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Overview

When running simulations in Roark, you have two fundamental testing directions based on who initiates the call. This choice affects how your tests execute, what you can test, and how you configure your simulations.

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Inbound Testing

In inbound testing, Roark calls your agent to simulate incoming customer calls.

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How It Works

  1. You provide your agent’s phone number or endpoint
  2. Roark initiates calls to your agent
  3. The simulated customer (persona) interacts with your agent
  4. Your agent responds as it would to a real incoming call

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Characteristics

  • Immediate execution - Tests run as soon as triggered
  • Multiple iterations - Can repeat the same test multiple times
  • High control - Roark controls timing and execution
  • Synchronous results - Get results immediately after completion

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Use Cases

Perfect for testing:
  • Customer service lines - Support hotlines, help desks
  • IVR systems - Automated phone menus
  • Receptionist agents - Virtual assistants answering calls
  • Emergency response - Crisis hotlines, urgent support
  • Inbound sales - Agents handling incoming inquiries

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Configuration

Direction: Inbound
Agent Endpoint: +1-555-0100 or sip:agent@domain.com
Iterations: 1-100 (configurable)
Concurrency: Up to 50 simultaneous calls

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Outbound Testing

In outbound testing, your agent calls Roark to simulate outbound campaigns.

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How It Works

  1. Roark provisions a phone number for each test case in your run plan
  2. Your agent can start the call either by exposing an outbound call endpoint that Roark will trigger automatically, or by directly calling the provisioned number shown on the run plan page.
  3. Roark answers as the simulated customer (persona)
  4. Your agent conducts the outbound call scenario

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Triggering an outbound call

In an outbound simulation, your agent is responsible for starting the simulated call. This can be done in two ways: HTTP Endpoint (Suggested) By setting up an outbound call HTTP request, Roark can automatically start your outbound tests for you - giving you the benefits of scheduling and concurrency control.
  1. Setup an HTTP request on the agent endpoint that will be used in the simulation Agent HTTP Request
  2. Whenever a simulation is started for this agent endpoint, Roark will make the specified HTTP request passing in the provisioned phone number as {{phoneNumberToDial}}.
  3. This HTTP request is expected to trigger your agent to start an outbound call by dialing {{phoneNumberToDial}}.
This automates the workflow of running outbound tests - Roark will handle generating the number and calling your endpoint, and your system simply initiates the call. Example payload 
{
  "assistantId": "8d9c4d2e-7b31-4c58-9b02-6e5f49e9d2a4",
  "phoneNumberId": "5f2b1c7a-3e84-49cb-9e21-15b92a6c4f78",
  "customer": {
    // {{phoneNumberToDial}} will be replaced by the provisioned number at runtime
    "number": "{{phoneNumberToDial}}"
  }
}
Template variables such as {{ phoneNumberToDial }} can be used in the URL, body, and headers.
Manual Calls If an HTTP request is not set, when running a simulation Roark will show you the provisioned number on each test case. When requested, you should start a call from your agent to the provisioned number.
For both HTTP requests and manual calls, Roark expects the outbound call to be made by the number set in your agent endpoint. Calls made to the provisioned number from numbers other than the one defined in your agent endpoitn will be ignored.

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Characteristics

  • Asynchronous execution - Tests wait for your agent to call
  • Single iteration - One test per phone number
  • Agent-controlled timing - Your system decides when to call
  • Pending state - Test cases remain pending until called

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Use Cases

Perfect for testing:
  • Sales campaigns - Cold calling, lead follow-up
  • Appointment reminders - Medical, service appointments
  • Survey calls - Customer satisfaction, market research
  • Collections - Payment reminders, account management
  • Notifications - Alert calls, status updates

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Configuration

Direction: Outbound
Phone Numbers: Provisioned by Roark
Iterations: 1 (fixed)
Timeout: Configurable (default 24 hours)

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Key Differences

AspectInboundOutbound
Who calls whoRoark → Your AgentYour Agent → Roark
ExecutionImmediateWhen agent calls
IterationsMultiple supportedOne per number
Use caseCustomer serviceSales/outreach
Timing controlRoark controlsYou control
Phone numbersUse your existingRoark provisions
ConcurrencyHigh (up to 50)Limited by numbers
ResultsImmediateAfter agent calls

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Choosing the Right Direction

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Choose Inbound When:

  • Testing customer service scenarios
  • You need immediate results
  • Running high-volume tests
  • Testing response to incoming requests
  • Validating IVR flows

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Choose Outbound When:

  • Testing sales or marketing campaigns
  • Your agent initiates contact
  • Testing dialer integrations
  • Validating outreach scripts
  • Testing follow-up workflows

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Technical Considerations

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Inbound Testing

  • Ensure your agent can handle concurrent calls
  • Configure appropriate rate limits
  • Test your agent’s scaling capabilities
  • Monitor response times under load

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Outbound Testing

  • Plan for phone number provisioning time
  • Set appropriate timeouts for pending tests
  • Configure your dialer to call Roark numbers
  • Handle failed call attempts gracefully

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Best Practices

Begin with inbound testing for immediate feedback before moving to outbound
Choose the direction that matches how your agent operates in production
If your agent handles both, test both directions for complete coverage
For outbound, track which numbers have been called to avoid duplicates
Configure appropriate timeouts for outbound tests based on your calling patterns

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Next Steps

Create Run Plans

Build test suites with your chosen direction

Configure Personas

Set up customer profiles for testing

Running Simulations

Execute your inbound or outbound tests

View Examples

See scenario examples for both directions
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