Markdown Version | Session Recording

Session Date/Time: 08 Nov 2023 13:30

vcon

Summary

This session focused on use cases for the VCON (Versatile Conversation) format. Presentations covered contact center applications, emergency call handling, and instant messaging synchronization. A significant portion of the meeting addressed the challenges of representing diverse metadata across different application domains and how an extensible architecture might address them. There was discussion on how to best handle different requirements and implementations by defining a minimum set of functionality for any beacon while allowing implementers to specify a series of supported extensions.

Key Discussion Points

• Contact Center Use Cases (Jonathan):

  • Importance of recording calls, chats, emails, and screen recordings for compliance, archival, and quality management.
  • Requirement for redacting PCI (credit card) data from recordings and storing metadata about redaction.
  • The need to delineate call segments and identify agents involved in transferred or multi-agent calls.
  • Importance of metadata related to interaction type, direction, participants, skills, campaign, transfers, and dispositions.

• Emergency Call (ECrit) Use Cases (Brian):

  • Emergency calls are citizen-to-authority and are regulated with call centers called PSAPs.
  • Location is crucial for routing calls to the correct PSAP and directing responders.
  • Calls always start two-way between caller and call-taker but may transfer to a dispatcher, leading to three-way calls.
  • Everything is logged for legal purposes in QA. Standardized logging using SIPREC and retrieval protocols with RTSP.
  • Globally unique call and incident identifiers.
  • The complexities of how to manage situations where the incident ID changes mid-call due to incident merging.

• Instant Messaging Use Cases (Rowan):

  • Securely sharing message history from an existing device to a new device.
  • Bringing new participants up to date in a group chat.
  • Proposal for adding new claims in the VCON format: "name" and "IM URI" to the party's list and message ID field in the dialogue array.
  • Handling message edits, deletions, and reactions within the VCON format.
  • Discussion on if VCON should be adapted to include a Mimi content draft or if Mimi should have its own format.

• VCON Connector Container (Dan):

  • Experiences with implementation of the connector container.
  • Gap analysis of current container for metadata requirements.
  • Additional fields that were found to be needed along the way in development: created date, updated date, attachment object, product label for analysis objects, and transfer type dialogue object.
  • Considerations for situations where parties involved in a conversation aren't initially known.
  • Concerns for applying JOSE (signing, encryption) and real world scenarios.
  • Discussion on whether to amend the existing VCON or create an extension to address different types of requirements and issues in different fields.

• Extensibility and Metadata:

  • The need for a baseline VCON format with super-common elements (segments, participant IDs, timestamps).
  • Concept of an extensibility framework for different domains (contact center, emergency services, etc.).
  • A two-layered approach with a minimal core spec and extensions to support unique attributes.
  • Danger of "slippery slope" where many extensions are needed, making it difficult to implement standards.
  • Extensibility in the attribute level with different views of attributes.

Decisions and Action Items

• Action Item (Dan): Perform gap analysis comparing the existing VCON connector container draft with use cases in existing drafts (contact center and others) to ensure those data requirements are being met.

Next Steps

• Further discussion on metadata management and extensibility mechanisms via email and future meetings.
• Encourage further evaluation of implemented libraries for VCON implementations.