What you need to know about IVR software

Your customers should get the service they want when they first call your help desk. By connecting customers with the most appropriate agent to solve their problem, you increase your first-call resolution rate and, ultimately, your customer service efficiency. This is where interactive voice response and its modern counterparts come to the rescue. Read on to learn more.

How are IVR calls handled ?

IVR software allows companies to use pre-recorded greetings or menu items that customers can access using the telephone keypad. To learn more, visit 
this hyperlink. IVR systems may include voice recognition software that allows customers to communicate with a computer. IVR systems are based on an extensible voice markup language (VoiceXML). VoiceXML consists of several components, such as the telephone network, TCP/IP network, VoiceXML telephony server, web server, and database, which work together to provide the best possible customer service.

Interactive Voice Response Applications

IVR systems are versatile. The most common applications are inbound and outbound call automation and call routing. In the latter case, IVR systems eliminate the need for an operator to answer incoming calls. In this case, the caller is usually presented with a menu of options and can attempt to answer frequently asked questions. A good example is a call from a customer asking about movie theater hours. The IVR uses an up-to-date database to present the caller with a list of the latest available movies, thus avoiding wait times and increasing customer satisfaction.

Advances in interactive voice control using artificial intelligence

Despite known shortcomings, the use of IVR software is expected to grow in the coming years due to improvements in artificial intelligence and speech recognition technologies. Natural Language Processing (NLP) is being used to improve IVR systems because the technology allows for better analysis of spoken language, and when combined with natural language generation applications, allows IVR systems to provide conversational responses to callers. In addition, IVR analysis software allows companies to analyze problems in their voice response systems and improve them to provide better customer service.