Interective Voice Response Systems...
IVRS

Interactive voice response is a telephony technology in which someone uses a touch-tone telephone to interact with a database to acquire information from or enter data into the database.

IVR technology does not require human interaction over the telephone as the user's interaction with the database is predetermined by what the IVR system will allow the user access to.

For example, banks and credit card companies use IVR systems so that their customers can receive up-to-date account information instantly and easily without having to speak directly to a person.

IVR technology is also used to gather information, as in the case of telephone surveys in which the user is prompted to answer questions by pushing the numbers on a touch-tone telephone.

Scope of IVR System

IVR system is the basic part of all Computer Telephony system. The IVR platform is a PC running DOS, OS/2, Unix or Windows (3.x, 9x or NT) that supports many ports, which allows it to interact simultaneously with multiple incoming phone lines. The IVR PC is generally a dedicated server with a single application running on it that is the heart and soul of the IVR.

The scope of an IVR application is much more than just giving verbal instructions and collecting the callers' responses to those instructions. It can be used to build various kinds of systems namely

Telephone accessible Database: A system where the user calls and by selecting from an audio menu can either add items to a database (e.g. placing a list of order to an on-line shopping system) or check existing items in the database (e.g. checking the status of the order placed).

Information Servers: These types of systems can range from simple system that plays pre-recorded messages to a more sophisticated voice mail system. The variants of these systems are

  • Simple IVR systems, that after establishing connection - plays an audio menu, accepts callers' response in touch tones or voice command, translates it into a relevant computer query, fetches information from the database, converts the information into voice and then plays it over the phone to the caller.
  • Systems that fax back documents to the caller that may not be limited to sending pre-written documents. As in the on-line shopping example, after receiving the order it can prepare a document listing the order along with the price quoted and fax it back to the caller.
  • Sophisticated voice mail system that supports most of all the functionality of the modern email services. The only exception is the use of voice message instead of text.

Front End Systems: This type of system performs operations similar to that of a human telephone operator namely

  • Sort out the callers by the kind of questions they have and take necessary actions according to a specified schedule.
  • Offer answers to common questions.
  • Log calls for latter analysis.
  • Route the calls to various phone numbers.
  • Prompts for a voice mail message to be retrieved latter, and so forth.

Originate calls: An application that on request or according to a fixed schedule calls everyone or some specific person from a list of phone numbers and leave a message with whoever answers the call as well as with an option to backup and replay.

Features of IVRS

Simultaneous handling of 4 channels 32 analog channels or more than 32 digital channels.

Automatically establishing connection in response to the ring signal. Number of rings before picking up the call is configurable.

Provides call statistics and customized report after call analysis viz. "Call success Rate", "Call Failure Analysis", "Response Delay Analysis", "Service-wise/channel specific calls", "languages selected".

Good Voice Quality supports up to 48 KHz sampling.

Work with all type of exchanges on voice lines or trunk lines with BSNL/Railway communication Network and cellular phone network.

Multiple language support with user configurable channel specific language. Number of languages used may vary from 1 to 10.

Incoming calls from decadic dial telephone across PSTN/Railway/PBX line/cell phone. Caller can dial in both pulse and DTMF mode with DTMF inputs to select from IVR menu options.

Capable of working 24 hours round the clock.

Dynamic, user configurable, channel specific menu of IVRS, leading to setting of different service for different incoming lines (channels).

Provides additional tools for recording and editing voice files and online deployment.