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Integrating Voice Gateway with IVRs and contact centers

When IBM® Voice Gateway is configured as a self-service agent, in some cases a customer might want to be transferred to a live contact center agent. The voice gateway can integrate with existing contact centers through an enterprise session border controller (SBC). The SBC handles the following call routing scenarios:

  • Inbound calls to the voice gateway from a caller connecting through a SIP trunk
  • Calls redirected to the voice gateway from an enterprise Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system
  • Calls redirected from the voice gateway to a contact center or IVR system

Session border controller as pivot point

The voice gateway relies on standard SIP transfer procedures to redirect a call to a contact center using an in-dialog SIP REFER message. The call path must include some entity that acts as a pivot-point for the call to catch the SIP REFER and handle the redirect.

This pivot point is typically the session border controller, which interfaces with an external SIP trunk and forwards calls to the voice gateway. Enterprise SBCs can typically handle SIP REFER messages received over an existing SIP dialog and use that message to redirect an existing call to the contact center in the enterprise network.

Call flow from a customer to a live agent

Call flow through SBC with transfer to contact center
Call flows through SBC with transfer to contact center

This diagram shows the typical flow of messages related to both setting up a new call through an enterprise SBC with a transfer out to a contact center:

  1. The call arrives at the SBC through SIP trunk.
  2. The call is routed to the voice gateway, and the SBC stays in the call-signaling path.
  3. A new conversation session with Watson Assistant is established, and the caller initiates turns with Watson Assistant through voice.
  4. The Watson Assistant service initiates a transfer on last turn.
  5. The voice gateway initiates a transfer back to the SBC by sending an in-dialog SIP REFER message.
  6. The SBC re-routes the call to the contact center automatic call distributor (ACD).
  7. The call is eventually routed to the agent.

Enabling call transferring

Call transfer behavior is defined though the API and the Voice Gateway configuration. See Configuring call transfer.