Script setup

This article is part of a tutorial about creating an outbound call campaign using NLU.

1. Telephony setup
2. Script setup (you are here)
3. Campaign launch
4. Analytics
5. Additional features
6. Testing

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During this stage we will set up the bot script. We will utilize various $dialer methods in the bot script extensions for telephony management, and we will be using the NLU core for natural language understanding.

Configuration file

Go to the Editor and create a standard chatbot.yaml configuration file for NLU projects:

name: call-campaign
entryPoint: main.sc

botEngine: v2
language: en

nlp:
  intentNoMatchThresholds:
    phrases: 0.2
    patterns: 0.2

The main script

Create the src/main.sc file and put the main script mechanics into the theme tag:

theme: /

    state: Start
        q!: $regex</start>
        script:
            $jsapi.startSession();
            $session.userName = $dialer.getPayload().name || "stranger";
            $dialer.setCallResult("Greeting");

        a: Hello, {{$session.userName}}!
        a: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world government is concerned for your safety.
        go!: /Symptoms

    state: Symptoms
        a: Have you recently found yourself with a fever, a dry cough, or a rapid tiredness?

        state: Positive
            intent: /Agree
            intent: /Sick
            a: Then do not put yourself in danger! Seek medical attention immediately!
            script:
                $dialer.reportData("Case", "Positive");
                $dialer.setCallResult("Known case");
            go!: /Goodbye

        state: Negative
            intent: /Disagree
            intent: /Healthy
            a: Good to hear everything is fine! Still, do not forget to wash your hands and wear face masks.
            script:
                $dialer.reportData("Case", "Negative");
                $dialer.setCallResult("Known case");
            go!: /Goodbye

        state: Unrecognized
            event!: noMatch
            a: So you say: {{$parseTree.text}}. Remember about proper hygiene and wearing face masks.
            script:
                $dialer.reportData("Case", $parseTree.text);
                $dialer.setCallResult("Known case");
            go!: /Goodbye

    state: Goodbye
        event!: hangup
        a: Goodbye and stay safe!
        script:
            $dialer.hangUp();

    state: NoInput || noContext = true
        event!: speechNotRecognized
        script:
            $session.noInputCounter = $session.noInputCounter || 0;
            $session.noInputCounter++;
        if: $session.noInputCounter >= 3
            a: I’m sorry, there’s something wrong with the connection.
            script:
                $dialer.setCallResult("Bad connection");
            go!: /Goodbye
        else:
            a: I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat, please?

Also create the test/test.xml file, but leave it empty for now:

<test>
  <test-case/>
</test>

Dialog start

When the bot reaches out to the client, it receives a /start command, which can be processed with a pattern for regular expressions. The handler for this activator does the following:

1. Marks the session as new and cleans previously stored session data.
2. Extracts the client name from the phone number list and stores it in the session data.
3. Sets the appropriate call result.

If no client name is provided, a neutral form of address is used instead.

state: Start
    q!: $regex</start>
    script:
        $jsapi.startSession();
        $session.userName = $dialer.getPayload().name || "stranger";
        $dialer.setCallResult("Greeting");

    a: Hello, {{$session.userName}}!
    a: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world government is concerned for your safety.
    go!: /Symptoms

tip

Learn more about $jsapi.startSession, $dialer.getPayload, and $dialer.setCallResult

Reporting the client response

The states nested into the Symptoms parent state handle different replies to the question about the client’s well-being, whether it be positive, negative, or unrecognized. In each case, the bot records the reply to the campaign report under the Case column. Unrecognized responses are recorded as is.

state: Symptoms
    a: Have you recently found yourself with a fever, a dry cough, or a rapid tiredness?

    state: Positive
        intent: /Agree
        intent: /Sick
        a: Then do not put yourself in danger! Seek medical attention immediately!
        script:
            $dialer.reportData("Case", "Positive");
            $dialer.setCallResult("Known case");
        go!: /Goodbye

    state: Negative
        intent: /Disagree
        intent: /Healthy
        a: Good to hear everything is fine! Still, do not forget to wash your hands and wear face masks.
        script:
            $dialer.reportData("Case", "Negative");
            $dialer.setCallResult("Known case");
        go!: /Goodbye

    state: Unrecognized
        event!: noMatch
        a: So you say: {{$parseTree.text}}. Remember about proper hygiene and wearing face masks.
        script:
            $dialer.reportData("Case", $parseTree.text);
            $dialer.setCallResult("Known case");
        go!: /Goodbye

tip

Learn more about $dialer.reportData

Dialog end

During the last step, the bot says goodbye and ends the call.

state: Goodbye
    event!: hangup
    a: Goodbye and stay safe!
    script:
        $dialer.hangUp();

caution

The bot will also transition to this state if the client hangs up without replying to the question. In this case, the call result and the information on their health will not be updated.

Unrecognized speech handling

The NoInput technical state handles situations when no response from the client can be recognized. If the number of transitions to this state becomes greater than the threshold, the bot ends the call.

state: NoInput || noContext = true
    event!: speechNotRecognized
    script:
        $session.noInputCounter = $session.noInputCounter || 0;
        $session.noInputCounter++;
    if: $session.noInputCounter >= 3
        a: I’m sorry, there’s something wrong with the connection.
        script:
            $dialer.setCallResult("Bad connection");
        go!: /Goodbye
    else:
        a: I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat, please?

caution

All telephony bots should contain some speechNotRecognized event handler and impose a limit on unrecognized requests per session, so that ineffective calls finish quickly without spending excessive call minutes.

tip

hangup and speechNotRecognized are examples of telephony system events.

Intent setup

Go to NLU > Intents and create the intents used in the script: /Agree, /Disagree, /Healthy, and /Sick. Fill them with training phrases conveying the appropriate meanings:

Agree	yes	yeah	I have	yep
Disagree	no	I don’t	no need	I don’t have anything
Healthy	everything is fine	we are all okay	I’m fit as a fiddle	there is no problem
Sick	I’m sick	quite feverish, yes	I have COVID	I really am tired

After filling up the intents, press the Test button in order to train the classifier.

Now everything is ready for you to create and launch your first campaign.