I am looking into the possibility to implement call tracking with Twilio.
What I would need is that right at the start of an incoming call I would like to be able to change the destination number for that call.
How is this achievable with Twilio via API?
Reading the API docs I found the that there is a real-time call and message routing feature (here) and followed the example (here) but it's not what I would like to achieve.
Thanks ahead for any suggestion and help!
--Steve
Twilio developer evangelist here.
You absolutely can dynamically change the destination number for calls on Twilio. When you are forwarding calls you use the <Dial> noun in TwiML like so:
<Response>
<Dial>YOUR_NUMBER_HERE</Dial>
</Response>
However, if you serve your TwiML dynamically you can return whatever number in the <Dial> tag that you want, based on whatever conditions you want. For example in Ruby using Sinatra:
post "/voice" do
if params["From"] === SOME_SPECIAL_NUMBER
number = FORWARDING_NUMBER_1
else
number = FORWARDING_NUMBER_2
end
"<Response>
<Dial>#{number}</Dial>
</Response>"
end
Let me know if this helps at all.
Related
I want to join Webex conference using Twilio api. I am using Call class like this:
Call call = Call.creator(toNum, fromNum, twiMLUrl).setSendDigits(dialCode).setStatusCallback(STATUS_CALLBACK_URL).setStatusCallbackEvent(callbackEvents).create();
Here fromNum is my Twilio number, toNum is the phone number provided by Webex and dialCode is the participant code
I am unable to join the conference. I feel it is because webex asks to enter "1" to confirm the participant code in the end while joining.
Is there a way in api to send that "1" to confirm?
Twilio developer evangelist here.
It's a little bit blunt, but you can send pauses as part of the sendDigits parameter. Every "w" you send as part of the string will pause for half a second.
It might take a bit of testing, but you should be able to make your dialCode out of the initial code, say "1234", a few pauses and then the final "1". Like 1234wwwwww1.
Let me know if that helps at all.
I'm looking to build an integration with Twilio and here's a brief outline of what I want to do:
1) Prompt the caller with a numeric (verbal FTW) menu of options
- "Press 1 for X, 2 for Y"
2) Prompt the caller to leave a recording
- e.g., "Leave a message and press # or hang up"
3) Access a recording (mp3) of JUST the answer for #2
Thanks
Twilio developer evangelist here.
You can absolutely do that! In order to do so, you'll need to provide a series of URLs that respond with TwiML to tell Twilio what to do with the call.
Firstly, you'll need to set up a Twilio number so that an incoming call is directed to your first webhook URL. You'll need to do this in your Twilio console.
Then, your first webhook URL needs to produce the menu of options. This is typically called an IVR and we have a couple of tutorials that show you how to build one in depth here: IVR: Screening and Recording and IVR Phone tree (I've linked to the Ruby/Rails versions of the tutorials here, but there are other languages available, just check the tutorials page).
Essentially though, you need to use the <Say> and <Gather> verbs from TwiML to read out the options and respond to the results. For example:
<Response>
<Gather numDigits="1" action="/gather_results">
<Say voice="alice">Dial 1 to leave a message, Dial 2 to hangup</Say>
</Gather>
</Response>
The action attribute on the <Gather> element points to where the caller should be directed once they enter a digit. At that point you need to write something dynamic that extracts the Digits parameter from the request. If the number responds to the recording action then you can use the <Record> verb to record just that answer.
I've written the below as if it were using Sinatra and Ruby, but hopefully it shows how this would be used in any language.
def gather_results
if params["Digits"] == "1"
"<Response finishOnKey='#'>
<Say voice="alice">Leave a message and press # or hang up</Say>
<Record action="/record_results"></Record>
</Response>"
else
# Do something else
end
end
Finally, you need something to get the recording once it is complete. This final URL lives at the endpoint described in the action attribute for the <Record> verb. This URL will receive extra parameters that refer to the recording, including the URL of the recording file itself. You can write any code you like here, either just saving the URL of the recording or downloading the file itself.
Hope this helps, let me know if there's anything that isn't clear.
I'm using Java but the question is language-agnostic, so I posted it under twilio-PHP tag too.
My application needs to connect two customers: A and B. I want to transcribe the conversation and find out whether one of the parties did not pick up and screened the other to voicemail.
I'm following the steps in the click-to-call-tutorial
However, it looks like the Rest API supports recording but not transcription. I successfully can do:
Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<String, String>();
params.put("From", myTwilioNumber);
params.put("To", customerAPhoneNumber);
params.put("Url", "http://MyHandler.jsp");
params.put("IfMachine", "Hangup");
params.put("Record", "true");
Call call = client.getAccount().getCallFactory().create(params);
which gets the entire conversation recorded, but not transcribed!
As a side note -
params.put("IfMachine", "Hangup");
indeed hangs up, when reaches voicemail, but not before leaving a voicemail with random noise. Looks like Twilio's "probing" the response, and by the time it understands it got to voicemail, background noises have been recorded. Which is terrible user experience. Any advice?
Additionally, my call handling servlet does:
TwiMLResponse twimlResponse = new TwiMLResponse();
Say sayMessage = new Say(
"Hi, customer A, stay on line to speak with customer B?");
twimlResponse.append(sayMessage);
Dial dial = new Dial(customerBPhoneNumber);
twimlResponse.append(dial);
But when I'm looking at the TwiML Verbs , there is no place where I can set params.put("IfMachine", "Continue") . So the field call.getAnsweredBy() is null for the second call. In other words, I cannot know whether conversation between customer A and B ever happened.
Additionally, [TwiML Verb Record] ( https://www.twilio.com/docs/api/twiml/record ) does allow transcription, but if I do
twimlResponse.append(new Record());
it stops the conversation and records one of the customers.
