Menu

The Menu activity allows you to build an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) experience in your flow. The activity plays a prompt that allows the caller to enter a DTMF digit. Based on the digit that the caller enters, the flow can take a different path.

A Menu can have 1–10 branches that are represented by digits 0–9.

You can use the Menu activity with or without text-to-speech enabled. The configuration options change accordingly.

The following sections enable you to configure the Menu activity:

General Settings

Parameter

Description

Activity Label

Enter a name for the activity.

Activity Description

(Optional) Enter a description for the activity.

Prompt

Prompt settings without text-to-speech

By default, text-to-speech is not enabled. To use text-to-speech in your prompt, enable the Text-to-Speech toggle button. Choose the audio file from the drop-down list. You can configure up to a total of five audio prompts (audio files and audio prompt variables combined). The activity plays the full prompt to the caller in the configured order, alternating between the audio files, and audio prompt variables configured.

Note

If any of the ordered list inputs is empty, the system throws a Flow Error. Resolve these errors before publishing the flow.

Prompt settings without text-to-speech enabled

Parameter

Description

Add Audio Files

To configure the prompt without text-to-speech, add at least one pre‐recorded audio file. Choose the file from the drop‐down field labeled 1. To add more audio files, click Add New.

To remove an audio file from the sequence, click the Delete icon that appears beside the drop‐down list. Because at least one audio file is required, the Delete icon is not visible if only one drop‐down field is visible.

Note

Manage Audio Files from the Webex Contact Center Routing Strategies module. Navigate to the Resources tab and choose Audio Files. The audio files appear in a drop-down list. For more information, see Upload an Audio Resource File.

Add Audio Prompt Variable

Use this option to configure the audio prompt to be played dynamically to the customers. For example, you can configure this variable to play the audio prompt in multiple languages based on the customer's preference during the interaction.

To configure the audio prompt variable, click Add Audio Prompt Variable. Enter the variable value in the form of a pebble expression.

For more information, see Pebble Template Syntax.

Note

The variable value must match the name of the .wav file that is uploaded to the Management Portal.

Make Prompt Interruptible

This option allows you to indicate if the configured prompt can be interrupted by the caller's input or event. By default, Make Prompt Interruptible is not checked for the Menu activity. If you want the caller to be able to interrupt the menu when they enter their DTMF input, consider making the message interruptible.

Note

For organizations that are provisioned with the new RTMS platform, the system configures the prompt interruptible by default, regardless of whether the flow developers have checked or unchecked the Make Prompt Interruptible check box.

Prompt settings with text-to-speech

To use text-to-speech in your prompt, enable the Text-to-Speech toggle button. You can configure up to a total of five audio prompts (Text-to-Speech messages, audio files, and audio prompt variables combined). The activity plays the full prompt to the caller in the configured order, alternating between the Text-to-Speech messages, audio files, and audio prompt variables.

Prompt Settings with Text-to-Speech Enabled

Parameter

Description

Connector

Choose a connector to authenticate the text-to-speech service. The drop‐down list displays the names of the Google connectors that are configured in the Control Hub.

Note

Only active connectors are displayed.

Override Default Language & Voice Settings

Use this toggle button to override the voice settings configured in the Global Voicename variable. This parameter is enabled by default.

Output Voice

Select the output voice name from the drop-down list.

Note

If the output voice name that Google supports is not available in the Output Voice drop-down list, disable the Override Default Language & Voice Settings toggle button. Include the Set Variable activity before the Menu activity in the flow.

Configure the Set Variable activity as follows:

  • Set the variable to Global_VoiceName.

  • Set the variable value to the required output voice name code (for example, en-US-Standard-D). For more information on the supported voices and languages, see the Google Supported voices and languages page.

Add Audio File(s)

To alternate text-to-speech messages with prerecorded audio files, click Add Audio File. This adds a new row to the configuration where you can choose an audio file from a drop‐down list.

To remove an item from the sequence, click the Delete icon near that item. Because at least one message or audio file is required, the Delete icon is not visible when only one field is configured.

Add Text to Speech Message

When you build your prompt, you can exclusively use text-to-speech or you can use a mix of prerecorded audio files and text-to-speech messages. Click Add Text-to-Speech Message to add a new text input field to the prompt creation section.

