What is IVR (interactive voice response)? — Definition and advantages

ExecutelInc September 12, 2022

8 min read

It feels like you’ve been on your phone for hours, yet it’s only been 3 minutes. Finally, you are greeted by a synthetic voice. With the assistance of that robotic voice, you are able to troubleshoot your difficulties after selecting from a list of solutions. This is only one of the benefits of Interactive Voice Response. It’s a system that allows callers to engage with a company without being connected to an operator, and it’s also known as IVR.

We’ll look at our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and what it is in this article. We’ll also go through the advantages of IVR tools so you can decide if they’re suited for your business.

What is IVR/Interactive Voice Response?

Interactive Voice Response or IVR is a telephony technology that allows customers to interact
with the company’s service system through configurable voice menus, in real time, using DTMF
tones.

Where are IVR Systems used?

IVR systems are often capable of handling and servicing large quantities of calls. Businesses can save money and enhance customer service by using an interactive voice response system, which provides callers with the information they need 24 hours a day without the need for expensive human labor. Telephone banking, airline schedule information, and televoting are examples of IVR applications.

How does an IVR work?

In an IVR system, callers are given the ability to select options by pressing keys. Pressing a digit on the phone keypad sends a DTMF tone to the company’s service system, which then selects the appropriate action/response based on the digit pressed.

Functionalities of IVR

Set up a customized IVR message and prompts:
IVRs allow you to record unique greetings, messages, and prompts so that your consumers have a more personalized experience when they call your organization.Use IVR messages that have been pre-recorded.
You can utilize pre-recorded IVR messages if you don’t want to use your own voice on the IVR. Professionalism simplified.Gather information about the people who are calling you.
IVRs can gather information about your customers’ needs and route calls to the most relevant person or department based on the information they provide in the IVR. The likelihood of a caller being moved to the wrong agent or department is considerably reduced when calls are forwarded to agents utilizing a contact center solution with an IVR system.Prioritize calls based on their importance.
You can use IVRs to prioritize calls based on the value of the caller. When a high-value customer calls, the IVR connects them with the agent best suited to their needs. If all of your agents are unavailable, they will be moved to the front of the queue. Poor customer service or a long response time will never cause your team to lose a high-value customer.

What are the benefits of using an IVR System?

With IVR software, businesses and call centers can:

Reduces operational costs — By reducing the human agents and receptionists needed.Improve the customer experience — Callers get the accurate information they need 24 hours a day.Solve problems faster — Consumers are immediately directed to the sales team or department that can best answer their question.Improves company image — Small businesses seem to have a much larger workforce.

What is the IVR menu?

When a caller contacts your company, an IVR menu is just an automated list of alternatives provided to them. They can, for example, request to be connected to a specific person or department, and the system will route the call to the proper location.

Artificial intelligence is used in the latest IVR systems to transcribe what the caller says and determine their needs. For simple enquiries, such as providing information or accepting digital payments, they usually provide self-service options. If the caller needs assistance with a more difficult issue, the system can connect them with a human agent.

Setting Up IVR

In just a few minutes, you can create an IVR menu. The IVR setup procedure has been simplified by VoIP systems, so you don’t need to contact an IT professional to automate call routing for a single phone line.

The methods to set up IVR differ depending on the business phone system, but in EXECUTEL we’ll walk you through the process step by step so you can see how simple it can be.

Go to your admin dashboard and look for the “Phone Numbers” area.Choose the phone number to which you want to add an IVR phone menu.To add your menu, scroll down to the “Phone Menu” section and press “Disabled.”To upload an audio file, record a message, or input a message for an automated voice to read, tap “Set a greeting message.” After dialing your phone number, callers will hear this message for the first time.You can set the destinations for each keypad or voice command under “Menu Options.” You can select from the following options for each menu option:Forward calls to another OpenPhone number,Forward calls to a US or Canadian number outside of your organizationLet calls go through to the number callers originally dialed