IVR: Screening & Recording with Java and Servlets

Time to read: 3 minutes

January 10, 2017
Written by
Mario Celi
Contributor
Opinions expressed by Twilio contributors are their own
Reviewed by
Paul Kamp
Twilion
Thomas Wanzek
Twilion
Brianna DelValle
Twilion
Kat King
Twilion
Andrew T. Baker
Twilion

ivr-screening-recording-java-servlets

 

 This Java Servlets sample application is modeled after a typical call center experience, but with more Reese's Pieces.

Stranded aliens can call an agent and receive instructions on how to get off of Earth safely. In this tutorial, we'll show you the key bits of code that allow an agent to send a caller to voicemail, and later read transcripts and listen to voicemails.

To run this sample app yourself, download the code and follow the instructions on GitHub.

IVR Screening and Recording in Java and Servlets

See more IVR application builds on our IVR application page.

Route the Call to an Agent

 When our alien caller reaches our call center, we need to figure out where to route the call. Depending on their input we will route this call to an extension. Extensions are used to look up an agent. Any string can be used to define an extension.

Once we look up the agent, we can use the <Dial> verb to dial the agent's phone number and try to connect the call.

Editor: this is a migrated tutorial. Find the original at https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/ivr-recording-servlets/

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.extension;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.models.Agent;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.repositories.AgentRepository;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Dial;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Number;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Redirect;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Say;
import com.twilio.twiml.VoiceResponse;

public class ConnectServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  private AgentRepository agentRepository;

  public ConnectServlet() {
    this(new AgentRepository());
  }

  public ConnectServlet(AgentRepository agentRepository) {
    this.agentRepository = agentRepository;
  }

  @Override
  protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws IOException {

    String selectedOption = request.getParameter("Digits");

    Agent agent = findAgentByExtension(selectedOption);
    if (agent == null) {
      redirectToMenu(response);
    } else {
      Say say = new Say.Builder("You'll be connected shortly to your planet.")
          .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
          .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
          .build();

      Number number = new Number.Builder(agent.getPhoneNumber())
          .url("/agents/screen-call")
          .build();

      Dial dial = new Dial.Builder()
          .action(String.format("/agents/call?agentId=%s", agent.getId()))
          .number(number)
          .build();

      VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder().say(say).dial(dial).build();

      respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
    }
  }

  private void redirectToMenu(HttpServletResponse response) throws IOException {
    Redirect redirect = new Redirect.Builder("/ivr/welcome").build();
    VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder().redirect(redirect).build();

    respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
  }

  private Agent findAgentByExtension(String extension) {
    Map<String, String> planetsExtensions = new HashMap<>();
    planetsExtensions.put("2", "Brodo");
    planetsExtensions.put("3", "Dagobah");
    planetsExtensions.put("4", "Oober");

    return planetsExtensions.containsKey(extension)
        ? agentRepository.findByExtension(planetsExtensions.get(extension)) : null;
  }
}

With this information, we present aliens with a list of available agents so they can pick one. Let's see how we look up an agent.

Look up an agent

When we receive a call from an alien we give them a set of options. In this case the options are:

  • For Brodo, press 2
  • For Dagobah, press 3
  • For Oober, press 4

When our alien caller has made their choice we use the key-press to lookup an Agent.

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.extension;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.models.Agent;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.repositories.AgentRepository;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Dial;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Number;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Redirect;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Say;
import com.twilio.twiml.VoiceResponse;

public class ConnectServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  private AgentRepository agentRepository;

  public ConnectServlet() {
    this(new AgentRepository());
  }

  public ConnectServlet(AgentRepository agentRepository) {
    this.agentRepository = agentRepository;
  }

  @Override
  protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws IOException {

    String selectedOption = request.getParameter("Digits");

    Agent agent = findAgentByExtension(selectedOption);
    if (agent == null) {
      redirectToMenu(response);
    } else {
      Say say = new Say.Builder("You'll be connected shortly to your planet.")
          .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
          .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
          .build();

      Number number = new Number.Builder(agent.getPhoneNumber())
          .url("/agents/screen-call")
          .build();

      Dial dial = new Dial.Builder()
          .action(String.format("/agents/call?agentId=%s", agent.getId()))
          .number(number)
          .build();

      VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder().say(say).dial(dial).build();

      respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
    }
  }

  private void redirectToMenu(HttpServletResponse response) throws IOException {
    Redirect redirect = new Redirect.Builder("/ivr/welcome").build();
    VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder().redirect(redirect).build();

    respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
  }

  private Agent findAgentByExtension(String extension) {
    Map<String, String> planetsExtensions = new HashMap<>();
    planetsExtensions.put("2", "Brodo");
    planetsExtensions.put("3", "Dagobah");
    planetsExtensions.put("4", "Oober");

    return planetsExtensions.containsKey(extension)
        ? agentRepository.findByExtension(planetsExtensions.get(extension)) : null;
  }
}

Now that our user has chosen their agent, our next step is to connect the call to that agent.

