Send voice notifications or voice captchas in the console-Voice Service(VS)-阿里云帮助中心

This topic describes how to use the Voice Service console to send voice notifications or voice captchas in batches. This feature is available for the dedicated mode and requires no development. You can complete all operations through the user interface.

Usage notes

Only the dedicated mode supports sending voice notifications and voice captchas from the console. For the common mode, see Use voice notifications or voice captchas through an API.
You can use text-to-speech (TTS) templates and voice notification files only after they pass review.
Calls from the same caller ID for a specific business purpose are throttled. The limits are 1 call per minute, 5 calls per hour, and 20 calls per 24-hour period. The 24-hour period begins with the first successful call. Plan your usage accordingly.

Prerequisites

Before you create a sending task, you must prepare your account, qualifications, scripts, numbers, and call content. Because several steps require manual review, you must allow sufficient time for the process.

Account registration and service activation: Register an Alibaba Cloud account, complete enterprise identity verification, and then activate Voice Service.
Prepare qualifications and dedicated numbers:
- Apply for enterprise qualifications: These prove that your business entity is legitimate and compliant. Apply for enterprise qualifications and wait for approval. For more information, see Enterprise qualification management.
- Apply for script registration: Apply for a script and wait for approval. The purpose of applying for a script is to register your business scenario. The script content will not be used in the actual voice calls. For more information, see Add a script.
- Prepare dedicated numbers and service instances:
  - Apply for a real number to use as a dedicated caller ID. For more information, see Real number application.
  - Create a service instance: A service instance is the unit that holds your dedicated numbers and concurrency capabilities. After you create the instance, you must attach your requested real number to it. For more information, see Create a service instance.
Upload voice files: The content played during a voice call is determined by a voice template or a voice file.
- Voice template: To play text-to-speech (TTS) audio, you must first create a voice template. You can use the template after it is approved.
- Voice files: To play a pre-recorded audio file in WAV or MP3 format, in the navigation pane on the left, click Voice File Management. Based on your business needs, select the Voice Notification Files, In-call Playback Files, or Intelligent Speech Interaction Playback Files tab, and then click Import Voice File. You can use the voice file after it is approved.
Important
When you create a voice template or upload a voice file, set Calling Number to Dedicated Mode Call. If you select "Common Mode Call", you cannot use the template when you create a sending task.
Check the review status:
- In the Voice Service console, on the Voice Messaging > Voice Call or Voice Messaging > Captcha page, check whether the Review Status of a template or voice file is Approved. If a template or voice file is approved, you can obtain the Template ID and Voice ID.
- You cannot modify templates or voice files with a review status of Approved, Pending Review, or Rejected.
- If the Review Status is Rejected, click Reason to view the failure reason. Modify the template content as prompted and then submit a new application.
Understand billing rules: The fees for the dedicated mode consist of monthly number rental fees and call fees. For more information, see Voice Service billing FAQ.

Create and send a voice task

This section uses an example of sending an event notification with variables to demonstrate the entire process, from preparing the number file to starting the task.

Example scenario: Send an event notification to 1,000 users. The notification includes each user's name.

Template content: Dear ${name}, the XX event you registered for will start tomorrow at 9 AM. Please attend on time.

Step 1: Prepare the callee number Excel file

When a voice template contains variables, such as ${name}, you must use an Excel file to import the callee numbers and variable values.

File format: The file must be in .xlsx format. You can import up to 300,000 numbers in a single task.
Table header rules:
- The first row of the file must be the table header.
- It must include a column named phone to store 11-digit mobile phone numbers.
- Each variable in the template, such as ${name}, must have a corresponding column header. The header name must be an exact match for the variable name (case-sensitive).
Example file:
phone
name
138xxxx8000
Zhang San
139xxxx9000
Li Si

Step 2: Create a sending task in the console

Log on to the Voice Service console. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Voice Messaging > Task Hub.
Click Create Sending Task.
On the Create Sending Task page, configure the following parameters:
- Task Name: Enter an easy-to-identify name, such as "XX-event-pre-notification-20240520".
- Notification Template: Select an approved voice template that you created.
- Calling Number: Select a service instance that you created and to which a number is attached.
- Callee Numbers: Select Import from File, and then upload your prepared notification_list.xlsx file.
Click Create.

Step 3: Start the task

After the task is created, you are redirected to the Task Hub list. Find the task that you just created and start it from the Actions column.

Start immediately: Click Start.
Start at a scheduled time: Click Schedule Start and set a future running time.

Note

To ensure a good call experience for end users, you can start or run call tasks in the Task Hub only during the following time windows (UTC+8): 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 21:00.
Scheduled tasks set outside these calling hours are automatically postponed to the next available time window.

For more information, see Send a voice task.

View task results

You can check the details of sent voice notifications or voice captchas in the Voice Service console in two ways:

Method 1: On the Task Hub page, click Task Details in the Actions column to view the task details. This includes the start time, end time, caller ID, callee number, connection status, and call duration.
Method 2: On the Statistics > Voice Record Query page, find and view the task details using information such as the Voice Service type, time, caller ID, and callee number.

FAQ

Why can't I find my voice template when creating a task?

The most common reason is that you selected Common Mode Call for the Calling Number type when creating the template. Return to the template list, copy the template, change the type to Dedicated Mode Call, and then resubmit it for review.

Why are there no calls long after a task starts, or why is the failure rate high?

Check the following items in order:

Calling time: Did you start the task during the non-callable hours (12:00 to 14:00, 21:00 to 09:00 the next day)?
Throttling limits: Did frequent calls to the same number trigger the "1 call/minute, 5 calls/hour, 20 calls/24 hours" throttling limit?
Insufficient concurrency: Is the concurrency of your purchased service instance too low, causing calls to be queued?

Why did the Excel file import fail with a "format error" message?

Check the following:

Is the file extension .xlsx?
Does the first row contain a table header, and do the header names exactly match the variable names in the template, including phone?
Are the numbers in the phone column purely 11-digit numbers, without spaces or special characters?

Why did my template or voice file fail the review?

Common reasons include the following: the script content has strong marketing intent, contains sensitive words, or uses variables improperly (for example, variables that lack a fixed context). On the list page, click Reason to view the failure message and modify the content accordingly.

Use voice notifications and voice captchas in the console