Cisco Cisco Customer Voice Portal 8.0(1)

VoiceXML is a programming language that was created to simplify the development of IVR systems and 
other voice applications. Based on the Worldwide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Extensible Markup 
Language (XML), VoiceXML was established as a standard in 1999 by the VoiceXML Forum, an 
industry organization founded by AT&T, IBM, Lucent and Motorola. Today, over 600 companies support 
VoiceXML and use it to develop applications. 

By utilizing the same networking infrastructure, HTTP communications, and markup language 
programming model, VoiceXML leverages an enterprise’s existing investment in technology as well as 
the skills of many of its application developers and administrators. VoiceXML has features to control 
audio output, audio input, presentation logic, call flow, telephony connections, and event handling for 
errors. It serves as a standard for the development of powerful speech-driven interactive applications 
accessible from any phone. 

A VoiceXML-based IVR provides unparalleled freedom of choice when creating, deploying, and 
maintaining automated customer service applications. By capitalizing on the standards based nature of 
VoiceXML, organizations are reaping a number of benefits including: 

Unparalleled portability – VoiceXML eliminates the need to purchase a proprietary, special purpose 
platform to provide automated customer service. The standards-based nature of VoiceXML allows 
IVR applications to run on any VoiceXML platform, eliminating vendor lock-in. A VoiceXML based 
IVR offers businesses choice in application providers and allows movement of applications between 
platforms with minimal effort. 

Flexible application development and deployment – VoiceXML enables freedom of choice in IVR 
application creation and modification. Since it is similar to HTML, development of IVR applications 
with VoiceXML is simple, straightforward and does not require specialized knowledge of 
proprietary telephony systems. Also, VoiceXML is widely available to the development community 
so enterprises can choose between many competing vendors to find an application that meets their 
business needs. Increased application choice also means that businesses are not tied to the timeframe 
of a single application provider and can modify their IVR based on their own organizational 
priorities. 

Extensive integration capability – IVR applications written in VoiceXML can integrate with and 
utilize existing business applications and data, extending the capabilities of core business systems 
already in use. In fact, a VoiceXML-based IVR can integrate with any enterprise application that 
supports standard communication and data access protocols. By leveraging the capabilities of 
existing legacy and web systems to deliver better voice services, organizations can treat their IVR 
like their enterprise applications and fulfill business demands with an integrated customer facing 
solution. 

By taking advantage of the increased number of choices offered by a VoiceXML-based IVR, 
businesses can easily deliver the flexible, dynamic customer service that their organizations and 
customers demand. The wide array of options available allow businesses to maximize existing 
resources to deliver better service at lower cost. 

Reduced total cost of ownership – The freedom of choice offered by a VoiceXML based IVR reduces 
the total cost of ownership in several key areas: 

Speech capability is standard – The architecture of VoiceXML directly supports integration with 
speech recognition, making implementing a VoiceXML-based IVR a cost effective alternative to 
retrofitting a traditional IVR for speech. Extensive industry research indicates that incorporating 
speech into an IVR solution increases call completion, lowering the average cost per call.