2. Collection of “Infrastructure APIs” supporting:
• Make and receive phone calls
• Send and receive text messages
• Buy phone numbers
• Record caller messages
• Conference calls
• IVR: Interactive Voice Response
• DTMF: Gathering number presses
• Text to speech
Via the web
Twilio Lightning Talk
3. How does it work?
• Create an account
• Buy a phone number ($1/month)
• Write the code, hosted on your server
• Link the application to the phone number
• When someone calls the number, twilio
hooks into your application which tells it
what to do
Twilio Lightning Talk
4. Writing an application
Its all XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Response>
<Gather numDigits="4" action=“verify.php">
<Say>
This is the ACME telephone verification service. To verify
your telephone number, please enter the four digit code
shown on your screen now.
</Say>
</Gather>
</Response>
Twilio Lightning Talk
5. Writing an application
• <Say> something
• <Play> a file
• <Gather> digits the caller presses
• <Dial> a number to transfer/conference
the caller
• Send an <Sms>
• <Record> what the caller is saying
Twilio Lightning Talk
6. Writing an application
Many of the libraries support generating
“TwiML” programatically. E.g.
Twilio Lightning Talk
7. Application flow
At each stage during the call, you define a
URL for twilio to redirect to.
This allows you to verify details, or act upon
a specific request.
Twilio Lightning Talk
8. Make a call
You don’t have to wait for someone to
phone you. There is a REST API which
allows you to:
– Initiate a call from your application
– Send an SMS
– Buy a phone number
Twilio Lightning Talk
9. Use cases
• Verify a customers phone number
– https://github.com/mkpeacock/Phone-Number-
Verification
• Telephone access to your application
– Let customers check the status of their orders
• Lead generation
– Use a number per lead source and track your marketing
efforts
– A / B testing on your website (auto-provision a number)
• Request a call back form
Twilio Lightning Talk
11. Don’t want to host the code?
For pre-defined basic applications
(twimlets) which don’t require continuous
back and forth between the user and the
server, Twilio can host your code.
Twilio Lightning Talk
12. Twimlets
• Call forwarding
• Ring upto 5 numbers until one of them
answers
• Voicemail
• Simple menu
• Simple message: plays predefined text
and audio
• Conference calls
Twilio Lightning Talk
13. Connect
Twilio connect lets you build and sell twilio
powered applications which then connect to
another users twilio account.
This lets you sell the application, but lets the
buyer pay for their own usage directly.
Twilio Lightning Talk
14. Please turn on your phone
Want to see a live demo?
Call 0191 580 1814 and rate this evenings
talks.
Twilio Lightning Talk
