Plan Interaction Media Streaming Server Implementation

Before you install Interaction Media Streaming Server, determine how it can best serve your needs in the CIC environment. You can install Interaction Media Streaming Server in a single, centralized location or install it in multiple locations for performance and cost benefits.

Feature usage and proximity of associated systems

Interaction Media Streaming Server can support voice mail playback, streaming audio, and Text-to-Speech (TTS) operations. Will you use all of these features in your CIC environment? Each of these features gain performance benefits when the host computer is close to the entities with which it communicates, such as Interaction Media Server and an email server.

Potential workload

If you use all features of Interaction Media Streaming Server, there is minimal impact (usually) on the resources of a typical desktop computer. However, consider which features you plan to use simultaneously and the number of concurrent calls being serviced.

For example, if your contact center services thousands of simultaneous calls where callers are played Music on Hold, you might consider using separate installations of Interaction Media Streaming Server so as not to affect other features, such as playing voice mail and Text-to-Speech, or hinder the Music on Hold capabilities.

Also, a single network segment may not efficiently or sufficiently handle thousands of Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) streams used in the playing of streaming audio. In this situation, you may want to consider deploying multiple installations of Interaction Media Streaming Server and use load balancing or MRCP selection rules to distribute the workload.

If your company uses voice mail as a primary means of communication instead of email, your Interaction Media Streaming Server services more calls more often and experiences periods of high usage, such as the beginning of the workday and end-of-meal periods.

Network costs

Along with bandwidth availability, network costs can include charges by carriers to other geographic locations and performance hindrances.

If you administer multiple contact centers or satellite offices across a country, continent, or the world, you probably are familiar with the costs of transmitting data to those locations. Installing Interaction Media Streaming Server locally to the location that you want it to service ensures that communication data largely remains in local networks. You can also use MRCP selection rules in Interaction Administrator to configure which Interaction Media Streaming Servers in other locations can service calls.

Another network consideration is quality. Network connections to distant geographic locations require many hops along the route. Each of these hops can introduce latency that slows down the transmission of real-time audio data. Another point to consider is that the farther the distance to the network destination, the higher the chance of losing packets.

Language and cultural requirements

Depending on the requirements or your CIC environment, your Interaction Media Streaming Server can use external audio sources that contain audio that is specific to a country, region, or language. Before you start installing and configuring Interaction Media Streaming Server, consider the exact audio content to play to the locations that it services.

For example, installing and configuring Interaction Media Streaming Server in a location in Japan but having it also service a location in Australia could cause caller confusion with its configured Music on Hold, custom spoken recordings in a specific language, and Text-to-Speech voice. You risk call abandonment and customer loss in a particular country if the Music on Hold plays a patriotic theme for a rival country.

Redundancy needs

Redundant systems are important in all network configurations. If an Interaction Media Streaming Server is unavailable to service a request, do you have an alternate system available? Interaction Administrator allows you to configure MRCP selection rules to specify which Interaction Media Streaming Servers in different locations can service other locations.

In addition to selection rules, you can use Interaction Administrator to set priority levels for multiple MRCP servers in a location. If the MRCP server with the highest priority level is unavailable, the system sends the request to the MRCP server in that location with the next highest priority level.