WhatsApp and IVR journey planner with failure paths
Plan what happens when the call goes wrong.
The film is unavailable. You can read what it shows below.
A plan for a conversation. Nothing is connected, sent or recorded.
What the film shows, in words
- Plan what happens when the call goes wrong.
- 4 steps. WhatsApp and voice. 3 languages.
- No choice after 10 seconds: repeat the question. Speech not recognised twice: offer simpler choices. Call drops before the advice ends: send an SMS follow-up. 3 of 4 covered.
- Describe the problem: no failure case. Then: no reply after two minutes. 4 of 4.
- If nobody is there: Step 3 hands over to a person, but no one is available.
- It plans the journey. It does not build or test it.
The demo: the worked example, one input at a time
ExampleAn agricultural advice line for farmers. Illustrative example. Nothing is called or sent.
Step 1 of 4
Four steps. One has nothing beneath it.
Choose a language
1Buttons or menu
IfNo choice after 10 seconds
Repeat the questionBack into this step
Say or pick the crop
2Speech3 languages
IfSpeech not recognised twice
Offer simpler choicesBack into this step
Describe the problem
3Free text
No failure case yet
Hand over to a personNot attached: no cause yet
Receive advice and a follow-up SMS
4Buttons or menu
IfCall drops before the advice ends
Send an SMS follow-up
What follows
3/4 steps with a failure path, 1 human handover, 3 languages, WhatsApp + voice. The finding: Step 3 (“Describe the problem”) has no failure case. Its line in the flow map: “If something goes wrong (not yet defined): hand over to a person.”
- 3/4
- steps with a failure path
- 1
- human handovers
- 3
- languages
- WhatsApp + voice
- channel
Journey risks
- NoteStep 2 relies on speech recognition in 3 languages.
- GapStep 3 (“Describe the problem”) has no failure case.
- Note3 languages need review by fluent speakers.
- NoteChannel fees apply.
Now your own journey, and what lies under each turn.
Describe the users, then each step and what happens when it fails. Type on the line itself: the step at the top of its V, the cause on the plate beneath.
A plan for a conversation. Nothing is connected, sent or recorded.
Flow and failure map
- 01Choose a languageInput: buttons or menuIf no choice after 10 seconds: repeat the question.
- 02Say or pick the cropInput: speechIf speech not recognised twice: offer simpler choices.
- 03Describe the problemInput: free textIf something goes wrong (not yet defined): hand over to a person.
- 04Receive advice and a follow-up SMSInput: buttons or menuIf call drops before the advice ends: send an sms follow-up.
Journey risks
- Note: Step 2 relies on speech recognition in 3 languages.Test recognition quality in each language with real users before launch.
- Gap: Step 3 (“Describe the problem”) has no failure case.Every step needs a tested answer to “what if this goes wrong?”
- Note: 3 languages need review by fluent speakers.Machine translation is not enough for advice people act on.
- Note: Channel fees apply.WhatsApp Business and telephony providers charge per message or minute. Get current prices from your provider.
Your flow map
Voice and WhatsApp flow map, by email once delivery is connected.
The flow map with its failure points and human handoffs, as it stands on this page.
Tool: Voice & WhatsApp journey planner Result: 4 steps · 3 with failure paths Request: please prototype this journey (SVC-059). Languages (planning only, no claim about speech or translation quality): English, Twi, Ewe Worked out for: Context not set · method 1.1Send as a brief
How it works, and its limits
It plans the journey; it does not build or test it.
Method
- 01
Every step must name what can go wrong and a fallback; steps without one are errors.
- 02
Input types are checked against your users’ reading comfort and connectivity.
- 03
Handovers are checked against whether people are available to take them.
- 04
Beyond the steps, three cases each need a fallback: outside the hours people answer, a contact that fails and a handover nobody takes.
- 05
Hours, staffing and set-up with a provider are your own statements: the planner checks that each is stated, never that it is true.
What it cannot tell you
- Recognition quality varies by language, accent and line quality; test with real users.
- Costs depend on your provider and volumes.
- A language on the list is a planning choice. It says nothing about speech recognition or translation quality in that language.
- It sets up no WhatsApp account, phone line or team. Do not announce a service from this plan alone.
What the checks coverConnectivity raises a finding only when it is poor and the channel is WhatsApp alone. Reading comfort raises one only when it is low and a step asks for free text.
Quality ruleTest low-connectivity and failed-recognition branches.
When the plan needs building
The planner designs the journey on paper. Building it, connecting a channel and testing each branch with real users is a service.
Service · 05 Digital solutionsVoice, IVR & WhatsApp agents↗