You can type the message that should be read to the caller using the selected Language and Voice. The field accepts two types of input: raw text (plain text) or Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML)‐formatted data. You can also use variables as part of the message to read the dynamic content. If typing a variable, use this syntax: {{variable}}. For instance, {{NewPhoneContact.ANI}} uses valid variable syntax.

Add Audio Prompt Variable

Use this option to configure the audio prompt to be played dynamically to the customers. For example, you can configure this variable to play the audio prompt in multiple languages based on the customer's preference during the interaction.

To configure the audio prompt variable, click Add Audio Prompt Variable. Enter the variable value in the form of a pebble expression.

For more information, see Pebble Template Syntax.

Note

The variable value must match the name of the .wav file that is uploaded to the Management Portal.

Make Prompt Interruptible

This option allows you to indicate if the configured prompt can be interrupted by the caller's input or event. By default, Make Prompt Interruptible is not checked for the Menu activity. If you want the caller to be able to interrupt the menu when they enter their DTMF input, consider making the message interruptible.

Note

For organizations that are provisioned with the new RTMS platform, the system configures the prompt interruptible by default, regardless of whether the flow developers have checked or unchecked the Make Prompt Interruptible check box.

Custom Menu Links

The Custom Menu Links option allows you to configure one or more menu links based on the organizational requirements.

This capability helps one or more users to select different branches in the flow based on the selected digit.

Note

You can configure up to ten Custom Menu Links.

General settings

Parameter

Description

DIGIT

Choose a number from the drop‐down list. DIGIT corresponds to the DTMF input that the caller enters to indicate which path of the flow to follow. Digits 0‐9 are available for selection, and you can select each option only once.

LINK DESCRIPTION

Add a description to indicate what path of the flow the digit corresponds to.

For example, if pressing 1 leads the caller to a queue that can help with a sales question, type Sales in the link description. LINK DESCRIPTION has no impact on the call itself, but can help with tracking how the Menu is constructed.

Add New

Click Add New to add more menu links. You can add a digit and link description for each row. You can add up to ten links.

Note

You can configure menu links in both the Properties pane and in the activity itself. This allows for different configuration options that are based on the preference of the user. The system updates the content in real‐time in both locations when an edit is made.

Text-to-Speech settings

Parameter

Description

Speaking Rate

Indicates the rate of speech. Increase or decrease the numeric input to maintain the ideal rate of speech and control the output speaking rate.

Valid values for the numeric input are in the range of 0.25 to 4.0 words per minute (wpm). The default value is 1.0 wpm.

Volume Gain

Indicates the increase or decrease in volume output. Increase or decrease the numeric input to maintain the ideal volume of output speech.

Valid entries for the numeric input are in the range of –96.0 decibels to 16.0 decibels (dB). The default value is 0.0 dB.

Entry Timeout

Specifies the maximum time that the activity waits for input before proceeding down the Entry Timeout path. The default value is 3 seconds.

Error Handling

The Menu activity has two required error handling paths (Entry Timeout and Unmatched Entry). These paths appear by default on the activity and cannot be removed. Configure flow paths from these links to prevent validation fails.

Error Handling Paths

Path

Description

Entry Timeout

Configure the path that the flow takes after the entry timeout duration has passed. This ensures that the caller doesn’t go idle for too long. Modify the entry timeout duration in the Advanced Settings section of the Properties pane. Consider playing a message to clarify what is expected from the caller, and then loop back to the start of the activity.

Unmatched Entry

Configure the path that the flow takes if the caller enters a DTMF input that is not configured in the Custom Menu Links section. This ensures that the caller is given an opportunity to restart the activity and try again. Consider playing a message to clarify what is expected from the caller, and then loop back to the start of the activity.

Output Variable

The Menu activity employs the {{Menu.OptionEntered}} output variable. When the system executes the flow, this variable stores the DTMF input that the caller entered during their interaction with the Menu.

You can use the {{Menu.OptionEntered}} output variable in later activities to control the flow sequence. The variable name dynamically changes based on the label that is associated with the Menu activity. The system can capture multiple variable values when the flow uses more than one Menu activity. For more information about this variable type, see Activity Output Variables.