IVR (Interactive Voice Response) phone system can be defined as a technology used by the computer system to communicate with humans via the voice of DTMF keypad inputs. The most common example for an IVR phone system would be the message that you receive upon dialing your bank for checking the balance in your account. An IVR phone system functions by recognizing the tones generated by the keypads pressed by people. Voice recognition is also possible and is commonly used by banks and other commercial sectors.
Beneficial for customer service and support
The IVR phone system is commonly used by multinational companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Google and other companies that deal with customer services. The most notable benefit of opting for an IVR phone system is that it allows the employees to save time. More often than not, customers call up the customer service with minor issues that can be resolved by simple guidance. This is where an IVR phone system is beneficial. By guiding the customer through the issue, employees can focus on other issues that need personal assistance.
Use for information and entertainment
Basic travel information, weather reports and match scores are some of the areas in which an IVR phone system can be effectively used. In recent years, an IVR phone system has been used to allow callers to vote on questions posed during games shows; IVR systems are suited to handling such large call spikes.
Collecting sensitive and confidential data
Easy access to confidential and sensitive data was considered to be a major hassle in the launch of IVR phone systems. However, with appropriate security measures and the password or security word protection, an IVR phone system is considered to be extremely safe. You will probably notice the security feature when calling up your bank for your account details. Ideally, you will need to enter your account number, phone banking PIN and/or a security password in order to gain access to your account. It is for this reason that IVR phone systems are commonly used in many commercial sectors.