Data Collection - Name, Date of Birth, Phone & Alphanumeric

What they do

Four composite tools each collect one value from the caller by voice and verify it before saving it:

Tool	Collects	Verification
Data Collection - Name	One name: a first name or a last name, never both	Read-back to confirm, plus optional letter-by-letter spelling
Data Collection - Date of Birth	One date	Read-back to confirm. If the caller gives only part of the date, the missing part is asked for.
Data Collection - Phone	One phone number	Read-back to confirm, digit by digit. The number is formatted and checked before it is saved.
Data Collection - Alphanumeric	One reference, policy number, registration or similar	Read-back to confirm, character by character, with an optional format check

They are single-purpose versions of Data Collection - v0.2. Instead of choosing a Type, you pick the tool that matches the data. Each adds features the general tool doesn’t have: picking up a value the caller already said earlier in the call (Lookback), a configurable attempt limit, a custom give-up line and, on Alphanumeric, a way to strip prefixes and stray words from the value. Each is a composite tool: the whole exchange runs behind a single step. Use one step per value. To collect a first and a last name, place two Data Collection - Name steps.

How a collection runs

Every use enters through the same checks, in this order:

Skip If Set. If the referenced variable already holds a real value, the step ends at once with a true result. Nothing is spoken.
Existing Value. If a pre-populated value is supplied, the assistant confirms it instead of asking fresh: “I have your last name as Smith, is that right?”
Lookback. If Lookback is on, the recent conversation is checked for a value the caller already said, for example “Hi, it’s Jane Smith” when collecting the last name. A hit is confirmed the same way as an Existing Value.
Fresh ask. Otherwise the assistant asks for the value, using First Message if you set one.

From there the confirmation, spelling and correction loops run as the tool requires. Each stage (asking, confirming, spelling) is limited to Max Attempts tries. When the limit is reached the assistant says a short move-on line (“That’s okay, let’s move on.”, or your Move On Line) and the step finishes false. After a successful capture the assistant says a short acknowledgement such as “Noted.” unless Skip Moving On is on.

Inputs

Common to all four tools

Setting	Description	Default
Field Description	What is being collected, spoken inside the question. Use lower case, for example `first name`, `date of birth`, `mobile number` or `policy number`. One field only. Required.	—
Existing Value	A pre-populated value, typically a contact field such as `{{contact.first_name}}` (string, e.g. `Jane`). When present, the assistant confirms it rather than asking fresh.	—
Skip If Set	A variable reference, usually the same variable the output is mapped to. If it holds a real value, the step ends at once with a true result and nothing is spoken.	—
First Message	A custom opening line for the first ask when there is no existing value.	Standard wording
Data Context	Background the assistant can use to answer the caller’s questions about the field (for example, why it’s needed), and may share when it helps.	—
Custom Keywords	Extra comma-separated words for the speech recogniser to listen for on this field, added to the tool’s built-in set. See Key Terms.	—
Skip Moving On	When on, a successful capture ends silently instead of with the short acknowledgement. Useful when collecting several fields back to back. It never silences the give-up line or the apology after a technical failure.	Off
Max Attempts	Total tries at each stage (asking, confirming, spelling). The default 5 means one ask plus up to four re-asks. Each stage has its own count.	`5`
Lookback	How much of the conversation to check, once at the start, for a value the caller has already said: None, Last 2, Last 4, Last 6, Last 8, Last 10 or Full. “Last N” counts individual messages from either side. An Existing Value always wins over a Lookback hit.	None
Lookback Ignore	Values the Lookback must never pick up, comma-separated. Normally the variables holding fields you have already collected, so a phone number the caller just gave isn’t picked up as this field. Matching ignores case, spaces and punctuation.	—
Move On Line	Replaces the line spoken when the tool gives up on the field. It is spoken word for word, so write one finished statement. It must not end in a question mark. To vary it, pass a `<<rand-pick[...]>>` list as the value (see Script Text Functions).	”That’s okay, let’s move on.” and variants

Data Context and Move On Line carry over between uses within a call: a later Data Collection step that leaves one blank keeps the previous step’s value. Once any step in a call sets either, set it on every Data Collection step in that call, passing an empty value where you want none / the default wording.