Content on this page is for a product or feature in controlled release (CR). If you are not part of the CR group and would like more information, contact your CXone Account Representative.
Microsoft Azure
Virtual agent bots interpret what your contacts say or type and respond appropriately. They do this using technologies such as:
- Speech-to-text
Also called STT, this process converts spoken language to text. (STT) - Text-to-speech Allows users to enter recorded prompts as text and use a computer-generated voice to speak the content. (TTS)
- Natural language processing Also called NLP, this process understands human speech or text and responds with human-like language. (NLP)
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
Virtual agents are flexible and can provide a range of functions to suit the needs of your organization. For example, you can design your virtual agent to handle a few simple tasks or to serve as a complex interactive digital agent.
Requirements
To use Microsoft Azure virtual agent bots with CXone, you need:
- Microsoft Azure Account with the Bot service using Direct Line channel.
- A LUIS account. LUIS is a conversational AI service. This is only needed if you want to use LUIS intent What the contact wants to communicate or accomplish prediction with this bot.
- Speech service for TTS Allows users to enter recorded prompts as text and use a computer-generated voice to speak the content. and STT Also called STT, this process converts spoken language to text..
- Knowledge base complete with the information, questions and answers, and other resources for training your bot.
Microsoft Azure Management
You can manage Microsoft Azure virtual agent bots in Virtual Agent Hub. To access Virtual Agent Hub, you need to use CXone Studio. If you don't have Studio installed, you can download and install it.
Microsoft Azure Configuration
Before you can add a Microsoft Azure bot to CXone, you must create and configure it using the tools provided by
When your Microsoft Azure bot is ready, you can add it to CXone Virtual Agent Hub and create or modify Studio scripts to use it. To configure this bot in Virtual Agent Hub, you need the following information:
View information about Microsoft Azure configuration fields
|
Field |
Details |
|---|---|
| Direct Line Secret | Enter your Direct Line authentication secret. A Direct Line secret allows CXone to access any conversation that takes place with your Azure bot. You can find this in the Microsoft Azure portal. |
| Use Your Own Account for Azure Text-to-Speech Invocation (Instead of CXone TTS Cloud |
If you have your own account for Azure Text-to-Speech, click the slider to On. If you don't have your own account, you can use CXone Cloud TTS Service. Leave this field set to Off. |
| Speech Service Key | Enter your Speech service key. You can find this key in the Azure portal. |
| Speech Service Region | Enter the region identifier for the region that your Speech service key was created for. |
| TTS Voice name | Select the text-to-speech Allows users to enter recorded prompts as text and use a computer-generated voice to speak the content. voice from the drop-down that you want this Azure bot to use. |
| Timeout Message | Enter the message that you want the Azure bot to use when a contact times out. The default message is Are you still there? |
| If you want LUIS Prediction Intent, use your own LUIS app account |
Click the slider to On if you have a LUIS app account and want to use LUIS intent If you don't want to use LUIS intent prediction with this Azure bot, leave this field set to Off. LUIS is part of Azure Cognitive Service for Language and provides natural language functions for your conversational bots. For more information, refer to the online help for Azure Cognitive Service for Language. |
| LUIS App ID |
Enter the ID for your LUIS app. This field is visible only if you set the If you want LUIS Prediction Intent field to On, |
| LUIS Prediction Key |
Enter the key for the LUIS app you're using with this Microsoft Azure bot. This field is only visible if you set the If you want LUIS Prediction Intent field to On, |
| LUIS Prediction Endpoint |
Enter the endpoint for the LUIS app you're using with this Microsoft Azure bot. This field is visible only if you set the If you want LUIS Prediction Intent field to On, |
Scripting Guidelines
Before integrating a virtual agent A software application that handles customer interactions in place of a live human agent., you need to know:
- Which script you want to add a virtual agent to.
-
The Studio actions
Performs a process within a Studio script, such as collecting customer data, playing a message or music, or routing a contact to an agent. you need to use for your bot. - Where the Studio actions must be placed in your script flow.
- The configuration requirements specific to the virtual agent you're using.
- How to complete the script after adding the virtual agent action. You may need to:
- Add initialization snippets as needed to the script using Snippet actions. You can do this to customize your bot.
- Re-configure the action connectors to ensure proper contact flow and correct any potential errors.
- Use the OnReturnControlToScript branch to handle hanging up or ending the interaction. If you use the Default branch, your script may not work as intended.
- Complete any additional scripting and test the script.
Ensure that all parameters in the Virtual Agent Hub actions you add to your script are configured to pass the correct data. See the online help topic for the action you're using for information about how to configure each parameter.
If you need assistance with scripting in Studio, contact your CXone Account Representative, see the Scripting Reference Material sections of the online help, or visit the NICE CXone Community site.
Supported Action for Voicebots
Voicebot Exchange Action
This action is for complex bots or for when you need to customize the bot's behavior from turn to turn.
Voicebot Exchange monitors the conversation between the contact and the bot turn by turn. It sends each utterance What a contact says or types. to the bot. The bot analyzes the utterance for intent What the contact wants to communicate or accomplish and context and determines the response to give. The action returns the bot's response to the contact. When the conversation is complete, the action continues the script.
Supported Action for Chatbots
Textbot Exchange Action
This action is for complex bots or for when you need to customize the bot's behavior from turn to turn.
TextBot Exchange monitors the conversation between the contact and the bot Virtual agent designed to handle specific interactions turn by turn. It sends each utterance What a contact says or types. to the bot. The bot analyzes the utterance for intent What the contact wants to communicate or accomplish and context and determines which response to give. TextBot Exchange returns the bot's response to the contact. When the conversation is complete, the action continues the script.
