01
Speech and language-processing terms
This layer turns caller audio into usable text, decides when a thought is complete, and produces a natural spoken response.
| Term | Plain-language definition | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| STT | Speech-to-text converts audio into text | A wrong word can become the wrong business field |
| TTS | Text-to-speech converts text into audio | It controls clarity, tone, pace, and pronunciation |
| LLM | A language model interprets context and composes responses | It should not own unverified critical actions |
| Streaming | Audio and text are processed in chunks before the full turn ends | It can reduce time to first response |
| Interim transcript | A fast transcript hypothesis that may still change | It is useful for responsiveness but unsafe as final proof |
| Final transcript | The stable STT result for a completed segment | It is safer for important field processing |
| Turn detection | The system decides when the caller has finished a thought | Too early clips words; too late adds latency |
| Semantic end of utterance | Meaning, not silence alone, helps determine whether the answer is complete | It can reduce premature replies |
02
Real-time dialogue and audio terms
Natural conversation depends on timing, uninterrupted audio delivery, and protection from background speech as much as it depends on model quality.
| Term | Plain-language definition | Risk when misconfigured |
|---|---|---|
| Barge-in | The caller starts speaking while the agent is talking | Any sound must not automatically stop TTS |
| Full duplex | Both sides send and hear audio simultaneously | Echo can make the agent transcribe its own voice |
| VAD | Voice activity detection identifies whether speech is present | A television or wind may be mistaken for the caller |
| Noise suppression | Processing that reduces steady background noise | Over-filtering can damage quiet Georgian consonants |
| Echo cancellation | Reduces the agent voice returning from a speaker into a microphone | Without it the agent may answer itself |
| Jitter | Variation in audio-packet arrival time | It causes choppy audio and unstable transcripts |
| Packet loss | Audio packets that never reach the destination | Parts of words disappear and meaning changes |
| Codec | The format used to encode and transmit audio | Telephony audio quality directly affects STT input |
03
Telephony and workflow-control terms
A call becomes a business action only when telephony, workflow state, and the external system contract have clear ownership boundaries.
| Term | Plain-language definition | OMO context |
|---|---|---|
| SIP | A protocol connecting telephone calls to real-time systems | A number, trunk, and route connect to the correct agent |
| SIP trunk | The channel between a phone provider and the platform | It carries inbound and outbound numbers |
| Flow state | The current verified stage of a conversation | It limits which data and actions are valid now |
| Tool call | A structured request from the agent to a server function | It checks calendars, CRM records, or other APIs |
| Webhook | A secured event sent from one system to another | It delivers a completed call or action result |
| Idempotency | Repeating one request does not create a duplicate outcome | It prevents duplicate bookings and records |
| Human handoff | Transfer of the call and context to an authorized person | It handles complex, uncertain, or requested cases |
| Audit trail | The ordered transcript, events, tools, and outcome for a session | It explains what happened and why |
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Official sources and further reading
Technical definitions are verified with primary sources. Links are opened in the official documentation of the corresponding project.
- Introduction to telephony — LiveKit documentation
An official introduction to SIP and real-time telephony architecture.
- Introduction to Pipecat — Pipecat documentation
An official overview of real-time voice AI data pipelines.