IVR - Interactive Voice Response

An IVR or Interactive Voice Response menu allows callers to interact with your telephone system via their telephone keypads. The IVR Module is used to set up a menu system that will play an initial recording to callers, allow them to dial an option, and route their call to a particular location based upon what they dial.For example, you could configure an inbound route to send an incoming call to an IVR, so that when people call your number, they would hear a greeting that would thank them for calling and say, For sales, press 1. For service, press 2. For our hours of operation, press 3.

_images/campaigns_in_ivr_diagrama.png

Figure 1: IVR - Interactive Voice Response

To generate a new IVR you need at least one audio to play (available in the audio library) and also a default destination to where to send calls that pass through our IVR.

To add an IVR you must access the Telephony -> IVR menu item, select Add IVR.

A screen similar to Figure 1 is displayed

_images/campaigns_in_ivr.png

Figure 2: IVR parameters

We can divide IVR form view into three sections. First section contains the form fields:

  • Name: reference name for IVR.
  • Description: enter a description for the IVR to help you remember what it is for.
  • OML audio file: here we choose which recording to be played to the caller when they enter the IVR. This can be any system recording that you have defined in the Audio module. It will usually give them instructions, such as press 1 for sales and 2 for support.
  • Upload audio: here we choose which recording to be played to the caller when they enter the IVR. This can be any wav file that you can upload on the fly. It will usually give them instructions, such as press 1 for sales and 2 for support.

Then follow the sections to configure timeout actions and invalid options.

  • Time out: enter the amount of time (in seconds) the system should wait for the caller to enter an option on their phone keypad. If this amount of time passes without the caller entering anything, it will be considered a timeout. After a timeout, the system follows the timeout rules defined below.
  • Time out retries: how many times callers are allowed to timeout without pressing any options on their keypad before they are sent to the invalid destination defined above.
  • Time out audio: the recording to play to a caller who times out. This can be any recording from the Audio module.
  • Time out upload audio: the recording to play to a caller who times out. This can be upload any wav recording.
  • Time out Destination type destination type to send the call to after Timeout valid attempts were reached.
  • Time out destination: destination to send the call to after Timeout valid attempts were reached.
  • Invalid retries: number of times to retry when receiving an invalid/unmatched response from the caller
  • Invalid recording: audio prompt to be played when an invalid/unmatched response is received, before prompting the caller to try againThis can be any recording from the Audio module
  • Invalid recording: audio prompt to be played when an invalid/unmatched response is received, before prompting the caller to try againThis can be upload any wav recording.
  • Invalid destination type: destination type to send the call to after Invalid attempts were reached.
  • Invalid destination: destination to send the call to after Invalid attempts were reached.

Finally, the third section displays as many rows as DMTF options involve the IVR. For each row, a DTMF can be assigned to a call switching destination.

Next, a destination type/destination must be assigned for each DTMF (option)of IVR.

Click on save button

Note

It is possible to nest an IVR inside another.