UCCX adding TTS and ASR

[Mark Verwey]

One of the CCX call centers I maintain the server, scripts, and all associated crap for now has a new requirement that is going to require a self service option for callers.  So far I have only found information about Nuance and IBM Websphere Voice Server.  I have found old documentation saying that Cisco has a media server but that according to my Cisco sales person has gone end of life/end of sale.

I am running CCX 10.6.1 in a mixed environment at the moment.  The call center uses Sales Force and I was thinking about integrating that with Finesse so that future upgrades of CCX would be easier for me (not having to load a CAD client on desktops).  I got a quote from my vendor for Nuance that was over $315K, I about fell out when I first opened it, then I forwarded it to the PM and was informed that price was more than the entire project had in its budget.  They were expecting a price of around $50k-$70k.  I also noticed a wide disparity in the number of ports needed for TTS and ASR.  They said that TTS only needed 10 ports while ASR needed 50 ports, is this the norm?  How can I figure out a more realistic number of ports needed for each.  Is there another server package that will work with CCX 10.6.1 or am I stuck with only these 2 vendors.

Any advice would be awsome.

[Jonathan Schulenberg]

The ASR vs TTS port disparity should be due to a difference in how they are used. The ASR port is consumed when the first ASR operation is performed for the call and remains consumed until the call leaves that Application/script. This is why some people transfer the call from one application/script to another at the transition from IVR into ACD (ie Select Resource): the call sitting in queue probably doesn’t need an expenseive ASR port. TTS on the other hand is released as soon as the Prompt is generated.
https://supportforums.cisco.com/t5/collaboration-voice-and-video/asr-and-tts-port-and-license-utilization-in-cvp-and-ip-ivr/ta-p/3116556

As for pricing: welcome to Nuance. I suggest speaking with your Cisco AM/SE about how the cost of Nuance negatively impacts ROI/TCO of CCX compared to other options. Several of us have been lobbying for BU validation of other products but nothing speaks louder than a paying customer with purchasing authority.