IVR refers to Interactive Voice Response, a technology that allows businesses to automate interaction with telephone callers. IVR systems are increasingly common as business look for ways to reduce customer support costs, improve customer satisfaction, and automate business processes. IVR, as a technology, has been very successful in accomplishing many of these tasks.

Early IVR systems relied simply upon pre-recorded voice prompts, with consumers keying through menus to reach the option they are looking for. Although a way to automate call response, it did have shortcomings, including occasional user frustration. Newer IVR systems have improved to offer voice response from consumers, via voice recognition. Voice response IVR systems have been proven to speed customer interaction in most cases, and reduce frustration with manually keying through a menu structure.

If your business is considering adding or upgrading an IVR system, it is highly recommended that you research a variety of IVR vendors. IVR systems differ by vendor, using different hardware and software both. Finding an IVR solution that is cost effective, as well as easy to setup and maintain, as well as one that can integrate easily with other systems (such as data retrieval) is generally a top priority for all businesses considering IVR.