What is IVR?
Explaining What an IVR Is
Although it’s flaunted about quite a lot, not many telecoms companies take the time to gently sit us down and calmly explain the fuzzy ball of technology that is IVR.
Today I’m going to explain IVR. What it is, how it works, why it’s different from an Automated Attendant, throw you a few real life applications, and just generally go through the motions to help you avoid unknowingly getting a face full of ice cream. I’ll stage it thus so:
• What is it?
• How does it work?
• Real life applications.
Feel free to skip. By the end you should have a complete grasp of what an IVR is and its application in a modern business environment.
Please be aware that this page seeks to define what IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is in the telecoms terminology!
What Is It?
While it may seem as though Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems and Automated Attendants offer the same capabilities—a way of handling phone calls without the need for a live agent-- there are indeed some great differences between the two offerings.
There is a good chance we've all encountered these systems already like whenever we call a business and are greeted by a voice prompt instead of a live person. What occurs from this point on however, defines the kind of system in use.
Automated Attendants typically offer callers a number tree of options for navigating through their system and getting to the phone number, or extension they wish to contact.
Interactive Voice Response systems are different in that they offer an advanced level of interaction with the caller, that the Automated Attendant is not able to provide.
Interactive Voice Response systems it's possible for the line owner to design a system that requests information from callers (like surveys) and delivered to a designated email address. The scope of questions that can be asked really are quite large as I will show in the how it works area.
Unlike an Automated Attendant, Interactive Voice Response systems are also able to read back information making it possible for businesses to extend their service hours.
Creative Telecoms offers businesses the ability to enhance their offerings with an extensive and bespoke IVR offering. Whatever you’re trying to do with IVRs, we most probably can do it.
How Does It Work?
Interactive Voice Response works on the back of Non Geographic Numbers such as 0800, 0845, 0207 LP etc.
All the recordings, options and questions are all decided prior to the service going live where Creative Telecoms creates a schematic plan with the customer and with that information a demonstration is built. Creative Telecoms will then collaborate with the customer to tweak the IVR to their desire.
Real Life Applications
Here I’ll give you an example application of an IVR.
Our client wanted to run a clinical study lasting 90 days and involving 400 patients.
- IVR system would be used to collect data on a daily basis from all patients. And would ask 4 basic questions; each question would have a number response 0-9, with the service being as simple and straight forward as possible.The service would start off with a greeting that the caller would hear.
"Welcome to the survey". And then proceed to the questions:
- Thinking about your IBS pain, please select a number between 0 and 9 that best describes your pain during the past 24 hours where 0 equals no pain and 9 equals the worst possible pain.
The caller puts in the number that they feel their experience relates to
- Thinking about any bloating, please elect a number between 0 and 9 that best describes any bloating during the past 24 hours where 0= no bloating and 9=worst possible bloating
The caller puts in the number that they feel their experience relates to.
- With reference to the stool chart provided, how would you describe your stool consistency over the last 24 hours (answers 0 to 7)
The caller puts in the number that they feel their experience relates to
- Thinking about stool frequency have you had any complete spontaneous bowel movements in the last 24 hours (answers yes or no)
The caller puts in the number that they feel their experience relates to
- Thanks for providing us with your information.The call then automatically hangs up.
Now that the call has ended, the client would then receive an email to their designated email address with the responses, allowing them to manipulate the data into a database and analyse the data.