Related Sponsors

What are some important features of IVR systems?

Home » Information Technology » Interactive Voice Response » What are some important features of IVR systems?

IVR technology continues to change at a blinding pace, but there are some essential features you should look for in a system. Your IVR system should:

 capture touch-tone and/or voice responses

 store responses made by callers

 provide different responses based on time of day (or other similar variables).

Here are two options for a start-up IVR system:

1. Electronic voicemail. IVR at its most basic, these systems store messages spoken or keyed by a user, which are retrieved by the intended recipient when that person next dials into the system. These systems are essentially touch-tone-controlled answering machines for businesses.

2. Automated attendant. These familiar systems are actually a variant of traditional IVR setups. Automated attendants link IVR software with private branch exchange (PBX) equipment and voicemail systems. The device answers calls with messages like, “You’ve reached the ABC Corporation. If you know your party’s extension, please dial it now. For a directory of extensions, press one. For help, press zero or stay on the line for an operator.”

Modern IVR systems may utilize natural speech recognition, which interprets callers’ spoken questions. Text-to-speech (TTS) technology allows a caller to speak complex information—such as an e-mal or mailing address—that is then captured and played back to him or her. This computerized speech has come a long way from the eerie, robotic voices of old. TTS synthesized speech is created with tiny fragments of real voices that are stitched together before being played. TTS also allows businesses to disseminate dynamic information such as weather updates or flight schedules.

Older IVR systems were often built with proprietary programming and scripting languages. Newer call-flow systems are created in a way similar to Web pages—using VoiceXML or SALT languages that allow any Web server to function as an application server. This means that most IVR developers no longer require specific programming knowledge. Most Web developers possess the skills necessary to create IVR call flows.

Next Page: What does my company need to deliver IVR?

Related Interactive Voice Response Articles