Call the agent

This code begins the process of transferring the call to our agent.

By passing a url to the <Number> noun, we are telling Twilio to make a POST request to the agents/screen-call route after the agent has picked up but before connecting the two parties.

Essentially, we are telling Twilio to execute some TwiML that only the agent will hear.

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.extension;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.models.Agent;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.repositories.AgentRepository;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Dial;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Number;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Redirect;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Say;
import com.twilio.twiml.VoiceResponse;

public class ConnectServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  private AgentRepository agentRepository;

  public ConnectServlet() {
    this(new AgentRepository());
  }

  public ConnectServlet(AgentRepository agentRepository) {
    this.agentRepository = agentRepository;
  }

  @Override
  protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws IOException {

    String selectedOption = request.getParameter("Digits");

    Agent agent = findAgentByExtension(selectedOption);
    if (agent == null) {
      redirectToMenu(response);
    } else {
      Say say = new Say.Builder("You'll be connected shortly to your planet.")
          .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
          .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
          .build();

      Number number = new Number.Builder(agent.getPhoneNumber())
          .url("/agents/screen-call")
          .build();

      Dial dial = new Dial.Builder()
          .action(String.format("/agents/call?agentId=%s", agent.getId()))
          .number(number)
          .build();

      VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder().say(say).dial(dial).build();

      respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
    }
  }

  private void redirectToMenu(HttpServletResponse response) throws IOException {
    Redirect redirect = new Redirect.Builder("/ivr/welcome").build();
    VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder().redirect(redirect).build();

    respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
  }

  private Agent findAgentByExtension(String extension) {
    Map<String, String> planetsExtensions = new HashMap<>();
    planetsExtensions.put("2", "Brodo");
    planetsExtensions.put("3", "Dagobah");
    planetsExtensions.put("4", "Oober");

    return planetsExtensions.containsKey(extension)
        ? agentRepository.findByExtension(planetsExtensions.get(extension)) : null;
  }
}

Our agent can now be called, but how does our agent interact with this feature? Let's dig into what is happening in the agent's screening call.

The agent screens the call

When our agent picks up the phone, we use a <Gather> verb to ask them if they want to accept the call.

If the agent responds by entering any digit, the response will be processed by our agents/message route. This will <Say> a quick message and continue with the original <Dial> command to connect the two parties.

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.agent;

import java.io.IOException;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Gather;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Hangup;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Say;
import com.twilio.twiml.VoiceResponse;

public class ScreenCallServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws ServletException, IOException {

    String from = request.getParameter("From");

    String incomingCallMessage = "You have an incoming call from: " + getSpelledPhoneNumber(from);
    String gatherMessage = incomingCallMessage + ".Press any key to accept";

    Say sayInGather = new Say.Builder(gatherMessage).build();
    Gather gather = new Gather.Builder()
        .numDigits(1)
        .action("/agents/message")
        .say(sayInGather)
        .build();

    Say say = new Say.Builder("Sorry. Did not get your response").build();
    Hangup hangup = new Hangup.Builder().build();

    VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder()
        .gather(gather)
        .say(say)
        .hangup(hangup)
        .build();

    respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
  }

  private String getSpelledPhoneNumber(String phoneNumber) {
    return String.join(", ", phoneNumber.split(""));
  }
}

Now our agent can interact with the call, but what if our agent is currently out? In these cases it's helpful to have voicemail set up.

Send the caller to voicemail

 When Twilio makes a request to our Call action method, it will pass a DialCallStatus argument to tell us the call status. If the status is "completed", we hang up. Otherwise, we need to <Say> a quick prompt and then <Record> a voicemail from the alien caller.

We also specify an action for <Record>. This route will be called after the call and recording have finished. The route will say "Goodbye" and then <Hangup>.

