IVR

Stands for "Interactive Voice Response."

IVR is a telephony technology that interacts with callers through touch-tone keypresses and voice input, allowing users to navigate menus and access information systems over the phone. While early IVR systems simply routed calls, modern ones are more sophisticated, leveraging natural language processing (NLP) to better understand spoken commands. These systems can handle routine queries and provide automated customer service without a human operator.

Chances are you've interacted with IVR when calling customer support about a product or service. For example, your bank may employ IVR when you call in to check your account balance, view recent transactions, or make transfers. Credit card companies, utility providers, and stock brokerages also provide IVR for phone-based account management tasks. IVR systems also facilitate appointment scheduling, automated surveys, movie showtime inquiries, and intelligent call routing in call centers.

In today's digital landscape, IVR systems are increasingly integrated with artificial intelligence, enhancing their capability to understand conversational input and creating a more human-like interaction. Still, the quality of the experience can vary depending on how effectively the system recognizes and processes voice commands, especially in more complex scenarios.