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Flow block in Amazon Connect: Set Touchtone Buffer Behavior - Amazon Connect
DescriptionUse cases for this blockSupported channelsFlow typesHow to configure this blockConfigured blockHow the buffer interacts with other blocksAutomatic clearingError scenariosFlow languageMore resources

Flow block in Amazon Connect: Set Touchtone Buffer Behavior

Description

Use this block to enable or disable touchtone buffering for a contact. When touchtone buffering is enabled, customer keypad inputs (digits 0–9, #, and *) are collected into a buffer of up to 30 characters as the customer presses them, even while prompts are still playing or between flow block transitions. This eliminates the common IVR problem of dropped digits when customers type ahead of prompts.

The block has two modes:

  • Enable Buffering — Starts collecting DTMF input into the buffer. Buffered digits are consumed by the next Get customer input or Store customer input block in the flow.

  • Stop and Clear — Stops buffering and clears any digits in the buffer. Optionally stores the buffered input before clearing, with support for encryption.

Use cases for this block

  • Allow customers to navigate multi-level IVR menus without waiting for each prompt to finish (type-ahead).

  • Capture account numbers, order IDs, or other numeric input that customers begin entering before the collection prompt plays.

Supported channels

The following table lists how this block routes a contact who is using the specified channel.

Channel

Supported?

Voice

Yes

Chat

No — Error branch

Task

No — Error branch

Email

No — Error branch

Flow types

You can use this block in the following flow types:

  • Inbound flow

  • Customer queue flow

  • Outbound whisper flow

  • Transfer to agent flow

  • Transfer to queue flow

How to configure this block

You can configure the Set Touchtone Buffer Behavior block by using the Amazon Connect admin website, or by using the GetParticipantInput action in the Amazon Connect flow language.

Enable Buffering

  1. In the flow designer, add the Set Touchtone Buffer Behavior block.

  2. Under Touchtone Buffer Behavior, select Enable.

  3. The buffer begins collecting customer DTMF input immediately. Digits remain in the buffer until they are consumed by a Get customer input or Store customer input block, or until the buffer is explicitly stopped and cleared.

Stop and Clear

  1. Under Touchtone Buffer Behavior, select Stop and Clear.

  2. Optionally enable Store input to save the current buffer contents to a contact attribute before clearing.

  3. If storing input, optionally enable Encrypt input and provide an encryption key to encrypt the stored value.

Configured block

The following image shows an example of what this block looks like when it is configured. It has the following branches: Success and Error.

  1. Success: The buffer behavior was set successfully.

  2. Error: An error occurred, for example, the block was reached by a non-voice contact.

How the buffer interacts with other blocks

  • Play prompt: Includes a Skip or interrupt this prompt when touchtone buffering is enabled checkbox. When selected, if the buffer already contains digits, the prompt is skipped entirely. If the customer presses a key during the prompt, the prompt is interrupted and the digit is added to the buffer.

  • Get customer input: If the buffer contains a digit, the block automatically dequeues and uses it. No configuration changes needed. If the buffer is empty, the customer is prompted for input as usual. In Amazon Lex mode, the buffer is automatically cleared before bot interaction begins. Buffered digits are not used, and buffer contents are not passed to the Amazon Lex bot.

  • Store customer input: The block dequeues up to the maximum number of digits specified in the block configuration. If the buffer contains equal to or more digits than the maximum, the prompt is skipped and the call proceeds immediately. If the buffer has fewer digits than requested, the inter-digit timeout is applied to allow the caller to enter the remaining digits in real-time.

Automatic clearing

The buffer is automatically cleared in the following situations:

  • Buffered digits are consumed in first-in, first-out order each time a Get customer input or Store customer input block processes them.

  • A Stop and Clear action is executed.

  • When transferring to an agent or queue.

  • When using Get customer input with Amazon Lex bots.

  • The contact ends.

Error scenarios

A contact is routed down the Error branch in the following situations:

  • The block is reached by a non-voice contact (chat, task, or email).

  • Invalid input encryption parameters when using Stop and Clear with Store input enabled.

Flow language

The Set Touchtone Buffer Behavior block is represented as a GetParticipantInput action in the Amazon Connect flow language, using the EnableDTMFBuffer parameter.

Enable buffering:

{
    "Parameters": {
        "EnableDTMFBuffer": "true"
    },
    "Identifier": "unique-identifier",
    "Type": "GetParticipantInput",
    "Transitions": {
        "NextAction": "next-action-id",
        "Errors": [
            {
                "NextAction": "error-action-id",
                "ErrorType": "NoMatchingError"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Stop and clear with stored encrypted input:

{
    "Parameters": {
        "EnableDTMFBuffer": "false",
        "StoreInput": "true",
        "InputEncryption": {
            "EncryptionKeyId": "your-key-id",
            "Key": "your-encryption-key"
        }
    },
    "Identifier": "unique-identifier",
    "Type": "GetParticipantInput",
    "Transitions": {
        "NextAction": "next-action-id",
        "Errors": [
            {
                "NextAction": "error-action-id",
                "ErrorType": "NoMatchingError"
            }
        ]
    }
}

More resources

See Touchtone buffering for detailed information about touchtone buffering use cases, best practices, and flow design guidance.