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.agent;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Objects;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Hangup;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Record;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Say;
import com.twilio.twiml.VoiceResponse;

public class CallServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws ServletException, IOException {
    String dialCallStatus = request.getParameter("DialCallStatus");
    String agentId = request.getParameter("agentId");

    if (Objects.equals(dialCallStatus, "completed")) {
      respondContent(response, "");
      return;
    }

    Say say1 = new Say.Builder(
        "It appears that no agent is available. " + "Please leave a message after the beep")
            .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
            .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
            .build();

    Record record = new Record.Builder()
        .maxLength(20)
        .action("/agents/hangup")
        .transcribeCallback(String.format("/records/create?agentId=%s", agentId))
        .build();

    Say say2 = new Say.Builder("No record received. Goodbye")
        .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
        .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
        .build();

    Hangup hangup = new Hangup.Builder().build();

    VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder()
        .say(say1)
        .record(record)
        .say(say2)
        .hangup(hangup)
        .build();

    respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
  }
}

Now let's take a step back to see how to actually record the call.

Record the caller

When we tell Twilio to record, we have a few options we can pass to the <Record> verb.

Here we instruct <Record> to stop the recording at 20 seconds, to transcribe the call, and to send the transcription to the agent when it's complete.

Notice that we redirect to a URL that is specific to this agent. This is a convenient way to specify which agent was called to produce the voice message. This way we can also save the associated agent together with the voicemail.

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.agent;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Objects;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Hangup;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Record;
import com.twilio.twiml.voice.Say;
import com.twilio.twiml.VoiceResponse;

public class CallServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws ServletException, IOException {
    String dialCallStatus = request.getParameter("DialCallStatus");
    String agentId = request.getParameter("agentId");

    if (Objects.equals(dialCallStatus, "completed")) {
      respondContent(response, "");
      return;
    }

    Say say1 = new Say.Builder(
        "It appears that no agent is available. " + "Please leave a message after the beep")
            .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
            .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
            .build();

    Record record = new Record.Builder()
        .maxLength(20)
        .action("/agents/hangup")
        .transcribeCallback(String.format("/records/create?agentId=%s", agentId))
        .build();

    Say say2 = new Say.Builder("No record received. Goodbye")
        .language(Say.Language.EN_GB)
        .voice(Say.Voice.POLLY_AMY)
        .build();

    Hangup hangup = new Hangup.Builder().build();

    VoiceResponse voiceResponse = new VoiceResponse.Builder()
        .say(say1)
        .record(record)
        .say(say2)
        .hangup(hangup)
        .build();

    respondTwiML(response, voiceResponse);
  }
}

Legal implications of call recording

If you choose to record voice or video calls, you need to comply with certain laws and regulations, including those regarding obtaining consent to record (such as California’s Invasion of Privacy Act and similar laws in other jurisdictions). Additional information on the legal implications of call recording can be found in the "Legal Considerations with Recording Voice and Video Communications" Help Center article.

Notice: Twilio recommends that you consult with your legal counsel to make sure that you are complying with all applicable laws in connection with communications you record or store using Twilio.

Finally, we will see how to view an agent's voicemail.

Viewing an agent's voicemail

Once we look up the Agent, all we need to do is display their recordings. We bind the agent, along with their recordings, to a View.

It is possible to look up recordings via the Twilio REST API, but since we have all of the data we need in the transcribeCallback request, we can easily store it ourselves and save a roundtrip.

package com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.agent;

import java.io.IOException;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import com.twilio.ivrrecording.models.Agent;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.repositories.AgentRepository;
import com.twilio.ivrrecording.servlet.WebAppServlet;

@SuppressWarnings("unused")
public class AgentsServlet extends WebAppServlet {

  private AgentRepository agentRepository;

  public AgentsServlet() {
    this(new AgentRepository());
  }

  public AgentsServlet(AgentRepository agentRepository) {
    this.agentRepository = agentRepository;
  }

  public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws ServletException, IOException {

    Iterable<Agent> agents = agentRepository.findAll();

    request.setAttribute("agents", agents);
    request.getRequestDispatcher("/agents.jsp").forward(request, response);
  }
}

That's it! We've just implemented an IVR with real Agents, call screening and voicemail.

Where to Next?

If you're a Java developer working with Twilio, you might want to check out these other tutorials.

Part 1 of this Tutorial: ET Phone Home Service - IVR Phone Trees

Increase your rate of response by automating the workflows that are key to your business.

SMS and MMS Notifications

Send out SMS (and MMS) notifications to a list of server administrators.

Did this Help?

Thanks for checking out this tutorial! If you have any feedback to share with us, we'd love to hear it. Connect with us on Twitter and let us know what you build!

Related Posts

Related Resources

A newspaper article

Twilio Docs

From APIs to SDKs to sample apps

API reference documentation, SDKs, helper libraries, quickstarts, and tutorials for your language and platform.
An Open book

Resource Center

The latest ebooks, industry reports, and webinars

Learn from customer engagement experts to improve your own communication.
User group reactions

Ahoy

Twilio's developer community hub

Best practices, code samples, and inspiration to build communications and digital engagement experiences.