as follows:
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Transferred routing client responsibilities are handed off to the Unified CVP switch leg.
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An automatic transfer to the Unified CVP VRU leg occurs resulting in a second transfer when calls are originated by the VRU, ACD, or Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified CM).
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For calls originated by Unified CM, the Correlation ID transfer mechanism is used. The Correlation ID is automatically added to the end of the transfer label defined in the Type 10 Network VRU configuration.
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The final transfer to the Unified CVP VRU leg is similar to a Type 7 transfer, which includes a RELEASE message to be sent to the VRU prior to any transfer.
You need to define a single Type 10 Network VRU in Unified CVP implementations without the ICM Customers feature (that is, in Unified CVP implementations with a single Network VRU), and associate all Unified ICM VRU scripts. One label for the Unified CVP Switch leg routing client, transfers the call to the Unified CVP VRU leg. If calls are transferred to Unified CVP from Unified CM, another label for the Unified CM routing client, and this label should be different from the label used for the CVP Routing Client. This label transfers the call to the Unified CVP Switch leg. The Unified ICM Router sends this label to Unified CM with a Correlation ID concatenated to it. You must configure Unified CM to handle these arbitrary extra digits.
Configure the Unified CVP Switch leg peripheral to point to the same Type 10 Network VRU. Also, associate all incoming dialed numbers for calls that are to be transferred to Unified CVP with a Customer Instance that points to the same Type 10 Network VRU.
For calls that originate at a Call Routing Interface VRU or at a TDM ACD, a TranslationRouteToVRU node is required to transfer the call to a Unified CVP’s Switch leg peripheral. For all other calls, use either a SendToVRU node, a node that contains automatic SendToVRU function (such as the queuing nodes), or a RunExternalScript.
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Type 5 and Type 2 VRU types are not supported. Instead of these VRU types, use Type 10 VRU. |
Unified CVP Type 7 VRU (Correlation ID Function)
When the VRU functions as an IVR with the Correlation ID function, Unified ICM uses Type 3 and Type 7 to designate suboperations of the VRU with the Peripheral Gateway in the Correlation ID scheme. Both Type 3 and Type 7 VRUs can be reached with the Correlation ID function, and a Peripheral Gateway is needed to control the VRU. However, the difference between these two types is in how they release the VRU leg and how they connect the call to the final destination.
In Type 3, the switch that delivers the call to the VRU can take the call from the VRU and connect it to a destination (or agent).
In Type 7, the switch cannot take the call away from the VRU. When the IVR treatment is complete, Unified ICM must disconnect or release the VRU leg before the final connect message can be sent to the Switch leg to instruct the switch to connect the call to the destination.
When used as an Intelligent Peripheral IVR, Unified CVP supports only Type 7 because it gets a positive indication from Unified ICM when its VRU leg is no longer needed (as opposed to waiting for the VoiceXML Gateway to inform it that the call has been pulled away). Type 3 has been deprecated.
A call has two legs: the Switch leg and the VRU leg. Different Unified CVP hardware can be used for each leg. A service node along with a Unified CVP for VRU leg with Peripheral Gateway acting as VRU Type 7 can be used to complete the IVR application (for example, self service and queuing).
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Use Type 10 VRU for all new implementations of Unified CVP using Unified ICM 7.1 or greater, except as VRU Only (Model #4a). |
For configuration examples of the Unified CVP application with VRU Type 7, see the Configuration Guide for Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portalat http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps1006/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html.
Unified CVP Type 8 VRU (Translation Route ID Function)
When the VRU functions as an IVR with the Translation Route ID function, Unified ICM uses Type 8 or Type 10 to designate suboperations of the VRU through the Peripheral Gateway in the translation route scheme. Both Type 8 and Type 10 VRUs can be reached through the Translation Route ID mechanism, and Peripheral Gateway is needed to control the VRU. However, they differ in how they connect the call to the final destination.
In Type 8, the switch that delivers the call to the VRU can take the call from the VRU and connect it to a destination or agent.
When the switch cannot take the call away from the VRU to deliver it to an agent, use Type 10. In that case, when the IVR treatment is complete, Unified ICM sends the final connect message to the VRU (rather than to the original switch) to connect the call to the destination. The VRU assumes control of the switching responsibilities when it receives the call. This process is known as handoff.
Similar to the Correlation ID, there are two legs of the call: the Switch leg and the VRU leg. Use Unified CVP for either the Switch leg or the VRU leg. For example, when Network Interface Controller (NIC), NAM, or CICM is taken, configure Unified CVP as Type 8 or Type 10 in the VRU leg.
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Use Type 10 VRU for new implementations of Unified CVP using Unified ICM 7.1 or greater, except as VRU Only (Model #4a). |
For configuration examples of the Unified CVP application with VRU Type 8 or Type 10, see Configuration Guide for Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/custcosw/ps1006/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html.