FAQ
Index
- GENERAL
-
PLATFORM FUNCTIONALITY
- What are the main components of Autopilot and Navigator?
- What are the key technical points that I need to be aware of?
- How are calls routed to Talkdesk and escalated back to the Customer's Contact Center?
- What is BYOC?
- What is the purpose of the "Set SIP Headers” Component?
- What are the key components of the SIP REFER message?
- What is Copilot, and what is its primary function?
- What are the components required for CXA Copilot to function, particularly concerning media streams and events?
- DEPLOYMENT
GENERAL
What is Talkdesk CXA for any CC?
Talkdesk CXA for any contact center (CC )refers to "Talkdesk Customer Experience Automation (CXA) for any contact center." It is a solution that enables organizations to deploy Talkdesk's advanced automation, AI, and orchestration capabilities on top of any existing contact center platform (not just Talkdesk's own CCaaS).
This means you can leverage Talkdesk's AI-powered automations, analytics, and workflow tools—such as Autopilot, Navigator, and Automation Designer—without having to replace your current contact center infrastructure. The goal is to accelerate digital transformation, improve customer and agent experiences, and drive operational efficiency, regardless of the underlying contact center technology. For more details, please check our Overview documentation.
What are Autopilot and Navigator?
- Talkdesk Autopilot™ focuses on providing AI-powered, conversational self-service and automation, with components for flow design, intent detection, and integration into voice/digital channels. For more details, please click here.
- Talkdesk Navigator™ specializes in topic and entity detection for routing and triage, with dedicated Studio components for both voice and digital interactions, plus advanced entity extraction for deeper automation. For more details, please click here.
These components work together to deliver intelligent, automated, and highly personalized customer experiences in any contact center with the crucial ability to escalate calls to human agents when needed.
PLATFORM FUNCTIONALITY
What are the main components of Autopilot and Navigator?
Autopilot's Main Components:
-
AI Launchpad / Autopilot Instance
- Where you create and manage Autopilot virtual agents.
-
Automation Designer
- Visual tool to design conversational flows, define intents, and orchestrate how the Autopilot interacts with customers.
-
Studio Components
- Connect to Autopilot Voice: Integrates Autopilot into voice call flows.
- Connect to Autopilot Digital: Integrates Autopilot into digital (chat, messaging) flows.
-
Intent & Topic Detection
- Uses AI to understand customer intent and route or respond accordingly.
-
AI Trainer
- Allows configuration and training of intents for more accurate responses.
-
Simulator
- Test and validate Autopilot flows before deploying them live.
-
Monitoring & Analytics
- Supervisors can monitor live and historical Autopilot interactions for quality and improvement
Navigator's Main Components:
-
Analyze Voice Message Component
- Detects the main topic of a caller’s spoken message and routes accordingly.
- Used in Studio voice flows.
-
Analyze Digital Message Component
- Detects the main topic in digital (chat, SMS, etc.) messages for routing and triage.
- Used in Studio digital flows.
-
Navigator Attribute Detector
- Extracts specific entities (like dates, locations, product names) from customer messages, enabling more granular automation and routing.
-
Studio Integration
- All Navigator components are configured and orchestrated within Talkdesk Studio, allowing admins to build and automate workflows visually.
-
Variable Management
- Stores extracted topics and entities in variables for use in downstream automation or reporting.
What are the key technical points that I need to be aware of?
- SIP Trunking:
All call routing between Talkdesk and the customer’s CC is done via SIP trunks (BYOC/xConnect), ensuring flexibility and control. - Studio Flow Orchestration:
Talkdesk Studio manages the flow, including when and how to escalate calls back. - Contextual Handoff:
Context is preserved and transferred, enabling agents in the customer’s CC to see the full interaction history and customer intent. - Call Leg Management:
The solution is designed to minimize SIP legs and optimize call quality and cost.
How are calls routed to Talkdesk and escalated back to the Customer's Contact Center?
Calls are routed to Talkdesk for automation and AI treatment. If escalation is needed, Talkdesk forwards the call (with context) back to the customer’s contact center using SIP trunking and the FTE component, ensuring a seamless, informed handoff to a live agent
Routing Calls to Talkdesk
-
Inbound Call Handling:
Calls initially arrive at the customer’s existing contact center platform (on-premise or cloud) or directly at the carrier/SBC (Session Border Controller). -
Forwarding to Talkdesk:
The call is forwarded to Talkdesk via SIP trunking (BYOC/xConnect) or PSTN forwarding. This can be done for all or a subset of calls, depending on business rules. -
Talkdesk Processing:
Once in Talkdesk, the call is processed by Autopilot (a virtual agent) or Navigator (for topic/entity detection). The Studio flow in Talkdesk orchestrates the automation, self-service, or triage
Escalating Calls Back to the Customer’s Contact Center
- Escalation Trigger:
If the virtual agent (Autopilot) or Navigator cannot resolve the customer’s request, the call is escalated to a human agent in the customer’s original contact center. - Forward to External Number (FTE):
Talkdesk uses the “Forward to External Number” (FTE) Studio component to send the call back to the customer’s contact center. The call is routed to a pre-configured external number (usually a DID or hunt group in the customer’s CC platform). - Passing Context:
Context collected during the Talkdesk interaction (such as detected intent, topic, or customer information) is passed back to the customer’s CC. This is typically done via SIP headers (e.g., UUI header) or API, so the receiving agent has full context for a seamless handoff. - Routing in Customer CC:
The customer’s contact center uses the received context to route the call to the appropriate agent, queue, or skill group (e.g., “skill=sales” or “skill=support”)
What is BYOC?
