What is Interactive Voice Response (IVR)?

Interactive voice response (IVR) is telephony software technology commonly found in call centers. IVR allows businesses to interact with callers through a series of automated menus, often enabling the customer to self-serve for faster resolution. An IVR system typically plays a recorded greeting for the caller, announces the menu options, and then either connects the caller with the most qualified agent, transfers them to a queue, or facilitates the self-service action, such as providing an account balance or operating hours. On their part, callers respond to the interactive voice response (IVR) system's menu prompts by pressing the buttons on their phone's keypad or by simply speaking the responses.

When configured with the customer experience in mind, interactive voice response (IVR) systems can play an important role in making call centers more efficient as well as improve service quality. For example, enabling self-service reduces labor costs. Additionally, when integrated with other systems, the data the interactive voice response (IVR) system collects can enable "screen-pops" that allow agents to get a jump start on the interaction. And although IVRs often get a bad rap by consumers, the intelligent routing they facilitate really can create a better customer experience.

Robust interactive voice response (IVR) systems can handle multiple call center locations. Additionally, they can handle thousands of DNISs (dialed numbers) and give each of them a unique greeting and menu. For example, if a company publicizes different phone numbers on their TV ads than they do on their billboards, the interactive voice response (IVR) can play a different greeting and provide different menu options to the customers calling in response to the TV commercial. This is also helpful for companies that use different phone numbers for different functions, such as sales and service.

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems continue to be a core call center technology. Used wisely they can have a positive impact on service quality.

How NICE can help

NICE CXone is the market leading call center software in use by thousands of customers of all sizes around the world to help them consistently deliver exceptional customer experiences. CXone is a cloud native, unified suite of applications designed to help a company holistically run its call (or contact) center operations.

NICE CXone Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is fully-integrated voice self-service that accelerates resolution, improves routing and cuts cost with automation. It leverages ASR to verbally gather caller information and determine optimal handling for improved customer experience.

CXone includes:

Omnichannel Routing – routing and interaction management that empowers agents to positively and productively interact with customers in digital and voice channels. These solutions include an automatic call distributor (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR), interaction channel support and proactive outbound dialer.

Workforce Optimization – unlocks the potential of your team by inspiring employees' self-improvement, amplifying quality management efforts to enhance customer experience and reducing labor waste. These solutions include workforce management (WFM), quality management (QM), customer satisfaction surveys and performance management (PM).

Automation & Artificial Intelligence (AI) – leading-edge, intuitive technology that eliminates mundane tasks and speeds resolutions of customer issues for better business outcomes. It provides self-service, agent-assisted and fully automated alerts and actions.

CXone also includes pre-defined CRM integrations and UCaaS integrations with most leading solutions on the market. These integrations provide a holistic call center software solution capable of elevating customer experiences for companies of all sizes.