So I cannot direct the REST API to transcribe, and TwiML Verbs does not even record the conversation in a way I want.
Can anyone help?
Thanks.
Twilio developer evangelist here.
I'm afraid that when recording both legs of a call, using the REST API, then transcription is not available. Transcription is only available on single messages recorded by the <Record> verb when the recording is under 2 minutes long.
I'd recommend recording the call and downloading the file to be sent off to a third party transcription service in order to transcribe longer, 2 legged calls like that.
In terms of the answering machine detection, it is an experimental feature and requires Twilio to listen to the first few seconds of a call to work out whether it is a machine or not. A good alternative, which can work as part of your <Dial> verb as well, is to use call screening. This is a good article on the pros and cons of AMD, as well as a good description of using human detection by call screening.
Let me know if this helps at all.
I am working on making conference calls from twilio client using REST apis.
I am using java helper libraries to call each participants and as they accept they are put to the same conference room. I am successful up to this. The code which returns the xml for conference, I have put in python following the code of server.py present in android sdk.
Currently in server.py I have hard coded the conference name, i.e anyone who tries for a conference will end up in same conference room.
So I want to make it dynamic. I want to pass the conference name from my java code to the url where server.py and the conference xml is present.
I have tried the following.
I tried adding one extra parameter to the call parameters as
callParams.put("To", user); // Replace with a valid phone number
callParams.put("ConfName", "kevin");
callParams.put("From", my_twilio_num); // Replace with a valid phone number in your account
callParams.put("Url", "https://dyno-name-conference.herokuapp.com/conference");
final Call call = callFactory.create(callParams);
where ConfName is my intended conference name. and I tried to retrieve it in server.py like
ConfName = request.values.get('ConfName')
response.dial(callerId=caller_id).conference(ConfName)
But the ConfName is not getting retrieved.
Is there a better approach for this.
I thought of passing an extra parameter along with the url as I see from the answer here. But I am not successful in that too.
May I know if there any correction in above approaches or a different approach for this..
Thanks in advance.
I managed to get it work.
I used the url as
call__Params.put("Url", "https://dyno-name-conference.herokuapp.com/conference?conf_name=kevin");
and in server.py I accessed it as
conf_name = request.values.get('conf_name')
I'm not finding a definite answer from the Twilio docs on this. I'm trying to build a phone system that can place the other party on hold while in-call and only from the phone. Example: There are two agents working with me out in the field. I get a call on my mobile (away from a computer) and find that the other agent would need to speak to the person I'm on the phone with. I would like to be able to press something into the phone that would either directly transfer the other person to the agent, or place them in a queue. I could then call the other agent and he could retrieve the person from the queue. All of which would need to happen just from our phones.
I've found some documentation on this, but it seems to all require me to be at a computer, which wont be possible.
Is this even possible with Twilio?
Twilio evangelist here.
This sounds like it might be a good place to use some <Conference>s.
Lets define the actors in your scenario: Agent1, Agent2, Field.
Lets say that Field calls Agent1. Instead of connecting the two directly with a <Dial> you could <Dial> Field into a <Conference> (lets call it ConferenceA), then use the REST API to initiate an outbound call to Agent1. When they answer <Dial> them into the same <Conference>. The system will need to grab the CallSid's of both Agent1 and Field, as well as the Sid of the <Conference>, persist them in some type of storage to use later.
Using <Conference> in this scenario gives you more flexibility to manipulate each leg of the call independent of the other than you would have if you use <Dial> to connect Field and Agent1.
So now Agent2 calls Field. Agent2 would go through the same process, just in reverse. Agent2 would get dialed into a <Conference> (lets call it ConferenceB) and your system would use the REST API to call Field. When Field answers they get <Dial>ed into the same conference as Agent2. Again, the system will need to grab the CallSid's of both Agent2 and Field, as well as the Sid of the <Conference>, persist them in some type of storage to use later.
Now, Field needs a way to tell the system to connect Agent2 with Agent1. To do that you can utilize the <Dial>s hangupOnStar attribute in the TwiML you hand Twilio when you dial Field into the ConferenceB. The <Dial> verb would look something like:
<Dial hangupOnStar="true" action="[process_hangup_url]">
<Conference>ConferenceB</Conference>
</Dial>
hangupOnStar tells Twilio to disconnect the caller (Field) from whoever they <Dial>ed (the conference), but still makes a request to the URL defined in the <Dial> verbs action attribute. That is important because when Field needs to tell the system to redirect Agent2 into the ConferenceA with Agent1, and the request to the URL in s action attribute gives the system the opportunity to prompt Field to see if thats what he wants to do. So you might have Twilio execute some TwiML like this:
<Response>
<Gather action=[gather_handler]>
<Say>Press 1 to connect this caller to another<Say>
</Gather>
</Response>
If Field presses one, the system (who knows all of the CallSids for all of the parties involved here, and the conference sids), can use the REST API to redirect Agent2 out of the ConferenceB and into ConferenceA.
It makes for a bit more complicated of a system, but it should work for you.
Hope that helps
Redirect an incoming call to new url:
<?php
// Get the PHP helper library from twilio.com/docs/php/install
require_once '/path/to/vendor/autoload.php'; // Loads the library
use Twilio\Rest\Client;
// Your Account Sid and Auth Token from twilio.com/user/account
$sid = "ACXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX";
$token = "your_auth_token";
$client = new Client($sid, $token);
// Get an object from its sid. If you do not have a sid,
$call = $client
->calls("CAe1644a7eed5088b159577c5802d8be38")
->update(
array(
"url" => "your_url/test.xml",
"method" => "POST"
)
);
echo $call->to;
XML Code:
---------
<Response>
<Redirect method="POST">url goes here</Redirect>
</Response>