BYOC stands for Bring Your Own Carrier. In the context of contact centers and Talkdesk, BYOC allows organizations to use their existing telephony carrier or SIP trunking provider with the Talkdesk platform, instead of relying solely on Talkdesk's native telephony services. This provides flexibility, cost control, and the ability to maintain existing carrier relationships while leveraging Talkdesk's advanced features and automation capabilities.
What is the purpose of the "Set SIP Headers” Component?
The purpose of the "Set SIP Headers" is to allow administrators to add custom values—such as customer data, context, or routing information—to the SIP UUI (User-to-User Information) header when placing calls from Studio to external destinations using BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) numbers.
What are the key components of the SIP REFER message?
A SIP REFER message for call transfers typically includes three important components:
1. Refer-To SIP URI/transfer target
- This defines the destination to which the call should be transferred. It is built using a Studio function. This header is mandatory and central to the REFER method.
2. User-to-User information (context)
- The User-to-User Information (UUI) header is used to carry call context, such as caller intent or previous interaction data. This context is often provided by Autopilot or Navigator and is crucial for the receiving contact center to understand the transferred call’s background. The UUI is set in the SIP headers, and Talkdesk supports passing this information as part of the REFER process.
3. Talkdesk Interaction ID
- The Talkdesk Interaction ID is an automatically populated identifier used for tracking and correlating calls across systems. In SIP REFER messages, this ID is included either as a custom SIP header (X-Talkdesk-Interaction-Id) or as a URI parameter in the Refer-To header, depending on the scenario and technical constraints.
A compact table of the various SIP components is shown below:
Component |
Description |
| Request Line | SIP method is REFER, indicating a referral request. |
| To Header | Identifies the target of the REFER request. |
| From Header | Identifies the originator of the REFER request. |
| Refer-To Header | Mandatory. Specifies the SIP URI to which the recipient should refer (the new call target). |
| Referred-By Header | Optional. Indicates who is making the referral. |
| Contact Header | Specifies the address where the sender can be reached. |
| Call-ID | Unique identifier for the SIP dialog. |
| CSeq | Sequence number for the transaction. |
| Via Header | Used for transaction routing. |
| SIP Headers (Custom/UUI) | Optional. Custom headers such as UUI (User-to-User Information) for passing extra context. |
This structure allows the SIP REFER message to instruct the recipient to initiate a new SIP request (such as INVITE) to the specified target, optionally carrying additional information via headers.
What is Copilot, and what is its primary function?
Talkdesk Copilot™ is an innovative solution that transcribes call interactions in real-time or processes Digital Interactions (such as Chat, SMS, or Social channels), using Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Copilot recognizes the intent and automatically provides agents with recommendations, improving speed of resolution and handling times. It is also able to automatically summarize conversations and provide assisted automations through Smart Scripts. For more details, please check our Copilot Knowledge Base documentation.
What are the components required for CXA Copilot to function, particularly concerning media streams and events?
For Copilot to work effectively, media streams from enterprise contact center agents need to be ingested by Talkdesk. This is achieved through the following components listed below:
Component |
Description |
Role in Copilot Functionality |
| Contact Center Adapter (CCA) | Middleware that adapts CTI events and calls the Ascend Connect API. | Ensures real-time delivery of events to Copilot via API. |
| Ascend Connect API / AI Connect API | RESTful API for ingesting CTI events and metadata from CCA. | Official interface for event delivery to Copilot and other Talkdesk systems. |
| xConnect (Media Streaming Gateway) | Exposes API endpoint for Copilot to subscribe to media streams. | Enables Copilot to request and receive real-time audio for analysis. |
| SIPREC Media Forking | Forks live audio from SBC to xConnect. | Provides the raw media stream for Copilot. |
| Provider-Call-ID / Interaction ID | Unique identifiers passed via APIs and events. | Correlates media streams and events. |
| WebSocket Media Streaming | xConnect streams audio to Copilot over WebSocket, initiated via API. | Delivers real-time audio for transcription and agent assist. |
| CTI Event Stream | Real-time events delivered via API from CCA to Talkdesk. | Supplies Copilot with call lifecycle and agent assignment events. |
| RTM Bridge (Agent Widget Integration) | API-driven push of Copilot’s output to agent UI. | Ensures agents receive Copilot’s guidance and automation in their workspace. |
| Metadata (Ring Group, User ID, etc.) | Passed via APIs and events. | Enhances Copilot’s recommendations and tracking. |
For a better experience, Copilot should be embedded as a standalone application within the agent’s main application (CRM, Contact Center Workspace, or other). To know more, please read this article.
DEPLOYMENT
Does Talkdesk CXA work with legacy systems?
Yes. CXA is designed to sit on top of existing contact center platforms and data systems, with no rip-and-replace required.
How can I get more information regarding Talkdesk CXA for any Contact Center?
We have the following resources available:
- Please read our Knowledge Base documentation section on Talkdesk CXA for any Contact Center.
- For more details, please reach out to your Talkdesk representative or open a ticket with Talkdesk Support.