Interactive Voice Response (IVR) has come a long way since it first landed on the market and is at this day one of the most widely used and progressive kinds of call centre software available. it is often overlooked in starting an internet business when access to a helpline or manned customer service is seen as secondary. 

Used by all kinds of companies throughout the world, the key purpose of the IVR system is to organize large numbers of calls that some organizations of a particular nature can experience and is for a human impossible to handle. A well-designed IVR system can drastically reduce operating overheads and assist organizations in supporting both their clients and staff as well as improving the client’s experience. 

The IVR systems are able to distinguish between commands, whether they are input as a voice command or via the dial pad. The system responds to the input with a pre-recorded script to direct the caller on how to proceed, this can be a request to state the number from a list of given options or to select a number using the dial pad. IVR systems are most suitable for any task whereby the instruction can be separated and put into a simple menu option. In telecommunications these systems are generally very competent and reliable when it comes down to dealing with large volumes of calls.

Interactive Voice Response systems are popular as they save companies time and manpower as well as money. IVR appliances are often used in telephone banking industries, for televoting and credit card transactions. If an organization utilizes an IVR system, then the organization can extend its business hours to round the clock if necessary.

Companies that experience a high level of callers each day requesting the same information, (such as a bank where the customer is checking their bank balance, the opening times of a store or visa and passport information), find automated systems extremely useful and time saving. The alternative for a company is to recruit staff according to the volume of calls and enquiries. This would cost them considerably more as they would need to hire at least 2 or 3 members of staff to cover the same hours as an automated service can provide.

IVR systems range considerably in their functions, the less expensive models are quite basic and instructions a simple yes or no voice command, or press 1 for….press 2 for….dial pad command. The more advanced systems ask for names, dates of birth and your address and recognize the answers, so speeding the whole process up greatly. Systems like these are very useful for situations where the same information is needed over and over again and will provide it much faster than if the phones were to be manually answered.

Many of the largest IVR systems are facilitated for voting in popular TV game shows, such as Big Brother and Pop Idol, TV shows which can produce millions of calls during a short period of time and would prove impossible to answer manually. The systems are also useful for mobile users who are calling to register a logo or a new ringtone for their phone, anyone calling to ask about the weather forecast for the following will experience an automated system.

Call centres are the main users of IVR systems and use them to identify and redirect the user to the correct department where their enquiry can then be dealt with. The ability to identify customers further enables the organization to adapt its services to fit the client profile. With an automated service, the client can choose the information he requires, including choose an automated service, request a call-back or wait in the queue.

Many of the largest IVR systems are facilitated for voting in popular TV game shows, such as Big Brother and Pop Idol, TV shows which can produce millions of calls during a short period of time and would prove impossible to answer manually. The systems are also useful for mobile users who are calling to register a logo or a new ringtone for their phone, anyone calling to ask about the weather forecast for the following will experience an automated system.

IVR systems are normally installed in-house and maintained by the IVR provider who sets up the system through the client’s network. There are limitations to IVR systems in comparison to having the telephones manually answered, but the advantages to clients and the organization by far overshadow these limitations.

RFID tagging is the system of choice for tracking objects - it will be interesting to see how biomeric systems such as voice recognition shape up in the world of communication and data tagging.