▪Since you will be using the SQL Analyzer to view data on the IVR system, it is a good idea to use variable names in the UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server script that match the Question Sequence Numbers in the IVR system. This makes it easy to see which UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server questions go with which IVR questions. (The examples in this section do not follow this recommendation: they use standard question names for easy reading since there is no related IVR script to match.)

▪A blank Get Response command (that is, one that is to receive data from UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server) must define the same number of responses as its UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server counterpart. When IVR receives data for a Get Response command, it checks that the data is within the range set for that command. If not, it repeats the question. If this happens during hand-off, IVR will take the next character in the DTMF string as the response to the repeated question. This means that you lose synchronization between the DTMF string and the blank questions, and all subsequent questions are offset by one.

▪When setting up blank Get Response commands, make sure that you define the responses in the same order as they appear in UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server. Responses are set according to their position in the list, and if the list orders differ responses will be allocated incorrectly.

▪When passing single categorical answers to an IVR Get Response command, be sure to check that the UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server answers are being allocated to the correct IVR responses. If you are extracting response positions using DefinedCategeories.Find(), remember that Find starts numbering at position 0 whereas IVR starts numbering at 1. If you see that responses are out by one position in IVR, add 1 to the answer values before passing them to IVR.

▪If you are passing an answer from UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server and all answers to the question will have the same number of digits (for example, ages in the range 18 to 99), set the minimum and maximum number of digits in the corresponding Get Value command to the appropriate number and uncheck Terminate With #. Do not place # after the variable name in the DTMF string.

▪If you are passing an answer from UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server and the number of digits in the response may vary between respondents, you must select Terminate With # in the corresponding Get Value command. In the DTMF string the variable must be followed with #. Any errors in this respect will cause the data to be incorrectly assigned.

▪Get Value commands wait 30 seconds to receive either the specified maximum number of digits or the # termination symbol. If neither is forthcoming, the question times out and the DTMF string is cleared. If there is more data in the string it will be lost. If you follow the previous two rules time-outs should never occur. However, to make certain, set the Timeout field to a large value, say, 300 seconds.

▪Do not send data to IVR unless you need to use it in the IVR questionnaire script. If you do not have to send data, send just the respondent serial number or the sample record key (if it is numeric). If you have to send responses because you want them to appear in IVR’s SQL database, but you do not need to use them in the interview, pass the data into a Get Value command as a single string, terminated by #. You can then separate this data afterwards when you have retrieved it from the database.

▪To test the IVR questionnaire, print the Questionnaire Recording Script and mark answers to the questions on the script as they would be answered in UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server. Then dial the IVR system manually and enter these answers using the telephone keypad to test the IVR script before you try passing any data from UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server.

▪Once you are satisfied that the IVR system is receiving data correctly, you can test it with your UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server script. Mark the answers you will be giving on the Questionnaire Recording Script and then enter these answers in your browser. Your UNICOM Intelligence Interviewer - Server script should write the responses you will be passing to the IVR system in the case data file so that you can view it or display the answers on the interviewer’s screen.