Interactive Voice Response

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems are automated telephony systems that interact with callers, gather information, and route calls to the appropriate recipient. They operate using voice recognition and Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) input from a telephone keypad. IVR systems are widely used to manage customer interactions efficiently, improve service accessibility, and streamline business operations.

IVR systems can be used to create self-service solutions for mobile purchases, banking payments, services, retail orders, utilities, travel information and weather conditions. In combination with systems such an automated attendant and automatic call distributor (ACD), call routing can be optimized for a better caller experience and workforce efficiency. IVR systems are often combined with automated attendant functionality. The term voice response unit (VRU) is sometimes used as well.