Interactive Voice Response – IVR Buyers Guide and Tips
Interactive voice response or IVR systems allow businesses and other organizations to automate the process of directing phone calls to various departments and personnel, and can also be used to answer many customer questions, record and process information input by callers, and even process payments. A voice recorded live or from text-to-speech translation provides information to callers and prompts them to make selections or to give responses via speech or by pressing tone-based numbers on a touchpad phone or cellphone. These responses can be recorded or coded and utilized in a variety of ways.
Businesses of all sizes and types use interactive voice response systems, and their costs vary considerably. A basic system hosted on a small business’s own phone/IT system might only cost a few hundred dollars, while larger organizations can spend tens of thousands on effective hosting, data gathering and analysis features, call security, and other services. For more details and pricing check out our IVR Buyers Guide.
Key Items When Buying IVR Software or System
Find a service that can scale with your business. If you expect your needs to change in the coming years, you don’t want to have to scrap you interactive voice response system entirely and start from scratch. At the same time, don’t get stuck paying for a bunch of features that you aren’t going to use. Find a streamlined service that will reliably and efficiently meet your current needs, and that can grow with your organization.
